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Eden
In 1967 Lani was an eighteen-year-old flower child in California and her boyfriend Harv was a grunt in Vietnam. One night she dreamed he stepped on a landmine and died. In her dream he was black. When his coffin arrived stateside she sneaked into the mortuary and opened it. Inside was the black man she'd seen in her dream. Who was he, and why was he in Harv's coffin? Where was Harv? She had to find out what had happened to him. EDEN is a story of first love, set in San Francisco in the late 1960s against a backdrop of flower children, racial prejudice, and the Vietnam War.
297 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 21, 2018
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731 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 15, 2019
Eden in colorful words and frameless pictures
An amazing story of peace and love in Haight-Ashbury San Francisco hippy time. All transposed in agonies of lost love, tangled race relations and drug-induced psychosis.
The author’s incredible use of words, the pictures she painted with colors of time and loss and hate, and finally love.
This is a thinking person’s book. A story to be absorbed and tumbled through like a bowl of beach glass on a windowsill.
An amazing story of peace and love in Haight-Ashbury San Francisco hippy time. All transposed in agonies of lost love, tangled race relations and drug-induced psychosis.
The author’s incredible use of words, the pictures she painted with colors of time and loss and hate, and finally love.
This is a thinking person’s book. A story to be absorbed and tumbled through like a bowl of beach glass on a windowsill.
September 15, 2018
This was a difficult story to stick with. It has some lovely moments, but it’s also very disjointed and chaotic. Some of that is deliberate via the plot, but much of the movement seems unnecessary; extraneous even.
January 25, 2026
EDEN is a haunting and quietly powerful story that captures the emotional turmoil of the late 1960s with striking intimacy.
Set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s flower-child era and the shadow of the Vietnam War, the novel follows Lani, an eighteen-year-old caught between youthful idealism and a reality shaped by violence, loss, and racial injustice. Her dream—of her boyfriend Harv dying in Vietnam, replaced in death by a Black man she has never met—sets the story on an unsettling and deeply compelling path.
What makes EDEN stand out is how it blends personal grief with larger social questions. The mystery of the coffin is not just a plot device; it becomes a lens through which the novel explores identity, race, and the human cost of war. The atmosphere of the 1960s is vividly rendered, from the hope of the counterculture movement to the fear and prejudice simmering beneath it.
This is a story of first love, but also of awakening—political, emotional, and moral. Thoughtful, emotional, and unafraid to ask uncomfortable questions, EDEN lingers long after the final page.
Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction with heart, mystery, and social depth.
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⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
I picked up EDEN expecting a love story set during the Vietnam era, but it turned out to be much more unsettling and thought-provoking than I anticipated.
The opening immediately pulled me in: Lani dreams that her boyfriend Harv dies in Vietnam — but in the dream, the body is a Black man. When a coffin arrives back home and she secretly opens it, the same man from her dream is inside. From that moment on, I couldn’t stop reading. I needed to know what happened to Harv and why this stranger was in his place.
What really stayed with me is how personal the story feels. Lani is young, idealistic, and in love, but the world around her is messy and cruel. The book doesn’t romanticize the 1960s or the war — it shows the fear, confusion, and prejudice that people lived with every day. The San Francisco setting and the flower-child atmosphere feel authentic without being nostalgic or overdone.
This isn’t a fast-paced thriller, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s emotional, sometimes uncomfortable, and quietly powerful. By the end, I found myself thinking less about the mystery and more about identity, loss, and how war erases people in different ways.
If you like historical fiction that focuses on people rather than battles — and stories that stay with you after you finish — this one is worth reading.
Set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s flower-child era and the shadow of the Vietnam War, the novel follows Lani, an eighteen-year-old caught between youthful idealism and a reality shaped by violence, loss, and racial injustice. Her dream—of her boyfriend Harv dying in Vietnam, replaced in death by a Black man she has never met—sets the story on an unsettling and deeply compelling path.
What makes EDEN stand out is how it blends personal grief with larger social questions. The mystery of the coffin is not just a plot device; it becomes a lens through which the novel explores identity, race, and the human cost of war. The atmosphere of the 1960s is vividly rendered, from the hope of the counterculture movement to the fear and prejudice simmering beneath it.
This is a story of first love, but also of awakening—political, emotional, and moral. Thoughtful, emotional, and unafraid to ask uncomfortable questions, EDEN lingers long after the final page.
Recommended for readers who enjoy historical fiction with heart, mystery, and social depth.
If you want, next we can:
Make a shorter punchy review (Goodreads top reviewers style)
Do a 5-star vs 4-star variation
Tailor the tone (more literary, more emotional, or more commercial)
Just say the word.
make this as humanly as possile
Absolutely — I’ll strip away anything that sounds polished or “promo” and make it feel like a real person who just finished the book and went to Goodreads to talk about it.
Here’s a much more human, natural Goodreads review 👇
⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
I picked up EDEN expecting a love story set during the Vietnam era, but it turned out to be much more unsettling and thought-provoking than I anticipated.
The opening immediately pulled me in: Lani dreams that her boyfriend Harv dies in Vietnam — but in the dream, the body is a Black man. When a coffin arrives back home and she secretly opens it, the same man from her dream is inside. From that moment on, I couldn’t stop reading. I needed to know what happened to Harv and why this stranger was in his place.
What really stayed with me is how personal the story feels. Lani is young, idealistic, and in love, but the world around her is messy and cruel. The book doesn’t romanticize the 1960s or the war — it shows the fear, confusion, and prejudice that people lived with every day. The San Francisco setting and the flower-child atmosphere feel authentic without being nostalgic or overdone.
This isn’t a fast-paced thriller, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s emotional, sometimes uncomfortable, and quietly powerful. By the end, I found myself thinking less about the mystery and more about identity, loss, and how war erases people in different ways.
If you like historical fiction that focuses on people rather than battles — and stories that stay with you after you finish — this one is worth reading.
January 17, 2026
Eden caught me off guard in the best way. I expected a straightforward Vietnam-era love story, but what I got instead was something quieter, stranger, and more unsettling—in a thoughtful way. The dream that opens the book doesn’t just serve as a plot hook; it lingers like a question the novel refuses to rush an answer to. I kept turning pages not because of action, but because I needed to understand what that dream meant.
Lani felt believable to me as an eighteen-year-old caught between idealism and fear. Her flower-child worldview doesn’t protect her from loss or confusion; instead, it makes everything sharper. The mystery of the coffin isn’t handled like a thriller—it’s emotional first, symbolic second. I appreciated that the book trusts the reader to sit with discomfort rather than offering easy explanations.
What stayed with me most was how Eden explores identity—racial, moral, and emotional—without preaching. The Vietnam War is ever-present, but it’s filtered through distance, rumor, and dread, which feels true to how many civilians experienced it. Love here isn’t heroic or romanticized; it’s fragile, questioning, and deeply human.
By the end, I wasn’t thinking so much about answers as I was about how the 1960s must have felt for young people trying to reconcile peace, protest, and personal loss. Eden feels less like a historical snapshot and more like an emotional echo—one that stays with you quietly after you finish reading.
Lani felt believable to me as an eighteen-year-old caught between idealism and fear. Her flower-child worldview doesn’t protect her from loss or confusion; instead, it makes everything sharper. The mystery of the coffin isn’t handled like a thriller—it’s emotional first, symbolic second. I appreciated that the book trusts the reader to sit with discomfort rather than offering easy explanations.
What stayed with me most was how Eden explores identity—racial, moral, and emotional—without preaching. The Vietnam War is ever-present, but it’s filtered through distance, rumor, and dread, which feels true to how many civilians experienced it. Love here isn’t heroic or romanticized; it’s fragile, questioning, and deeply human.
By the end, I wasn’t thinking so much about answers as I was about how the 1960s must have felt for young people trying to reconcile peace, protest, and personal loss. Eden feels less like a historical snapshot and more like an emotional echo—one that stays with you quietly after you finish reading.
January 17, 2026
Eden reads like a memory you are never quite sure belongs only to you. From the first pages, Linda Naseem places the reader inside the fragile, hopeful world of a young woman coming of age while the world around her fractures.
Lani’s story is tender and unsettling at the same time. Her dream feels less like a plot device and more like an emotional truth rising from fear and love. When she opens the coffin and finds a man she does not recognize, the moment is chilling, intimate, and deeply symbolic. It captures the confusion of a generation watching their loved ones disappear into a war that never fully made sense.
What struck me most was how effectively the novel captures the emotional climate of the late nineteen sixties. The music, the freedom, the idealism, and the underlying dread all coexist on the page. The flower child spirit is present, but it is never naive. It is shaped by loss, protest, racial tension, and unanswered questions.
The novel quietly explores identity and prejudice through its central mystery without preaching. The question of who belongs in that coffin echoes far beyond Lani’s personal search. It becomes a reflection of how war strips people of names, faces, and futures.
Eden is ultimately a story about love faced with uncertainty and courage in the face of truth. It is intimate, haunting, and emotionally honest. By the final pages, the story lingers like a song from another era, one that still resonates long after it ends.
Lani’s story is tender and unsettling at the same time. Her dream feels less like a plot device and more like an emotional truth rising from fear and love. When she opens the coffin and finds a man she does not recognize, the moment is chilling, intimate, and deeply symbolic. It captures the confusion of a generation watching their loved ones disappear into a war that never fully made sense.
What struck me most was how effectively the novel captures the emotional climate of the late nineteen sixties. The music, the freedom, the idealism, and the underlying dread all coexist on the page. The flower child spirit is present, but it is never naive. It is shaped by loss, protest, racial tension, and unanswered questions.
The novel quietly explores identity and prejudice through its central mystery without preaching. The question of who belongs in that coffin echoes far beyond Lani’s personal search. It becomes a reflection of how war strips people of names, faces, and futures.
Eden is ultimately a story about love faced with uncertainty and courage in the face of truth. It is intimate, haunting, and emotionally honest. By the final pages, the story lingers like a song from another era, one that still resonates long after it ends.
December 29, 2023
Disturbing
What do you think when you hear someone speak of Eden? Most probably think of the Biblical paradise. A paradise lost. The world of Naseem's novel is anything but. It might more properly be called Love In the Ruins. It follows the story of a young woman, Lani, who is in love with a young man she calls Harv. The setting is California. Harv becomes a soldier and, like so many of his generation, is sent to fight in Vietnam.
For some readers the setting, the time period, the events are just history. For others of us, these elements of the story hold personal memories and therefore have a more visceral effect.
Naseem paints a picture of upheaval. American society experiences change in terms of race relations, attitudes towards military service and war, evolving morals, reactions to and treatment of returning servicemen who are dealing with post traumatic stress. Her emphasis is on how people relate to one another under these conditions.
Emotions are aroused, many of a negative variety but bringing these to light is useful in helping us to understand how we might improve relationships.
What do you think when you hear someone speak of Eden? Most probably think of the Biblical paradise. A paradise lost. The world of Naseem's novel is anything but. It might more properly be called Love In the Ruins. It follows the story of a young woman, Lani, who is in love with a young man she calls Harv. The setting is California. Harv becomes a soldier and, like so many of his generation, is sent to fight in Vietnam.
For some readers the setting, the time period, the events are just history. For others of us, these elements of the story hold personal memories and therefore have a more visceral effect.
Naseem paints a picture of upheaval. American society experiences change in terms of race relations, attitudes towards military service and war, evolving morals, reactions to and treatment of returning servicemen who are dealing with post traumatic stress. Her emphasis is on how people relate to one another under these conditions.
Emotions are aroused, many of a negative variety but bringing these to light is useful in helping us to understand how we might improve relationships.
January 19, 2026
Eden surprised me in the best way. What starts as a simple love story quickly turns into something more reflective and unsettling, set against the emotional backdrop of the Vietnam War and the late 1960s.
The dream that opens the story immediately pulled me in, and from there I found myself reading less for answers and more for how the story made me feel. Lani’s journey felt sincere — full of love, uncertainty, and that sense of innocence colliding with reality.
I appreciated how the book handles heavy themes like war, racial identity, and loss without being heavy handed. The writing is calm, thoughtful, and trusts the reader to connect the dots.
This is a good choice if you enjoy character driven historical fiction and quieter stories that linger after the last page. Not flashy, but meaningful.
The dream that opens the story immediately pulled me in, and from there I found myself reading less for answers and more for how the story made me feel. Lani’s journey felt sincere — full of love, uncertainty, and that sense of innocence colliding with reality.
I appreciated how the book handles heavy themes like war, racial identity, and loss without being heavy handed. The writing is calm, thoughtful, and trusts the reader to connect the dots.
This is a good choice if you enjoy character driven historical fiction and quieter stories that linger after the last page. Not flashy, but meaningful.
January 19, 2026
I’m really glad I picked up Eden. It’s the kind of book that quietly pulls you in and then stays in your thoughts after you’re done.
What I loved most was the emotional atmosphere. The story feels intimate and reflective, and the 1960s setting is handled with so much care that it never feels forced or overly explained. I found myself fully immersed in Lani’s world and emotionally invested in her journey.
The writing is calm and confident, letting moments breathe instead of pushing for drama. There’s a tenderness to the way love, loss, and uncertainty are portrayed, and I appreciated how the story trusted me as a reader to sit with those feelings.
This isn’t a loud or flashy novel, but it’s sincere and affecting. If you enjoy historical fiction that focuses on inner lives and emotional depth, Eden is a very rewarding read.
What I loved most was the emotional atmosphere. The story feels intimate and reflective, and the 1960s setting is handled with so much care that it never feels forced or overly explained. I found myself fully immersed in Lani’s world and emotionally invested in her journey.
The writing is calm and confident, letting moments breathe instead of pushing for drama. There’s a tenderness to the way love, loss, and uncertainty are portrayed, and I appreciated how the story trusted me as a reader to sit with those feelings.
This isn’t a loud or flashy novel, but it’s sincere and affecting. If you enjoy historical fiction that focuses on inner lives and emotional depth, Eden is a very rewarding read.
January 25, 2026
This story honestly stayed with me ❤️ There’s something haunting about it from the very first moment, and it pulls you in emotionally right away.
Lani feels so real — young, in love, and suddenly faced with questions no one at 18 should have to carry. The dream sequence immediately grabbed my attention, and the mystery surrounding Harv kept me reading because I genuinely needed answers. It’s emotional without being overdone, which I really appreciated.
The late 1960s setting is beautifully done. San Francisco, the flower child era, the Vietnam War, and the racial tensions all blend naturally into the story and add so much depth. It never feels like history for history’s sake — it all serves the emotion.
This is a tender, moving read that balances love, loss, and hope really well 💔Definitely one that lingers after you finish.
Tags: historical fiction,
Lani feels so real — young, in love, and suddenly faced with questions no one at 18 should have to carry. The dream sequence immediately grabbed my attention, and the mystery surrounding Harv kept me reading because I genuinely needed answers. It’s emotional without being overdone, which I really appreciated.
The late 1960s setting is beautifully done. San Francisco, the flower child era, the Vietnam War, and the racial tensions all blend naturally into the story and add so much depth. It never feels like history for history’s sake — it all serves the emotion.
This is a tender, moving read that balances love, loss, and hope really well 💔Definitely one that lingers after you finish.
Tags: historical fiction,
January 25, 2026
This book caught me off guard in a really good way.
I expected a straightforward historical love story, but Eden has an eerie, emotional pull that made it hard to put down. The opening alone stayed in my head long after I read it, and the questions it raises kept me turning pages.
What I appreciated most was the atmosphere. The late 1960s setting feels raw and unsettled, and the story reflects that mood perfectly. Love, fear, and confusion all sit side by side, just like they must have during that time.
It’s not a flashy book, but it’s thoughtful and quietly powerful. Eden feels like a story written from experience rather than imagination, and that gives it an honesty that really works. I’m glad I took a chance on it.
I expected a straightforward historical love story, but Eden has an eerie, emotional pull that made it hard to put down. The opening alone stayed in my head long after I read it, and the questions it raises kept me turning pages.
What I appreciated most was the atmosphere. The late 1960s setting feels raw and unsettled, and the story reflects that mood perfectly. Love, fear, and confusion all sit side by side, just like they must have during that time.
It’s not a flashy book, but it’s thoughtful and quietly powerful. Eden feels like a story written from experience rather than imagination, and that gives it an honesty that really works. I’m glad I took a chance on it.
August 23, 2023
Contrary to the author’s claim Vietnam was not a declared war and it was not treason to run to Canada. I have friends who did go to Canada and friends who also went AWOL from the service and by the early 70s amnesty was being offered left and right with the help of volunteer attorneys and agencies.
I was greatly disappointed in this book, and I didn’t get very far into it before I just couldn’t read it anymore. To me, the book is very disjointed and not about the Vietnam war at all.
If you’re going to write about the 60s and the Vietnam war you should be old enough to have actually gone through the era .
I was greatly disappointed in this book, and I didn’t get very far into it before I just couldn’t read it anymore. To me, the book is very disjointed and not about the Vietnam war at all.
If you’re going to write about the 60s and the Vietnam war you should be old enough to have actually gone through the era .
January 31, 2026
This book stayed with me long after I finished it.
Eden captures the confusion, fear, and idealism of the late 1960s in a way that feels deeply personal. Lani’s story isn’t just about love, it’s about identity, loss, and the emotional cost of war. The dream sequence that opens the novel is haunting, and the mystery surrounding Harv pulls you forward with quiet intensity.
