Daughters of Eden

The Eden #1

by Charlotte Bingham

DAUGHTERS OF EDEN focuses on the lives and fortunes of four very different young women at the outbreak of the Second World War. Marjorie, left at a boarding school by her emigrating mother; plain Poppy, pushed into marriage with a mean-spirited aristocrat; Kate, despised by her father, but determined to prove herself; and man-mad Lily, who turns out to be the bravest of them all.

That all of them are chosen to work undercover for the espionage unit at a beautiful stately home is a surprise, not least to them. At Eden Park they not only meet each other, but become involved with three unusual young men - Eugene, the seemingly feckless Irishman; Robert, Kate's brother; and dashing Scott, a master of disguise, and the undisputed favourite of the unit. While there is hardly time for romance before each is sent out into the field, there is just enough for passionate new relationships to form. Only Jack Ward, the mysterious spymaster, manages to remain aloof as he guides their destinies. The fact that they will look back on this time as having made them feel more exquisitely alive than ever before is not something they will know until much later.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, War, British Literature

538 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

The Honourable Charlotte Mary Thérèse Bingham was born on 29 June 1942 in Haywards Heath, Sussex, England, UK. Her father, John Bingham, the 7th Baron Clanmorris, wrote detective stories and was a secret member of MI5. Her mother, Madeleine Bingham, née Madeleine Mary Ebel, was a playwright. Charlotte first attended a school in London, but from the age of seven to 16, she went to the Priory of Our Lady's Good Counsel school in Haywards Heath. After she left school, she went to stay in Paris with some French aristocrats with the intention of learning French. She had written since she was 10 years old and her first piece of work was a thriller called Death's Ticket. She wrote her humorous autobiography, called Coronet Among the Weeds, when she was 19, and not long before her twentieth birthday a literary agent discovered her celebrating at the Ritz. He was a friend of her parents and he took off the finished manuscript of her autobiography. In 1963, this was published by Heinemanns and was a best seller.

In 1966, Charlotte Bingham's first novel, called Lucinda, was published. This was later adapted into a TV screenplay. In 1972, Coronet Among the Grass, her second autobiography, was published. This talked about the first ten years of her marriage to fellow writer Terence Brady. They couple, who have two children, later adapted Coronet Among the Grass and Coronet Among the Weeds, into the TV sitcom No, Honestly. She and her husband, Terence Brady, wrote three early episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs together, Board Wages, I Dies from Love and Out of the Everywhere. They later wrote an accompanying book called Rose's Story. They also wrote the episodes of Take Three Girls featuring Victoria (Liza Goddard). In the 1970s Brady and Bingham wrote episodes for the TV series Play for Today, Three Comedies of Marriage, Yes, Honestly and Robin's Nest. During the 1980s and 1990s they continued to write for the occasional TV series, and in 1993 adapted Jilly Cooper's novel Riders for the small screen. Since the 1980s she has become a romance novelist. In 1996 she won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association.

Reviews

[Dagmar · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started out promising. I found Poppy's story very intriguing. However, I found the subsequent characters were less interesting. As the story progressed, I became detached and found myself losing interest and not following the story. I finished the book, but didn't get much out of it.

[Jess Van Dyne-Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really good romp through four girls lives in pre-war Britain - like a Rosamunde Pilcher, or a good early Maeve Binchy.

Quick read, nicely done.

[Nic · Rating 3 out of 5]

Apparently, Daughters of Eden is a trilogy. Unfortunately, the first of its trilogy could not motivate me to hunt for the following two books; unusual since I am quite a war fiction buff.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spies, Tennis and war - oh my! Nicely woven plots and vibrant characters too.

[Rumsha A • Storiesandplottwists · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am currently nursing a minor crush on Eugene.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a difficult time deciding on a rating score for this novel. The introduction of characters was sloppy, making it difficult to keep each person clear, sometimes leavīng physical details ūntil well after my picture of an individual had been formed. The story centers on some young women in Great Britain în the days leading up to WWII through Christmas 1940 or 41. The content appeals to me, but the lack of clarity lowered my score.

[Amy mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars.
The beginning is captivating with the story of the orphans and the setting of the background for a couple of the main characters. But the second half of the book becomes convoluted with too many characters, loads of snippy 1940s dialogue, and felt like a chore to finish. Almost all the men seem to be mean, heartless characters, and the female heroines, including the young well-to-do schoolgirls, all seem more than happy to forfeit sex on the first date without any qualm - which seemed surprising given the culture and contraceptions easily available at the time. Not to mention the propositions laid out by the male characters to them we're nothing short of slimey.
The last thing that irritated me throughout was that the author almost never specified what ages the characters were. I spend half the book trying to figure out why Billy gets treated like the little kid brother when he's actually meant to be the same age as Marjorie. (Or is he?? There were clues but no clear explanation.)

