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Every story has a beginning. Some stories are the beginning.
Caught in the middle of an ancient battle between good and evil we had to lose everything to find ourselves. I am Eve. This is my story of the beginning, from the beginning.
Caught in the middle of an ancient battle between good and evil we had to lose everything to find ourselves. I am Eve. This is my story of the beginning, from the beginning.
392 pages, Paperback
Published August 1, 2017
1 person is currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Sharon Van Orman
8 books92 followersSharon is a full time writer. She lives in Nebraska with her family and a collection of animals including ones that were chosen and others that did the choosing.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 13, 2017
I loved it :)
I'm an avid reader and biblical fiction is a favorite of mine, so I was glad to find this book. It details the joys, trials and sufferings of Eve, from her waking moments until her death. From the child-like innocence and dependence of the Garden to the worldliness and fight for survival outside of it, Eve faces many challenges. The story focuses heavily on the beginning of her life, skips many years and then slows down again as Eve sets out on an adventure with Adam and her family to find her daughter, kidnapped by Cain.
The battle that ensues, the finds and the losses, make a satisfying ending that nonetheless leaves you instantly ready for Book Two. Can't wait and hope it's out very soon!
I'm an avid reader and biblical fiction is a favorite of mine, so I was glad to find this book. It details the joys, trials and sufferings of Eve, from her waking moments until her death. From the child-like innocence and dependence of the Garden to the worldliness and fight for survival outside of it, Eve faces many challenges. The story focuses heavily on the beginning of her life, skips many years and then slows down again as Eve sets out on an adventure with Adam and her family to find her daughter, kidnapped by Cain.
The battle that ensues, the finds and the losses, make a satisfying ending that nonetheless leaves you instantly ready for Book Two. Can't wait and hope it's out very soon!
November 17, 2018
(By the way of introduction, I will note that my review contains spoilers, but none too surprising if you know the stories from Genesis, have ever gone (or been dragged to) church or temple for an extended period of time, or had to study traditional Western Literature in any meaningful way. If you have not, stop reading and check out the early books of the Old Testament/Torah. Even putting aside the religious aspects, they are really a fantastic read.)
Eve is a very early fantasy book from this talented aspiring writer. It shines with the promise of an instinctual deep understanding of the art of story-telling, and at times succeeds in creating truly memorable moments. While I am happy I read it, it is not the author’s best work.
The best way I can think to describe Eve is to call it Bible fan fiction. It is not religious fantasy, although at times the book strays into that realm. Rather, it is a fantasy firmly anchored in the first bits of Genesis, with inspiration from Revelations and medieval Hebrew and Christian biblical lore, carefully avoiding contradictions with those sources and deftly filling out the gaps in the story. This is not easy, particularly after (spoiler alert) Adam and Eve get themselves kicked out of Eden for not following that one simple rule. Van Orman takes on the daunting task of developing the relationship between the two only characters in the world, supplementing with the occasional angel, mute but expressive wildlife, and, of course, a certain fallen angel (and, eventually, his cohorts).
One impressive aspect of this book is the successful way in which Van Orman explores the thoughts and emotions of the title character. It is a convincing analysis of the character of the first woman, and I appreciate the fact that most of the book is told from her perspective. Eve’s relationship with Adam is extremely intense and almost unbearably simplistic in its purity; and yet, it manages to seem appropriate in the context of these two individuals who are not truly human yet not gods.
I will admit that parts of the narrative in the first half of the book are a bit slow, a bit dull, and sometimes a bit awkward. We read about the first couple discovering and naming the animals, learning about basic survival and about each other. Parts of this process felt artificial—largely because the English names of animals are so weighed with etymological baggage that it seems silly to imagine the names as original utterances (one was an Alpaca. In Mesopotamia). In other places, Van Orman uses ancient proper names and translates their meaning for the reader. Doing something like this, maybe using Hebrew names and translating them, may have been a more convincing way of dealing with the naming (at least for non-Hebrew speakers.) I also cringed a bit at the mention of things like wool blankets and cloth when it is just Adam and Eve around. I am unclear if these mentions reflect efficiency (not wanting to take the time to explain how Adam and Eve made a wool blanket, which, of course, requires sheers, or at least sharpened stones, and domesticated sheep, not to mention a loom), a slip (maybe she did not think of how hard it is to make a blanket from scratch) or a concern for pacing (if she had to explain this, the book would be unreadably long). There is a sense that a lot happens during the hundreds of years between the Expulsion and the birth of Cain, a lot that is not explained. But the development of weaving seems unlikely.
