That Woman's Girl

by L.R. Hay

Exciting, adventurous, funny and deeply moving kids'-eye view of Jesus - aimed at preteens, openly enjoyed by adults!
Ten-year-old Kat's vast criminal empire was running fine, thank you, until a weird guy turned up in a river, dunking people and shouting about snakes.
When things got even more random, with the rumoured 'chosen one' following a bird into the wilderness, Kat should have known to get out - but for a skilled pickpocket like her, the crowds this strange pair attracted were just... too... tempting...

THAT WOMAN'S GIRL is book three of The Young Testament: the Samaria and Decapolis viewpoint of the Jesus story - standalone, but overlapping with JOSEPH'S BOY and JAIRUS'S GIRL to form one big storyworld.

# Content Warning # This book deals with difficult issues, such as marriage break-up, death and bereavement.
In particular, of all the Young Testament books, this is the one where the main character is present at Jesus's trial before Pilate and the Cross, possibly making it more suited to the older end of the series age band.
Not to say that a younger or more sensitive child couldn't enjoy the book, but an adult might want to read those chapters with them. Alternatively, consider reading JAIRUS'S GIRL first, as that main character only hears about the trial and Crucifixion, making it a more gentle introduction to the subject.

219 pages, Paperback

Published December 17, 2023

About the author

Lynn Robertson Hay's writing covers books, TV, film, audio and theatre, including winning a Writers' Guild award.
Her screenplay BRAVE THE DARK stars Jared Harris (CHERNOBYL, THE CROWN etc) and Nicholas Hamilton (IT, and so on) and opened in theaters in January 2025.
Lynn is thrilled to have entered the Whoniverse with two stories for Big Finish, and wrote a very different kind of doctor in TV soap DOCTORS on BBC1.
She is also one of the world record-holding writers on crowd-created feature film THE IMPACT.
Lynn was a quarterfinalist in the Academy's prestigious Nicholl Fellowship (yes, *that* Academy), from 6,400 screenplays worldwide and came 3rd at LA Femme and 8th in Steven Knight's Midlands Writers competition.
Join her mailing list to be kept up-to-date with books, films and Doctor Who audios!
https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/form...

Lynn is also an actor, and has played parts ranging from Lady Macbeth to Mole and Puck to Miss Prism. Within the last few years she’s been seen wielding a rolling pin as Flo Capp in ANDY CAPP - THE MUSICAL, made her West End debut understudying the mighty Stockard Channing in APOLOGIA and going on in that amazing lead role 8 times, and appeared in season 3 of crime drama UNFORGOTTEN for ITV.
One-woman show REDEEMING FEATURES has played a variety of venues in the UK, US and elsewhere - tents, shopping malls, ornate Victorian theatres, cafes, streets, a 10th birthday party, an 85th birthday party, a swish Swiss hotel that inspired Disney, Kipling and Scott Fitzgerald, and the only part of Glastonbury Abbey still standing (not her fault).

Lynn's claim to fame is that she once won an episode of TV quiz show FIFTEEN TO ONE.

Reviews

[Michael Rumney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book in a series which brings the story of Jesus in a more modern way to a young readership. This book concentrates more on the later life of Jesus and although there is some overlap from the other two titles it isn't necessary to have read them.
There is plenty of humour in the book using language that a young reader will relate to. I was a bit surprised to find the word Dalek, but the these enemies of Dr Who are able to time travel.
In the book we follow a young thief, Kat, whose life becomes linked with Jesus and through her eyes we see some of the major events of his later life.
The scenes involving Pilate were extremely well done and Hay does well to show the dilemmas he faced.
Likewise the Crucifixion is well written and tones down the humour to suit the mood.
The ending gives us hope in a book which is a joy to read.

[Grant Leishman · Rating 5 out of 5]

That Woman’s Girl by L. R. Hay is a delightful retelling of an age-old bible story that so many of us know so well. This, however, is no staid, studied biblical scholarship though; this is a joyful, fun, and adventurous tale of the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth, as seen through the eyes of a young Samarian girl who has resorted to thievery and trickery to eke out a living in biblical Palestine. Kat’s mother was onto her fifth husband and Kat spent as much time as possible away from home, wandering the deserts and villages of Samaria and Palestine. Here she practiced her art of thievery from the wealthy, especially the rich Roman noblewoman who flaunted their jewels and money wherever they went. Like her elder brother Kai, Kat was determined to make her way in this world, ever mindful that the punishment for theft was more often than not, death. Her travel would ultimately bring her into contact with the strange, wild man they called John who was baptizing people in the river Jordan. It was only when she witnessed the power and magnificence of a new teacher called Jesus, however, that her life would change forever.

That Woman’s Girl is the second book by author L. R. Hay that I have read centered around the period of Biblical times. What makes these stories so special is the freshness and vitality that her characters bring to the old, staid biblical stories. Kat is the perfect deliverer of this message because she is cynical, unbelieving, and a common thief; exactly the type of people Jesus was sent to save. Her hard-bitten, outward façade however does hide a small girl who wants nothing more in life than a happy, secure, and stable family as well as a real purpose in life. The author’s clever asides to current-day events and lives add a real chuckle factor to the narrative and this combined with Kat’s deliciously cynical approach to life makes the entire story come alive and endears her to readers despite her very obvious character flaws. I particularly appreciated that this story was told through Kat’s eyes, who was very much on the periphery of Jesus’ entourage. Whilst all the familiar biblical characters will pop up throughout the tale, it is Kat’s wide-eyed wonder at what she sees and hears that will remain with readers long after they have put the story down. This author has a wonderful knack for using modern-day phraseology and blending it into a two millennia-old story. This gives the narrative, that essentially is two thousand years old, a new life and vibrancy that makes it as relevant today as it ever was. The story does not end here, however, and although I and many other readers know what happens next, we don’t know it from Kat’s perspective and that is why I look forward to the next iteration of this story. This is a wonderful book that I can highly recommend.

[Raechel Lenore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third book in L R Hay's Young Testament Series, and I think it is a great addition.
I really enjoyed "That Woman's Girl", and thought that main character Kat was a genuinely fun girl to follow along with. She was a thief, and a clever one at that! Because of her life, she wasn't very trusting, but that added a depth to her character and I enjoyed seeing how she grew and came to Jesus in the end. I personally became very invested in Kat, and loved her character.
This story would make a great read-aloud as a family, or to children/siblings, as it is told in such a way that you feel like you're listening to a grand story being recited to you. It is a fun way to experience the story, and unique too.
I loved getting to view the different accounts of the New Testament through Kat's eyes. It really is great Biblical Fiction for young readers, but can easily be enjoyed by any age! 
The only thing I paused on was that sometimes, when Jesus was talking, he came across as more harsh. And I think it was meant to be serious, which I understand and do think that Jesus is to be taken seriously, and the fear of the Lord is a real and important thing, but overall his character almost seemed...not entirely warm sometimes. Not always. It's hard to explain. 
But that aside, I think That Woman's Daughter was a great read, and depicted the times of Jesus very well.
I will certainly be hanging on to it to share with my own younger readers in my family!


Thanks to the author for a copy of this book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all thoughts expressed are entirely my own.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third book in the series. I really liked the way characters from the previous books were brought into this story (you don't have to have read the previous books but I would recommend them). The retelling of scripture in such an accessible way is great, for adults as well as kids. I gasped at some of the twists especially the Hellies' story. I can't wait for the next instalment 😍📖😍

[Billy Buttons · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
18th November 2023
TITLE: That Woman's Girl
AUTHOR: L R Hay
Star Rating: 5

‘A superb tool for introducing the story of Jesus to middle graders.’ The Wishing Shelf

REVIEW
I must say, I very much enjoyed this book for 10 -13 year olds. Steeped in the Bible, it’s set 2,000 years ago, the reader getting to follow the story of Jesus from the POV of a young girl called Kat. Now, this is the third book in the Young Testament set; first there’s Joseph’s Boy that covers the birth and childhood of Jesus, followed by Jairus’s Girl in which Jesus is grownup. In this third book, it’s towards the end of Jesus’s life on Earth up to and including being put on the cross.
Being a primary school teacher myself, I’m often on the hunt for books which will help me to introduce the bible to my students. Sadly, they are often rather dryly written and inaccessible. The result then is the children get put off and, to be honest, a little bored. So, I’m always on the look out for a ‘light’ way of teaching the bible. And that’s what we have here with That Woman’s Girl. The author, L R Hay, is a talented writer who works hard to keep the story accessible to the young reader. The tools she employs for doing that - a relaxed, contemporary writing style (no old English here), a fun to follow protagonists (Kat), and, finally, strong pacing.
All in all, I’m very happy to recommend this book to parents, grandparents and schools looking for the right tools to introduce Jesus’s story on Earth. The originality of writing the novel from the POV of a child, Kat, jumps out on every page, allowing the young reader to relate to her, and what she feels and thinks. And, even though this third book covers the crucifixion and, as a result, was probably the most difficult to write, the author still did a wonderful job.
Highly recommended!

A ‘Wishing Shelf’ Book Review
www.thewsa.co.uk

'A RED RIBBON WINNER and highly recommended!’