What do you think?
Rate this book
The Other Eden
Book by Bryant, Sarah
462 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2001
About the author
Sarah Bryant
14 books33 followersSarah Bryant (born 1973 in Brunswick, Maine, USA, is a contemporary British based writer.
She attended Brown University in Rhode Island before moving to Scotland in 1996 to study creative writing at the University of St. Andrews. She settled in the UK after meeting her husband and now lives in the Scottish Borders region where along with writing she doubles as a teacher of Celtic harp, and occasionally triples as a printmaker.
She attended Brown University in Rhode Island before moving to Scotland in 1996 to study creative writing at the University of St. Andrews. She settled in the UK after meeting her husband and now lives in the Scottish Borders region where along with writing she doubles as a teacher of Celtic harp, and occasionally triples as a printmaker.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 26, 2018
Well now. That's certainly a bittersweet ending. >___> It's not *quite* relentlessly dark throughout, but it hovers on the fringes of that gloomy ultra-gothic aura o' inescapability, like BLEDDING SORROW or VILLETTE or (most) anything by Anne Rice.
Pretty writing, though. The atmosphere & scenic descriptions were especially good, complete with a great setting & some genuinely unsettling chapters. The family drama was confusing at times, but I always like when decadent, decayed trappings of wealth coincide with tangles of identity & hand-flapping worry over incest (what can I say...I'm weird :P). So, yes, I enjoyed it despite the not-very-subtle march toward said bittersweetness; I daresay I'll even read it again someday to appreciate various nuances. But I don't recommend it if you're in a bleak mood.
...And on that note, I'm going to comfort myself by watching Star Wars for the millionth time. (Episode IV, not those shoddy prequels. *disdainful sniff*)
Pretty writing, though. The atmosphere & scenic descriptions were especially good, complete with a great setting & some genuinely unsettling chapters. The family drama was confusing at times, but I always like when decadent, decayed trappings of wealth coincide with tangles of identity & hand-flapping worry over incest (what can I say...I'm weird :P). So, yes, I enjoyed it despite the not-very-subtle march toward said bittersweetness; I daresay I'll even read it again someday to appreciate various nuances. But I don't recommend it if you're in a bleak mood.
...And on that note, I'm going to comfort myself by watching Star Wars for the millionth time. (Episode IV, not those shoddy prequels. *disdainful sniff*)
August 19, 2018
3.25 ⭐
This started kind of strange and different than I had anticipated, but the atmosphere quickly grabbed me and pulled me in.
The story is haunting and Sarah Bryant writes very poetric and lyrical, but the end and revelations towards the end left me dissapointed. I think this could be so much more but instead of the supernatural feeling it generated it all fizzled down to nothing.
I also read the words: 'trepidation', 'cries out' and 'torpor' more than one time too many.
It did however interest me in her other books, so I am sure I will read more of her in the future.
This started kind of strange and different than I had anticipated, but the atmosphere quickly grabbed me and pulled me in.
The story is haunting and Sarah Bryant writes very poetric and lyrical, but the end and revelations towards the end left me dissapointed. I think this could be so much more but instead of the supernatural feeling it generated it all fizzled down to nothing.
I also read the words: 'trepidation', 'cries out' and 'torpor' more than one time too many.
It did however interest me in her other books, so I am sure I will read more of her in the future.
May 9, 2011
This was one of those, "Oooh pretty cover," deals. I bought it because the story sounded interesting, but honestly I figured something with that nice of a cover come on. Every once in a while I'll buy a book for how lovely the artwork is.
Because of this fact though I wasn't sure if this book was going to be all that good honestly.
This book was amazing. It was one of those, biting your nails and reading till the sun is coming up and you don't really care because your about to find out what ghousty is hiding behind door number one. It's captivating and Sarah Bryant keeps you hanging on her every word. The book evoked so many emotions, I can't even explain. I cried at the end of the book and then proceeded to reread the last chapter because it was so heartbreakingly bittersweet.
I do suggest this to anyone who wants a captivating read. I know that I loved it and I'm sure many more people will enjoy it as much as I did.
Because of this fact though I wasn't sure if this book was going to be all that good honestly.
This book was amazing. It was one of those, biting your nails and reading till the sun is coming up and you don't really care because your about to find out what ghousty is hiding behind door number one. It's captivating and Sarah Bryant keeps you hanging on her every word. The book evoked so many emotions, I can't even explain. I cried at the end of the book and then proceeded to reread the last chapter because it was so heartbreakingly bittersweet.
I do suggest this to anyone who wants a captivating read. I know that I loved it and I'm sure many more people will enjoy it as much as I did.
Did Not Finish
October 31, 2009I'm not quite sure where this story is going but I am very sure I don't want to go there. The twins are too confusing (names too similar). I'd rather read Mary Stewart.
May 20, 2019
Eleanor Rose, a pianist, heads for Eden's Meadow, a Louisiana plantation she has never seen. Her
grandmother had died there twenty-six years earlier, and Eleanor lived in Boston in the interim. She was raised by her kindly grandfather. Accompanying her was a family friend, Mary Bishop. While living on the plantation, Eleanor discovers things which had been unknown; her mother had been an identical twin who lived on the plantation and was sixteen in the year of 1903. The sisters, Elizabeth and Eve, were both in love, unfortunately, the man whom Eve loved was in love with Elizabeth. She did not return his love, as she loved someone else. The sisters made a pact to switch places, and both died young, one of tuberculosis, and the other disappeared. Eleanor was in the dark about all of this as her grandfather was close-lipped about the past, but she dreamt repeatedly about Eve. On her twenty-first birthday, her grandfather and Mary took Eleanor to the Boston Symphony. Later that evening, she caught the eye of the Russian pianist, Alexander Trevozhov, and his eyes locked with hers. So begins an exciting and provoking mystery as we follow Eleanor and her disturbing dreams about
water, the sky, rain, wind, and foliage, all surrounding the larger figure of Eve and an unidentified man.
"You see, it's a chain reaction," he explained. You make one mistake, then you begin thinking about the next one you will make, which causes it to happen. Soon you are misstepping in all directions, and you can't stop."
"When we stepped onto the overgrown driveway, my head swam for a moment with a strong sense of deja vu. The heat wreaked havoc on clear thought, leaving only a heightened capacity for sensation.
Once again, I felt that Eden was pressing its own mentality onto me. However, I couldn't turn back now. I stepped with Alexander out of the bright lane, into the deep green twilight of the forest."
So begins an exciting and provoking mystery as we follow Eleanor and her disturbing dreams about
the sky, wind, rain, and foliage; all surrounding the larger figure of Eve and an unidentified man.
Kinda creepy! There are two other houses on the plantation, one which they will rent out to a familiar
figure, and another larger home that appears to be haunted.
So begins an exciting and provoking mystery as we follow Eleanor and her disturbing dreams about water, the sky, wind, and so on; all surrounding the larger figure of Eve and an unidentified man. Kinda creepy! There are two other homes on the plantation, one which they rent out to a familiar figure, and another larger home that appears to be haunted. The novel is so intriguing that I'm still trying to sort out all the facts. The ending is like nothing you would expect. I think the book might have been easier to follow if it had not been written in the first person.
"You see, it's a chain reaction," he explained. You make one mistake, then you begin thinking about the next one you will make, which causes it to happen. Soon you are misstepping in all directions, and you can't stop."
"When we stepped onto the overgrown driveway, my head swam for a moment with a strong sense of deja vu. The heat wreaked havoc on clear thought, leaving only a heightened capacity for sensation.
