The Handmaid and the Carpenter - Elizabeth Berg

In this wonderful novel about love and trust, hope and belief, the bestselling author of We Are All Welcome Here and The Year of Pleasures transports readers to Nazareth in biblical times to reimagine the events of the classic Christmas story. nThis wonderful novel transports us to Nazareth in biblical times, where we meet Mary and Joseph-and understand them as never before: young, in love, and suddenly faced with an unexpected pregnancy. Aided by a great and abiding love, they endure challenges to their relationship as well as threats to their lives as they come to terms with the mysterious circumstances surrounding the birth of their child, Jesus.

For Mary, the pregnancy is a divine miracle and a privilege. For Joseph, it is an ongoing test of his faith-in his wife as well as in his God. Exquisitely written and imbued with emotional truth and richness of detail, The Handmaid and the Carpenter explores lives touched profoundly by miracles large and small.

nPraise for The Handmaid and the Carpenter n nThe oldest story ever told becomes fresh, even modern. [Grade: ] A. n-Entertainment Weekly n nPoetic, reflective, and intricate .

. . There is a crystalline humanity, a logical vulnerability in [Elizabeth] Berg's imaginative interpretation [that] brings novel resplendence to a familiar story.

n-Booklist n nSweetly lyrical and yet movingly realistic. n-New York Daily News n n[Berg] movingly takes the story of the least ordinary couple in history, and by respectfully evoking the rhythms and rituals of ndaily life, makes them more human, yet no less transcendent. n-Richmond Times-Dispatch n nImaginative and compelling.

n-Star Ledgern