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Eden Springs
Au printemps 1903, une communauté religieuse du Michigan éveille la curiosité avec ses maisons victoriennes, son verger luxuriant et son parc d'attractions ouvert à tous.
Benjamin Purnell, le charismatique leader, promet la vie éternelle à ses adorateurs, en particulier aux belles jeunes filles.
Comment expliquer alors qu'une adolescente ait été enterrée ?
Basé sur une histoire vraie, Eden Springs aborde de façon singulière les thèmes chers à l’auteure : l'étrangeté, la sexualité ensorcelante, la frontière ténue entre la vie et la mort.
Benjamin Purnell, le charismatique leader, promet la vie éternelle à ses adorateurs, en particulier aux belles jeunes filles.
Comment expliquer alors qu'une adolescente ait été enterrée ?
Basé sur une histoire vraie, Eden Springs aborde de façon singulière les thèmes chers à l’auteure : l'étrangeté, la sexualité ensorcelante, la frontière ténue entre la vie et la mort.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
7 people are currently reading
294 people want to read
About the author
Laura Kasischke
45 books408 followersLaura Kasischke is an American fiction writer and American poet with poetry awards and multiple well reviewed works of fiction. Her work has received the Juniper Prize, the Alice Fay di Castagnola Award from the Poetry Society of America, the Pushcart Prize, the Elmer Holmes Bobst Award for Emerging Writers, and the Beatrice Hawley Award. She is the recipient of two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as several Pushcart Prizes.
Her novel The Life Before Her Eyes is the basis for the film of the same name, directed by Vadim Perelman, and starring Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood. Kasischke's work is particularly well-received in France, where she is widely read in translation. Her novel A moi pour toujours (Be Mine) was published by Christian Bourgois, and was a national best seller.
Kasischke attended the University of Michigan and Columbia University. She is also currently a Professor of English Language and of the Residential College at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She lives in Chelsea, Michigan, with her husband and son.
Her novel The Life Before Her Eyes is the basis for the film of the same name, directed by Vadim Perelman, and starring Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood. Kasischke's work is particularly well-received in France, where she is widely read in translation. Her novel A moi pour toujours (Be Mine) was published by Christian Bourgois, and was a national best seller.
Kasischke attended the University of Michigan and Columbia University. She is also currently a Professor of English Language and of the Residential College at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She lives in Chelsea, Michigan, with her husband and son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
September 13, 2018
Encore un texte envoûtant de Laura Kasischke. Cependant, je l'ai vraiment trouvé trop court...
March 16, 2010
Video review: http://thecollagist.com/archive/March...
I’ve long felt that there is a mythic quality to Michigan; this landscape surrounded by lakes large enough to be inland seas, this peninsula that few people pass through in the natural course of their travels; this place you only arrive at if you aim for it.
And this is a place that is haunted by stories. In her novella Eden Springs, Laura Kasischke hones in on one of the strangest of them. In the early years of the twentieth century, the utopian community called the House of David chose the lush land of Benton Harbor, Michigan to build its village and to await an eternal life lived in the flesh.
A bit of background on this: the House of David was founded in 1903 by charismatic preacher Benjamin Purnell, a good-looking and magnetic man who was sometimes called “King Ben.” Followers came after him to Benton Harbor from all over the world, about a thousand people altogether, and they built a thriving community within the small Midwestern city. The House of David was trademarked by its big, gorgeous houses, rich orchards, expansive gardens, and the world-famous zoo and amusement park that were open to the ticket-buying public. The commune played host to nationally touring bands, and it fielded a very good semi-pro baseball team that drew widespread attention not just for its skill—Satchel Page was among those hired to play for them--but for the curious sight of the House of David ballplayers sporting long uncut hair and beards. Believers in the colony wore all white, were vegetarians, and understood that sex was forbidden—except, of course, between Purnell himself and the women and girls he fancied, which turned out to be quite a lot of them.
Ultimately, after an investigation by the Detroit Free Press, Purnell was tried in court for “public immorality.” Thirteen young women said Purnell had sex with them. The leader was expelled from the House of David in 1927 and he died a couple years later; his body was mummified and kept in a glass coffin in the community. After that, the House of David fragmented and ultimately declined.
