At our August meeting, we discussed The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd, a historical, fictional book which imagines the life of Ana, an intelligent and ambitions young woman who becomes the wife of Jesus of Nazareth.
The book was well researched ,and vividly describes life in first-century Judea. Ana's father is chief scribe to Herod Antipas, and allows Ana, his only child to learn how to read and write. She is determined to leave her mark on this earth through her writings. The book has many strong themes and examines women's voices in society at the time, personal freedom, grief, hope and resilience.
Although the prose is lyrical and engaging, we didn't all feel that Ana was a particularly credible character, although we did enjoy the convincing descriptions of everyday life, customs, politics and religious tensions at the time. Other characters, in particular Judas, were more rounded. We were undecided about how we felt that Jesus was portrayed.
At our next meeting, on the 1st September, we will discuss Room by Emma Donahue.
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Future Reading
1st September 2026 Room by Emma Donahue
6th October 2026 The Names by Florence Knapp
3rd November 2026 - Klara and the Sun - Kasuo Ishiguro
1st December 2026 - Christmas lunch
2025
2nd September NO MEETING THIS MONTH
7th October Precipice by Robert Harris
4th November Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
2nd December 'What book I would like to receive or give to someone else at Christmas.
6th January 2026 Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver - postponed from September
