The Book of Longings

'I am Ana. I was the wife of Jesus.' So begins the exquisitely written new novel from the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Invention of Wings .
Ana is a rebellious young woman, a gifted writer with a curious, brilliant mind, who writes secret narratives about the neglected and silenced women around her. Raised in a wealthy family in Galilee, she is sheltered from the brutality of Rome's occupation of Israel. Ana is expected to marry an elderly widower to further her father's ambitions, a prospect that horrifies her. A chance encounter with the eighteen year old Jesus changes everything: his ideas and his passion are intoxicating. Taking Ana on a journey she could never have imagined.