The Heavens Before

Genesis Trilogy #1

by Kacy Barnett-Gramckow

Marginalized by society and mistreated by her own family, Annah befriends a young man she's never seen before. Shem is captivated by Annah's courage, and he risks everything to help her gain her freedom. Trusting in the Most High, Annah marries Shem and joins her strange new family in their solitary faith that will ultimately separate them from an ancient world of amazing beauty and appalling violence--a world fast approaching the unimaginable catastrophe of the Great Flood. Out of this chaos, only eight people will survive. Their world is our world. Their future is our own. 

Genres: Biblical Fiction, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Christian, Fiction, Historical, Christian Historical Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Some of Kacy's works have appeared devotionals such as Seasons of a Woman's Heart, and God's Abudance for Women. She also has written under the pen name of R.J. Larson, and Elizabeth Larson, as seen in A Moment A Day, and The Women's Devotional Bible. Kacy also writes inspirational fantasy fiction as R. J. Larson.

When Kacy is not relaxing with her books and writing, she is working, cooking, tatting, spoiling other people's kids, and enjoying her family.

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kacy Barnett-Gramckow, does an excellent job of recreating the world before the Great Flood, and the evil and brutality that permeated the earth.
An interesting form of Biblical Fiction, in which the first few chapters strangely resemble Jean M Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear.
Annah has, when still a child, seen her beloved father murdered by her vicious brother Yerakh, and has not spoken ever since, being brutally treated by her family who see her as mad. One day she is about to kill herself by throwing herself into the river when she is rescued by a young man named Shem, and is introduced to a family where love and faith to G-D reigns, in contrast to the rest of the society where brutality and deceit are the order of the day and the belief in the Most High is ridiculed, Many people worship the Cult of Nachash, worship of the evil Serpent of the Garden of Eden, representing the eternal battle for the soul of the world, that has taken place through the millenia, on the one side G-D and Israel and all the righteous and on the other the forces of ungodliness, of atheism and atheistic ideologies hostile to Israel and the Judeo-Christian ethic.
The second part of the book deals with Annah's special place in the family of Noach and the Great Flood and journey of the Ark.
Just the right balance between fidelity to the spirit of the Biblical account and the creative moulding of an epic, with much that is undiscovered.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

*2019 update*
This book is so compelling. I've been so eager to reread it. So, when I needed something to distract me, I started reading this book again. This is one of my favorite books ever.

*2016 review*
Age Appropriate For: 15 and up (for violence, romance, and intense scenes)
Best for Ages: 15 and up

A long time ago, I started reading a book set before the flood. After about three pages, I was so disgusted I threw it away. Yes, the times before the flood were evil, but the graphic picture painted was not something that I was interested in stuffing into my mind. This book was different. This book painted a picture of an evil culture, without being graphic.

The author seemed to have one important goal in mind, stay biblically accurate while weaving a story surrounding those who built the ark. She also dug into Christian science for information, which added a great deal to the story. Both these elements made the story believable and plausible.
Annah tore at my heart from the beginning. She was such a wounded soul, hurt by the violence of her family. She thought so little of herself, yet has the faith to reach out for love and God when it is offered. She was a character that I dearly loved.

The other characters felt real, and I loved the interactions between the members of Noah’s family. The love they have for Methuselah, the teasing between the brothers, and the fatherly and motherly affection that Noah and his wife have for their daughter-in-law was delightful. All of the characters were well written.

While I know the Biblical story, I read this book in one sitting, because I couldn’t stop. I started it at eight one night and stayed up until 1:30 to finish it. It was that good. I cannot wait to read the rest in the series, though I did really love another book I read by this author, written under a pen name called Prophet.

I highly recommend this for older readers who like biblical fiction, books written from a creationist point of view, and well written fiction.

[Loraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This first book in the Genesis Trilogy focuses on Noah and his family especially his 3 sons. The Ark is completed and Noah has been told that the passengers will be he, his wife, and his 3 sons and their wives; but none of his sons is married and time is growing short.

Little is said in the bible about Ham, Seth, and Jephtha except that they had wives. The author does a wonderful job of presenting the time period and the peoples surrounding Noah and his family. The world is full of evil and Noah, his family, and his grandfather, Methuselah, are the only ones still following the Most High. Each of the three women who become Noah's wives as presented in this book are non-believers. Yet each of them listens and learns from Noah's family and feels themselves drawn to the Most High as prophesied events come to pass.