Once again, I felt that Eden was pressing its own mentality onto me. However, I couldn't turn back now. I stepped with Alexander out of the bright lane, into the deep green twilight of the forest."
grandmother had died there twenty-six years earlier, and Eleanor lived in Boston in the interim. She was raised by her kindly grandfather. Accompanying her was a family friend, Mary Bishop. While living on the plantation, Eleanor discovers things which had been unknown; her mother had been an identical twin who lived on the plantation and was sixteen in the year of 1903. The sisters, Elizabeth and Eve, were both in love, unfortunately, the man whom Eve loved was in love with Elizabeth. She did not return his love, as she loved someone else. The sisters made a pact to switch places, and both died young, one of tuberculosis, and the other disappeared. Eleanor was in the dark about all of this as her grandfather was close-lipped about the past, but she dreamt repeatedly about Eve. On her twenty-first birthday, her grandfather and Mary took Eleanor to the Boston Symphony. Later that evening, she caught the eye of the Russian pianist, Alexander Trevozhov, and his eyes locked with hers. So begins an exciting and provoking mystery as we follow Eleanor and her disturbing dreams about
water, the sky, rain, wind, and foliage, all surrounding the larger figure of Eve and an unidentified man.
"You see, it's a chain reaction," he explained. You make one mistake, then you begin thinking about the next one you will make, which causes it to happen. Soon you are misstepping in all directions, and you can't stop."
"When we stepped onto the overgrown driveway, my head swam for a moment with a strong sense of deja vu. The heat wreaked havoc on clear thought, leaving only a heightened capacity for sensation.
Once again, I felt that Eden was pressing its own mentality onto me. However, I couldn't turn back now. I stepped with Alexander out of the bright lane, into the deep green twilight of the forest."
So begins an exciting and provoking mystery as we follow Eleanor and her disturbing dreams about
the sky, wind, rain, and foliage; all surrounding the larger figure of Eve and an unidentified man.
Kinda creepy! There are two other houses on the plantation, one which they will rent out to a familiar
figure, and another larger home that appears to be haunted.
So begins an exciting and provoking mystery as we follow Eleanor and her disturbing dreams about water, the sky, wind, and so on; all surrounding the larger figure of Eve and an unidentified man. Kinda creepy! There are two other homes on the plantation, one which they rent out to a familiar figure, and another larger home that appears to be haunted. The novel is so intriguing that I'm still trying to sort out all the facts. The ending is like nothing you would expect. I think the book might have been easier to follow if it had not been written in the first person.
"You see, it's a chain reaction," he explained. You make one mistake, then you begin thinking about the next one you will make, which causes it to happen. Soon you are misstepping in all directions, and you can't stop."
"When we stepped onto the overgrown driveway, my head swam for a moment with a strong sense of deja vu. The heat wreaked havoc on clear thought, leaving only a heightened capacity for sensation.
Once again, I felt that Eden was pressing its own mentality onto me. However, I couldn't turn back now. I stepped with Alexander out of the bright lane, into the deep green twilight of the forest."
August 31, 2024
This book tells the story of an island off the Maine coast at the turn of the last century, home to a tiny community of inbred families. A retired school teacher who summers on the island commences to educate some of the residents with unexpected consequences. This harkens several questions. What does it mean to be civilized? On an isolated island, is incest immoral? Do people who are cognitively impaired contribute value to a community?
The book is loosely based on the fate of Malaga Island in Maine and its sheltered community.
I enjoyed some of the characters in this book, their uniqueness and fortitude. The timing was off in the final chapters and there was no clear resolution, which I eagerly awaited, so 1 star off.
The book is loosely based on the fate of Malaga Island in Maine and its sheltered community.
I enjoyed some of the characters in this book, their uniqueness and fortitude. The timing was off in the final chapters and there was no clear resolution, which I eagerly awaited, so 1 star off.
November 28, 2018
I feel as though I needed to really like this story. It had everything set up for me: a beautiful old house, possibly some ghosts, some creepy dreams, and musical prodigies.
I couldn't. I felt like this really wanted to be a nice shivery ghosty story, but it just didn't make it there.
Also, I need to take full blame for this review and not the author's fault. It's me not you, kind of thing. I made the mistake of trying to read this while also keeping up with another book by a different author that was eerily similar. (I need to remember to balance NF and F only and not try to do two fiction books because then this happens...) The OTHER book won out. It, too, had a creepy cool old house and secrets and ghosts and whatnot and so this was all just bad timing.
I couldn't. I felt like this really wanted to be a nice shivery ghosty story, but it just didn't make it there.
Also, I need to take full blame for this review and not the author's fault. It's me not you, kind of thing. I made the mistake of trying to read this while also keeping up with another book by a different author that was eerily similar. (I need to remember to balance NF and F only and not try to do two fiction books because then this happens...) The OTHER book won out. It, too, had a creepy cool old house and secrets and ghosts and whatnot and so this was all just bad timing.
May 26, 2022
One of these historical romances with the gothic vibe that engage you enough to keep reading but in the end are a waste of time. An atmospheric setting of the deep South old plantation, a convoluted mystery from the past and a predictably dramatic ending. The characters are paper cut figures that never truly come to life.
November 1, 2019
2.5 stars
August 7, 2025
boring
February 29, 2024
Never having heard of this book, I found it at a second hand book store. It was an interesting, engaging, easy read and I am glad I picked it up.
March 17, 2025
The back of the book promises "a passionate love affair and a shocking discovery [that] threaten her very life..." what it does not say is that the affair is uncomfortable and the threat to her life does not rear itself until the last three chapters or so.
The book is written in two parts, both opening with their own prologue of sorts. In both cases the prologue all but tells you the answer to the following section's mystery. I use the term "mystery" loosely as well since the reader feels no draw to finding out anything nor is there any specific thing the reader wants to know. The entire book is the main character stumbling around, looking for information on her family, not being able to find any solid evidence and then entirely going on hunches she has, feelings she has, or vivid dreams. This is not mysterious, it is agonizing.
The time period itself is a muddled mess. Even though the book is set in the early 1900s everyone is writing letters and no one uses a phone which would have been widely available, especially to the wealthy elite the book is about. It is written as if the author was picturing a Georgian sort of setting at first only to move up the time period for some reason in the final draft. It makes the time dilation between the main character's time and the twins time even more confusing.
The characters do not ask follow up questions, even when its clear they should, they say things that don't make sense, the main character contradicts herself multiple times describing to the reader that she feels one way then acts exactly the opposite for no apparent reason.
My upmost critique is this:
If this book had been written and turned in to a high school English teacher as an assignment, the teacher would point out that the story has a lot of characters describing interesting things that had happened in the past but not doing anything really interesting themselves. "Why not write about the interesting thing that happened in the past instead of writing about people simply talking about it?" the teacher would say.
Why indeed.
The book is written in two parts, both opening with their own prologue of sorts. In both cases the prologue all but tells you the answer to the following section's mystery. I use the term "mystery" loosely as well since the reader feels no draw to finding out anything nor is there any specific thing the reader wants to know. The entire book is the main character stumbling around, looking for information on her family, not being able to find any solid evidence and then entirely going on hunches she has, feelings she has, or vivid dreams. This is not mysterious, it is agonizing.
The time period itself is a muddled mess. Even though the book is set in the early 1900s everyone is writing letters and no one uses a phone which would have been widely available, especially to the wealthy elite the book is about. It is written as if the author was picturing a Georgian sort of setting at first only to move up the time period for some reason in the final draft. It makes the time dilation between the main character's time and the twins time even more confusing.
The characters do not ask follow up questions, even when its clear they should, they say things that don't make sense, the main character contradicts herself multiple times describing to the reader that she feels one way then acts exactly the opposite for no apparent reason.
My upmost critique is this:
If this book had been written and turned in to a high school English teacher as an assignment, the teacher would point out that the story has a lot of characters describing interesting things that had happened in the past but not doing anything really interesting themselves. "Why not write about the interesting thing that happened in the past instead of writing about people simply talking about it?" the teacher would say.
Why indeed.
August 25, 2015
This is best described as a Gothic romance/horror story, interleaved with the American South setting in Louisiana and piano music it is an unusual mixture which produces quite a page-turner. I admit to finding the two sisters Eve and Elizabeth confusing at times but that did not interfere with my enjoyment of the story. By the end of the book I was still unsure which sister was which. The description of the two houses, Eden and the house on the hill, are luscious. My one quibble is that I found the characters oddly difficult to place in time. The prologue about the two sisters is dated 1905 which means the following story about Eleanor is set in the 1920s, but it seems more 19th century to me. Maybe that’s down to the old-fashioned Louisiana setting. I don’t think the cover of my edition helped that confusion, the style is oddly similar to Philippa Gregory. But don’t let my doubts put you off reading what is a rollicking Gothic mystery complete with faintings, dreams, symbolism, mysterious foreign men and beautiful piano music.
May 12, 2018
It took me a while to get into this book. I don't think that I was in the right place mentally for it. I wasn't enthralled with it. I could put it down. It was interesting and melodic, the music aspects were beautiful for lack of a better word. I also felt sadly lacking in my understanding of piano/music stuff. I felt like I should have known more, felt more, to fully get out of the story what was there for the taking. The twists and turns were good but I felt that knowing the past didn't allow for the same tension/foreboding that there might have been without. I liked the Doreen/Louis character, the evil, the shades, the facades of him.
That he and Alexander died in the fire was slightly anti-climatic. Everything after that however was a let down. I didn't like how her life turned out, it was as if none of it mattered. None of what happened/came to be known had any real impact on her life.
That he and Alexander died in the fire was slightly anti-climatic. Everything after that however was a let down. I didn't like how her life turned out, it was as if none of it mattered. None of what happened/came to be known had any real impact on her life.
March 1, 2012
It was going so well - and then turned into this overcomplicated mess where she's having a sexual relationship with a bloke who could have been her dad, but isnt because her parents are really her mother's twin sister and her real dad is trying to kill her, not realising he married Eve, thinking she was Elizabeth.
Would have been much better if it had been a ghost story, where everyone was reincarnated but kept being pulled back into meeting up in each generation until the karmic link is broken (I think there was an episode of Buffy that did this better)
Anyway good whilst it lasted, but not all the way
Would have been much better if it had been a ghost story, where everyone was reincarnated but kept being pulled back into meeting up in each generation until the karmic link is broken (I think there was an episode of Buffy that did this better)
Anyway good whilst it lasted, but not all the way
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 25, 2013
This book occurs in an era that I don't typically read. I hat to say it but it was the cover that attracted me to it. The decrepit plantation in the background to be more précises. It did take me awhile to get into the book but about 150 pages in I got pretty hooked and did not want to put the book down. There are indeed some twist, but a part of me feels that the big last twist was kind of reaching it's so out there I almost felt like I was reading from a really early version of Jerry Springer.
March 15, 2010
Beautiful prose, flawed yet seductive characters, intricate settings, and an overwhelming sense of crumbling decadence pervades the novel. Bryant's imagery is as fantastically described as her characters' piano pieces. Rather like a modern mixture of Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, but more luscious than either of them. The ending was somewhat more than unexpected, yet it fit with the entire mood she has worked to create throughout the story.
January 26, 2012
This is a fabulous book that kept me hooked in that unputdownable way until the very end. I had so many options running through my mind about the mystery but still got it wrong and still was surprised. I recommend this book to anyone who loves mystery, romance and history. The setting was evocative and the story fit the background beautifully. Sarah Bryant writes well and I will certainly be looking for more books from this author
November 25, 2014
I really liked this book despite its ending. There was one point at the story when I really freaked out, and it is really difficult to freak me out with a book. The plot was well written, the only thing I didn't like were the remarks about the future thus suggesting certain things happening soon.
April 10, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing on what everything was about and though I figured out some of it, I didn't figure out all of it. I would have given it 5 stars but I found the ending a little lacking. Otherwise it was a very good book. I definitely recommend.
July 29, 2008
A very good story with strong writing.
June 7, 2012
Don't even know why I picked this up. It was pretty awful. Skipped most of the middle, and read the ending. My mind was not changed. Thoroughly awful.
September 10, 2016
gothic romance. a tragedy, but i wasn't so involved that i cared.
May 25, 2012
Foi um livro muito interessante de ler, mas as ligações familiares deste enredo são... bem complexas. Aconselho, mas mais como um romance de Verão do que algo para ler nas longas noites de Inverno.
January 17, 2017
One of the best novels I have ever read. I especially enjoyed the ending.
January 10, 2016
Prepare for a tangled web of a story!!
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews