The Pharisee’s Wife
AD 33. Enos is a student of the Pharisees with ambition. When by chance he sees a young girl named Mary in the market, he believes her beauty will make him the envy of the men around him. With a bride price that will save her family from poverty, Mary begins training to become a Pharisee’s wife. Her betrothed has even insisted she change her name to one less common than Mary: Simona. Despite being strangers, Simona does her best to make a good marriage. However, Enos is angered by reports of a traveling prophet, Jesus of Nazareth. When he’s given an important assignment to find Jesus and expose his lies, Simona is left alone in a city she doesn’t know. She wrestles to understand why the Pharisees would want to kill a man who helps others. But to question such things could cause her to lose everything.
Mary/Simona is betrothed at only 14 and experiences a lot of growth throughout the novel that is both touching and heartbreaking. From learning new ways of dress to running a household of servants, Simona is thrust into a situation that slowly opens a door to a stronger faith life. There are moments when only her trust in God can save her.
The book recounts part of Jesus’s ministry leading up to his crucifixion and the repercussions that followed. By the book’s second half, sadly, characters get lost amidst the post-crucifixion events, and the prose is weighed down by exposition. There is little character development, particularly for Enos, whose life is turned upside-down by Jesus. Many character threads aren’t provided a resolution. While I really enjoyed Simona’s growth and the many historical details about women’s roles, by the end, the culmination of events and character choices fell short of expectations.
