num_pages: 288
description: After the death of Herod the Great in 4 B.C., Jewish rebellions erupt throughout Judea and Galilee. In the midst of political turmoil and the horror of a burning city, a girl child is born, only to become motherless. On that day Samuel vows that his daughter-Joanna-will be educated and take part in his business, will marry well, and give him an heir. But fifteen years later nothing in Joanna's coddled upbringing has prepared her for a time when she cannot reason with her father. Thrust into loneliness by her best friend's marriage, Joanna is drawn to Chuza, Samuel's attractive and confident Arab steward. Just as they are discovering love, Samuel announces that he has found a suitable bridegroom for his daughter to marry, a "true son of Abraham"-certainly not an Arab. Joanna and Chuza's secretive meetings become more urgent. Soon it will be too late for their love. Caught between two cultures, their search for a true home takes them from Bedouin tents to King Herod's luxurious palace. What will become of Joanna's heart's desire? And will anything heal their growing spiritual emptiness?
language: English
title: Joanna
publisher: Guideposts