Although fiction, Barnett-Gramckow gives a wonderful portrait of the life and times before, during, and after the flood. I definitely recommend this book and the series to those who read Biblical fiction.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have almost given up on fiction retellings of Biblical history as very rarely does an author actually stick to what the Bible states on the subject. Therefore, I was tremendously pleased to read this wonderfully, vividly written story. It stuck faithfully to the Biblically provided information. This author not only is a talented writer, but she put a lot of time, research, and thought into what the pre-Flood world during this time period would be like. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

For a 2008 re-read:
"The Heavens Before" is a historical romance. One of the things I appreciate is that the story stayed true to the information given in the Bible. The author also clearly did her research as to what the pre-Flood society might be like, how the ark could hold all the animals, how they could feed all the animals, etc., to fill in what isn't told in the Bible account. All of this information was woven in as a backdrop for Annah's story.

I was quickly immersed into the world and the story (even now that I've read it several times). The world-building was excellent and brought the story alive in my imagination. The pacing was excellent, and the author built the tension nicely to keep me reading. The characters were complex and realistic. I cared about them, even the ones that weren't very nice to Annah.

Since the Flood happened before Christ's birth or before Jacob/Israel was born, only God ("the Most High") was referred to except for a brief mention of "the Promised One." Noah's family is shown as devout (with mention to them praying, thanking God, etc.), but it's presented as an underlying part of their daily life. As in, it wasn't preachy. I think readers who have a Jewish or Christian heritage would enjoy the novel.

There was no explicit sex. There was no bad language. Overall, I'd highly recommend this well-written, clean novel.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely story of Annah who lived in the beautiful but violent world before the Flood. Life is dangerous for her. For twenty five years she has pretended to be a mindless mute girl to save her life. Her brother killed their father years ago and if she ever said a word he would kill her too. But one day she meets Shem Son of Noah and life begins to change. Even though the violence is on the increase and danger abounds she learns to trust The Most High. She and her husband's family enter the Ark for the Greatest Journey in history to a new life in a new world. This is a wonderful book of God's awesome protection.

[Kelsey Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never read a novel about the Flood before, but it seems to me Kacy Barnett-Gramckow did a great job depicting what the world could have been like. The evil and violence was not overdone, for which I was grateful, but it contrasted starkly with the goodness and kindness of Noakh's family. I appreciated how the author used a creation science-based approach. The first half of the novel dragged for me, and the time before Annah married seemed too drawn out, so I would have given that part 2 or 3 stars...so the more accurate star rating from me is 3.5 stars, but rounded up because the final chapters leading up to and describing the Flood were fascinating and powerful.

[Pat Whitworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful well written and beautiful descriptions of times beginning..

Do you wonder about the beginning? Did the flood really occur, this author has put in hours of study, to give us a birds eye view.

[Moonlight 🌸 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was very interesting. Although a few moments I got tired of reading about Annah’s bad family and their politics, the story continued to grab my attention. It had serious family drama.

Annah was a lovely character. Her past was heartbreaking. I preferred her amongst her sister-in-laws; sometimes Ghinnah and Tirstah could feel too rude, but Annah remained great throughout. Shem was a great husband. I especially loved the purity of their meeting and unusual courtship. The way he felt her pain. I loved how even after they married, their affections continued to run deep.

I loved Noah and Naomi too. The story of the flood while not exactly my favorite part, was good to see fleshed out in a fictional way.

The story was fascinating all in all! I’ve come to like and trust the author’s writing so I’ll read the rest of the series.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this novel describing life leading up to the flood as very fascinating. Loved the dynamics developing between the various family members living in the household of Noah’s. The descriptions of how God viewed His people and why life could not continue in the way humans lived brought various parts of the Bible to life for me.

My big decision now is do I start book two of the trilogy or read something else in between. Ummm...

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

From early 2006 through the COVID-19 years, I immersed myself in the study of comparative religion. It was during that contemplative phase that I read this book.

This book, the first in the *Genesis Trilogy*, opens not so much with a beginning as with a mythic reverberation — the world “before,” the pre-flood hush that trembles with impending judgment. It is a world at once primal and strangely familiar: a civilization on the brink, steeped in violence and idolatry, where the sacred has turned opaque and the beautiful bleeds into the brutal.

The novel situates itself between Scripture and speculation, between the Biblical Genesis narrative and an author’s imaginative excavation of all that the original text leaves unsaid. It is as though Barnett-Gramckow stood before that vast, unlit space between “the sons of God saw the daughters of men” and “the flood came upon the earth,” and decided to build a human habitation there.

Annah, the protagonist, is a survivor of familial cruelty and social neglect, a woman whose silence becomes both protection and prison. Her father is murdered; her brother a tyrant. She feigns muteness for twenty-five years, surviving by erasing herself.

The society around her mirrors this erasure — a culture that silences, objectifies, brutalizes, and yet insists it is righteous. The novel’s quiet brilliance lies in its decision to make Annah, this voiceless woman, the lens through which the apocalypse of an era is seen. In her silence, we hear the world’s noise.

Then enters Shem — son of Noah, bearer of a different faith, a man whose belief isolates him as much as Annah’s trauma isolates her. Their encounter is not just romantic or redemptive but ontological: a meeting between the old, dying order and the nascent, faithful remnant. When Shem risks everything to help her, it is not merely love that drives him; it is conviction that another way of being human is possible. Their marriage, when it comes, is less an act of rescue than a sacrament of re-entry — Annah choosing to speak, to belong, to believe.

Barnett-Gramckow’s world-building is lush, deliberate, sometimes almost excessive — but necessarily so. The reader feels the oppressive heat of her pre-flood world, the moral rot seeping into the soil, the shadow of divine retribution growing longer by the day. Because we already know the ending — the Flood will come — the tension does not arise from *what* will happen, but from *how* belief survives until it does. The suspense is existential: how does one keep faith when surrounded by ruin? That question, filtered through Annah’s inner landscape, becomes almost contemporary in its resonance. The pre-flood world could be ours — decadent, distracted, haunted by the memory of transcendence.

In its postmodern sensibility, the novel engages in what Linda Hutcheon might call “historiographic metafiction”: it rewrites myth from the margins. The author takes a canonical story — the Flood — and retells it through an unnamed, silenced figure, a woman with no scriptural claim to memory. It’s a radical act disguised as reverence. By giving voice to the voiceless, Barnett-Gramckow performs a quiet rebellion against patriarchal textuality. The *Genesis Trilogy* is, in that sense, less about retelling Scripture and more about reimagining who gets to speak in sacred history.

The language reflects this duality: reverent but sensuous, scriptural in cadence but psychological in focus. The book doesn’t sermonize; it embodies faith. The “Most High” isn’t abstract; He is a presence shaping daily choices, a whisper amid chaos. And yet, the author never forgets the human texture of belief — its fear, its doubt, its fragility. The world is on the brink of divine judgment, but the novel is more interested in the human heart trembling beneath that sky.

At times, the moral universe of the novel feels too starkly divided — the faithful remnant versus the depraved masses. It’s a clean dichotomy that works well for allegory but less so for realism. The “worldly” people are almost cartoonishly corrupt; the believers, though flawed, are idealized. One could argue that such simplicity is inherent in the genre of Christian historical fiction — a genre that thrives on the tension between purity and perdition. Still, from a postmodern perspective, it’s this very simplicity that invites interrogation. What happens when a narrative refuses ambiguity? What are we to make of faith when it functions as a totalizing discourse rather than a questioning one? Barnett-Gramckow seems aware of this tension but chooses not to resolve it. She prefers mystery to irony, revelation to relativism.

Yet within these certainties flicker subtle shades of ambiguity. Annah’s journey from muteness to voice parallels the emergence of consciousness from chaos — a personal genesis within the larger Genesis. Her silence, at first imposed, becomes a form of waiting, of gestation. When she finally speaks, she does not merely reclaim her voice; she transforms silence into strength. There’s something almost mystical in that — a theology of language where speech itself becomes an act of faith. The Flood that drowns the world is mirrored by another, inward flood of revelation and renewal.

The pacing, admittedly, drags in places. The first half lingers in introduction — too many names, settlements, rituals, perhaps to emphasize the density of pre-flood civilization, but at times testing patience. Yet this slowness feels intentional. The author is less concerned with narrative velocity than with immersion, with allowing the reader to dwell in the textures of a dying world. When the pace finally quickens, when the ark rises from the soil and the sky begins to darken, the emotional payoff is undeniable. We have lived long enough among the condemned to understand what their destruction means.

Thematically, *The Heavens Before* oscillates between apocalypse and hope, judgment and mercy. The Flood functions as both historical event and psychological metaphor — the washing away of corruption, but also the drowning of memory. In a culture obsessed with progress, Barnett-Gramckow’s backward gaze feels strangely subversive. She asks not what comes next, but what came before — before modernity, before civilization, before faith became a system rather than a lived risk.

Reading her through a postmodern lens also means acknowledging the text’s self-awareness. The novel knows it is retelling an ancient story for modern sensibilities. Its very existence is an act of intertextuality, a dance with the Bible across time. In that sense, it is both homage and heresy — faithful to the source, yet daring enough to imagine what Genesis left unsaid. That tension is where its beauty lies.

There’s a quiet universality to Annah’s predicament that transcends theology. Her struggle to trust after trauma, to find meaning in chaos, to risk belonging again — these are archetypal human battles. One doesn’t need to be a believer to recognize the grace in her transformation. In Annah’s story, the Flood is simply the form that catastrophe takes; the deeper narrative is about survival, about learning to believe in goodness again after witnessing too much cruelty.

For readers accustomed to literary fiction, Barnett-Gramckow’s work may seem straightforward — even earnest — but that earnestness is deceptive. Beneath it lies a sophisticated engagement with myth, gender, and narrative authority. Her prose, while accessible, carries a mythopoetic rhythm, almost incantatory at times. She refuses irony, and in doing so, she achieves a sincerity that feels almost revolutionary in an age of cynicism.

If *The Heavens Before* falters, it does so not in ambition but in balance. Its moral binaries can feel rigid, its secondary characters underdeveloped, and its dialogue occasionally lapses into didactic simplicity. But these are minor tremors in a structure that otherwise stands solidly upon conviction. The novel’s strength lies not in surprise but in its inevitability — we know the Flood is coming, yet we keep reading, hoping that someone, anyone, might still be spared. That paradox — knowing the end but yearning for reprieve — is the novel’s emotional engine.

From a comparative religion perspective, the book invites reflection on myth as a mode of meaning-making. The Flood, in various traditions — Mesopotamian, Indian, Greek, Biblical — always carries the same dual logic: destruction and purification. Barnett-Gramckow participates in that universal narrative but filters it through a distinctively Christian lens of covenant and renewal. Yet her rendering remains human, intimate, less about cosmic justice and more about moral awakening.

The novel’s title, *The Heavens Before*, resonates long after the final page. It evokes a lost sky, a forgotten order, a moment of peace before the storm. In a sense, Barnett-Gramckow is not merely retelling the past; she is mourning it. Her prose aches with the knowledge that the old world must die for the new to be born. It’s an elegy disguised as prophecy.

By the time the rains arrive, we understand that the Flood is not punishment but passage — not merely the end of wickedness but the possibility of renewal. Moreover, when Annah steps onto the ark, voice restored, spirit renewed, we glimpse what redemption might look like: not triumph, but quiet endurance.

In a literary ecosystem saturated with irony and despair, *The Heavens Before* dares to take faith seriously — not as dogma, but as narrative structure, as emotional truth. It is both ancient and postmodern, both devotional and deconstructive. For readers like me, who once wandered the corridors of comparative religion searching for light between traditions, it feels like finding a candle still burning in a flooded room.

Barnett-Gramckow may not dismantle the myth of Genesis; she inhabits it. She fills its silences with story, its gaps with grace. And in doing so, she reminds us that every apocalypse is also a beginning — that even before the heavens break open, there is always a whisper, a promise, a woman learning, once again, to speak.

Give it a try, if you choose to.

[DustBunniesAndBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series. I am beginning my second read-through of them. I love beautiful new covers that give you a better hint at what the stories are about. This book was just good as I remembered it being. I like books that make you think, and this one does. How many times have I read the story of Noah and the Flood in Genesis and never stopped to really think about it? This book fleshes out one possibility. It was very interesting to read how things could have been quite different before the Flood. I have recommended this series in the past and will continue to do so. On to the next book in the series!

[Shaeley Santiago · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in the Genesis trilogy begins just prior to the flood. It starts in a small village where Annah works the gold for her brother. However, she is not treated well by any in her family and is nearly ready to slip into the river when she meets Shem, one of Noah's sons. Annah doesn't even know the stories about this family that everyone else thinks is crazy. She just knows that Shem loves her and that she might be happy with his family.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!!!!

Barnett-Gramchow has written an incredibly imaginative scripturally fictitious book! I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and loved Methuselah 's recount of meeting Adam and Havah. It brought tears to my eyes as well as gave me a sense of being counted in this incredible biblical lineage. Well done!!! I can't wait to read the others ☺💖

[Danelle Janney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love biblical fiction. Until recently I have had my few “favorite” authors that I anxiously await their next novel. I have also recently gotten a Kindle. I have discovered how much I love reading on it.

Amazon and Good Reads Are fantastic about recommending books very similar to the one you have just finished reading or have read in the past. That is how I found “The Genesis Trilogy: The Heavens Before” by Kacy Barnett-Gramckow.

This is biblical fiction at its best! This is my third book on the character of Naomi. All three times Naomi’s character was about the same. She’s a mother every daughter-in-law wants. The wife every husband desires.

The three daughters-in-law in this book are very realistic. All three have different personalities yet fit good together like sisters do.

This first book in the series of The Genesis Trilogy is about Shem and His Bride. He is her “knight in shining armor”, so to speak. Theirs is a believable love, a believable life and a marriage made in Heaven, literally.

I recommend this book to people who like Biblical Fiction. The story is true to the Bible, a MUST in Biblical fiction, in my opinion. The characters are people you like and it feels like your there getting to know them as the story develops.

Also, another fact I LOVED about this book was the author used Biblical Hebrew Names. I am learning to read, write and speak Hebrew. The Hebrew use of names was refreshing and a fantastic idea, in my opinion.

A critic of this book would be there wasn’t enough “giant” activity. There was not much idol worship either. Of course that is the authors choice because the Bible does not state idol worship was around in Noah’s day, its presumed.

Other than those two things, I have nothing negative to say about the book.

I am not good at writing these comments. I hope it explains enough with out too much given away. I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

Danelle L.

[Loser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohh if only I could give a book 5000 stars! This book introduced me to my reading journey and is the reason I pick up any other book. It is the ONLY book I have ever reread and would reread OVER and OVER again.

Kacy does a magnificent job creating the pre-flood world in our imagination. Her book is what I think of when I think of a wonderfully done Biblical fiction book. The characters are soooo well written and so realistic that it feels like your reading about actual people. I think people are always shocked when I tell the Shem is my favorite Bible character considering we know nearly nothing about him. Little do they know they is a beautifully written fictional version of him that I would totally give anything to meet hahah.

The Biblical content is top notch and does not take away from the authenticity of the Bible story. It doesn't add in it's own weird stuff, but just flows soo well with the little we know about Noah and his family that sometimes I think God just actually told her what happened.

This book made me LOVE reading the Bible and trying to have my own imaginations about things that are not told explicitly.

This BOOK!!! what can I even say, this AUTHOR!! I literally have no words.

But if you want a book that is a 10000/10 that will definitely not disappoint this is your book. And please after reading it, come back here and we discuss because I would talk about it all day long.

[Jennifer Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Heavens Before by Kacy Barnett-Gramckow is the first book in the Genesis Trilogy. In the days of the Great Flood, Annah is living a nightmare. Ostracized by her village and mistreated by her family, she finds herself alone and afraid until she sees a young man from across the river. Shem is captivated by Annah and when he finds out how bad her mistreatment is, he will risk everything to help her. Trusting the Most High, Annah marries Shem and joins her new family in their faith when everyone mocks the Most High. As the family prepares for the coming Flood, they are mocked, but they keep going, following their faith in the Most High to survive.
When I came across The Heavens Before, I was intrigued. Not many books have been written about the world before the Great Flood. The opening chapter was beautifully written as Ms. Barnett-Gramckow sets the scene. Unfortunately, the book dragged on and on as I waited for action. The names were exceedingly difficult to pronounce and there was a non-stop introduction of new characters that it soon became too overwhelming. I really wanted to enjoy this book, but I found myself not caring about the end. I will not be continuing the series. It was even hard to write up my synopsis of the story. I do not recommend The Heavens Before.

The Heavens Before
is available in paperback and eBook

[Christie Lovvorn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Heavens Before is a masterful and realistic depiction of life before the Flood. The author took the scant facts from the Bible and created a very credulous picture of Noah, his family, and the extreme depravity alluded to when Scripture says of that time, "Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence." (Gen. 6:11) I have never read other novels about this time period and have not really thought this deeply about Noah's potential characteristics and personality nor that of his family members. Barnett-Gramckow's depiction of these people made them come alive and caused me to ponder just what sort of man during this time "found favor with the Lord" and was called "righteous" by Him (Gen. 6:8-9). She portrays him beautifully as a man of his gentleness, kindness and sacrifice while creating a perfect-for-him mate in Naomi who shares his characteristics as well as a shrewdness that saves those she loves. Anna, Shem's future wife, and the novel's main protagonist, is endearing. Her story is fraught with abuse and fear, but ultimately transforms into one of redemption and love. One criticism is that the writing style at times was slightly unsophisticated, but the depth of research and level of empathy the writer evokes outweighed that factor. Overall, the novel was well-researched, thought-provoking, and edifying.

[Carol Pummell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully done!

Beautiful and tragic. Anna is a nothing she hides behind her veil to protect herself from the violence of her tribe. Mostly she veils herself from her angry cruel brother. She witnessed him killing her beloved father. From then on for 25 years she is silent. One day contemplating suicide she meets her beloved who changes everything for her.
On the other side of the river is Shem and his lovely family. A family that loves one another. Annah waits to see the violence but only sees the love they have for one another.
This is the family of Noahk. They are laughed at and ridiculed for the giant pen behind they’re lodge. No one believes in The Most High anymore. There is only hate and violence.
This is a new and beautiful retelling of Noah an the Ark. Beautiful and tragic. The author has done a wonderful retelling of the great flood.

[Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Biblical-fiction perspective describing events that occurred around the final year leading up to the Great Flood. It was interesting the way the author showed the evil and violence behind man's actions when they chose not to believe in, or the stories of, the Most High.

After Annah had married Shem - when the other brothers were ready for wives - I found myself relating to the other two wives briefly, remembering myself prior to being saved. The way they ridiculed Noah and his family, calling them mad, and consistently denying the Most High's existence... It's unfortunate that it took a global flood and months-long storm to convince them of His existence, but it's also a reasonable assumption for what might have occurred when the world was like that.

Terrific story, amazingly-detailed writing, would definitely recommend!

[Dawn Mwamba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Round two!

This is my second time reading this series. This time with the new prequel The Scent of Morals. This is one of my favorite set of books. Told with much care and with descriptions of a time that beyond scripture and archeology we can only imagine. I love the reverence given for the Most High as it might have been (and should be). The author weaves amazing storylines that leave the reader on the edge of their seat. Though we know the story of Noah you can be assured that this adaptation is a page turner yet true to much of what we understand of the story biblically. I still love these books and was so glad to revisit the familiar characters that stayed with me since the last reading along with more depth thanks for the new 20th anniversary prequel. A must read for sure.

[Amaris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this book was a page turner! (4.5 stars)
Even though I didn't have real pages to turn.😭

I wanted to order a real copy of this book, but ended up starting to read the kindle version. I was just planning to read the beginning of the story in order to decide if I wanted to order the book or not. I quickly realized, that I couldn't stop reading because the story was just so intriguing!
So I finished the kindle version in about 3 days.

It was very interesting to read about what the world before the flood could have been like, it was hard to read about Annah's hardship of course, but the love story between her and Shem was just so beautiful and so well written by the Author!

I also loved the descriptions of the ark and how it was for the Family inside it during the flood.

The reason I'm not giving this book 5 stars is because I felt that a little part of the story was missing, maybe also because the story takes place a year before the flood and Noah had already been warning the world for 120 years, but I felt like there was no final warning to the wicked people. I know they had had enough chances, but I was just wondering why Annah wasn't more eager about telling her sisters about the ark and wanting them to be saved. I guess she was still skeptical herself, but I thought it was kind of strange that she just really realized her sisters and whole family was dead and cried for them after the ark started to float.

Also, since I am a Seventh Day Adventist, I believe in the writings of the prophet Ellen G. White, she wrote about the antediluvians, how the time before, during and after the flood was and I believe that her writings are inspired. She describes the part right before the flood begins a little differently, that many people witnessed the animals coming into the ark, that they sought out Philosophers to explain the whole thing, that they laughed at Noah during the seven days they waited in the ark for the coming destruction, that the people were banging on the ark once they realized their fate... she writes those things in the book called Patriarchs and Prophets chapter 7.
Her books are like enlightening and inspired commentaries for the Bible to me, many other Christians and most Seventh Day Adventists.

I also think there was too much focus on the life of Annah's settlement after she married Shem. I didn't really want to hear much more about them after she finally got away from them all.

In conclusion, I still really enjoyed reading this story!
There were also good spiritual messages throughout this book.
It was very interesting, exciting and the last sentence of the book, after Annah's son is looking up at the blue sky and says "pretty", and she says: "But not as pretty as before." really hit me.

Because we still know and realize that today, (that because of sin, nothing is as it was before) and she really knew what the Heavens had looked like before.

I don't know if I will read the other books in the series yet, but they are on my TBR list and I am interested to see more of what the Author wrote that could have been after the flood. :)

[Micah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing - why am I just finding out about this author?

I LOVED this book, and I don't say that often. The story is beautifully written and gives an account of God's grace and the ability to overcome adversity through God's love rather than succumb to sin and go the way of the world. It paints a terrible and beautiful picture of God's mercy. This story of what life was like at the time before and immediately after the flood is fascinating, and gives a believable glimpse into what life could have been like for the eight people God, in His mercy, saved from the horrifying destruction that resulted from our rebellion.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an awesome book. The author did a great job describing how the world may have been before the flood of Noah's day. The violence and debauchery and evil. Even though it focused in one small area, other people came around and we saw they were the same.
The story centered on Annah, the woman who would become Shem's wife. She was treated horribly by her family and didn't see how Shems family coukd see worth in her. I love how she changed surrounded by their love,cand the love of the Most High. Great book. I can't wait to read book two to see how the author continues the story of the family after the flood

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

O poveste adevărată.
O familie neobișnuită.
O fata curajoasă.
O serie de neuitat.
Una dintre cele mai spectaculoase întâmplări din Biblie este cea a lui Noe și a disponibilității lui în fața lui Dumnezeu. În această carte ne este așezată depravarea spiritului uman, cat și înălțarea lui, și adâncește în mintea cititorului modul minunat în care Dumnezeu a hotărât să lepede răul acela, și să salveze umanitatea, scăpându-l pe neprihănitul Noe și familia acestuia.
Annah este un model de urmat, dar și o pildă a modului în care Dumnezeu ne hărăzește destinul și îi protejează pe iubiții Lui.
Aștept cu încordare și următoarele volume, sperând din suflet să fie la fel de bune de răsfoit.

[Nance Roepke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The flood told from the women's point of view

I loved this book! It accurately tells the biblical story of the flood but from a fictional accounting of the wives of Noah and his sons . If you don't like something that adds to the biblical story, even if it is respectful of the scriptural account, you won't like this book . But if you like fictional accounts of scriptural events that enhance the biblical story , this book is a terrific example of that. I will definitely be reading the other two books in this series.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read many other novels about people in the Old Testament. This was the first about Noah and his family. I believe the reasoning behind it is the difficulty imagining life before the great flood. I think Kacy did a good job of that. It was an interesting story and believable. The characters were real. The only problem I have is that I think Shem was first-born, not second, although I'm sure it was changed for plot purposes. FYI: Be sure you access the glossary in the back of the book to help with pronunciation and translation.

[Cass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five Stars for Sure

Flooded with beautiful imagery, nearly poetic writing, and a compelling, yet fictional, story line that is anchored firmly in the Biblical account, The Heavens Before, plunges the reader into the character driven story of Annah and Shem. The Heavens Before resurrects their ancient lives and times from the dust bin of history. Kacy Barnett-Gramckow's masterful retelling of the reprobate days just before the great flood leaves the reader immensely satisfied. Five stars for sure!

[Linda Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marginalized by society and mistreated by her own family, Annah befriends a young man she's never seen before. Shem is captivated by Annah's courage, and he risks everything to help her gain her freedom. Trusting in the Most High, Annah marries Shem and joins her strange new family in their solitary faith that will ultimately separate them from an ancient world of amazing beauty and appalling violence--a world fast approaching the unimaginable catastrophe of the Great Flood. Out of this chaos, only eight people will survive. Their world is our world. Their future is our own.

[Sherri Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books! The story grips you from the very beginning and doesn't let go until the end. The author does a wonderful job of showing the depravity of mankind before the flood. I loved getting to know Noah and his wife, as well as, Ham, Shem, and Japheth. The description of the ark was fascinating to me and I liked reading about all the preparation for life on the boat after the flood. I highly recommend this book.

[sue fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noah's Ark

I adored this story. While somethings were biblically inaccurate, they were minor. I enjoyed most how much the telling of this familiar story made me wonder in the moment of Noah and made me want to read it in the bible and think about it some more. I can't wait to dive into book 2.