What impressed me most was how sensitively the novel handles race and the Vietnam War without feeling preachy. It feels honest, emotional, and very human.
Eden captures the confusion, fear, and idealism of the late 1960s in a way that feels deeply personal. Lani’s story isn’t just about love, it’s about identity, loss, and the emotional cost of war. The dream sequence that opens the novel is haunting, and the mystery surrounding Harv pulls you forward with quiet intensity.
What impressed me most was how sensitively the novel handles race and the Vietnam War without feeling preachy. It feels honest, emotional, and very human.
July 25, 2024
A different novel. A peek into the hippie era, drugs, sex and and the segration. I lived in that era but without the first two. Lani and Harv and their love story. A mixed read. slow and somewhat unorganized. I had a hard time getting into the book, about three quarters in , it got my attention. A different ending. I stuck with it, but can't say it was one of my favorites.
August 28, 2024
Not an easy read.
This book jumps around and it’s hard to tell which character is the current focus at first. I spent some time wondering if some of the characters were a voice in another character’s head, but eventually I figured it out. There’s a lot of drug use by the characters, so the insanity is appropriate.
This book jumps around and it’s hard to tell which character is the current focus at first. I spent some time wondering if some of the characters were a voice in another character’s head, but eventually I figured it out. There’s a lot of drug use by the characters, so the insanity is appropriate.
January 25, 2026
To be very very honest, I didn’t expect Eden to hit me the way it did.
It’s a quiet book, but it has a lot of feeling behind it. I found myself getting emotionally attached without even realizing it, especially to the mood and the sense of uncertainty running through the story. The 1960s setting felt lived in rather than staged, which made the whole experience more immersive.
I will say it’s a slow burn. There were a few moments where I wanted things to move a little faster, but once I accepted the pacing, I actually appreciated how reflective it was. It gives you time to sit with the emotions instead of rushing past them.
By the end, I felt thoughtful, a little sad, and glad I’d read it. Eden isn’t flashy, but it feels honest, and sometimes that’s exactly the kind of book you want. Thank you Linda for this wonderful job done.
It’s a quiet book, but it has a lot of feeling behind it. I found myself getting emotionally attached without even realizing it, especially to the mood and the sense of uncertainty running through the story. The 1960s setting felt lived in rather than staged, which made the whole experience more immersive.
I will say it’s a slow burn. There were a few moments where I wanted things to move a little faster, but once I accepted the pacing, I actually appreciated how reflective it was. It gives you time to sit with the emotions instead of rushing past them.
By the end, I felt thoughtful, a little sad, and glad I’d read it. Eden isn’t flashy, but it feels honest, and sometimes that’s exactly the kind of book you want. Thank you Linda for this wonderful job done.
January 25, 2026
EDEN grabbed me from the first page. The story of Lani and Harv is heartbreakingly real, set against the chaotic, colorful backdrop of 1960s San Francisco. I loved how the author weaves together first love, suspense, and social commentary—especially the exploration of race and war. The twist with the coffin had me gasping and kept me turning pages long into the night
March 15, 2024
Longer than it had to be
I liked the overall message of the book, but I found it too repeatable and therefore longer than it had to be.
It was also hard to relate to the love obsession of the confused girl toward also very confused young man.
I liked the overall message of the book, but I found it too repeatable and therefore longer than it had to be.
It was also hard to relate to the love obsession of the confused girl toward also very confused young man.
September 17, 2018
Sadly this was a DNF for me. It was all over the place and and hard to follow. In the end I just couldn't get interested.
April 3, 2021
A rather dark story of love in the time of Vietnam the hippy life of San Francisco and betrayal.
April 13, 2022
Powerful Story
I loved this book. It was such a powerful story of love, race relations, war, hippies and the birth of new ways of thinking about the world in turmoil.
I loved this book. It was such a powerful story of love, race relations, war, hippies and the birth of new ways of thinking about the world in turmoil.
January 25, 2026
This is amazingly interesting
January 25, 2026
A haunting and emotionally rich story of first love set against the unrest of the late 1960s, Eden draws you in with its mystery and keeps you there with its honesty, heart, and quiet power ❤️✨
January 25, 2026
THANKS TO HANNAH FOR INTRODUCING YOUR BOOK TO OUR BOOK CLUB. First, I didn't want to read it, but when I heard that you were involved i was curious to read it. To my suprise your book made me forget feeding Billy my dog
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews