By Elissa Elliott
If this book had not been on CDs, I probably would have stopped reading after the first few chapters. As it was, I had to “muscle through” and remind myself that I would be spending the time in the car anyway, so I might was well see how the story wraps up.
This book explored Eve, and Adam, their family, and their family’s interaction with the population of a nearby city. I read some reviews that were very harsh with the “historical accuracy” of the novel. To be honest, I wasn’t upset at all with the liberties Elliott took with Adam and Eve’s world. I *was* bored with the dynamic of the book. It was very disjointed. Half of the story was flashbacks by Eve, recounting creation, the fall, the exit from the garden, etc. But these flashbacks were all very bland. I could have done without them altogether. Also, the language of the book was inconsistent. For example: Eve has words for “ubiquitous” and “flummoxed” but not for “sun” or “brick.” Also, I found the plethora of similes a bit much to trudge through at times.
Adding to my frustration was Eve herself. She’s an incredibly weak and boring character. Her children all surpass her in intelligence, critical thinking, personality, and believability. For example: Eve and Adam are amazed when their six-year-old sun invents mud bricks. Not just by drying mud in the sun mind you, but by adding in different mixers to give added strength and structural integrity. Her other children are incredibly accomplished weavers, cooks, doctors, and farmers. Yet Adam and Eve seem to excel only at reminiscing about the past and wondering about their relationship…both with each other, and with Elohim.
While I enjoyed some the questions Elliott asked through her characters, I found it hard to believe that the children would be the rocks of the story. A couple of them trust Elohim, a couple others trust the faith of the city people, and the youngest is believable in her growing understanding and questioning. But Adam and Eve are frustratingly inconsistent. They vacillate from one extreme to the other: from wondering if they had hallucinated their experiences in the garden, to assaulting one of their children for even suggesting that Elohim isn’t the only god that exists.
This book had an interesting idea, but for me at least, it failed to deliver. If you’re going to write a book about Eve…I want to care about her.
If this book had not been on CDs, I probably would have stopped reading after the first few chapters. As it was, I had to “muscle through” and remind myself that I would be spending the time in the car anyway, so I might was well see how the story wraps up.This book explored Eve, and Adam, their family, and their family’s interaction with the population of a nearby city. I read some reviews that were very harsh with the “historical accuracy” of the novel. To be honest, I wasn’t upset at all with the liberties Elliott took with Adam and Eve’s world. I *was* bored with the dynamic of the book. It was very disjointed. Half of the story was flashbacks by Eve, recounting creation, the fall, the exit from the garden, etc. But these flashbacks were all very bland. I could have done without them altogether. Also, the language of the book was inconsistent. For example: Eve has words for “ubiquitous” and “flummoxed” but not for “sun” or “brick.” Also, I found the plethora of similes a bit much to trudge through at times.
Adding to my frustration was Eve herself. She’s an incredibly weak and boring character. Her children all surpass her in intelligence, critical thinking, personality, and believability. For example: Eve and Adam are amazed when their six-year-old sun invents mud bricks. Not just by drying mud in the sun mind you, but by adding in different mixers to give added strength and structural integrity. Her other children are incredibly accomplished weavers, cooks, doctors, and farmers. Yet Adam and Eve seem to excel only at reminiscing about the past and wondering about their relationship…both with each other, and with Elohim.
While I enjoyed some the questions Elliott asked through her characters, I found it hard to believe that the children would be the rocks of the story. A couple of them trust Elohim, a couple others trust the faith of the city people, and the youngest is believable in her growing understanding and questioning. But Adam and Eve are frustratingly inconsistent. They vacillate from one extreme to the other: from wondering if they had hallucinated their experiences in the garden, to assaulting one of their children for even suggesting that Elohim isn’t the only god that exists.
This book had an interesting idea, but for me at least, it failed to deliver. If you’re going to write a book about Eve…I want to care about her.
0 comments:
Post a Comment