Laura Kasischke’s novella situates itself shortly before the public scandal broke, when not only are the pregnant unmarried girls drawing more than a few raised eyebrows, but there is a suspicious death at hand. Remember, this is a colony that believed in the body not dying at all; which makes the moment in Eden Springs especially tense when a cheap coffin of a believer reported to be a 68 year old woman slips beneath the shovel of the gravedigger—and reveals a young teenage girl inside instead.
And so begins the revelation of a cover-up, and the mystery that trills through the pages of Eden Springs.
Kasischke’s book is built like a collage: photos, legal documents, court testimony, and news clippings about the House of David are set in the text next to the author’s fictional vignettes told from the viewpoints of the colony’s women and girls.
At first, I felt nonplussed by this narrative strategy; it seemed to me that Kasischke was merely using her words to illustrate the real-life ephemera of the House of David, rather than build a unique story of her own. I was concerned that the book was moving laterally, with all momentum residing in the true story of the House of David, rather than in Kasischke’s variation of it.
The risk of an elliptical work like this one is that it will spiral in on itself, circling its own tail and never gaining any altitude. And indeed, Eden Springs started slow for me. Ultimately, though, Kasischke’s poetic and simple language propels the tale outward and caught me in its spell.
While suspense is built into this story of a suspicious grave and a charismatic leader, Eden Springs also evokes prophecy—of events foretold. Partly this is because of the news clippings and other detritus of real life that appear throughout the pages, conveying a sense of documentation and authority that plays against the imagined scenes.
This energy—the dissonance between prophecy and suspense—is the engine behind Eden Springs. The reader is positioned so that we both know what happened—that this utopian colony imploded and its believers are long gone—and at the same, we readers are hungry to know how it happened. With both wonder and knowingness, we navigate our way through this tale.
I found myself wanting more of Kasischke’s original writing. This spare 150-page novella is full of white space, setting off the collage of its content, and in most ways, this works. Its disjointed nature reconciles with this moment in the story, when the House of David is on the brink of being unmoored. But I wish for a little more to hold on to. Maybe 30 more pages or so would give Kasischke the opportunity to spend more time with her evocative ensemble of characters, and in turn give us readers the chance to better acquaint ourselves with the substance behind this fantastical story.
Today, the shell of the House of David still sits in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Empty Victorian mansions, an abandoned zoo, a silent amusement park. Decay is overtaking this place that once served as a testament to decadence. Visitors today are the curious ones, the ones who are taken with the story, who see a crumbling ticket booth and hear the ghosts of the chattering, long-haired, white-clad believers from a century before. On this mythic tour, Kasischke is a worthy guide.
I’ve long felt that there is a mythic quality to Michigan; this landscape surrounded by lakes large enough to be inland seas, this peninsula that few people pass through in the natural course of their travels; this place you only arrive at if you aim for it.
And this is a place that is haunted by stories. In her novella Eden Springs, Laura Kasischke hones in on one of the strangest of them. In the early years of the twentieth century, the utopian community called the House of David chose the lush land of Benton Harbor, Michigan to build its village and to await an eternal life lived in the flesh.
A bit of background on this: the House of David was founded in 1903 by charismatic preacher Benjamin Purnell, a good-looking and magnetic man who was sometimes called “King Ben.” Followers came after him to Benton Harbor from all over the world, about a thousand people altogether, and they built a thriving community within the small Midwestern city. The House of David was trademarked by its big, gorgeous houses, rich orchards, expansive gardens, and the world-famous zoo and amusement park that were open to the ticket-buying public. The commune played host to nationally touring bands, and it fielded a very good semi-pro baseball team that drew widespread attention not just for its skill—Satchel Page was among those hired to play for them--but for the curious sight of the House of David ballplayers sporting long uncut hair and beards. Believers in the colony wore all white, were vegetarians, and understood that sex was forbidden—except, of course, between Purnell himself and the women and girls he fancied, which turned out to be quite a lot of them.
Ultimately, after an investigation by the Detroit Free Press, Purnell was tried in court for “public immorality.” Thirteen young women said Purnell had sex with them. The leader was expelled from the House of David in 1927 and he died a couple years later; his body was mummified and kept in a glass coffin in the community. After that, the House of David fragmented and ultimately declined.
Laura Kasischke’s novella situates itself shortly before the public scandal broke, when not only are the pregnant unmarried girls drawing more than a few raised eyebrows, but there is a suspicious death at hand. Remember, this is a colony that believed in the body not dying at all; which makes the moment in Eden Springs especially tense when a cheap coffin of a believer reported to be a 68 year old woman slips beneath the shovel of the gravedigger—and reveals a young teenage girl inside instead.
And so begins the revelation of a cover-up, and the mystery that trills through the pages of Eden Springs.
Kasischke’s book is built like a collage: photos, legal documents, court testimony, and news clippings about the House of David are set in the text next to the author’s fictional vignettes told from the viewpoints of the colony’s women and girls.
At first, I felt nonplussed by this narrative strategy; it seemed to me that Kasischke was merely using her words to illustrate the real-life ephemera of the House of David, rather than build a unique story of her own. I was concerned that the book was moving laterally, with all momentum residing in the true story of the House of David, rather than in Kasischke’s variation of it.
The risk of an elliptical work like this one is that it will spiral in on itself, circling its own tail and never gaining any altitude. And indeed, Eden Springs started slow for me. Ultimately, though, Kasischke’s poetic and simple language propels the tale outward and caught me in its spell.
While suspense is built into this story of a suspicious grave and a charismatic leader, Eden Springs also evokes prophecy—of events foretold. Partly this is because of the news clippings and other detritus of real life that appear throughout the pages, conveying a sense of documentation and authority that plays against the imagined scenes.
This energy—the dissonance between prophecy and suspense—is the engine behind Eden Springs. The reader is positioned so that we both know what happened—that this utopian colony imploded and its believers are long gone—and at the same, we readers are hungry to know how it happened. With both wonder and knowingness, we navigate our way through this tale.
I found myself wanting more of Kasischke’s original writing. This spare 150-page novella is full of white space, setting off the collage of its content, and in most ways, this works. Its disjointed nature reconciles with this moment in the story, when the House of David is on the brink of being unmoored. But I wish for a little more to hold on to. Maybe 30 more pages or so would give Kasischke the opportunity to spend more time with her evocative ensemble of characters, and in turn give us readers the chance to better acquaint ourselves with the substance behind this fantastical story.
Today, the shell of the House of David still sits in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Empty Victorian mansions, an abandoned zoo, a silent amusement park. Decay is overtaking this place that once served as a testament to decadence. Visitors today are the curious ones, the ones who are taken with the story, who see a crumbling ticket booth and hear the ghosts of the chattering, long-haired, white-clad believers from a century before. On this mythic tour, Kasischke is a worthy guide.
January 6, 2023
A bit of historical fiction set at the turn of the 20th century in Benton Harbor, Michigan.
Benjamin Purnell is the spiritual leader and with his followers, believe they will live forever in a sort of paradise. Referred to as 'The House of David.' The ambitious and cultish believers built a notable amusement park, a zoo, a baseball team and earned an income from productive fruit orchards. The downfall happens with scandal and secrets of control and sex. This title is one book in the 'Made in Michigan Writers Series' written by Laura Kasischke.
Benjamin Purnell is the spiritual leader and with his followers, believe they will live forever in a sort of paradise. Referred to as 'The House of David.' The ambitious and cultish believers built a notable amusement park, a zoo, a baseball team and earned an income from productive fruit orchards. The downfall happens with scandal and secrets of control and sex. This title is one book in the 'Made in Michigan Writers Series' written by Laura Kasischke.
October 18, 2019
This novella was something I devoured in less than three hours, truly a book that I could not set down until the last page. I picked it up just on the cover alone at the used book store, and knew nothing of what I was reading until finishing. What I began to believe was that the style of the writing kept making me feel it was based partly on true events- turns out I was right.
