‘Beside Still Waters’ by Tricia Goyer – Book Review

Anyone who has read my blog for any period of time knows that I love the Amish community! So when I learned that Tricia Goyer’s latest book, 'Beside Still Waters’ was a story about a young Amish woman, I knew I wanted to jump on the blog tour bus!

Here is the synopsis of this book:

Raised among the Amish of Indiana, 18 year-old Marianna Sommer plans to get baptized into the church, marry Aaron Zook, and set up life in the only community she has ever known. But when her older brother chooses the world’s path following his rumschpringe, and a younger sibling begins showing interest in Englisch ways, Marianna’s parents move the family to Montana.

Although she is also in her rumschpringe years and not obligated to move, Marianna makes the journey to dutifully help her mother who is expecting another child. Surprisingly, from strangers on the cross-country train ride to the less rigid stance of the new Montana community, many Englisch influences awaken within Marianna – and ever her father – the desire to pursue a deeper kind of joy and love for God.

After an accident, Marianna tells her friend Ben a defining story about the Sommer family, and his response further illumines the active relationship God seeks with His followers. In due time, she learns the move from Indiana was not about losing anything, but finding out who God really is. Despite all the shake-ups, Marianna feels a sweet peace, like still waters, in her soul.  

Here is the biography of this author:

Tricia Goyer is the author of twenty-six books including ‘Songbird Under a German Moon’, ‘The Swiss Courier’, and the mommy memoir, ‘Blue Like Play Dough.’ She won Historical Novel of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from ACFW, and was honored with the Writer of the Year award from Mt. Hermon Writer's Conference in 2003. Tricia's book Life Interrupted was a finalist for the Gold Medallion in 2005. In addition to her novels, Tricia writes non-fiction books and magazine articles for publications like MomSense and Thriving Family. Tricia is a regular speaker at conventions and conferences, and has been a workshop presenter at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International Conventions. She and her family make their home in Little Rock, Arkansas where they are part of the ministry of FamilyLife.

Here is the book trailer:

And here is Tricia talking about her book:

One of the most interesting aspects of this book is Marianna’s reaction to the ‘Englisch’ people that she encountered after the family’s move to Montana. Here is a conversation between Marianna and a woman she encountered on the train her family took from Indiana to Montana:

“Moving to Montana? Really? I thought the Amish stayed in the same community their whole lives.” One of the woman’s penciled eyebrows peaked into an arch. She was curious, but open about her thoughts. Marianna found her liking the woman.

“Most do. That was my plan, too. But Dat – oh, my father, had other ideas.”

“Well, it’s good to know that God will be with you wherever you go, don’t you think? It helps me to think about Him – to pray – whenever I’m scared and alone. And He’s never abandoned me. When I seek Him, when I make the time to be with Him, I’m never disappointed.”

Marianna couldn’t help but notice the joy that spilled out of the woman as she talked. She tucked her hair behind her ear and then looked to the kids again. “I have a few coloring books and some crayons if your sister would like them. I got them for my friends’ kids, but I can just pick up something else later.” (p. 95)

Marianna had been insulated from the outside world, and was under the impression (an impression that was encouraged by her family and the leaders of her church) that the Englisch were evil and/or outside of the will of God. However, this woman led her to a different conclusion:

For as long as Marianna could remember, prayers to God were said reverently, silently to one’s self. For some reason she couldn’t picture that woman sitting quietly at a table in prayer. She pictured loud, exuberant prayers. And for the first time that seemed okay. Maybe God understood the woman’s heart despite the way she lived within the world? Marianna hoped so.

Surely someone so kind was worthy of God’s attention too. (p. 97)

I have been to Montana once before, many years ago. This book reminded me how beautiful that state is. Tricia’s description of the state makes me want to go visit again, this time with my husband, Fred. Here is Marianna’s impression of the state when they first arrive:

She rubbed her eyes and sat up, seeing a different world outside the window than the place they left yesterday. Pine trees clung to rocky cliff faces, and a river – not like the creek back home, but a real river – roared at the base of the canyon. The color of the water was bluish-green, like the turquoise necklace the clerk in the general store had worn, one Marianna had always admired. White foam danced on top of the river, reflecting in the morning light.

She cocked her head as she gazed out the window, lifting her eyes to the sky, but the hills rose and then turned into mountains. The sky was a sliver of blue off in the distance. Even though the view was breathtaking, her heart felt a slight pinch realizing her prairie lay far behind. (pp. 104-105)

I loved the device that Mrs. Goyer used to help us learn more about Marianna, and that was her letters to the ‘Junie-Sevenies,’ other young women whose birthday was also on June 7. It gives us a great glimpse into her heart and her life.   

I also loved how a young man that the Sommer family met, Benjamin, exhibited a life which was transformed by God’s love and forgiveness; he was happy to pass along his story to anyone who would listen. He also loved to praise the Lord with music by singing and playing his guitar. This was also a revelation to Marianna, who had been taught that instruments were forbidden. She only later learned that people in the Bible (King David foremost among them) played instruments in praise to God. I loved the freedom in Christ that became evident more and more as she saw God’s love outside of her small circle.

I have only read one other book by Tricia – ‘All Things Hidden’ (you can read my review here). Being that I am an Amish admirer from way back, I did enjoy this book better. This is the first in a three-part 'Big Sky' series. The second book in the series, ‘Along Wooded Paths,’ will be released in October, 2011. I look forward to the continuing journey – both spiritual and territorial – of Marianna Sommer and her family and friends.

You can order this book here.

The Advanced Reader Edition of this book was provided by B&H Fiction for review purposes. The page numbers in the quotations included here may not match those of the final publication, which is now available. I am pleased to be on the book’s blog tour through the LitFuse Publicity Group with these other bloggers.

We Have a Winner for 'The Life Ready Woman'

The Random Number Generator has chosen a winner for 'The Life Ready Woman: Thriving in a Do-It-All World' by Shaunti Feldhahn and Robert Lewis. That winner is:


Nancye!


Congratulations, Nancye! The book will be on its ways to you shortly!


Thanks to B&H Books for providing the giveaway copy!


For those of you who would like the help provided by this book, you can order it here. I appreciate if you'd order from my links!


Thanks to all who entered; I appreciate your visits! Please come back soon - and share my link with your friends and family! 

‘The Life Ready Woman: Thriving in a Do-It-All World’ by Shaunti Feldhahn and Robert Lewis – Book Review and Giveaway

Life offers so many choices that it can be confusing when navigating through this world. In ‘The Life Ready Woman: Thriving in a Do-It-All World’ by Shaunti Feldhahn and Robert Lewis provide a blueprint to help women make decisions that will be pleasing to the Lord.

Here is the synopsis of this interesting and practical book:

This is a great day to be a woman…even when you’re trying to balance it all! We have amazing choices and opportunities could never have been imagined. Yet we also encounter a whole new host of challenges.

Every woman knows the feeling of struggling to juggle everything, wishing there were more hours in the day. And every woman has also enjoyed the wonderful opportunities God provides that simply didn’t exist a few generations ago. The trick is knowing how to manage this crazy, modern life. For those of us who follow Jesus, the challenge is even greater. How can we live a modern life from a biblical perspective?

 The great news is: there’s a way to do this! There is a way to be “ready” for life that leads to peace and enjoyment rather than stress and regret. Within the ancient words of the Bible we can find a road map that applies directly to our lives as contemporary women: an encouraging , life-giving blueprint you can look to for clarity about the unique design, callings, balance, choices, relationships, and direction that God has for you.

Becoming “Life Ready” involves thinking purposefully about subjects you may never have thought through before. It involves courageous steps of faith at some points, and waiting for open doors in others. But the end result will be that you not only survive but thrive in our do-it-all world. Being a “Life Ready” woman means you are clear about your life, bold in your faith, and able to find God’s best for you. No matter where you are – younger, older; single, married, divorced, remarried; stay-at-home mom or busy executive; no matter your ethnic background or even your personal faith beliefs or questions – you can start today to reach for it. The Life Ready Woman will guide you there!

Here are the biographies of these authors:

Shaunti Feldhahn is a former Wall Street analyst, best-selling author (For Women Only, For Men Only, For Couples Only, The Male Factor), national speaker, and regular commentator in the media. She and her husband live with their two children in Atlanta, Georgia.

Robert Lewis is the visionary leader behind the Life Ready series of video studies. He is a pastor, best-selling author (Rocking the Roles: Building a Win-Win Marriage), and the founder of the popular Men’s Fraternity Bible study movement. He and his wife have four grown children and live in Little Rock, Arkansas.

In the Introduction, entitled ‘Being Life Ready,’ the authors explain the situation women find themselves in these days:

It is a great day to be a woman. The choices and opportunities available to women in the twenty-first century are amazing – opportunities that could never have been imagined one hundred years ago. Yet we also encounter challenges that our great-grandmothers could never have fathomed.

Every woman knows the feeling of struggling to juggle and balance everything and watching our friends and loved ones do the same. Every woman has looked at the clock and lamented that there just aren’t enough hours in the day. And every woman has also enjoyed the wonderful opportunities God provides us that simply didn’t exist just a few generations ago. The trick is to know how to manage this crazy, modern life. And for those of us who are followers of Jesus, to know how to manage our modern life from a biblical perspective rather than an ever-changing cultural one.

The good news is: there is a way to do this! There is a way to be “ready” for today’s modern life in a way that leads to peace and enjoyment rather than stress and regret. There is a way to help other women do so, too. No matter how crazy your life is, there is a solid, encouraging, and empowering guide that we can find in the ancient words of the Bible that applies directly to our life today as contemporary women. (p. 3)

Shaunti shares how she has struggled to balance her life as an author, researcher, traveling speaker, wife, and mother to two small children:

And privately, for years, I have been town by how to balance it all, how to keep all the plate spinning. With this biblical blueprint, I finally feel like I have a clear and realistic model that I can look up to and respect as a modern Christian woman, something that can help me make the decisions that will lead to relief, delight, and fulfillment instead of regret.

That doesn’t mean those decisions are easy. For me it has meant a willingness to reexamine some professional opportunities in light of personal ones. For others it may mean examining whether you are fully using your unique God-given gifts for the impact He intends you to have. But once you make these decisions, they will fit. You will feel like you are finally functioning in the ways for which you were designed.

Be willing to be challenged, sister! The end result will be worth it. (p. 8)

Sounds good to me!

The first part of the book outlines God’s plan and purpose for all of us. He wants us to live the life He created us to live:

So how do you discover God’s best for you? Where is the help that can cut through the fog to help you decide how to live smart and well? I think all of us would agree that God wants us to find His best for us. He wants us to be what the Life Ready theme summarizes: women who are clear about our lives, bold in our faith, and able to find God’s best for us! But the question is how we do it.

Unfortunately, today there is a lack of discipline and “life coaching”(the kind mentioned in Titus 2) that offers trustworthy navigational guidelines to assist women in discerning which choices are best and which, however alluring, might be empty promises or tragic dead ends. All of this leaves women asking, “How do I know on the front end which choices deliver the most out of life? And how do I avoid major mistakes and lifetime disappointments? Such are the questions constantly circling around our lives today, especially whenever big life choices have to be made. (p. 16)

One chapter that I found really interesting is the one that defines womanhood, marriage and family from a biblical perspective. The authors also describe the biblical definition of a Godly man, embodied by both Adam and Jesus:

1.   A will to obey

2.   Work to do

3.   A woman to live and care for (p. 53)

Clearly, Adam did not live up to these responsibilities; Jesus clearly did.

We need to discover God’s design and calling for our lives. There are three types, which go from macro to micro:

·         Our Core Callings: our callings and design as human beings made in God’s image

·         Our Feminine Callings: our callings and design as women

·         Our Personal Callings: our callings and designs as unique individuals (p. 69)

Once we learn of those items, we need to take action:

You have seen how we need a biblical guide that will help us to be “Life Ready” and not only live but thrive in this crazy, modern world. When we prioritize and arrange our life around our biblical design and calling as people made in God’s image (the Core Callings), as women (Feminine Callings) and as individuals (Personal Callings), we essentially build that individual compass or road map that will lead us to God’s best for our lives. And then, of course, comes the most important part: we actually have to follow it. Not just think about it, not just agree with it – but actually take the steps that will allow us to thrive. (p. 85)

The second half of the book outlines how to get to God’s best for us. We need to learn how to live and react from the inside out – in other words, to be influenced and directed by the Holy Spirit, as opposed to the things of this world. The book goes on to explain how we are to accomplish that in the various seasons of life: among them – single, single adult, married with grade-schoolers, married empty nester, late-in-life widow, and glorified saint.

Mary, Jesus’ mother, is the great example for women:

Two thousand years ago, Mary stared at the angel, took a deep breath, and said something that changes everything: “I am the Lord’s servant…May it be to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38 NIV).

Ladies, it is time for us to take these steps of faith. We need to be clear about our lives, bold in our faith, and able to find God’s best. We all want to thrive in this do-it-all world and reach the end of this earthly life with satisfaction instead of regrets. We want a family that loves and honors us. We want to be used by God to make an impact on our family and our world and pass down something precious from generation to generation. We want to be God’s servant.

Mary was like that. And we can be too. “Lord, may it be to me as you have said.” (p. 219)

I really liked this book – so much so that I was not able to finish this book as quickly as I needed to (my apologies, Amy!). I wanted to savor and digest it, and make it practical to my own life – and it requires time to work through and digest the content, and to allow the Lord to work in and through you. This book can be useful to women in all stages of life, and I heartily recommend it to all women (and to men to give to the important women in their lives!). I pray that this book will change the lives of many women – to help them to live up to their God-given potential.

You can order this book here.

This book was published by B&H Publishing Group and provided by them for the LitFuse Publicity Group blog tour for review and giveaway purposes. I am happy to be participating in the tour with these other bloggers.

_____________________________________

I have one copy of this book to give along; many thanks to B&H Publishing Group for generously providing the copy! 

There are several ways to gain entry:           

1) Leave a comment here on the blog, sharing your thoughts on how this book would be a helpful resource to you or to another. Please make sure to leave your email address in this format – sample[at]gmail[dot]com. 

2) Follow me on Twitter; if you are already a follower, that counts, too!  Please leave a separate comment to that effect.

4) Tweet the following on Twitter:

Enter to win ‘Life Ready Woman’ by @ShauntiFeldhahn and @BHpub from @andrealschultz. http://goo.gl/O9for #giveaway Please RT!

Please leave a comment with the link to your tweet. You can tweet up to once per day. Please add a new comment for each tweet.

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So there are numerous chances to enter and therefore win! Please limit one entry per option (except for the Twitter option), and don’t forget to include your email address, or, sad to say, the Random Number Generator will have to choose a different winner.

This giveaway is for U.S. residents only. The deadline for entry is Monday, March 14, 2011 at 11:59 p.m. EST. One winner will be chosen via the Random Number Generator on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 and will be contacted via email. The best to all of you!

The Three Winners of Leanna Ellis' 'Facelift' are....

The Random Number Generator has chosen the three winner of 'Facelift' by Leanna Ellis.


Before I reveal the winners, let me thank everyone for entering! The response was phenomenal, heartwarming, and exciting! Leanna is a popular lady!


With no further ado, the three winners are:

• Meredith
• Jenn
• LGM

Congratulations! I will be making contact shortly to get your snail mail address!

For those of you who want to read this book, and didn't win, you can order the book here. I appreciate anytime you order through my links; it makes blogging and reviewing even more worthwhile!

Thanks again to Julie for making this giveaway a reality! It was a lot of fun both to read another Leanna book, and to host the giveaway of this terrific book!

‘Fear No Evil’ by Robin Caroll – Book Review

As noted in previous reviews, one of my favorite book genres is suspense. I had the opportunity to read another book in that genre by a really superior novelist – ‘Fear No Evil’ by the lovely Robin Caroll.

Here is the synopsis of this novel:

Lincoln Vailes is upside down and in over his head. After a haunting injury, this former Great Smoky Mountains park ranger becomes a police officer deep in Louisiana to be closer to his ailing father. The bayou town of Eternal Springs appears sleepy at first, but Vailes is soon dealing with hurricanes and an out-of-nowhere double homicide.

Eager social worker Jade Laurent has also been moved to Eternal Springs to try and right the wrongs of an abusive past. Her desire to help others doesn’t merit the sudden increase of guns being pointed in her direction and cars running her off the road.

Thrown together by circumstances far more dangerous than they could imagine, Lincoln and Jade must figure out what is behind these deadly deeds before a killer catches them in his crosshairs.

Here is the biography of this author:

Robin Caroll has authored nine previous books. She gives back to the writing community as conference director for the American Christian Fiction Writers organization. A proud Southerner through and through, Robin lives with her husband and three daughters in Little Rock, Arkansas.

And here is the book trailer for this intense read:

One of the main characters, Officer Lincoln Vailes, is struggling through some problems at the beginning of the book:

What he’d give for Brannon [his former co-worker/partner in Tennessee] to tease him right now. Or climb into the helicopter on a search and rescue. But she was back in Tennessee – moving on with a husband, a new partner, a new life.

Why couldn’t it be that easy for him? If only God hadn’t seen fit to allow his father, a man who’d served Him all his life, to be diagnosed with such a horrible disease… No, Lincoln wouldn’t go down that road. Not now. He turned his back on the window. (p. 2)

One of the earlier scenes between Jade and Lincoln includes Jade making an observation about his appearance:

Turning, she studied him. The rain had mussed his cropped black hair. He had to be close to six-foot tall, with broad shoulders. Despite being waterlogged, he looked like he’d stepped off the cover of GQ, beautiful and chiseled. But it was his eyes – dark in color but soft and gentle – that made her relax around him. (p. 19)

Lincoln is suffering a crisis of faith because of an earlier family loss and because of the condition of his father, who’d been a preacher all of his life:

He knew what Scripture said…had believed it, leaned on it being the truth for years. But now? God had turned His back on Lincoln’s prayers. For the umpteenth time in the past month, Lincoln glanced toward the heavens, a question on his lips. (p. 31)

One of the gang members depicted in the book is Eddie, whose time in prison was not wasted. Here is an encounter between him and the president of the Pantheras, one of the gangs depicted in the novel:

“The fighting will never end, you know.” Eddie sat in the living room across from Guerrero.

True. But Guerrero couldn’t stop the escalation, even if he wanted to. War between the Pantheras and their rival had escalated. Each gang searching out members of the others. Hunting. Tracking. Killing.

“I’m telling you all this because I know. Been there, done that.” Eddie stood and paced. “I lived by gang code all my life. Right up until I was sent to prison. That’s where Jesus found me. Gave me a new outlook. Assured me of eternal life.”

Guerrero studied the man in his house. Eddie had been a gang banger with the Bloods out in L.A., did a five-year stint in federal prison, then started going out and preaching. Didn’t make him popular. So many hits were out on him, but so far, he’d managed to dodge the bullet. The Pantheras would’ve already taken him out had Eddie not stepped in and saved Guerrero’s life two months ago. (pp. 43-44)

Lincoln’s mother was not angry at God, as his son was. She tries to get him to see their situation through her eyes:

“Dad dedicated his entire life to serving God. Why would God pay him back by letting this disease take him?”

“I don’t know, son.”

“And you can just accept it?”

She sighed. “I do. Whether I like it or not isn’t going to change anything. No more than families who are devastated by tornadoes or hurricanes.” She touched his arm again. “Nowhere in Scripture does it tell us that being a Christian is easy or living on this earth will be good. This is not our home, Lincoln. Heaven…eternity with God – that’s our home.”

He glanced toward the sky. Stars twinkled down on him, something he hadn’t seen in several days. Was there a message in that?

“You know all this, Lincoln.” The yearning for him to release filled her sweet face. A smile came, crooked and wavering. “You’re just being as stubborn as your father. Face it, honey, the world doesn’t make sense because sin infiltrated the earth. If you keep trying to figure it out logically, you’ll go crazy.” (p. 218)

I read the first book which featured the character of Lincoln Vailes, ‘Deliver Us From Evil’ (you can read my review here). I have to admit that I liked that book better than this book. This book focuses on both the story of Lincoln and Jade, and gang members and their lifestyle and life choices. To be honest, I really would have enjoyed the book more if the gang element had been downplayed a bit.

Despite that, I love how Robin includes Scripture verses throughout the book, and the Good News of Jesus is elaborated upon by many of the characters. I do like her writing, and will be reading more of her work in the future.

You can order this book here.

This book was published by B&H Publishing Group, and provided by them for review purposes.

‘Havah: The Story of Eve’ by Tosca Lee – Book Review

As anyone who has any knowledge of the Bible knows, the first two human inhabitants of earth were Adam and Eve. There is not much detail about their lives. Author Tosca Lee decided to use her research skills and creativity to expand upon their life story (particularly that of Eve) in her novel, ‘Havah: The Story of Eve.’

Here is the synopsis of this creative and thoughtful novel:

She knew this earth when it was perfect—like her, for a time. Made by God in a manner like no other, she lived in utter peace without flaw in paradise until one fateful decision changed everything. Now, all humanity suffers for her mistake. But what did it feel like then to first sin and be exiled, to see all innocence crumble so vividly, and a strange new world take its place?

Experience the epic dawn of mankind through the eyes and heart of Eve—the woman first known as Havah.

Here is the biography of this amazing author:

Tosca Lee is author of the critically acclaimed and extensively-awarded novels Demon: A Memoir and Havah: The Story of Eve. A sought-after speaker and former Mrs. Nebraska, she continues to work for local charities and as a senior consultant for a global consulting firm. Tosca  holds a degree in English and International Relations from Smith College and also studied at Oxford University. She enjoys travel, cooking, history, and theology, and lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.

In this Author Spotlight, Ms. Lee describes the genesis of this novel:

The Prologue captured my attention immediately. The book is written in the first person by Havah, aka Eve:

This language of Adam’s – the word that meant merely “man” before it was his name – given him by God himself, is now mine. And this is my love song; I will craft these words into the likeness of the man before I, too, return to the earth of Adam’s bosom.

My story has been told in only the barest of terms. It is time you heard it all. It is my testament to the strength of the heart, which has such capacity for joy, such space for sorrow, like a vessel that fills and fills without bursting.

My seasons are nearly as many as a thousand. So now listen, sons, and hear me, daughters, I, Havah, fashioned by God of Adam, say this:

          In the beginning, there was God…

          But for me, there was Adam. (p. 2)

As expected, the story begins in the Garden. Here is Havah’s description of Adam’s appearance and of their first encounter:

He was high-cheeked, this Adam, his lower lip dipping down like a folded leaf that drops sweet water to thirsty mouths. His brow was a hawk, soaring above the high cliffs, his eyes blue lusters beneath the fan of his lashes. But it was his mouth that I always came back to, where my eyes liked best to fasten after taking in the shock of those eyes. Shadow ran along his jaw, like obsidian dust clinging to the curve of it, drawing my eye to the plush flesh of his lips, again, again, again.

He touched my face and traced my mouth. I bit his finger. He gathered my hands and studied them, turning them over and back. He smelled my hair and lingered at my neck, and gazed curiously at the rest of me. When he was finished, he began all over again, tasting my cheeks and the salt of my neck, tracing the instep of my foot with a fingertip. (p. 7)

I love the poetry of that passage!

There was a lot of love and contentment in those early days:

How lovely were the tears of the adam! How beautiful his face because of them, how poignant and masculine at once as they dropped to his cheek and fell upon his lips! He kissed me in mimicry of the first exhale of the One against his mouth. And I heard again his words that first morning and felt again his elation, not from the past, but made new in his heart.

          At last! Flesh of my flesh!

I knew then he was as much mine as I was his, that he loved me with every fiber, having longed for me before he knew me or that I might even exist. As the adam buried his head in my hair, my heart cried out of the extravagance of love and the humility and gratitude for which there was not, nor ever had been, words. (p. 24)

After Havah and Adam indulged in the forbidden fruit, there was a palpable change in their environment:

Suddenly, I realized: the symphony – that blended chorus of all living things that had been with me since the day of my creation – was gone, replaced by a dull drone.

It came then, like a squall, in a white-hot flush of silent fear and dread: We had done the thing we were not to do. And as though in proof, we had done a thing we had done many times before, in a way it was never meant to be.

The divine mark of God, the serpent had called the act of creation. But there was nothing of the One in the thing we had brought to existence.  (p. 56)

The disconnect between Havah and God was heartbreaking:

        Softly now: He will bruise your head, but you will strike his heel.

I did not know what that meant. I knew only that the One was here and that every fiber within me cried out for reconciliation – with the One, with the Valley and all that dwelt with it… with the adam.

I need you!

I meant to say I would never long for any other pleasure if I might return to my vineyard and orchard and bower. That I would question nothing, ask nothing, seek nothing if only I could have it all back. That I now knew the thing I had done.

But I couldn’t. Because here was the worst of it: even now, the presence of the One, he seemed somehow impossibly far away from me as he had never been before. Even as he said so gently, I am.

I cried out in a language without words for the One to retrieve, to restore me. But it was too late; I was like the child that reaches up with broken arms. (p. 68)

The contrast between the lives before and after the Fall was striking – and so sad:

The days of the valley seemed like another life. Not forgotten – I could conjure in dreams the smell of apricots and hyssop, the taste of licorice, and even the crispness of the waters of the abyss drunk straight from the narrow falls and streams. But it seemed harder now in waking hours: there was ever before us the work of gathering, retting, cooking, tool-making, weaving, grazing, and milking. Sweat ran down the neck and back of Adam as he cleared a small area for our garden. Here we would plant vegetables, cresses, herbs, garlic, chickpeas, lentils, and flax. He cleared another for an orchard and a vineyard. (p. 123) 

The scene of the first child born, Kayin (known in the Bible as Cain), is fascinating:

It is said that he rent me in two. That he split me apart with a violent birth. That I howled in agony for days, knowing what would come from him. That is not true. I have seen few women in my life deliver so smoothly a firstborn child – without even the songs or sympathy groans of other women to soothe them. Women now have all the comforts of mother and sister in their bed. Of women learned in herbals to ease them.

I had none of these, but relied on the midwifery of Adam, whose gentle hands had delivered countless animals.

The truth is this: In the last moments before birth, I felt a burst of euphoria – like that which comes from running long distances, that dulls pain and makes us think we have grown wings. In the last moment, I lifted my head. I bore him in pain, yes. But I bore him in strength as well, knowing I took part in the mystery of this creation. The plants and the animals, created by God, created in turn after their own kind, in a reflection of the character of the One.

And now, so too, did I.

“It is a male!” There was awe in Adam’s gaze. I was in awe of myself as well.

“I have gotten a man,” I repeated softly, as we did not then have a word for boy. (p. 130)

Despite these joyful moments, there were moments when vitriol spewed from the mouths of the people on earth – an occurrence that continues to this day…:

“There, Isha,” he said, into my hair. But even as he said it I heard the worry in his voice. “All will be well.”

“How can you know?” I demanded.

He hesitated and then said, “I can’t.”

“Then how can you say ‘all will be well’?”

“I can’t. But the One knows all, and surely all must be well in the end.”

“Must it?” I pulled away with a brittle little laugh. “We are living in the wild! The animals would harm us if they could, as they harm one another. The river cares not where we plant our field, nor does the sky; it might strike lightning to the entire field at whim. There is no certainty! God has promised us what – what? That my seed with strike the serpent. Fine then! Where is he?”

I was in shock at the things coming from my mouth, at the vehemence of them, at every dark thought to have sprung out of the fearful soil of my heart. (pp. 165-166)

After Kayin had killed his brother, Hevel (known in the Bible as Abel), another son of Havah and Adam had some interesting questions for his mother:

“Why did the One allow Kayin to kill him?” Asa asked me once, when we told him the truth of his brother’s death and his other brother’s exile.

I did not know what to say to that. I had never entertained the idea of the One interfering in our actions. Always we had done what we would, always we had chosen for ourselves.

“Because, my love, if I make it so that you can only do one thing, then do I even know that you are obedient because you choose to be?” How should I explain what it has taken me a lifetime to understand: that there is no morality without choice?

“No, you might never know. But was there a time before the first bad thing was done?”

“All people do wrong. But we are at our most noble when we do right. Now, here comes your father. Go fetch some water and help him wash his feet.” (p. 239)

It was interesting to see how Ms. Lee portrayed the proliferation of the human species, and how the earth developed in so many different areas (i.e., agriculture, pottery, jewelry, etc…):

Generations passed. Young fingers that were once meddling, curious, and questing, chastised and slapped for their mischief, became the hands upon the plow and the loom and the grind-stone, holding back new and younger hands from trouble. Eventually, those hands became the hands that rested on knees and upon chests in repose near the fire, corded and sun-speckled and traced with veins.

I became increasingly enamored of art, and it began to spring up with great abundance. There had been little luxury for it in the beginning, when Adam had carved his pendants and we had made our marks in the clay and upon the dirt, when Lila had woven her patterns into the textiles, and Renana had recited her poetry and chants and Ashira her songs. But now there came a great swell of creativity in music, and great innovation in its instruments: drums of raw hide, lyres, and flutes and rattles. Every time traders came in with their musicians, especially from the northern city of Hanokh, the music was more brilliant than before, bringing to mind more vivid images of the land from which it came, and of the sky and even the insects. (pp. 265-266)

In the Author’s Notes, Ms. Lee had a list of questions that she wanted to answer in this book; among them are:

·         Where was Eden?

·         Was Adam tempted to eat the fruit before Eve’s creation?

·         So where was Adam when Eve ate it anyway?

·         When they fled, did they ever look back or attempt to return?

·         Why did God not favor Cain’s sacrifice?

·         Were Adam and Eve faithful to one another? (pp. 315-316)

All are very interesting questions!

I was fascinated and amazed by this book! I have never thought about Adam and Eve to the extent that Ms. Lee does in this novel. She writes in a poetic and highly visual manner. I was at once amazed at her depiction of the Garden of Eden as I was despondent along with Adam and Eve after they were cast out and were no longer in contact with their Creator. This is the first novel I have read from Ms. Lee’s computer; it will most certainly not be the last!

You can order this book here.

The Advanced Reader Edition of this novel was provided by B&H Fiction for review purposes. Please note that the page number notated here may not exactly match those of the final printed product, which is available now.