Two brothers set about to bring order to a chaotic existence -- and discover hidden secrets along the way.

This 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. Praise for The Handmaid and the Carpenter “The oldest story ever told becomes fresh, even modern. [Grade:] A.” –Entertainment Weekly “Poetic, 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.” –Booklist “Sweetly lyrical and yet movingly realistic.” –New York Daily News “[Berg] movingly takes the story of the least ordinary couple in history, and by respectfully evoking the rhythms and rituals of daily life, makes them more human, yet no less transcendent.” –Richmond Times-Dispatch “Imaginative and compelling.” –Star Ledger

Ernest, Isabel and Grace Munday were blessed with childhoods full of fun and laughter, but the coming of the First World War will change their lives forever. Tom Munday, a skilled carpenter, is more than content with his lot in life: he's been blessed with a fine wife and three wonderful children. But when war breaks out, his firstborn, Ernest, is called upon to join the army. Tom's eighteen-year-old daughter Isabel finds the path of true love does not run smoothly in London's poor East End. And the youngest, fifteen-year-old Grace, wilful and headstrong, finds herself drawn down a path she never wished to embark on, and the consequences are far worse than she could ever have imagined.

Although Sinclair had written very critically of organized religion in his book The Profits of Religion, in this novel he takes a more human approach to the story of Christ. Of course, the Christ character is repulsed by the show of wealth he finds in 1920s California culture, which ultimately contributes to his leaving. In that sense, They Call Me Carpenter fits well into the canon of Upton Sinclair.