This novella follows a preacher, Benjamin Purnell, and how he first began building his following that eventually became a thriving colony/cult back in the early 1900's. The amount of things that he and his followers dabbled in through the years was astonishing.
The novella starts with a scene of a gravedigger whom is to bury a coffin that contains a 68 year old woman, unfortunately the crudely made coffin breaks open and it is not a 68 year old woman that he sees. Deciding to put the lid back on and finishing the burial the story switches to the goings on at the colony/cult .
While it does follow only a few main characters, mainly a few young girls and how they saw things. The author is able to develop those characters very well early on in the book. There was no lacking in visualizing all those that had come there to stay and what the place had to look like.
The ending did make me gasp, as I was not quite ready for the coffin reveal for the second time. The novella is engrossing from beginning to end.
I loved that it was not all about what ended up happening in the end to this colony. It was not totally focused on accusations and media coverage (newspapers). The story had the right balance between what could have happened and what did happen without destroying the original plot.
This novella follows a preacher, Benjamin Purnell, and how he first began building his following that eventually became a thriving colony/cult back in the early 1900's. The amount of things that he and his followers dabbled in through the years was astonishing.
The novella starts with a scene of a gravedigger whom is to bury a coffin that contains a 68 year old woman, unfortunately the crudely made coffin breaks open and it is not a 68 year old woman that he sees. Deciding to put the lid back on and finishing the burial the story switches to the goings on at the colony/cult .
While it does follow only a few main characters, mainly a few young girls and how they saw things. The author is able to develop those characters very well early on in the book. There was no lacking in visualizing all those that had come there to stay and what the place had to look like.
The ending did make me gasp, as I was not quite ready for the coffin reveal for the second time. The novella is engrossing from beginning to end.
I loved that it was not all about what ended up happening in the end to this colony. It was not totally focused on accusations and media coverage (newspapers). The story had the right balance between what could have happened and what did happen without destroying the original plot.
April 6, 2025
Based on the true life of Benjamin Purnell, who promised eternal life and youth to his worshippers, especially the young girls of the community, Kasischike revives this story, beginning with the death of a 16-year-old girl, disguised as the death of an old woman. The novel alternates between real newspaper advertisements for the sect, or articles criticising it, and fictional scenes from the lives of these young worshippers. Another one of those devious sects where the guru abuses the women. Nicely written, but I felt that the text was flying over the story without really getting into it.
https://redheadwithabrain.ch/index.ph...
https://redheadwithabrain.ch/index.ph...
June 2, 2024
3.5
Partagée car je découvre Kasischke avec ce livre et je suis fan de la plume, mais je l’ai englouti si vite que j’ai presque l’impression de ne pas l’avoir lu. J’ai adoré toutes les propositions — les entêtes journalistiques, les chapitres avec l’usage du "nous" hyper envoûtants… J’entends que c’est dur, et peut-être un peu malaisant, de composer une fiction plus en détail autour de faits réels pas si lointains, mais j’aurais tellement aimé que le livre s’étire et en dise plus que j’en ressors un petit peu frustrée
Partagée car je découvre Kasischke avec ce livre et je suis fan de la plume, mais je l’ai englouti si vite que j’ai presque l’impression de ne pas l’avoir lu. J’ai adoré toutes les propositions — les entêtes journalistiques, les chapitres avec l’usage du "nous" hyper envoûtants… J’entends que c’est dur, et peut-être un peu malaisant, de composer une fiction plus en détail autour de faits réels pas si lointains, mais j’aurais tellement aimé que le livre s’étire et en dise plus que j’en ressors un petit peu frustrée
June 4, 2019
Ce roman documentaire se lit très vite, par effets de flash-backs et d'insertion de bribes de presse. L'histoire se déroule vite, assez paradoxalement. J'aurais aimé plus d'étoffe dans certains moments, plus de détails mais l'écriture, très belle et poétique, rachète un peu le tout. La traduction en français est magnifique.
January 6, 2021
The author takes you back to a quite bizarre religious community in the early 20th century. The narration is organized in an interesting way I had never seen before. Nevertheless I would have wanted more depth and length to really be fulfilled!
January 13, 2022
Un petit roman-documentaire qui se lit d'une traite. On y retrouve la plume finement poétique de l'autrice. Toutefois, les variations de narrations et la brièveté du récit m'ont empêché de rentrer vraiment dans l'histoire, d'en apprécier la valse des personnages
August 29, 2023
I enjoyed the writing style and the ethereal, vignette feel of the short chapters of this novella, but I was left wanting more details and fleshed-out scenes about the House of David and Benjamin Purnell.
September 30, 2018
Une fiction qui est aussi un documentaire pour analyser l'histoire d'un gourou devenu le jouet de ses victimes.
January 2, 2019
Kasischke presents a very particular story based on true facts, but the way she describes nature is poetical.
A must read if you like weird religion stuff or simply poetry or nature.
A must read if you like weird religion stuff or simply poetry or nature.
January 31, 2019
Women participating in their own downfall. Hope those days are gone forever
March 15, 2019
Interesting storytelling
May 1, 2019
J'adore les histoires de sectes et celle-ci m'a beaucoup plue. C'est la première fois que j'en entend parler. C'est fascinant. J'ai lu le livre d'une traite.
June 13, 2021
Laura Kaschichke a le don de rendre le quotidien poétiquement angoissant... Sa plume au service d'un fait historique est un régal (qui donne très envie d'en découvrir plus sur le sujet...)
July 30, 2021
histoire intéressante et légère mais je trouve que le récit perd en intensité à cause des trop nombreux personnages brièvement décrit.e.s
December 28, 2021
Kind of confusing in the beginning...
January 10, 2022
I had no idea that all of this happened an hour from my home town. Very interesting, and quick read!
July 18, 2023
A quick and intriguing read. Enjoyed it, wish there was a bit more depth but overall liked it.
July 26, 2011
A sumptuously written novella by Michigan author Laura Kasischke, Eden Springs gives the account of a religious cult formed 1903 in Benton Harbor, promising the ideal of eternal life in the body. The fervor of its leader, Benjamin Purnell, was a siren-call to followers from all over the world to abandon their worldly goods and move to the compound by the shores of Lake Michigan. Purporting no death to the body for all who truly believed, the beliefs of the group were first seen as an insult to the conservative ideals of its West Michigan neighbors. In the years that followed, the devotees eventually won over outsiders with their quiet, friendly ways, as well as with their lovely musical entertainment, baseball team, and amusement park. However, this new heaven on earth, with its artfully planned brick buildings and women dressed in white strolling its streets, soon revealed an inner darkness resulting in scandal, madness, and untimely death. Reporters and investigators would flock to the gates that would soon close forever, but there are still some alive who remember what happened there…
November 2, 2012
An interesting, quick read by a "Made in MI" author about a part of MI history I'd never heard about. In the early 1900's, Benjamin Purnell, opened the "House of David" and Eden Springs in Benton Harbor, MI. Basically, the church was a cult and Mr. Purnell saw himself as God, taking many liberties with young girls (15 and 16), as well as other husband's wives,all the while promising eternal life at a young & beautiful age.
Eden Springs was an Amusement park/Amphitheater and how the "house of David" made its money. One of the young girls gets away and murder, drama and the eventual demise of the cult ensues.
I found it interesting but not something I would mark as a "must read".
Eden Springs was an Amusement park/Amphitheater and how the "house of David" made its money. One of the young girls gets away and murder, drama and the eventual demise of the cult ensues.
I found it interesting but not something I would mark as a "must read".
May 20, 2011
This was a strange and poetic novella about a utopian religious community in the early 1900's in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Newspaper excerpts - and historic postcards of Eden Springs, the community's successful amusement park/zoo - add an intriguing foundation and counterpoint to a story of faith, seduction, and jealousy.
The "Israelite House of David" was famous for several things. Followers did not cut their hair (so the men had long hair and beards) or eat meat, they had a famous barnstorming baseball team, and their charismatic leader - "King Ben" - surrounded himself with beautiful young girls and music.
