The Handmaid and the Carpenter

by: Elizabeth Berg

Published by: Random House

Reviewed by Julie Failla Earhart

Elizabeth Berg's latest novel, The Handmaid and the Carpenter, was released in December 2006 with little fanfare and no hype. This sweet take on the story of Mary and Joseph is a remarkable story that can't be limited to a holiday reading list.

Berg makes no bones about taking liberty with the time frame, setting the story in 4 B.C. "That is because Matthew and Luke place Jesus' birth at the end of reign of Herod the Great, who died in 4 B.C."

Jesus is not the most important character in The Handmaid and the Carpenter. This little novel, a mere 153 pages, is the story of Mary and Joseph's meeting and courtship. Framed by Joseph's death, the possible personalities of these two people come to life as they sound and act as young person would, no matter the era.

Mary meets Joseph at a wedding celebration and each is attracted to the other. Mary is thirteen, flirtatious, and headstrong. Joseph is just becoming a man, but knows immediately that Mary is one for him, going as far as to predict that the two will have seven sons. They court, according to Nazarene traditions, but Mary becomes "with child" before the consummation of the marriage can actually occur. There is little dwelling on how each copes with the message from the angels, but instead focuses on their attitudes as human.

The one flaw in the book is that there is an awkward time leap from the time of Jesus' birth until he is almost a man, ready to take over his father's carpentry business.

In my momma's word, "a sweet, sweet story."

Elizabeth Berg is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Never Change and Open House, which was an Oprah's Book Club selection in 2000. Joy School was selected as American Library Association Best Book of the Year. She also won the 1997 New England Bookseller's Award for her novels.

Armchair Interviews says: The Handmaid and the Carpenter makes for wonderful reading anytime of the year.