[Madeeha Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great beginning, dull middle and exciting end

I have read the Bexham trilogy, one of my favourite World War II series and thought this would be just as easy to read. Unfortunately not. It took me a few weeks to finish this so it was not an easy read. The start of the novel was really interesting especially the backstory of Poppy and Majorie but I really felt the book lost it's way when the characters arrived at Eden Park. I connected with Poppy, Majorie and Billy as characters but not with the others as much or at all. The Male characters Eugene and Scott were not enigmatic for me. The last 20% of the book started to get more exciting. Overall I feel as though there were too many characters. It wasn't a page turner. As such, I will rate this three stars.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not my usual genre of book but surprisingly enjoyable.
All of the main characters, Marjorie, Kate, Poppy and Lily have both interesting back stories as well as their roles at Eden Park. I liked that we got to find out a fair bit about each lady before they were all flung together by the war. Their different personalities and roles highlight the fact that some women had vital roles in WWII while also showing how difficult life was for many women before the war.

Having multiple story lines made this book more interesting and I'm glad that it wasn't overtaken by various love stories - this had a good balance of including romance but not at the expense of plot. I would pick up the sequel if I came across it.

[Mirta Trupp · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed "meeting" the primary characters, engaging with their personal histories and understanding how they ended up in cahoots together. The narrative was difficult to follow due to numerous POVs, jumping from one to another without much separation or preparation. The espionage and war talk—while necessary and relevant to the story of England during WWII, seemed forced, or rather, it was as if the author had two story plots in mind and found a way to mesh them together. I didn't work for me.

[Nightwitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of those event-filled but vaguely soothing British books about plucky young women during World War II. This is not exactly high on plausibility but everyone seems vaguely nice, except of course for the fascists. There is a sequel, apparently, but everyone is faintly dull and I don't feel the need to seek it out.

[Sue B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were enough characters to keep my interest. The story flowed along nicely. Even though it was wartime, I didn’t get that feeling of overwhelming sadness and loss. Even better for me, when I picked up the book the next day, I did not forget what I had already read. Easy, enjoyable reading. I shall look for other books by this author.

[Carmen Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely worth a read

Interesting story that begins by looking in on the lives of three various young ladies as war begins. Soon their lives bring them all to one place where they will do their secret work to help win the war. More about relationships than actual coding, spying or war. But good if you like that era.

[Outlander · Rating 4 out of 5]

WW2 drama set in a sort of Bletchley Park type of set up, SOE agents recruited, trained and set too work. The star of the show is Billy. It's unfair to go into the story too much as spoilers would give too much away. Great read and highly recommended.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not read any books by this author before. I will definitely look for more.
Although the book was most enjoyable, the ending is quite abrupt, but at least everything got finished. The reader is not left hanging .

[Joyce A Higginbotham · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the Midst of World War II

I liked Marjorie and Poppy's stories the most. The ever frequent jumping from character to character was distracting. The daring spy scenarios were well written, within the fearful rise of the Nazis.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A.shy arostocrat's.wife . a schoolgirl's middle. c lass family..a hight intelligemt N wewly graduatetd girl of upper middle class..and q motley grpups band togethether to fight the German war macbinee

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

World War 2 novel with some historical facts and interesting plot intertwine the lives of four young women.

[Teresa Westwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given this as a gift, but not really a book I would have picked myself. I really enjoyed it. An easy read and I will look for the follow on book.

[Amanda Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book set during WW2. It follows three women whose lives become connected. I’m now starting the sequel The House of Flowers.

[Taryn🩵 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out super promising and good, then just kept rumbling on and on, this book definitely didn’t did to be that long.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several young women are selected, in the early 1940s, to work in Eden House, for undercover espionate as war is declared in the UK.

Exciting, fast paced, presumably accurate in many respects albeit fiction. I didn't find any of the characters particularly sympathetic, but perhaps that's because too many are followed. Still, quite a page-turner - tense, giving insights into undercover life during World War II.

[Laraine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely read. This book tells the story of 4 young women at the start of WWII in England who all get brought to Eden Park to work in a clandestine unit. Each of them has interesting experiences and meets others like themselves and each undergoes a transformation from the girl she was before. I like Bingham's writing and will read more of her books...this was the first of hers I've read.

[Kristyh · Rating 2 out of 5]

The storyline was good, a well constructed spy novel set at the beginning of the Second World War. Potentially interesting characters. Unfortunately completely spoilt by the cliched relationships and the cheesy, cheesy writing and dialogue.

[Puja · Rating 3 out of 5]

A World War book which changes the way people, especially women, lived their lives in Europe and Britain in particular. It brings together four young women from different backgrounds who succeed despite all odds, who are liberated just as their country stands at the brink of a war. Liked the book!

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book until the end when it seemed to literally lose the plot! There seemed to be suggestions of more sinister goings on which were never explained. It almost was as though a chapter was missing!!!

[Chenice]

I love war-era books and this one has to be my second favourite. The book is beautifully written, with some characters you can really sink your teeth into. Brilliant.

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book took place in pre-WWII and during the war in England.
It was about 4 females who ended up working at Eden Park--doing secret gov't work for Britain.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little sudsy, but well done.

[Louise]

Enjoyed this ...might try some more