The "Israelite House of David" was famous for several things. Followers did not cut their hair (so the men had long hair and beards) or eat meat, they had a famous barnstorming baseball team, and their charismatic leader - "King Ben" - surrounded himself with beautiful young girls and music.
Read
August 6, 2015Join us for a friendly, informal discussion of some good books. This month's selection is "Eden Springs" by Laura Kasischke. For adults. Discussion will take place at Kent District Library's Rockford Branch on August 21, 2015 from 1:30-2:30 pm.
“This slim, powerful novella is set at the House of David, a utopian religious community in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Published by the Wayne State University Press and part of the Made in Michigan Writer’s series, this strange but very real tale is interspersed with newspaper accounts and photographs from the era.”
—Mark at KDL’s Krause Memorial Branch
“This slim, powerful novella is set at the House of David, a utopian religious community in Benton Harbor, Michigan. Published by the Wayne State University Press and part of the Made in Michigan Writer’s series, this strange but very real tale is interspersed with newspaper accounts and photographs from the era.”
—Mark at KDL’s Krause Memorial Branch
April 16, 2011
A novel based on a real religious commune/cult that had its heyday in the early 1900's in Benton Harbor Michigan - the House of David. Apparently there were some sexual shenanigans going on, even though the members were supposed to be celibate. This story includes those situations and a possible murder.
Chapters are framed with images of real postcards from the commune and bits of newspaper and magazine articles about the legal trials in which they were involved. After reading this, I started looking into some non-fiction sources about the House of David - pretty interesting stuff.
Chapters are framed with images of real postcards from the commune and bits of newspaper and magazine articles about the legal trials in which they were involved. After reading this, I started looking into some non-fiction sources about the House of David - pretty interesting stuff.
July 1, 2013
This is a novella, so I felt like certain parts weren't as fleshed out as I'd have liked. Several of the characters were really interesting. My favorite was probably the teacher, who was so well-regarded and respected as a spinster school teacher that she was actually offended her landlord didn't leer at her. She basically said "screw it" and had sex with Benjamin in a field. I really wanted to know more about the girl who died, who apparently did nothing to draw the hatred of the others, except for catching Benjamin's eye.
June 25, 2011
an odd little story. I don't think anyone who doesn't know the history of the House of David would really be able to understand the plot, such that it is. well-written prose made it an enjoyable, quick read.
picked up the 2011 list of Michigan Notable Books at the library, and this one leapt off the page. having grown up near the House of David, I'm intrigued by anything written about it, fiction or otherwise.
picked up the 2011 list of Michigan Notable Books at the library, and this one leapt off the page. having grown up near the House of David, I'm intrigued by anything written about it, fiction or otherwise.
December 22, 2014
This was a weird one. Completely unexpected. I had no idea how creepy, and unsettling this little book would be. This story follows a cult, known as the House of David, which harbors dark secrets, and is lead by a terrible leader, who takes advantage of many young women. The story is developed through multiple perspectives, which makes the story all the more compelling. It's interesting and engaging, with many beautifully written scenes.
September 2, 2022
This was super short and fast—I would’ve finished it quicker if I hadn’t been so busy.
I thought the story was OK. It was interesting enough, but it felt basic and sparse—literally there’s tons of extra white space throughout… probably intentionally in order to suggest the vacuous nature of the cult… but it also felt a bit too sparse in terms of plot or characters. You don’t have enough time or story with any of the characters to really feel pulled in.
I thought the story was OK. It was interesting enough, but it felt basic and sparse—literally there’s tons of extra white space throughout… probably intentionally in order to suggest the vacuous nature of the cult… but it also felt a bit too sparse in terms of plot or characters. You don’t have enough time or story with any of the characters to really feel pulled in.
October 16, 2011
The old photos and quotes compliment the sparse story, but due to the book's brevity there was little chance of getting sucked into life at the House of David.
Reading this reminded me of Brides of Eden, another work of fiction based on a real cult in Corvallis OR. I preferred Brides of Eden because of my familiarity with the location.
Reading this reminded me of Brides of Eden, another work of fiction based on a real cult in Corvallis OR. I preferred Brides of Eden because of my familiarity with the location.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews