What do you think?
Rate this book
Eve
BONUS: This edition contains an Eve discussion guide.
In this mesmerizing debut novel, Elissa Elliott blends biblical tradition with recorded history to put a powerful new twist on the story of creation’s first family. Here is Eve brought to life in a way religion and myth have never allowed–as a wife, a mother, and a woman. With stunning intimacy, Elliott boldly reimagines Eve’s journey before and after the banishment from Eden, her complex marriage to Adam, her troubled relationship with her daughters, and the tragedy that would overcome her sons, Cain and Abel. From a woman’s first awakening to a mother’s innermost hopes and fears, from moments of exquisite tenderness to a climax of shocking violence, Eve explores the very essence of love, womanhood, faith, and humanity.
In this mesmerizing debut novel, Elissa Elliott blends biblical tradition with recorded history to put a powerful new twist on the story of creation’s first family. Here is Eve brought to life in a way religion and myth have never allowed–as a wife, a mother, and a woman. With stunning intimacy, Elliott boldly reimagines Eve’s journey before and after the banishment from Eden, her complex marriage to Adam, her troubled relationship with her daughters, and the tragedy that would overcome her sons, Cain and Abel. From a woman’s first awakening to a mother’s innermost hopes and fears, from moments of exquisite tenderness to a climax of shocking violence, Eve explores the very essence of love, womanhood, faith, and humanity.
421 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
About the author
Elissa Elliott
1 book32 followersI’ve been a voracious reader since I was a child. Growing up as the oldest of seven, reading was my escape. It was my travel to faraway places and to different cultures. I think it was Mark Twain who said, “We read to know we’re not alone,” and I agree wholeheartedly.
I went the scientific route, graduating from UCLA with a biology degree and a masters of education. I taught high school math for two years, then high school biology for six. I loved the interaction with the kids, and I definitely enjoyed the perks of travel and adventure, afforded to teachers who wanted to bring the world back to their classroom. Antarctica. Galapagos Islands. Outward Bound. Boundary Waters. British Virgin Islands. John Pennecamp State Park. I loved them all.
In 1999, my husband had to do a year surgery fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, so I quit teaching for a year. I began to write, and everything I wrote ended up sounding a lot like my family. So, I wrote my itching-to-get-out memoir, just so I could move on to newer and better things. Closure is good. It really is.
Currently, I’m a contributing writer for Books & Culture. I’m working on my second novel, which for the time being, will remain a secret. The writing of it has proven to be just as thought-provoking and challenging as Eve, which is an exciting thing.
I went the scientific route, graduating from UCLA with a biology degree and a masters of education. I taught high school math for two years, then high school biology for six. I loved the interaction with the kids, and I definitely enjoyed the perks of travel and adventure, afforded to teachers who wanted to bring the world back to their classroom. Antarctica. Galapagos Islands. Outward Bound. Boundary Waters. British Virgin Islands. John Pennecamp State Park. I loved them all.
In 1999, my husband had to do a year surgery fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, so I quit teaching for a year. I began to write, and everything I wrote ended up sounding a lot like my family. So, I wrote my itching-to-get-out memoir, just so I could move on to newer and better things. Closure is good. It really is.
Currently, I’m a contributing writer for Books & Culture. I’m working on my second novel, which for the time being, will remain a secret. The writing of it has proven to be just as thought-provoking and challenging as Eve, which is an exciting thing.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 255 reviews
March 9, 2021
“Everything ordinary is extraordinary and points to one luminous thing, to a love that has already given its response. You have only to receive it.”
For those of you who do not know, I have chosen Eve as my remarkable person of the year (2021). There happen to be a number of titles on my TBR that reference Eve. I have picked 7 of them this year. And I knew it would start with this one – Elissa Elliot’s Eve.
I listened to it on Audio, which I am absolutely sure changed the experience from the book read. I liked how the author chose voices for the characters that matched their personalities and struggles.
I felt it was long, perhaps way longer than it should have been. But that is perhaps due to the experience of audio. I have indeed been listening for quite a while. But what I loved about the book, is that it was just so different. Who ever thought to make a midrash, a story out of this text that is so inventive and creative, but also really sticks close to the literal text. The author does such a brilliant beautiful job imagining this out of a few words, and those most powerful to the Judeo-Christian and Islamic line. I love the tensions and questions and understandings and awarenesses of each of the characters. I heard in the Author’s note, her desire to make Eve (and the other characters) real and relatable. She did that. And l loved how she conceived of the book, and what is held within. In many ways it was a beautiful read, even if long. And so so different, I think.
I also think it was an interesting question in the authors note, to see how her religious community did and didn’t embrace the questioning of the story, and whether or not the story of Eden was figurative, and what might have actually happened? I would have loved to have heard more about those conversations, or been there for that… Pluralistic thinking within a deeply sacred text and community. I appreciated that tension too…
For those of you who do not know, I have chosen Eve as my remarkable person of the year (2021). There happen to be a number of titles on my TBR that reference Eve. I have picked 7 of them this year. And I knew it would start with this one – Elissa Elliot’s Eve.
I listened to it on Audio, which I am absolutely sure changed the experience from the book read. I liked how the author chose voices for the characters that matched their personalities and struggles.
I felt it was long, perhaps way longer than it should have been. But that is perhaps due to the experience of audio. I have indeed been listening for quite a while. But what I loved about the book, is that it was just so different. Who ever thought to make a midrash, a story out of this text that is so inventive and creative, but also really sticks close to the literal text. The author does such a brilliant beautiful job imagining this out of a few words, and those most powerful to the Judeo-Christian and Islamic line. I love the tensions and questions and understandings and awarenesses of each of the characters. I heard in the Author’s note, her desire to make Eve (and the other characters) real and relatable. She did that. And l loved how she conceived of the book, and what is held within. In many ways it was a beautiful read, even if long. And so so different, I think.