The book became a lot more interesting after the children come around; Cain, Able and the sisters (sourced from medieval and Hebrew tradition) Luluwa and Aklima. The description of the fratricide and ensuing expulsion are truly moving and exciting, and from this point the book takes a different tone.
The first ever generation of humans is prolific (and presumably unfazed by incest) and long lived, and eventually entire cities are created and filled with the progeny of the first couple, particularly the sons and daughters of that certain moody teenager-turned-fratricidal-nomad, Cain and one of his sisters. These establish the wicked biblical cities which later meet with the ire of the Heavenly Father. After hundreds of years, Eve decides that she must see her kidnapped daughter and so she goes, along with her adoring husband and a couple of faithful sons, into these dens of inequity.
At this point the book changes character., becomes darker and more exciting. Cain has befriended the fallen angels, and, thanks to the ability of these angels to father children, rules over a kingdom filled with demons and giants who the populace revere, fear, or despise.
After the long, dreamy scenes in Eden and to its East, I was glad when the book starts behaving more like a classic fantasy, and not a bad one at that. It just takes a very long time to get there.
Character development—this book is largely, but not exclusively, told from the point of view of Eve, so much so that when the POV changes it is unsettling. I would have wanted Van Orman to stick to the singular POV for stylistic reasons, but these changes in POV are moments where we get strong CD, as is the case when we spend time with Cain, Inanna and Jebach. Who in some cases develop more than the title character.
There is something s bit static about the primal couple. Through their centuries-long relationship as they witness the rise of civilisation and the defeat of Satan, not much changes. Their relationship is always strong and dependable. This adds a bit to the somewhat languid pace of the book in the first sections. Cain, on the other hand, is a character with enormous development potential which is somewhat under-utilised in the end. He is the first tragic hero, the first misunderstood, misappreciated, and resentfully vindictive man. While the genesis of this anger and resentment is well developed, I would have wanted to see more of him towards the end of the book. Similarly, Inanna is presented as a monochrome vicious character, and then blossoms into something interesting and nuanced—but not for long enough, and the narrative leaves her as she is struggling with her mortality to return to the relatively bland first couple. This, as with Cain, Jebach, and a few other characters, are under-utilised opportunities in character development which I wish the author had taken (and, again, having read a more recent book of hers, I know she would if she were to write it now).
Hook and Plot. As discussed above, the plot is rather slow-paced for the first half or so of the book. The book starts with a foreshadow (or rather, a cut scene) to the end of the book, but it is not a strong hook for me, largely because I object to the device on principle, and because the scene described does not guide towards the story as a natural hook. That, and the fact that the plot is naturally driven already by the bible story, so I found this cut scene distracting.
The plot is, again, rather slow paced until we get to the second half and perhaps even the fourth quarter of the book. I feel that it could have been trimmed down substantially, and that perhaps everything between the expulsion and the fist murder might have been skipped. Even in the later chapters, there is a great deal of space dedicated to the description of the festivities at Nod which make for great ambiance, but serves little to drive plot.
Ambiance and description are strong, particularly in the latter chapters. There, the cursed cities allow for more vivid descriptions of which the author aptly takes advantage. In the earlier sections, I feel the wonder that Eve, in particular, feels for creation is well transmitted, in spite of occasional moments when it seems there can actually be a bit too much delight in the wonders of nature.
All in all, this book yields a pretty good harvest, but the reader has to work a bit for it.
Eve is a very early fantasy book from this talented aspiring writer. It shines with the promise of an instinctual deep understanding of the art of story-telling, and at times succeeds in creating truly memorable moments. While I am happy I read it, it is not the author’s best work.
The best way I can think to describe Eve is to call it Bible fan fiction. It is not religious fantasy, although at times the book strays into that realm. Rather, it is a fantasy firmly anchored in the first bits of Genesis, with inspiration from Revelations and medieval Hebrew and Christian biblical lore, carefully avoiding contradictions with those sources and deftly filling out the gaps in the story. This is not easy, particularly after (spoiler alert) Adam and Eve get themselves kicked out of Eden for not following that one simple rule. Van Orman takes on the daunting task of developing the relationship between the two only characters in the world, supplementing with the occasional angel, mute but expressive wildlife, and, of course, a certain fallen angel (and, eventually, his cohorts).
One impressive aspect of this book is the successful way in which Van Orman explores the thoughts and emotions of the title character. It is a convincing analysis of the character of the first woman, and I appreciate the fact that most of the book is told from her perspective. Eve’s relationship with Adam is extremely intense and almost unbearably simplistic in its purity; and yet, it manages to seem appropriate in the context of these two individuals who are not truly human yet not gods.
