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Paradise
Paradise: A Short Lesbian Romance
Adam loves Eve. Eve loves… Lilith?
Adam and Eve live in a suburban paradise. Eve is a stay-at-home mother of two; Adam works hard to provide for the family he loves. But despite how things look on the surface, Eve isn’t happy. And when she meets Lilith by chance in a city park, her whole world begins to change. Lilith is offering Eve a fruit she’s never tasted before; will Eve have the courage to partake?
Paradise is a short novella that reimagines the Book of Genesis in modern-day suburbia -- with a queer twist. A blend of romance, introspection, and tongue-in-cheek humor, Paradise provides a fresh look at one of the oldest tales in the Western world.
Adam loves Eve. Eve loves… Lilith?
Adam and Eve live in a suburban paradise. Eve is a stay-at-home mother of two; Adam works hard to provide for the family he loves. But despite how things look on the surface, Eve isn’t happy. And when she meets Lilith by chance in a city park, her whole world begins to change. Lilith is offering Eve a fruit she’s never tasted before; will Eve have the courage to partake?
Paradise is a short novella that reimagines the Book of Genesis in modern-day suburbia -- with a queer twist. A blend of romance, introspection, and tongue-in-cheek humor, Paradise provides a fresh look at one of the oldest tales in the Western world.
120 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 5, 2017
32 people are currently reading
51 people want to read
About the author
Eliza Andrews
14 books380 followersWhen I started thinking of a new pen name to write fiction featuring lesbian protagonists, I commandeered the name of an ancestor. Eliza Frances Andrews was an interesting woman, one I have mixed feelings about. A southern belle who lived through the civil war as the privileged daughter of a prominent plantation owner, she refused to marry "below her station" after the war and therefore set about creating her own career -- highly unusual for a woman of her day and age. Eventually she became a teacher, novelist, and world-renowned botanist. And interestingly, a socialist.
But she was quite racist and I can only imagine what she would have to say about LGBTQ people. It is therefore somewhat tongue-in-cheek to borrow her name; it is my reimagining of Eliza if she'd grown up in the 21st century rather than the 19th, after women's lib and the Civil Rights movement and Stonewall. Perhaps a 21st-century Eliza would grin at me and say, "Right on." Perhaps the 19th-century Eliza is rolling over in her grave -- if she is, call it karmic justice.
Reach out anytime: eliza@ninja-writer.com.
PS, I also write young adult science fiction / fantasy under the name R. A. Marshall (another borrowed name). LGBTQ readers might enjoy the Lost Children trilogy.
But she was quite racist and I can only imagine what she would have to say about LGBTQ people. It is therefore somewhat tongue-in-cheek to borrow her name; it is my reimagining of Eliza if she'd grown up in the 21st century rather than the 19th, after women's lib and the Civil Rights movement and Stonewall. Perhaps a 21st-century Eliza would grin at me and say, "Right on." Perhaps the 19th-century Eliza is rolling over in her grave -- if she is, call it karmic justice.
Reach out anytime: eliza@ninja-writer.com.
PS, I also write young adult science fiction / fantasy under the name R. A. Marshall (another borrowed name). LGBTQ readers might enjoy the Lost Children trilogy.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
May 1, 2018
"Paradise" is a little out there but well-written, too. If I take it at face value the narrative is strange but if I realize that it's a modern day fable for adults it harkens me back to my seventh grade English lessons and it gains my affection. That and the story incorporates elements of the book of Genesis from the Old Testament, giving that tale a fresh and sapphic spin.
The author is the first to admit it's a quirky story that could possibly offend. However, read it for the moral and you should be good.
It's an interesting novella that's available with Kindle Unlimited.
The author is the first to admit it's a quirky story that could possibly offend. However, read it for the moral and you should be good.
It's an interesting novella that's available with Kindle Unlimited.
July 21, 2018
Well... this is certainly different :-)
When Eve first meets Lilith on that park bench I was like ….erhm.. what?!. Took be a bit to digest that fact, but I trust Eliza Andrews enough to know she will give me an interesting story. And it was. It was quirky and different and it had beautiful lines.
Never has Adam had enough of her. It wasn’t enough for him that she was young and nubile; he wanted her thinner, smaller everywhere. He’d tried to play off his disappointment the first time they laid together, pinching her side like he was flirting and saying only, “Chubby bunny.”
Eve should’ve known then, but the comment only triggered insecurity, triggered that Catholic guilt that wanted only to please, please, please. She tried to make him happier, thinking his “happier” would come once she lost the weight, or got the promotion, or ironed his dress shirts. She starved herself in more ways than one, becoming less herself even as he demanded more. Never has he had enough of her.