I also think it was an interesting question in the authors note, to see how her religious community did and didn’t embrace the questioning of the story, and whether or not the story of Eden was figurative, and what might have actually happened? I would have loved to have heard more about those conversations, or been there for that… Pluralistic thinking within a deeply sacred text and community. I appreciated that tension too…
December 28, 2008
Thanks to my membership at Bookbrowse.com I got an advanced reading copy of Eve. I loved, loved,loved it.
Here's the basic premise: What was Eve's life like after Eden?
The story goes back and forth in time and is told in 4 voices: Eve's and her daughters, Naava, Dara and Aya. Oddly, Naava's is always told in the 3rd person, while the others are in 1st person.
Eve is portrayed very realistically and not always sympathetically. Like a real person, she has strengths and weaknesses. Naava is mostly portrayed negatively while Dara is mostly positive and Aya is a mix. Interestingly, it is Aya who has the strongest faith, while Eve, who ostensibly met Elohim (God), is challenged to retain her faith.
If you like historical fiction, this would be a good choice. Elliott researched Mesopotamian life and included their food, their religious practices and like that. The writing is descriptive without being overly so, the dialog is realistic despite the simplicity of the speech patterns.
I read very quickly but I made myself slow down and savor the book, reading it slowly to be sure I didn't miss anything. If you liked The Red Tent, you'll likely enjoy this story as well. If you wonder about Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, you'll likely enjoy "Eve." If you're a Christian who interprets the Bible literally, chances are good there will be things that you won't like and that might even make you mad. Be forewarned. If you're a New Though Christian, you'll recognize yourself in Aya. If you're not a Christian at all but just like good historical fiction, you'll still enjoy this story.
Here's the basic premise: What was Eve's life like after Eden?
The story goes back and forth in time and is told in 4 voices: Eve's and her daughters, Naava, Dara and Aya. Oddly, Naava's is always told in the 3rd person, while the others are in 1st person.
Eve is portrayed very realistically and not always sympathetically. Like a real person, she has strengths and weaknesses. Naava is mostly portrayed negatively while Dara is mostly positive and Aya is a mix. Interestingly, it is Aya who has the strongest faith, while Eve, who ostensibly met Elohim (God), is challenged to retain her faith.
If you like historical fiction, this would be a good choice. Elliott researched Mesopotamian life and included their food, their religious practices and like that. The writing is descriptive without being overly so, the dialog is realistic despite the simplicity of the speech patterns.
I read very quickly but I made myself slow down and savor the book, reading it slowly to be sure I didn't miss anything. If you liked The Red Tent, you'll likely enjoy this story as well. If you wonder about Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, you'll likely enjoy "Eve." If you're a Christian who interprets the Bible literally, chances are good there will be things that you won't like and that might even make you mad. Be forewarned. If you're a New Though Christian, you'll recognize yourself in Aya. If you're not a Christian at all but just like good historical fiction, you'll still enjoy this story.
March 18, 2009
I thought about giving this book five stars, but I feel like that should maybe be reserved for all-time favorites. So let's just call this 4 1/2 stars. I absolutely loved this book. I felt really attached to the characters and the story from the very beginning, and couldn't wait to get back to the book every time I had to put it down. I loved the concept of the book -- a fictional telling of Eve's life after the expulsion from Eden. The chapters rotate between the voices of Eve and her three daughters -- Naava, Aya and Dara. Aya quickly became my favorite character. I enjoyed reading about the different relationships each of the characters had with God (or gods). The descriptions of Eden and Elohim (god) are lovely and breathtaking, I thought, and the Fall is so heartbreaking. There were also some really interesting insights into male/female roles and how maybe god never really wanted it to be that way. I also really liked many of Eve's insights into motherhood, the joys and the struggles. The reviews of this book on Goodreads are pretty mixed, but I really think most of you all (family & friends) would really like it.
August 11, 2009
Eve: A Novel of the First Woman by Elissa Elliott
Genre: Biblical Fiction
Many people know the story the Bible tells of Adam and Eve: Adam was the first man, Eve was created from his rib, they were expelled from Eden for eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they had 2 sons (Cain & Abel) and Cain killed Abel. That is about where the Bible’s version of this story ends. Elissa Elliott picks up where the story leaves off and creates a very detailed back story for these first people. She uses the story from the Bible as the backbone for her story about Eve.
This book is told from the viewpoints of Eve and her three daughters, Naava, Aya, and Dara (something never mentioned in the Bible). Each of their perspectives gives a unique look at the world around them. Naava is the eldest daughter who does everything to improve her own place in the world, sometimes creating problems for her family at the same time. Aya is the second oldest daughter and she has a deformity to her foot. Despite this condition she is a necessity to the family as she is the cook and the healer. Dara is the youngest, part of a set of twins, and she is used by the family as a go-between for the family and the newcomers. Eve is questioning if God exists because he hasn’t come to them since they were expelled from Eden. These females tell the stories of the men in their lives as well. Cain, the eldest, has a temper and is questioning the presence of God. Abel, the second oldest, does anything to help his family and believes that he can hear the voice of God, which really upsets his older brother. Jacan, Dara’s twin, follows Abel’s lead and is learning the ways of tending to the herds and listening to God. Finally there is Adam. He is the strong, quiet presence – always believing in the presence of God.
This book takes place at three different periods of time. Most of the story takes place in the months leading up to the death of Abel at the hands of Cain. During this time they meet the newcomers to the area and their presence and influence severely disrupts the pattern of the family. Through Eve’s retellings we learn of their life within the Garden of Eden, what led up to their expulsion from that Garden, and their travels to the place where they eventually settle down. The third period of time is very late in life right before Eve’s death. Naava has come back to see Eve before she dies.
I was very interested in reading this book because the early Bible stories are very interesting and create a great backbone for a novel. Elliott does an amazing job of weaving what is written in the Bible with her own story of the family. Her characters are very real and all of them have a distinct personality. As the story was coming to an end I realized that I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to know more about this family and what would happen after Abel’s death. I found that during reading this book I would look things up in the Bible to get an idea of what the back story was. I learned a lot during this process. I now can’t wait to read other books from this genre and can’t wait to see what this author comes out with next.
5 out of 5 stars!!!
Genre: Biblical Fiction
Many people know the story the Bible tells of Adam and Eve: Adam was the first man, Eve was created from his rib, they were expelled from Eden for eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they had 2 sons (Cain & Abel) and Cain killed Abel. That is about where the Bible’s version of this story ends. Elissa Elliott picks up where the story leaves off and creates a very detailed back story for these first people. She uses the story from the Bible as the backbone for her story about Eve.
This book is told from the viewpoints of Eve and her three daughters, Naava, Aya, and Dara (something never mentioned in the Bible). Each of their perspectives gives a unique look at the world around them. Naava is the eldest daughter who does everything to improve her own place in the world, sometimes creating problems for her family at the same time. Aya is the second oldest daughter and she has a deformity to her foot. Despite this condition she is a necessity to the family as she is the cook and the healer. Dara is the youngest, part of a set of twins, and she is used by the family as a go-between for the family and the newcomers. Eve is questioning if God exists because he hasn’t come to them since they were expelled from Eden. These females tell the stories of the men in their lives as well. Cain, the eldest, has a temper and is questioning the presence of God. Abel, the second oldest, does anything to help his family and believes that he can hear the voice of God, which really upsets his older brother. Jacan, Dara’s twin, follows Abel’s lead and is learning the ways of tending to the herds and listening to God. Finally there is Adam. He is the strong, quiet presence – always believing in the presence of God.
This book takes place at three different periods of time. Most of the story takes place in the months leading up to the death of Abel at the hands of Cain. During this time they meet the newcomers to the area and their presence and influence severely disrupts the pattern of the family. Through Eve’s retellings we learn of their life within the Garden of Eden, what led up to their expulsion from that Garden, and their travels to the place where they eventually settle down. The third period of time is very late in life right before Eve’s death. Naava has come back to see Eve before she dies.
I was very interested in reading this book because the early Bible stories are very interesting and create a great backbone for a novel. Elliott does an amazing job of weaving what is written in the Bible with her own story of the family. Her characters are very real and all of them have a distinct personality. As the story was coming to an end I realized that I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to know more about this family and what would happen after Abel’s death. I found that during reading this book I would look things up in the Bible to get an idea of what the back story was. I learned a lot during this process. I now can’t wait to read other books from this genre and can’t wait to see what this author comes out with next.
5 out of 5 stars!!!
April 25, 2011
I really wanted to like this entire book. The flashbacks to life in the Garden, the temptation of the forbidden fruit, and their consequent expulsion were really interesting and well written. Unfortunately, that was only about 15% of the book. The rest of the story fell into repetitive and self-absorbed reflections. The story is written from the viewpoint of the women in Eve's family, but they each fall into a female stereotype that was really cringeworthy. It was as though Eve produced all the facets of Woman: Naava, the beautiful, selfish seductress; Aya, the knowledgeable earth mother; Dara, the compassionate. Eve herself tried desperately to hold her family together and bind them to God while continually questioning why God let them fall so far from grace. Because the female characters couldn't get much further than their own grievances, the male characters (with the exception of Cain, who plays a large role in the plotline) are static characters that also fall into stereotypical roles. Adam and Abel, in particular, had no motivation for their actions. Abel was good because he was born good, Adam was distant and unavailable because... there was no room for him to have a personality with all the whining Eve was doing? The family is also put into a strange plotline that technically revolves around the events leading up to Cain killing Abel, but it is swept away by the family's involvement with people from a nearby city and by the time we catch up with it again, Abel's death seems like an anti-climactic end to the story.
If one is looking for good biblical fiction, I suggest Anita Diamant's "The Red Tent" or books by Francine Rivers. Skip this one-- interesting premise, but unlikeable and undeveloped characters in an odd plotline.
If one is looking for good biblical fiction, I suggest Anita Diamant's "The Red Tent" or books by Francine Rivers. Skip this one-- interesting premise, but unlikeable and undeveloped characters in an odd plotline.
February 10, 2009
From the AP:
¶ "Eve: A Novel of the First Woman" (Delacorte Press, 421 pages, $24), by Elissa Elliott: Tossed from the Garden of Eden for a seemingly insignificant act _ eating a piece of fruit _ Eve is adrift.
¶ What did it mean? Why was the punishment so harsh? And then, where is God? Does he still exist? Does he remember her?
¶ Drawing on scholarly studies of Genesis, Judaism and Mesopotamia, and written in the easy-to-read style of "The Red Tent" and "Queenmaker," Elissa Elliott's first novel offers a fresh and insightful vision of the life of the first women.
¶ For starters, Elliott questions whether Eve was in fact first. Two decades after their expulsion from the Garden, Adam and Eve encounter technologically advanced Mesopotamians.
¶ This raises plenty of questions: Did God create these people as well? Did another god create them?
¶ It also causes trouble as Eve's eldest children become enamored with the urban culture and its many gods. They pray to idols. They want to make sacrifices.
¶ The outcome, of course, is no surprise: God favors second son Abel's sacrifice because it is made with a pure heart. Enraged, his brother Cain murders Abel.
¶ The twists and surprises _ which won't all be given away here _ come in Elliott's imagining of the family dynamics that create an angry fuse for God's lightning to strike.
¶ Cain is jealous of Abel, who escapes to the hills with his sheep and younger brother, Jacan. Eldest daughter Naava is vain. Second daughter Aya is self-righteous. Eve trades her third daughter, Dara, to the Mesopotamians. All seek Adam's attention and approval, but he is a distant father, too busy keeping the family sheltered and fed to worry much about their spirits. And Eve wallows in the past, mourning the tragedy of the Garden while failing to see the one building before her.
¶ Like many of the best novels, "Eve" works on two levels. Elliott's plot is action-packed, but her story also raises spiritual questions about free will, creation and the human relationship with God.
¶ Adam and Eve re-enact their relationship with God with their children, allowing them to make their own decisions, grieving the consequences and casting them out.
¶ In doing so, Eve finds the answer she has been seeking: It was not that God stopped loving her but that she stopped recognizing his love.
¶ "Eve: A Novel of the First Woman" (Delacorte Press, 421 pages, $24), by Elissa Elliott: Tossed from the Garden of Eden for a seemingly insignificant act _ eating a piece of fruit _ Eve is adrift.
¶ What did it mean? Why was the punishment so harsh? And then, where is God? Does he still exist? Does he remember her?
¶ Drawing on scholarly studies of Genesis, Judaism and Mesopotamia, and written in the easy-to-read style of "The Red Tent" and "Queenmaker," Elissa Elliott's first novel offers a fresh and insightful vision of the life of the first women.
¶ For starters, Elliott questions whether Eve was in fact first. Two decades after their expulsion from the Garden, Adam and Eve encounter technologically advanced Mesopotamians.
¶ This raises plenty of questions: Did God create these people as well? Did another god create them?
¶ It also causes trouble as Eve's eldest children become enamored with the urban culture and its many gods. They pray to idols. They want to make sacrifices.
¶ The outcome, of course, is no surprise: God favors second son Abel's sacrifice because it is made with a pure heart. Enraged, his brother Cain murders Abel.
¶ The twists and surprises _ which won't all be given away here _ come in Elliott's imagining of the family dynamics that create an angry fuse for God's lightning to strike.
¶ Cain is jealous of Abel, who escapes to the hills with his sheep and younger brother, Jacan. Eldest daughter Naava is vain. Second daughter Aya is self-righteous. Eve trades her third daughter, Dara, to the Mesopotamians. All seek Adam's attention and approval, but he is a distant father, too busy keeping the family sheltered and fed to worry much about their spirits. And Eve wallows in the past, mourning the tragedy of the Garden while failing to see the one building before her.
¶ Like many of the best novels, "Eve" works on two levels. Elliott's plot is action-packed, but her story also raises spiritual questions about free will, creation and the human relationship with God.
¶ Adam and Eve re-enact their relationship with God with their children, allowing them to make their own decisions, grieving the consequences and casting them out.
¶ In doing so, Eve finds the answer she has been seeking: It was not that God stopped loving her but that she stopped recognizing his love.
April 12, 2009
In Eve: A Novel of the First Woman I was hoping to read a provocative account of the Abrahamic religions' mythical genetrix. Unfortunately, it's a fairly predictable, by-the-numbers, Christian apologia. I will give Elliott points for making Eve's and Adam's succumbing to Lucifer's temptations plausible but all the major characters - Adam, Eve, Abel, Cain, and the daughters Naava, Aya and Dara - are too broadly drawn and are "types" rather than real people. Elliott also can't seem to decide whether the Creation myths are real or not. Adam and Eve awaken in the Garden and do meet Elohim (Elliott's name for God), who claims to have created them, but 20 years or so after the banishment, the struggling family encounters a whole passel of Sumerians building the city of Inanna. People who have been around for generations and already have a highly advanced civilization. The theology is reminiscent of Job: Man is created to glorify God and it's presumption to question his word. As a nonbeliever, the reliance on Christian (and Jewish or Muslim, for that matter) dogma didn't detract from the believability of the novel. What bothered me was the matter above - either accept the Creation as largely true and go from there or resolve how the story was created within the context of the emergence of urban civilizations.
Elliott's not a bad writer, though obviously not an experienced one. I hope her talent grows with any subsequent novels, but I doubt I'll want to read anything else from her pen.
Elliott's not a bad writer, though obviously not an experienced one. I hope her talent grows with any subsequent novels, but I doubt I'll want to read anything else from her pen.
January 7, 2014
To be fair, I quit reading about halfway through.
I couldn't handle the writing or the whining anymore.
Authors, if you're going to have each chapter be from a different character, then learn to write in distinguishable voices, please.
As it was in this book, Eve and her daughters all sounded the same.
Which was pretty much whiny.
The other reason I could not finish was because of the "poetic license" the author took with this "historical" novel.
The author said in the back that she stuck to the Genesis story, but the Genesis I remember (and am currently reading, oddly enough) has Adam and Eve as the only humans created by God and all life stems from them. Not with an added mysterious group of neighbors who just turn up (way before Adam and Eve's children had offspring), speaking in different languages and bringing false idols as gifts.
HUH?
Diiiiid I miss a few (hundred) chapters in the book of Genesis that the author supposedly stuck to?
Of course, the author also states that she added the other people for diversity to the story.
Again...HUH?
Sounds like a writer who wasn't creative enough to form a story from real history, so she needed to add a little something.
In my opinion, the story of the first family, first sin and first murder would be plenty to write about on its own.
It was bad on so many levels.
I couldn't handle the writing or the whining anymore.
Authors, if you're going to have each chapter be from a different character, then learn to write in distinguishable voices, please.
As it was in this book, Eve and her daughters all sounded the same.
Which was pretty much whiny.
The other reason I could not finish was because of the "poetic license" the author took with this "historical" novel.
The author said in the back that she stuck to the Genesis story, but the Genesis I remember (and am currently reading, oddly enough) has Adam and Eve as the only humans created by God and all life stems from them. Not with an added mysterious group of neighbors who just turn up (way before Adam and Eve's children had offspring), speaking in different languages and bringing false idols as gifts.
HUH?
Diiiiid I miss a few (hundred) chapters in the book of Genesis that the author supposedly stuck to?
Of course, the author also states that she added the other people for diversity to the story.
Again...HUH?
Sounds like a writer who wasn't creative enough to form a story from real history, so she needed to add a little something.
In my opinion, the story of the first family, first sin and first murder would be plenty to write about on its own.
It was bad on so many levels.
July 31, 2016
(I would hide this because of spoilers, but I'm kind of figuring everyone knows the story of Adam and Eve, and Cain and Abel, so... my bad.)
Evocative, intimate, lusciously written, and - because we all know the story - at times almost painful to read, this novel comes highly recommended. I love the way Elissa Elliott portrays these characters. The voices of the women are each exquisitely rendered (Dara's narration, as the youngest, is particularly heart-wrenching in some places, especially after the death of her beloved brother Abel) and the men in the family - although not serving as narrators - are also incredibly well written, with even the infamous Cain drawing sympathy, despite his ill fate.
I adored the portrayal of Adam and Eve's relationship, as well as the palpable tension between Cain and Abel, and the writing in general was absolutely gorgeous. There are some descriptions that I actually had to pause and think about, they were so darn pretty.
Basically, I really enjoyed this book, for everything from the engrossing plot and distinctive characters to the intriguing questions brought up about God, free will, relationships, and religion. What a great read!
Evocative, intimate, lusciously written, and - because we all know the story - at times almost painful to read, this novel comes highly recommended. I love the way Elissa Elliott portrays these characters. The voices of the women are each exquisitely rendered (Dara's narration, as the youngest, is particularly heart-wrenching in some places, especially after the death of her beloved brother Abel) and the men in the family - although not serving as narrators - are also incredibly well written, with even the infamous Cain drawing sympathy, despite his ill fate.
I adored the portrayal of Adam and Eve's relationship, as well as the palpable tension between Cain and Abel, and the writing in general was absolutely gorgeous. There are some descriptions that I actually had to pause and think about, they were so darn pretty.
Basically, I really enjoyed this book, for everything from the engrossing plot and distinctive characters to the intriguing questions brought up about God, free will, relationships, and religion. What a great read!
March 8, 2024
I have mixed feelings about this book. There were some wonderful aspects; fleshing out the Biblical characters, showing how marriage has been affected by the fall, and showing the link between God and us and parents and children. On the other hand, this book was extremely hard for me to be invested in because of the lack of historical research. I appreciated that the gods worshipped in the city were gods from Enuma Elish, but the way the characters lived were more akin to early western settlers than Arab nomads, much less the first humans on Earth. It seemed like a copy of East of Eden’s writing style, but fell flat in comparison. The pacing was strange and seemed to have very little rhyme or reason.
July 9, 2019
A few pages in and I regretted wanting to read this book. While I enjoy historical fiction, religion-based fiction is a whole other genre and one I’m not entirely comfortable with. I pushed through, though, constantly telling myself this was just fiction. It’s a long book too - another reason I wouldn’t recommend it.
October 4, 2023
Overall, a decent Biblical fiction. Not overly preachy, which I appreciated. However, I found all the characters to be frankly pretty annoying.
April 29, 2022
I was willing to give this book a try as I do love biblical fiction and also historical books. At the beginning of the book, the author does keep pretty close to the depiction of the garden of Eden and the creation of Adam and Eve and up until they are cast out of the garden it was ok. Once Adam and Eve were cast out and left to fend for themselves they had numerous children some of whom died at birth but at least half a dozen including Cain and Able, three daughters and another son. As we can imagine Adam and Eve were struggling to survive, they were dressed in animal skins and had only seeds that they brought with them from the garden to plant. Even though life was very hard Eve was constantly complaining even though it was her fault that they were in this position.
The children are pretty quickly grown up and seem to be able to do multiple tasks like making pots from clay and cooking for the entire family at the age of 6 and 8! Then out of nowhere arrive a tribe of people who are far more advanced. Adam and Eve are after all more like stone age people but the new arrivals are dressed in fine shining cloth with henna painted hands and gold and silver jewellery with lots of different precious stones in them, so where did they come from and how did they become so much more advanced than God's own creations, although didn't God create everything?
Of course, they have their own gods and they intermarry with Eve's children and then, later on, another nomadic clan appear and marries another of Eve's daughters. This is not how I remember the bible at all, I know it is fiction but it cannot claim to be true to the bible and be this fictitious you have to choose. I didn't particularly like Eve and some of her children, they were constantly arguing, dissatisfied and moaning. I would have thought that if you had actually seen God with your own eyes and seen what he could do then you would have had more faith in him than did Adam and Eve.
The children are pretty quickly grown up and seem to be able to do multiple tasks like making pots from clay and cooking for the entire family at the age of 6 and 8! Then out of nowhere arrive a tribe of people who are far more advanced. Adam and Eve are after all more like stone age people but the new arrivals are dressed in fine shining cloth with henna painted hands and gold and silver jewellery with lots of different precious stones in them, so where did they come from and how did they become so much more advanced than God's own creations, although didn't God create everything?
Of course, they have their own gods and they intermarry with Eve's children and then, later on, another nomadic clan appear and marries another of Eve's daughters. This is not how I remember the bible at all, I know it is fiction but it cannot claim to be true to the bible and be this fictitious you have to choose. I didn't particularly like Eve and some of her children, they were constantly arguing, dissatisfied and moaning. I would have thought that if you had actually seen God with your own eyes and seen what he could do then you would have had more faith in him than did Adam and Eve.
June 8, 2009
All in all, I'm only somewhat enthused about this book. While the author did a great job bringing the characters to life and telling the stories of Eve and each of her daughters, it also gets incredibly frustrating after awhile; the voices begin to blur together and, towards the end, I was fed up with all of the women due to their constant whining and a selfishness that seemed uniform for each. They became very stereotyped and, in many ways, it came off as pretty misogynistic: Naava was an empty-headed girl obsessed with men, Eve was the clingy nagging wife too self-absorbed to realize that she's pushed her husband away, Aya was the mother martyr, and Dara just seems largely unimportant.
Still, the writing was descriptive and vivid, bringing the Garden to life and the hardships that followed. I enjoyed the smaller stories contained within the novel and the overall plot wasn't too bad.
Still, the writing was descriptive and vivid, bringing the Garden to life and the hardships that followed. I enjoyed the smaller stories contained within the novel and the overall plot wasn't too bad.
January 26, 2009
I received an advanced reading copy via a Goodreads giveaway. This is Elissa Elliott's first novel but she provides a well written protrayal of Adam and Eve. Told mostly from Eve's prosepective the author weaves a tale of Eve's life. Her banishment from the Garden of Eden and how it greatly affected her throughout the rest of her days. She struggled with her belief, her marriage and her children. For the most part I found it believable and fascinating. The anger and guilt Eve felt towards God are feelings many of us struggle with today. Touching and inspiring to read how Eve and members of her family floundered with prayer and worship. How they dealt with the hardships of life. A satisfying read that I would recommend.
December 31, 2008
I have to agree with Barbara about this book. It was a fast read and I should have slowed down to really absorb everything. Overall, this was a good book. I was worried about it becuase I haven't read the Bible yet, or because I didn't know much about Adam and Eve and their family. I liked all the characters, especially Aya who was disabled. I was super suprised that Eve kept questioning the existance of God throughout the book too! And how she would go back and forth from being submissive to being strong to submissive again. But this was good and I will be re-reading it again but I think I'll read the Bible first.
January 1, 2009
i did not care for this book. i found the writing to be insipid...the characters' voices (Eva and her daughters, Naava, Dara and Aya) all seemed the same. i did not find that they were truthful to the time or the atmosphere. i found myself thinking, are they really saying these things and in this way? i didn't care for any of the characters, save Aya, and i couldn't bring myself to care about them. I am so disappointed in Eve, i had hoped it would be similar to The Red Tent but it was just so poorly written that i couldn't get past it to enjoy the plotlines. i really wanted to give it 2 stars but it just didn't work for me, on any level.
Read
January 18, 2009Thanks to Goodreads I won an advanced copy!
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the way Elissa Elliot took the "skeleton" of this old story and as she said bulked it up with "fictional fat".
I could identify with the characters. I could understand Eve's feelings of abandonment by Elohim. That loss of companionship and intimacy with Him was confusing for her and shook her faith. In my opinion, a believable scenario. Believable enough to care for and empathize with the characters.
Overall, a very good and thought provoking story.
I would like to read of a fictitiously fattend Sarah written in a similar manner.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the way Elissa Elliot took the "skeleton" of this old story and as she said bulked it up with "fictional fat".
I could identify with the characters. I could understand Eve's feelings of abandonment by Elohim. That loss of companionship and intimacy with Him was confusing for her and shook her faith. In my opinion, a believable scenario. Believable enough to care for and empathize with the characters.
Overall, a very good and thought provoking story.
I would like to read of a fictitiously fattend Sarah written in a similar manner.
May 15, 2009
So it's kind of annoying when you read someone's work and you can't stop talking to yourself about the spellbinding writing and the characters. I just don't know how she did it. So let me get to the point. First, if you loved The Red Tent, and I did, consider this a companion. Second, why have we overlooked our rich literary ancestors like this? Just a marvelous treat, and nothing old about the testimony.
November 24, 2009
This book was very good. At first it seemed a little disjointed so did take a couple chapters for me to get the swing of the way it was written. It is written from Eves view as well as from the views of her daughters. At first it went back and forth a bit but the differing views caught up to each other as it progressed. Elliott took this old story and gave it a fresh look giving some aspects of the original story some plausable reasons as to why they occured as they did. Very well done.
August 26, 2016
I could not get into this book -- the attempt at ancient/biblical sounding language that is disrupted by vocabulary that does not fit, the illogical story line of creation and other tribes just did not appeal to me. But, if you like the Red Tent, you will probably enjoy this book.
June 24, 2009
I decided that my summer is too short for tedious books. Stopped about 2/3 of the way through and I feel better already.
August 20, 2024
I think this one is a 2.5 ⭐ read. I can't honestly say I liked it, but I definitely didn't hate it. It was, overall, okay. And truly, pretty good for a debut novel. But, just saying that is unhelpful if you're trying to decide whether to pick it up or not.
First, what I appreciated. I always appreciate stories from the female perspective, especially when it comes to the Bible and history. I also thought the language, cadence, and tone of the writing felt suited to the ancient time frame. It felt mindful and true to the time. I also enjoyed the flashbacks of life in Eden, and the imagining of how that might have looked. The portrayal of ancient life and culture was interesting and added welcome detail to the setting, which made it easy to visualize while I was reading.
The conflict between Cain and Abel was well done. It actually drew a good arc culminating in Abel's murder and Cain's punishment. I thought that setup worked well, and the plotline held up.
However, as biblical fiction goes, this isn't great. A blurb on the cover compares Eve to The Red Tent. The two are nowhere near the same! The latter is a well researched, thoroughly fleshed out work that leaves the biblical narrative behind for most of the book in favor of telling one woman's story. I had problems with that one too, but it's a worthy book that stands on its own quite well.
The former stays too close to the biblical narrative and reimagines it to reflect the author's own questions and doubts. I have no idea what her faith background is, but there are many times in which the story is somewhat sacrificed for lessons or questions the author is trying to get across. It's not quite on the nose, but it comes close.
The timeline makes no sense. The entire main plot takes place over a summer, during which an entire city is built! A Sumerian-adjacent people all show up (essentially) in one day and build a city complete with a temple, a marketplace, royalty, and a long-standing, ready-made culture. No. Just...no.
Not one of the characters is likeable or relatable. Not. One. Granted, the chaos and struggle of their lives after the Garden has a believable, rough-around-the-edges feel that makes sense and really could have become a good foundation, but instead feels disconnected. I had high hopes, knowing that the story is being told from the female perspective, but it turns out that Eve and her daughters are simply female stereotypes with very little complexity.
Complexity was valiantly attempted, as each woman/girl wrestled with their own questions, but not one of them ever really acted like an actual human with character and principles. Instead, they each were unrealistically isolated, in spite of the communal living and culture. Each one an island unto herself with very little relationship to the others. It makes little sense.
Dara, the six year old, was by far the most believable. Elliott did an excellent job portraying a little girl's perspective, actually. Her voice was the most authentic of the four.
Eve was kind of a horrible person, which really bothered me. Completely immature, unlikeable, selfish, self-centered, and ridiculous. I could never be friends with someone like her.
The birth scenes, as usual, were unrealistic and awful. I kind of just ignored those.
Then there's the incest, normalized. Sigh...I hoped the author's note might explain her reasoning for the relationship between Naava and Cain (and the hinted chemistry between Aya and Abel), but she doesn't even mention it. Granted, a lot of people who believe in the Bible believe that incest was the only way humanity could have multiplied in the early days, with the assumption that the gene pool was wide and deep enough at the time to support it. But - a whole city of people show up, and brother and sister still...? Was incest really taken for granted at the time? I don't actually know, but there should have been a historical note about it.
Content warning: there is some non-graphic sexual content that is almost Discovery channelish. It's not titillating or gratuitous, but more practical and matter-of-fact. For example, Adam and Eve watch the animals and try to learn from them...😳 Kinda cringey.
To end on a high note, I do think Elliott wrote a decent first book. I think, if she learns to research better, and plot things out better, she could really produce some good stories!
First, what I appreciated. I always appreciate stories from the female perspective, especially when it comes to the Bible and history. I also thought the language, cadence, and tone of the writing felt suited to the ancient time frame. It felt mindful and true to the time. I also enjoyed the flashbacks of life in Eden, and the imagining of how that might have looked. The portrayal of ancient life and culture was interesting and added welcome detail to the setting, which made it easy to visualize while I was reading.
The conflict between Cain and Abel was well done. It actually drew a good arc culminating in Abel's murder and Cain's punishment. I thought that setup worked well, and the plotline held up.
However, as biblical fiction goes, this isn't great. A blurb on the cover compares Eve to The Red Tent. The two are nowhere near the same! The latter is a well researched, thoroughly fleshed out work that leaves the biblical narrative behind for most of the book in favor of telling one woman's story. I had problems with that one too, but it's a worthy book that stands on its own quite well.
The former stays too close to the biblical narrative and reimagines it to reflect the author's own questions and doubts. I have no idea what her faith background is, but there are many times in which the story is somewhat sacrificed for lessons or questions the author is trying to get across. It's not quite on the nose, but it comes close.
The timeline makes no sense. The entire main plot takes place over a summer, during which an entire city is built! A Sumerian-adjacent people all show up (essentially) in one day and build a city complete with a temple, a marketplace, royalty, and a long-standing, ready-made culture. No. Just...no.
Not one of the characters is likeable or relatable. Not. One. Granted, the chaos and struggle of their lives after the Garden has a believable, rough-around-the-edges feel that makes sense and really could have become a good foundation, but instead feels disconnected. I had high hopes, knowing that the story is being told from the female perspective, but it turns out that Eve and her daughters are simply female stereotypes with very little complexity.
Complexity was valiantly attempted, as each woman/girl wrestled with their own questions, but not one of them ever really acted like an actual human with character and principles. Instead, they each were unrealistically isolated, in spite of the communal living and culture. Each one an island unto herself with very little relationship to the others. It makes little sense.
Dara, the six year old, was by far the most believable. Elliott did an excellent job portraying a little girl's perspective, actually. Her voice was the most authentic of the four.
Eve was kind of a horrible person, which really bothered me. Completely immature, unlikeable, selfish, self-centered, and ridiculous. I could never be friends with someone like her.
The birth scenes, as usual, were unrealistic and awful. I kind of just ignored those.
Then there's the incest, normalized. Sigh...I hoped the author's note might explain her reasoning for the relationship between Naava and Cain (and the hinted chemistry between Aya and Abel), but she doesn't even mention it. Granted, a lot of people who believe in the Bible believe that incest was the only way humanity could have multiplied in the early days, with the assumption that the gene pool was wide and deep enough at the time to support it. But - a whole city of people show up, and brother and sister still...? Was incest really taken for granted at the time? I don't actually know, but there should have been a historical note about it.
Content warning: there is some non-graphic sexual content that is almost Discovery channelish. It's not titillating or gratuitous, but more practical and matter-of-fact. For example, Adam and Eve watch the animals and try to learn from them...😳 Kinda cringey.
To end on a high note, I do think Elliott wrote a decent first book. I think, if she learns to research better, and plot things out better, she could really produce some good stories!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2018
I've had this novel since it was first published in 2009. I seem to remember reading a good review of it in the Washington Post but I'm not real sure why I acquired this one. It's a fictional account of the Adam and Eve story with some major deviations from Genesis. It is told from the perspective of Eve and her three daughters: Naava, Aya, and Dara. Naava is the beautiful older daughter who is very self-centered. Aya is the middle daughter who was born with a crippled foot but who manages to look out for the family and Dara is the youngest daughter who is compassionate and naive. The story focuses on the family and what leads up to Cain killing Abel. Elliott places the family in the Euphrates river valley after the expulsion from Eden and nearby is a large group of Sumerians building the city of Inanna. These people already have an advanced civilization and worship many different gods. So Cain interacts with these people, Dara ends up getting traded to the city-dwellers for some of their favors, and Naava falls for the prince of the city. (I don't seem to remember this happening in my Sunday School lessons!) In general, the family of Adam and Eve seem very dysfunctional in this novel with much infighting leading up to the tragic murder of Abel.
Overall, this was a somewhat interesting take on the Genesis story. In the afterword to the novel, Elliott explains some of her reasoning for her inclusion of the Sumerians, etc. However, only a very mild recommendation overall.
Overall, this was a somewhat interesting take on the Genesis story. In the afterword to the novel, Elliott explains some of her reasoning for her inclusion of the Sumerians, etc. However, only a very mild recommendation overall.
October 1, 2023
2.5 stars
A retelling of the Creation story from Eve's POV? Sounds captivating!
This is not what readers get with Elliot's book. The four pages of praises inside the book are completely off.
This book shifts between events during Eve's time in the Garden of Eden and her post Garden life, but it is done in a confusing way, where portions of text alternate back and forth between both times. Also confusing (and unnecessary) is the alternating narration between Eve and her various daughters, Dara, Naava, Aya. These are all first-person accounts with the exception of Naava, which is always third person for some unexplained reason.
Readers have to go along with many unanswered questions. When Adam & Eve leave the Garden they create a new home. How do they know how to make a house? Adam uses a scythe. Did he create that? With what materials?
There were a myriad of little annoyances that I kept getting hung up on:
"The frogs rasp from the desert sands." Don't frogs need to live in marshes? Is there a marsh near the desert? This is unclear.
"I found a gift from Abel--a large flat smooth stone...on its surface was the most detailed impression of a winged animal, a cross between a bird and a lizard." Did Elliot actually include a dinosaur here?
"...her mama makes her stand real still so she can draw black raccoon eyes on her." Were raccoons native to the ancient Near East? Also, the phrase is just too modern sounding here.
"They broke open cactus spears." Again, are cacti native to that part of the world? Same when she mentions pitcher plants and milkweeds.
Some of the writing is also odd:
"...when I think of it my hands begin to shake, and the dragonfly in my chest seems to want to fly up and out of my throat."
"Nava did not feel spite exactly, although her behavior, which she wore like garlic, pointed in that direction."
This book should not be compared to the Red Tent, because it is not. Here all the characters are either unlikable, bland, or both. Eve and her children are not developed individuals. Adam is relegated to a secondary character. Cain is perhaps the most development out of all the one-dimensional characters. The setting jumps around too much and Elliot's research into ancient Mesopotamia is questionable at times.
Also, why does the cover to my book edition feature a close up of the girl in JW Waterhouse's "Boreas" painting instead of an actual Eve painting? There should be dozens upon dozens of paintings featuring her that Bantam Books could have selected from.
A retelling of the Creation story from Eve's POV? Sounds captivating!
This is not what readers get with Elliot's book. The four pages of praises inside the book are completely off.
This book shifts between events during Eve's time in the Garden of Eden and her post Garden life, but it is done in a confusing way, where portions of text alternate back and forth between both times. Also confusing (and unnecessary) is the alternating narration between Eve and her various daughters, Dara, Naava, Aya. These are all first-person accounts with the exception of Naava, which is always third person for some unexplained reason.
Readers have to go along with many unanswered questions. When Adam & Eve leave the Garden they create a new home. How do they know how to make a house? Adam uses a scythe. Did he create that? With what materials?
There were a myriad of little annoyances that I kept getting hung up on:
"The frogs rasp from the desert sands." Don't frogs need to live in marshes? Is there a marsh near the desert? This is unclear.
"I found a gift from Abel--a large flat smooth stone...on its surface was the most detailed impression of a winged animal, a cross between a bird and a lizard." Did Elliot actually include a dinosaur here?
"...her mama makes her stand real still so she can draw black raccoon eyes on her." Were raccoons native to the ancient Near East? Also, the phrase is just too modern sounding here.
"They broke open cactus spears." Again, are cacti native to that part of the world? Same when she mentions pitcher plants and milkweeds.
Some of the writing is also odd:
"...when I think of it my hands begin to shake, and the dragonfly in my chest seems to want to fly up and out of my throat."
"Nava did not feel spite exactly, although her behavior, which she wore like garlic, pointed in that direction."
This book should not be compared to the Red Tent, because it is not. Here all the characters are either unlikable, bland, or both. Eve and her children are not developed individuals. Adam is relegated to a secondary character. Cain is perhaps the most development out of all the one-dimensional characters. The setting jumps around too much and Elliot's research into ancient Mesopotamia is questionable at times.
Also, why does the cover to my book edition feature a close up of the girl in JW Waterhouse's "Boreas" painting instead of an actual Eve painting? There should be dozens upon dozens of paintings featuring her that Bantam Books could have selected from.
December 3, 2017
As you can see, this book took me a really long time to read, mostly because I was just so bored through most of it. I kept hoping it would either pick up or become so boring that I totally lost interest, but I'm giving it two stars because I hug on by a thread for the majority; it never quite fully lost me, but it came pretty damn far from actually gripping me.
The characters all felt flat; I wasn't attached to anyone because none of them seemed too sympathetic, and their relationships all felt weird and contentious. The plot was weird and not terribly engaging, and it all seemed full of references to things I didn't totally understand. The writing was, for the most part, okay, but I do sort of wish I'd gone ahead and DNFed it, because my initial impressions were fairly accurate and it didn't really pick up or get better. Would definitely not recommend.
The characters all felt flat; I wasn't attached to anyone because none of them seemed too sympathetic, and their relationships all felt weird and contentious. The plot was weird and not terribly engaging, and it all seemed full of references to things I didn't totally understand. The writing was, for the most part, okay, but I do sort of wish I'd gone ahead and DNFed it, because my initial impressions were fairly accurate and it didn't really pick up or get better. Would definitely not recommend.
October 8, 2017
Powerful telling of a well-known tale for which the author's extensive biblical and cultural research enriched the telling. A joy to read, a wonder to contemplate. After reading, many questions arose for me which I intend to research myself. Surprisingly joyful was the epilogue where the author addressed most of my questions and a few I had not considered. Like hearing a conversation in a book club.
May 18, 2019
Meh. I can't remember who first recommended this book to me or how it ended up on my to-read lost, but it wasn't for me. I felt like I never really cared about any of the characters because none of them were developed well enough for me to care. And their struggles with their faith just didn't interest me at all. Maybe this book would be more enjoyable to someone who is religious, I'm not sure. The story just wasn't ever particularly interesting to me.
July 23, 2023
Good book. An interesting look at a story I've known my whole life. Eve and her daughters have a lot of the same questions that I do, though I'm less sure about my answers.
I thought it was weird that the whole book except for Naava's chapters were in first person. I don't know what the intention was but it came off as the author trying to distance herself from the "bad" daughter, which read as a little holier-than-thou. I could be wrong though.
I thought it was weird that the whole book except for Naava's chapters were in first person. I don't know what the intention was but it came off as the author trying to distance herself from the "bad" daughter, which read as a little holier-than-thou. I could be wrong though.
April 5, 2020
It took me a little while to get through this one, but I’m glad I persevered. While not the most exciting book, it’s very well written. Elliott has a strong command of the language that one would associate with “biblical”. And she penetrates the female psyche of not just Eve, but her three very unique daughters. I especially liked Aya.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 255 reviews