I am a spiritual woman but not necessarily a religious woman and I am inspired by the love story between Joseph and Mary. It was a treat to be invited into the lives, albeit fictional tellings of their lives, of all of the characters in this book. Interesting to see the pettiness, the fear, the longing, the joy, the doubt that they experienced. It was shocking to me this time (I'd read it once before) the age difference of Joseph and Mary and how early they were attracted to each other. I loved looking at the similarities and differences between their culture and mine. Though I must admit, at times I wanted to just skim over some pages, I do recommend this book for story it tells, the thinking it provokes.