She is sustained by her fearless Aunt Yaltha, who harbors a compelling secret, as well as by her devoted friend Tabitha and by Phasaelis, the shrewd wife of Herod Antipas. Ana’s pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to the Roman occupation of Israel, partially led by her adopted brother, Judas. Their marriage evolves with love and conflict, humor and pathos in Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, and their mother, Mary. An encounter with the eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything: he becomes not only a floodgate for her intellect, but also the awakener of her heart. Ana is expected to marry an elderly widower, a prospect that horrifies her. She engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and silenced women. Raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, she is rebellious and ambitious, a relentless seeker with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd takes an audacious approach to history and brings her acclaimed narrative gifts to imagine the story of a young woman named Ana. In conversation with GPB’s Virginia Prescott.
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