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Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
In her series The Arimathea Chronicles, Susanne Blumer’s Anna of Calvary is set in 33 AD, as Anna, a cousin of Jesus of Nazareth, travels with his followers to Jerusalem for the Jewish festival of Passover. Her husband, Andrew, is one of Jesus’s Twelve disciples. Her father, Joseph of Arimathea, holds a seat on the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council responsible for religious law, placing Anna close to the questions surrounding Jesus’s public ministry. Six months pregnant with a daughter named Sarah, Anna stays near the teacher who changed her family’s life as crowds gather around him in the holy city. Joseph opens his Jerusalem home to the group while Jesus continues teaching at the city’s Temple. As Passover approaches, Anna remains beside her family as public interest in Jesus spreads through Jerusalem and the council considers how to respond to his claims.
Susanne Blumer’s Anna of Calvary follows Anna as her place within Jesus’s family gives the familiar biblical account a wonderfully human perspective. The author does a beautiful job with period details, breathing life into first-century Jewish life. I really love the character work, with Anna developed into a fully fleshed-out woman. An interesting aspect is her devotion to Andrew and their married life together. Jesus is, of course, a key player. He comes across as an ordinary man, with a massive capacity for love. Anna knows him as family, and it makes their bond incredibly personal. Where the author shines brightest is in making Judea almost a character in its own right through cinematic detail, from Jerusalem’s lower market, where amber oil moves thick as winter honey, to Bethsaida’s shore, where old rope scents the air beside nets marked by fish scales. Beautifully written and immersive, readers of all faiths who enjoy historical fiction will adore this elegant and fresh perspective.