She consented to marriage, even though she hadn’t felt herself ready. And once they married, she consented to children before she really wanted them — he argued that he was older and he worried he would be too old to enjoy them as they grew.
Never has he had enough of her, because it wasn’t enough simply to bear his progeny; no, he wanted her to give up her career and stay at home with the boys full-time. So she starved herself a little more, reduced herself until she fit the mold of his perfect suburban housewife. And even though she gave so much to him, he slowly stopped giving her anything except his money. His time and energy and attention fell into a black hole he called “work;” what affection he had left over at the end of each long day was reserved for his boys and not for his wife.
He has given Eve a well-built roof above a well-built house, a good school district, a green minivan. But Eve has given Adam so much more in return. Because she has given her self. So much of herself that by the time she met Lilith in the city park one fall morning, there was only a sliver of her left.
f/.. hmmmm… this is a tricky one ;-)
Themes: re-telling, biblical, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, different but very good.
4 stars
When Eve first meets Lilith on that park bench I was like ….erhm.. what?!. Took be a bit to digest that fact, but I trust Eliza Andrews enough to know she will give me an interesting story. And it was. It was quirky and different and it had beautiful lines.
Never has Adam had enough of her. It wasn’t enough for him that she was young and nubile; he wanted her thinner, smaller everywhere. He’d tried to play off his disappointment the first time they laid together, pinching her side like he was flirting and saying only, “Chubby bunny.”
Eve should’ve known then, but the comment only triggered insecurity, triggered that Catholic guilt that wanted only to please, please, please. She tried to make him happier, thinking his “happier” would come once she lost the weight, or got the promotion, or ironed his dress shirts. She starved herself in more ways than one, becoming less herself even as he demanded more. Never has he had enough of her.
She consented to marriage, even though she hadn’t felt herself ready. And once they married, she consented to children before she really wanted them — he argued that he was older and he worried he would be too old to enjoy them as they grew.
Never has he had enough of her, because it wasn’t enough simply to bear his progeny; no, he wanted her to give up her career and stay at home with the boys full-time. So she starved herself a little more, reduced herself until she fit the mold of his perfect suburban housewife. And even though she gave so much to him, he slowly stopped giving her anything except his money. His time and energy and attention fell into a black hole he called “work;” what affection he had left over at the end of each long day was reserved for his boys and not for his wife.
He has given Eve a well-built roof above a well-built house, a good school district, a green minivan. But Eve has given Adam so much more in return. Because she has given her self. So much of herself that by the time she met Lilith in the city park one fall morning, there was only a sliver of her left.
f/.. hmmmm… this is a tricky one ;-)
Themes: re-telling, biblical, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, different but very good.
4 stars
June 4, 2024
3 Stars
This story is as the author says, quirky. I would never have imagined that kind of pairing from my linear, binary mind. It is outlandish and truly the work of a genius who thinks outside the box.
This story is as the author says, quirky. I would never have imagined that kind of pairing from my linear, binary mind. It is outlandish and truly the work of a genius who thinks outside the box.
August 5, 2021
I found this new take on the Adam and Eve story very interesting. I was glad Eve realized that she wasn’t happy with her life and chose to do something about it. Lilith doesn’t seem to be evil at all. She is more misunderstood and is just looking for love. I listened to this audiobook I enjoyed the story very much
November 4, 2017
Very interesting and insightful novella.
Paradise is a very short, but brilliant, work of lesbian fiction. Adam and Eve live in a suburban setting. Their two sons, Cain and Abel, are preteens. Lilith enters Eve's world when they meet on a park bench and talk. Distance characterizes Eve's relationship with Adam, even though they have been together for many years. Intimacy develops in Eve's new relationship with Lilith as they move from friendship to something more.
At its heart, this novella is simultaneously shocking and ordinary. It took me back to the book Carmen Dog, which I haven't read in many years. The story of Carmen Dog has stuck with me over the years and I believe that Paradise will, too. I read so many books that they sometimes blur together or go into my memory dump. Even though I imagine Lilith and her place in Jewish tradition very differently than this book, Paradise adds another way to contextualize her.
Adam and Eve, and by extension Cain and Abel, are tragic figures. They all manage to disappoint God in the book of Genesis. God, as the creator, suffers the same tragic fate that any Dr. Frankenstein faces. Their creations will always assert their own wishes and desires. God is only an inference in Eliza Andrews' novella. When she decides to face the realities of her life and her marriage to Adam, Eve makes perfectly sound choices. Lilith isn't the sly temptress in this version. She offers Eve a chance at a new life and true love. Paradise doesn't exist as an idealized place, but in an emotional world of deep feelings.
Only a very talented author could produce such a polished gem.
Paradise is a very short, but brilliant, work of lesbian fiction. Adam and Eve live in a suburban setting. Their two sons, Cain and Abel, are preteens. Lilith enters Eve's world when they meet on a park bench and talk. Distance characterizes Eve's relationship with Adam, even though they have been together for many years. Intimacy develops in Eve's new relationship with Lilith as they move from friendship to something more.
At its heart, this novella is simultaneously shocking and ordinary. It took me back to the book Carmen Dog, which I haven't read in many years. The story of Carmen Dog has stuck with me over the years and I believe that Paradise will, too. I read so many books that they sometimes blur together or go into my memory dump. Even though I imagine Lilith and her place in Jewish tradition very differently than this book, Paradise adds another way to contextualize her.
Adam and Eve, and by extension Cain and Abel, are tragic figures. They all manage to disappoint God in the book of Genesis. God, as the creator, suffers the same tragic fate that any Dr. Frankenstein faces. Their creations will always assert their own wishes and desires. God is only an inference in Eliza Andrews' novella. When she decides to face the realities of her life and her marriage to Adam, Eve makes perfectly sound choices. Lilith isn't the sly temptress in this version. She offers Eve a chance at a new life and true love. Paradise doesn't exist as an idealized place, but in an emotional world of deep feelings.
Only a very talented author could produce such a polished gem.
January 31, 2019
I listened to the audiobook which is free in the Audible Romance Package and narrated by one of my absolute favorite narrators, Angela Rysk.
Going by some of the other comments, I think it's best to go into this story thinking of Bojack Horseman. I can't elaborate further, because spoilers. But... just keep Bojack in mind.
With that and the fantastic narration, I was very well entertained and would absolutely recommend this audiobook to anyone who's looking for a short, quirky story :-)
Going by some of the other comments, I think it's best to go into this story thinking of Bojack Horseman. I can't elaborate further, because spoilers. But... just keep Bojack in mind.
With that and the fantastic narration, I was very well entertained and would absolutely recommend this audiobook to anyone who's looking for a short, quirky story :-)
July 27, 2018
I have to admit, Eliza Andrews‘ lesbian romance novella, “Paradise,” was nothing like I’d read in lesfic before. Whilst I’d read multiple retelling of fairy tale stories, “Paradise” was different because it was a re-imagining of a renowned biblical story. Yes, the bible. And it was not just any other biblical tale but the one from the Book of Genesis. Yes, you’ve guessed right.
ADAM & EVE.
To be precise, Adam, Eve, the Garden of Eden, the forbidden fruit, the serpeant, the animal kingdom, Cain and Abel….and most importantly (imho!), Lilith* (name is not mentioned in Genesis but its representation is relevant to the narrative. Those who’re unfamiliar with Lilith can just google it and then you’ll understand its significance). Anyway, I’m quite sure virtually everyone (in the Western Hemisphere at least!), whether religious or otherwise, has come across the story in the Book of Genesis, one way or another. Right? Okay. Brilliant.
Full commentary here.... In Bug's Own Words
ADAM & EVE.
To be precise, Adam, Eve, the Garden of Eden, the forbidden fruit, the serpeant, the animal kingdom, Cain and Abel….and most importantly (imho!), Lilith* (name is not mentioned in Genesis but its representation is relevant to the narrative. Those who’re unfamiliar with Lilith can just google it and then you’ll understand its significance). Anyway, I’m quite sure virtually everyone (in the Western Hemisphere at least!), whether religious or otherwise, has come across the story in the Book of Genesis, one way or another. Right? Okay. Brilliant.
Full commentary here.... In Bug's Own Words
January 19, 2019
Weird at first, but this one grew on me eventually
Basically, it’s loosely based on Genesis from the Bible. The biggest differences are that it’s set in modern times (vehicles, smartphones, zoos, etc.) and it’s a lesbian romance between a woman and a female Burmese python. Like I said, it’s weird at first, but I eventually grew to love it. Still, I almost gave it four stars because, when I read the synopsis for this story before I bought it, I thought it was about two human women. At first, I thought it would be better if she were human. However, the story only really works if Lilith is a snake. If you can get past the whole inter-species relationship thing, then you’ll probably like this short story as much as I did.
Basically, it’s loosely based on Genesis from the Bible. The biggest differences are that it’s set in modern times (vehicles, smartphones, zoos, etc.) and it’s a lesbian romance between a woman and a female Burmese python. Like I said, it’s weird at first, but I eventually grew to love it. Still, I almost gave it four stars because, when I read the synopsis for this story before I bought it, I thought it was about two human women. At first, I thought it would be better if she were human. However, the story only really works if Lilith is a snake. If you can get past the whole inter-species relationship thing, then you’ll probably like this short story as much as I did.
February 26, 2020
Paradise can be so many things but can it speak of your heart.
This was and interesting challenging short story. It brings out the completely absurd notion of love between species but makes you root for it. Safe, comfortable, normal is not always about listening to your heart. Finding your way may mean something so different that society expects. The question that I am often left with is who decide what normal is and if it asks you to be less than yourself is it really your normal. I loved the story and Eliza Andrews writing style gave me characters to love. Brilliantly challenging.
This was and interesting challenging short story. It brings out the completely absurd notion of love between species but makes you root for it. Safe, comfortable, normal is not always about listening to your heart. Finding your way may mean something so different that society expects. The question that I am often left with is who decide what normal is and if it asks you to be less than yourself is it really your normal. I loved the story and Eliza Andrews writing style gave me characters to love. Brilliantly challenging.
February 13, 2021
When I fist started reading this book I was excited by the premise, that is until I found out that Lilith was not a woman but a snake. I can't say I was offended but I was and still am creeped out about a woman having a sexual relationship with a snake. I do blame the author for not including in the description of the book that Lilith was a snake. Had she done so I never would have purchased the book in the first place. I continued reading the book even though the thought of a snake/woman relationship was repulsive hoping that at the end we would find out that Eve had had a very weird dream and that Lilith was actually a woman but that never happened. The two stars I gave this story is that the author has definite talent in writing and I will read other works of hers. Just sorry I was not informed of the true nature of this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2019
Different!
This is a short, quirky, modern day Adam and Eve story with an LGBTQ twist. I enjoyed this rather unusual tale, but I'm sure it will offend some people, especially in this day and age of every little thing offending SOMEone. That being said, if you have an open mind and can appreciate creative talent, put this book on your must read list.
This is a short, quirky, modern day Adam and Eve story with an LGBTQ twist. I enjoyed this rather unusual tale, but I'm sure it will offend some people, especially in this day and age of every little thing offending SOMEone. That being said, if you have an open mind and can appreciate creative talent, put this book on your must read list.
February 9, 2020
Quirky & definitely different
Although this story was for the most part confusing piece of abstract art, the unique perspective that it offers an intriguing & innovative interpretation for the story of Adam & Eve & a reconsideration of the roles & relationships defined & denied because of it.
Although this story was for the most part confusing piece of abstract art, the unique perspective that it offers an intriguing & innovative interpretation for the story of Adam & Eve & a reconsideration of the roles & relationships defined & denied because of it.
December 29, 2018
A story about finding yourself and living the life the way you want.
A different paradise exists for those willing to change and be forthcoming about the difficulty that happens when you go against a norm.Enjoy!
A different paradise exists for those willing to change and be forthcoming about the difficulty that happens when you go against a norm.Enjoy!
February 20, 2019
Picks up as you go
This was a strange short story and a bit slow to start. With that said, it picks up and gains momentum to the end. It has a nice ending. It gives a unique twist on a familiar story. Very original. I enjoyed it.
This was a strange short story and a bit slow to start. With that said, it picks up and gains momentum to the end. It has a nice ending. It gives a unique twist on a familiar story. Very original. I enjoyed it.
June 21, 2017
Quirky
This was a really interesting and funny take on the Adam and eve story. I love that lilith was a snake and bright eve apples!
This was a really interesting and funny take on the Adam and eve story. I love that lilith was a snake and bright eve apples!
June 29, 2017
Interesting
An interesting story, and an interesting concept. It does play out in today's environment. I think we can all do with questioning where our moral concepts come from.
An interesting story, and an interesting concept. It does play out in today's environment. I think we can all do with questioning where our moral concepts come from.
September 26, 2017
Different, to say the least
This lesfic retelling of the fall of man is inventive, quirky, and quite interesting. I'm glad it doesn't go too far into Cain and Abel's lives...
This lesfic retelling of the fall of man is inventive, quirky, and quite interesting. I'm glad it doesn't go too far into Cain and Abel's lives...
January 30, 2019
I'd say poor Adam but man, the dude's an arsehole.
I'm all for Eve and Lilith. The whole animal thing was weird though, I thought it'd just be the names, but it was... different.
I'm all for Eve and Lilith. The whole animal thing was weird though, I thought it'd just be the names, but it was... different.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 27, 2019
Cute but weird.
October 2, 2019
I love this writer. I just couldn’t into this.....IDEFK!
February 19, 2023
Definitely unique. And by that I mean: REALLY unique. But, somehow, it worked. All in all, a great read.
August 30, 2020
Great story
I have enjoyed this short quirky story that a update version of Adam and Eve but Eve loves Lilith the snake.
I have enjoyed this short quirky story that a update version of Adam and Eve but Eve loves Lilith the snake.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews