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There are currently 15 member reviews
for Eve
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Diane (NY NY)
Eve- A Novel of the First Woman
Author Elissa Elliott successfully combines the Biblical stories of Adam and Eve, and their sons Cain and Abel, with life in historical Mesopotamia in her novel, "Eve - A Novel of the First Woman".
Fans of Anita Diamant's "Red Tent" will enjoy this book, which drew me further into their fascinating ancient world with each turn of the page. Narration in alternating chapters by Eve and her daughters Naava, Aya and Dara gives the reader an overall snapshot of life for females at this time in history.
Elliott's reimagining of life in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve's fall from grace, and Cain's killing of his brother Abel add a new dimension to the familiar stories.
Even the afterword to this wonderful novel is interesting, with the author sharing her intensive search for historical accuracy.
The heart of the novel, however, is the undying love that Adam and Eve have for each other. It is inspiring.
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Shirley (Las Vegas NV)
The rest of the story
I liked this book as told from the perspective of the real first family females. Although it was historical fiction, the book brought to light typical family issues that are still with us today. The character development and the philosophical insights that the author offered added much to the story without belaboring Judeo-Christian perspectives. I was a little disappointed in the explanations at the end of the book, and though it was obvious that the author did quite extensive research. I would recommend this book to religious book study groups, teenagers, female book groups and womens' study groups.
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Connie (woodhaven MI)
The story of Adam and Eve
Even though I already know the story of Adam and Eve from the Bible, I liked this book from the beginning. Although it is fiction, it is based on historical fact and tells the story from the perspective of the females of the family. It kept me entertained throughout and I would definitely recommend it to others.
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Diana (Boca Raton FL)
Historically based family drama
On one level, this book takes us back to the beginning of creation with all the wonder and glorious newness surrounding the inception of the world. On a larger scale, this books examines the lives and relationships of and within a family, albeit the first humans known to walk the earth. Rife with historic detail, the saga of each and every character is woven into the Genesis story with much the same conflicts, strife and forgiveness dealt with every day within 21st century families.
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Gail (Delray Beach FL)
Eve
The concept of writing the story of Adam and Eve as fiction based on the biblical account is what intrigued me to read this book. However, it didn't meet my expectations. I feel it wasn't well written and could have been done better. I'm sure many readers would enjoy the book in spite of my observations.
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Lauran (Orange CA)
Story of the first dysfunctional family
There were three main themes in Eve. First, it was a timeless story about a very dysfunctional family, with an emphasis on motherhood. The author’s telling of the complexities and emotions of motherhood I found touching. Second, while it was a story about struggling with faith emphasized not only by Eve’s desire to understand her expulsion from the Garden but also through the addition of the Mesopotamian’s and their worship of other and multiple Gods, I felt the story really spoke more to consequences. And third, accepting and making the best of one’s fate vs. living in the past, the latter of which cripples Eve.
The story was interesting and easy to read. However, I do not think the author painted Eve in a positive light. I suppose as a woman I expected to be inspired by Eve. Instead she annoyed me with her selfishness, naiveté, whininess and inability to move forward with her life until losing her most favorite child. I also struggled with the arrogance and selfishness of Naava. She felt more like a plot device to add drama and tension to the story than a person with any redeeming value. I loved the independence and spirit of Aya, her middle daughter, but still could not believe that she too could be as mean as the others (and in doing so set off a whole chain of events). In fact, except for Abel and Jacan, they were all fairly selfish and mean to each other and that grew tedious after awhile.
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Julie (Rancho Palos Verdes CA)
Good premise but not well written
I was really excited to receive this book and jumped right in. I was disappointed though by the writing. I think this could have been a wonderful book but, like another reviewer mentioned, the characters did seem very much the same. I was also turned off by the "messages" in the book. I gave the book 3 stars because it isn't a bad book and I am sure that there will be many people that will really enjoy the story. I, however, did not.
