What do readers think of Adam & Eve by Sena Jeter Naslund? Write your own review.

"Adam and Eve" is multi-layered book that is brilliant in its scope and imagination. This book will definitely appeal to literature geeks – English majors, college professors and other bibliophiles. The references to other writers, poets, artists and composers is endless – from “Alice in Wonderland” on the first page, to van Gogh, Mozart, and on through to Hemingway’s “The Snows of Kilimanjaro” at the end. It was like meeting old friends as I read this new book.

This is a book that will provide wonderful discussions for book clubs. The connections between the Eden of the Bible and the Eden in the story, the name of the main character – Eve/Lucy – the religious and scientific names for the “first” woman in the world, the lengths that the religious zealots would go to destroy evidence that threatens their beliefs are just a few topics for discussion. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time – it is not an easy read, but it is a fascinating read!

Adam and Eve is the story of a man, Adam, and a woman, Lucy (Eve), both with deep emotional scars, meeting in a present day Garden of Eden. Lucy carries with her proof from her late husband, that alien life forms do exist, and an ancient codex concerning the human authorship of the book of Genesis. This part of the story line is very well written and a fascinating look into their past, emotional scars, and differing religious views. The last quarter of the book, however, diverges into ancient cave art and unusual relationship twists which made the end of the book confusing and odd.

In Sena Jeter Naslund’s beautifully written novel, "Adam & Eve", Lucy Bergmann finds herself facing worlds and dilemmas of extreme opposites. After the death of her husband, she unwillingly becomes the carrier of two secrets that threaten the core of three major religions. She lives in a world of never-ending war, but crashes into an oasis. It’s a breathtaking world, a real Eden where she meets Adam, a man with a fragile mind, victimized by brutal violence whose faith in God is iron.

This is a book about faith; faith in God, love and humanity. In our world of science and war and violence its difficult sometimes to hold on to belief in a God; yet Naslund suggests that its in these times that we need faith most. A book of memorable characters and an uplifting message, it challenged me to look at my own faith and beliefs and how well they stand up to threats of the modern world and science and whether they would hold steady in the face of crisis. Another outstanding book by Sena Jeter Naslund.

I enjoy reading. I am more than willing to suspend reality, up to a point, but this novel expects too much suspension of reality. There was not good character development, but it was well written. I am going to check out Naslund's other novels, because she is such a good writer.