November 10, 2008
Elliott reimagines the story of Adam and Eve in a debut novel that richly evokes earliest biblical times. The story is told from the points of view of Eve and her daughters: Naava, the beautiful weaver; Aya, the quick-witted, club-footed cook; and Dara, the compassionate observant twin. Eve recounts the fall and how she and Adam wander until settling down to grow crops, raise livestock and start a garden of their own. Elliott offers readers vivid details about the first childbirth, the first intercourse, the first recriminations, the first environmental calamity and the first hunt, but the novel really comes alive when it departs from lushly imagined retelling and thrusts the family into unfamiliar territory when the brood encounters a city and city people. Elliott is at her imaginative and linguistic best describing city life, customs and architecture, building tension as Naava falls for a prince, fueling Cain’s wrath. Elliott makes biblical fiction her own with a female perspective that emphasizes emotional turmoil, sensual experience and an impressive range of imagery that brings to life daily life in the beginning.
December 1, 2008
Dueling deities, and a first family distressingly familiar in its dysfunction, enliven newcomer Elliott 's highly original look at Original Sin.
Eve and Adam are happily ensconced in the Garden, despite occasional spats about who came first. But after Eve, with Adam 's passive-aggressive collaboration, takes sexy Lucifer 's cue to nosh on forbidden fruit, God —Elohim —reluctantly ejects them. Years later, after much hardship, Eve and Adam have founded a thriving compound, complete with courtyard, dates, figs, grapes, beer, bread and flocks of sheep and goats. Their children —Eve and her daughters narrate —each have a role: Abel herds animals, Cain farms, lovely daughter Naava spins and weaves, youngest daughter Dara molds clay, etc. Although Adam tries to perpetuate the worship of Elohim, Cain venerates the gods of a neighboring city, particularly Inanna, a Sumerian mother/fertility goddess. (Elliott 's avowedly fanciful world conflates the Bronze Age and the late Stone Age.) Nubile Naava has seduced Cain and cajoled him into introducing her to this teeming primordial metropolis of temples, marketplaces and kohl-lidded women sporting tattoos, piercings and hennaed hair. Resentful that Dara babysits for the harem of the city 's prince, Naava sets her sights on the prince himself —a young man as sultry and beguiling as the persona Lucifer adopted to co-opt Eve. When Naava, costumed as Inanna, marries the prince, Cain, enraged, foments a riot and Eve 's family must flee the city. But strife follows them home as Cain and Abel 's lifelong sibling rivalry ends in murder. Exotic setting aside, this could be any contemporary family plagued by a manic-depressive son, a sulky teenager and a father who is shockingly deficient in the wisdom expected of a First Progenitor. Perennially pregnant, Eve can 't do much except whine inwardly about her past errors and the family 's present turmoil.
An imaginative and deeply felt debut in which the First Parents ' flaws make us wonder why they ever thought they had a snowball 's chance in Eden.
(COPYRIGHT (2008) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
Starred review from January 15, 2009
It is not difficult to imagine why novels about humanity's first family are rarethe biblical passages about Adam and Eve are contradictory, confusing, and deeply divisive, especially in their depiction of the role and place of women in society. But this debut novel by a contributing writer for "Books and Culture" tackles the subject with the right combination of background, research, and positive spin. Through the voice of Eve, Elliott brings the old story of humanity's fall from the Garden of Eden, retelling events in a fresh and thoughtful family drama. But the male players in this dramaAdam and sons Cain and Abelare not shortchanged or slighted. While the complete biblical story is told, most of the emphasis goes to Adam and Eve's struggles after their expulsion. Anita Diamant's "The Red Tent" became a huge hit, and "Eve" will likely become as widely read and discussed while raising eyebrows for its nontraditional depiction of its titular character. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [See also Gioconda Belli's "Infinity in the Palm of Her Hand", p. 76.Ed.]Mary K. Bird-Guilliams, Wichita P.L., KS
Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
January 1, 2009
The biblical story of Adam and Eve has fascinated people for centuries. Elliott twists this story and refashions an intimate account of this age-old tale, retelling it through the perspective of the first woman and her daughters. Putting a definite female spin on the familiar saga, the author manages to reinvigorate the temptation, the banishment from the Garden of Eden, and the Cain and Abel fratricide. Still, readers expecting a mere retelling of Old Testament chestnuts are in for a pleasant surprise, as the narrative moves well beyond that timeworn terrain. Elliott manages to conjure up an unexpectedly detailed account of a beautiful but often-brutal ancient world while painting the portrait of an extended family unit struggling to carve out a viable existence in the face of seemingly insurmountable internal and external obstacles. Readers who loved Anita Diamants The Red Tent (1997) will welcome this fresh addition to the biblical-fiction genre.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)
March 2, 2009
Elliott’s disjointed narrative recounts the story of the Judeo-Christian tradition’s first family from the creation of Adam to the murder of Abel, with an iconoclastic twist—the events are seen through the eyes of Eve and her daughters. While most of the characters lack depth, the story still manages a compelling interpretation, and the audio production improves upon the original text. With three different narrators performing the roles of Eve and her daughters, the production adds nuanced tones and more distinct personalities. From the somber and saddened Eve to the recalcitrant and scheming Naava and the optimistic and endearing Dara, the narrators enrich these points of view with a range of vocal shifts and cues that move characters beyond Elliott’s superficiality. A Delacorte hardcover (Reviews, Nov. 10).
December 1, 2008
Dueling deities, and a first family distressingly familiar in its dysfunction, enliven newcomer Elliott's highly original look at Original Sin.
Eve and Adam are happily ensconced in the Garden, despite occasional spats about who came first. But after Eve, with Adam's passive-aggressive collaboration, takes sexy Lucifer's cue to nosh on forbidden fruit, God —Elohim —reluctantly ejects them. Years later, after much hardship, Eve and Adam have founded a thriving compound, complete with courtyard, dates, figs, grapes, beer, bread and flocks of sheep and goats. Their children —Eve and her daughters narrate —each have a role: Abel herds animals, Cain farms, lovely daughter Naava spins and weaves, youngest daughter Dara molds clay, etc. Although Adam tries to perpetuate the worship of Elohim, Cain venerates the gods of a neighboring city, particularly Inanna, a Sumerian mother/fertility goddess. (Elliott's avowedly fanciful world conflates the Bronze Age and the late Stone Age.) Nubile Naava has seduced Cain and cajoled him into introducing her to this teeming primordial metropolis of temples, marketplaces and kohl-lidded women sporting tattoos, piercings and hennaed hair. Resentful that Dara babysits for the harem of the city's prince, Naava sets her sights on the prince himself —a young man as sultry and beguiling as the persona Lucifer adopted to co-opt Eve. When Naava, costumed as Inanna, marries the prince, Cain, enraged, foments a riot and Eve's family must flee the city. But strife follows them home as Cain and Abel's lifelong sibling rivalry ends in murder. Exotic setting aside, this could be any contemporary family plagued by a manic-depressive son, a sulky teenager and a father who is shockingly deficient in the wisdom expected of a First Progenitor. Perennially pregnant, Eve can't do much except whine inwardly about her past errors and the family's present turmoil.
An imaginative and deeply felt debut in which the First Parents ' flaws make us wonder why they ever thought they had a snowball's chance in Eden.
(COPYRIGHT (2008) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)