TWO WOMEN OF GALILEE

Author: Mary Rourke ISBN: 0778323749 3/2006 HISTORICAL Publisher: MIRA
Time Period: 30-33 A.D.

Wife to Chuza, King Herod's chief steward, Joanna lives a life of luxury in the city of Sepphoris, the jewel of the Galilee. Yet not even the finest doctors can restore health to her lungs, which have ailed her since childhood. -But Joanna has heard talk of a local healer, and the rumors intrigue her. She has only once seen this Jesus of Nazareth from a distance, thronged by mobs proclaiming his latest miracle. His mother is Joanna's own cousin Mary, whose family disowned Joanna's for forsaking Jewish law in favor of Roman customs. Intending to ask her estranged cousin to arrange a meeting with her son, Joanna sets off on the dusty road to Nazareth. Jesus indeed has the power to heal Joanna's body, but it is her soul that blossoms through her friendship with Mary, and as one of his disciples. But as word of Jesus' miracles reaches Herod's court and the ruler becomes increasingly wary of his fame among the people, intrigue, treachery and murder cast shadows onto Joanna's new path, changing her life forever.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

TWO WOMEN OF GALILEE is a fascinating journey through the events of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament, told from the point of view of a minor Biblical character: Joanna, younger cousin of Mary. Joanna's family left the Jewish faith and moved up in the world, to the point where Joanna has become a member of the court of King Herod. She has been ill most of her life, however, and hears about Jesus' amazing powers of healing. He cures her, and she becomes his follower, but also forges a deep bond with her rediscovered cousin.

This is a novel that provokes a lot of thought despite being a short, fast read. It would be a great book for a book club, and it includes questions for discussion at the end. This isn't entirely a Bible retelling (as I remember it), but this version of events rounds out the New Testament with the viewpoint of Roman rule in Hebrew areas. There is never any doubt of Jesus' miracles, though he is a somewhat distant figure in the book. It illustrates how much contempt there was in the community because of his claims to be divine. The main characters never seem to give us their opinion on this, however, except for one scene with Mary. Mary herself remains fully human, but very special, and the way she is approached really makes you feel the grace with which she handled the difficult situation she was placed in. Her anguish during the events of Holy Week can be understood by anyone with family.

I really wanted more, to be honest. I was hoping, as I came to the end, that there would be the promise of a sequel that would give us Joanna's eye-view on the events right after the death of Jesus and continue on from there. Unfortunately, Rourke wraps up Joanna's life with a five-page epilogue. Nonetheless, I'm glad the author gave us as much as she did.

Heather Hiestand