I will admit that parts of the narrative in the first half of the book are a bit slow, a bit dull, and sometimes a bit awkward. We read about the first couple discovering and naming the animals, learning about basic survival and about each other. Parts of this process felt artificial—largely because the English names of animals are so weighed with etymological baggage that it seems silly to imagine the names as original utterances (one was an Alpaca. In Mesopotamia). In other places, Van Orman uses ancient proper names and translates their meaning for the reader. Doing something like this, maybe using Hebrew names and translating them, may have been a more convincing way of dealing with the naming (at least for non-Hebrew speakers.) I also cringed a bit at the mention of things like wool blankets and cloth when it is just Adam and Eve around. I am unclear if these mentions reflect efficiency (not wanting to take the time to explain how Adam and Eve made a wool blanket, which, of course, requires sheers, or at least sharpened stones, and domesticated sheep, not to mention a loom), a slip (maybe she did not think of how hard it is to make a blanket from scratch) or a concern for pacing (if she had to explain this, the book would be unreadably long). There is a sense that a lot happens during the hundreds of years between the Expulsion and the birth of Cain, a lot that is not explained. But the development of weaving seems unlikely.
The book became a lot more interesting after the children come around; Cain, Able and the sisters (sourced from medieval and Hebrew tradition) Luluwa and Aklima. The description of the fratricide and ensuing expulsion are truly moving and exciting, and from this point the book takes a different tone.
The first ever generation of humans is prolific (and presumably unfazed by incest) and long lived, and eventually entire cities are created and filled with the progeny of the first couple, particularly the sons and daughters of that certain moody teenager-turned-fratricidal-nomad, Cain and one of his sisters. These establish the wicked biblical cities which later meet with the ire of the Heavenly Father. After hundreds of years, Eve decides that she must see her kidnapped daughter and so she goes, along with her adoring husband and a couple of faithful sons, into these dens of inequity.
At this point the book changes character., becomes darker and more exciting. Cain has befriended the fallen angels, and, thanks to the ability of these angels to father children, rules over a kingdom filled with demons and giants who the populace revere, fear, or despise.
After the long, dreamy scenes in Eden and to its East, I was glad when the book starts behaving more like a classic fantasy, and not a bad one at that. It just takes a very long time to get there.
Character development—this book is largely, but not exclusively, told from the point of view of Eve, so much so that when the POV changes it is unsettling. I would have wanted Van Orman to stick to the singular POV for stylistic reasons, but these changes in POV are moments where we get strong CD, as is the case when we spend time with Cain, Inanna and Jebach. Who in some cases develop more than the title character.
There is something s bit static about the primal couple. Through their centuries-long relationship as they witness the rise of civilisation and the defeat of Satan, not much changes. Their relationship is always strong and dependable. This adds a bit to the somewhat languid pace of the book in the first sections. Cain, on the other hand, is a character with enormous development potential which is somewhat under-utilised in the end. He is the first tragic hero, the first misunderstood, misappreciated, and resentfully vindictive man. While the genesis of this anger and resentment is well developed, I would have wanted to see more of him towards the end of the book. Similarly, Inanna is presented as a monochrome vicious character, and then blossoms into something interesting and nuanced—but not for long enough, and the narrative leaves her as she is struggling with her mortality to return to the relatively bland first couple. This, as with Cain, Jebach, and a few other characters, are under-utilised opportunities in character development which I wish the author had taken (and, again, having read a more recent book of hers, I know she would if she were to write it now).
Hook and Plot. As discussed above, the plot is rather slow-paced for the first half or so of the book. The book starts with a foreshadow (or rather, a cut scene) to the end of the book, but it is not a strong hook for me, largely because I object to the device on principle, and because the scene described does not guide towards the story as a natural hook. That, and the fact that the plot is naturally driven already by the bible story, so I found this cut scene distracting.
The plot is, again, rather slow paced until we get to the second half and perhaps even the fourth quarter of the book. I feel that it could have been trimmed down substantially, and that perhaps everything between the expulsion and the fist murder might have been skipped. Even in the later chapters, there is a great deal of space dedicated to the description of the festivities at Nod which make for great ambiance, but serves little to drive plot.
Ambiance and description are strong, particularly in the latter chapters. There, the cursed cities allow for more vivid descriptions of which the author aptly takes advantage. In the earlier sections, I feel the wonder that Eve, in particular, feels for creation is well transmitted, in spite of occasional moments when it seems there can actually be a bit too much delight in the wonders of nature.
All in all, this book yields a pretty good harvest, but the reader has to work a bit for it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews