Driven Back to Eden

by Edward Payson Roe

This edition is written in English. However, there is a running French thesaurus at the bottom of each page for the more difficult English words highlighted in the text. There are many editions of Driven Back to Eden. This edition would be useful if you would like to enrich your French-English vocabulary, whether for self-improvement or for preparation in advanced of college examinations. Webster's edition of this classic is organized to expose the reader to a maximum number of difficult and potentially ambiguous English words. Rare or idiosyncratic words and expressions are given lower priority compared to "difficult, yet commonly used" English words. Rather than supply a single translation, many words are translated for a variety of meanings in French, allowing readers to better grasp the ambiguity of English without using the notes as a pure translation crutch. Having the reader decipher a word's meaning within context serves to improve vocabulary retention and understanding. Each page covers words not already highlighted on previous pages. This edition is helpful to French-speaking students enrolled in an English Language Program (ELP), an English as a Foreign Language (EFL) program, an English as a Second Language Program (ESL), or in a TOEFL® or TOEIC® preparation program. Students who are actively building their vocabularies in French or English may also find this useful for Advanced Placement® (AP®) tests. TOEFL®, TOEIC®, AP® and Advanced Placement® are trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which has neither reviewed nor endorsed this book. This book is one of a series of Webster's paperbacks that allows the reader to obtain more value from the experience of reading. Translations are from Webster's Online Dictionary, derived from a meta-analysis of public sources, cited on the site.

Genres: Classics

260 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1885

About the author

Reverend Edward Payson Roe (1838-1888) was an American novelist born in Moodna, Orange County, New York. He studied at Williams College and at Auburn Theological Seminary. In 1862 he became chaplain of the Second New York Cavalry, U.S. V., and in 1864 chaplain of Hampton Hospital, in Virginia. In 1866-74 he was pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Highland Falls, New York. In 1874 he moved to Cornwall-on-the-Hudson, where he devoted himself to the writing of fiction and to horticulture. During the American Civil War he wrote weekly letters to the New York Evangelist, and subsequently lectured on the war and wrote for periodicals. Amongst his works are Barriers Burned Away (1872), What Can She Do? (1873), Opening a Chestnut Burr (1874), Near to Nature's Heart (1876), A Face Illumined (1878), Success with Small Fruits (1880), A Day of Fate (1880), Without a Home (1881), An Unexpected Result (1883), His Sombre Rivals (1884), A Young Girl's Wooing (1884), An Original Belle (1885), He Fell in Love with His Wife (1886), Driven Back to Eden (1886) and The Earth Trembled (1887).

Reviews

[Perry Whitford · Rating 1 out of 5]

A father decides to ditch his office job and become a farmer. I wish he'd bought the metaphorical farm instead of a real one.

E. P. Roe was of those clergyman authors who sold a lot of books in middle America back in the day. He obviously meant well but this is one of the most boring books I have ever read. I'm all for extolling the virtues of hard work but it shouldn't be such hard work to read about it.

The fledgling farmer does extremely well considering he simultaneously grows just about every type of fruit and vegetable known to man. Problems involve weeds and a lightening strike which destroys the barn. A fiery neighbour and his unruly brood are subdued and rehabilitated just like shelling peas.

The children willingly chip in on the farm. Or maybe the Christian father's tendency to apply the birch or tie them to a chair when they so much as raise their voices had something to do with their compliance. This conversation with his young son made me laugh though:

"O papa," he faltered, and his eyes were moist, "did you say a gun?"
"Yes, a breech-loading shot-gun on one condition—that you'll not smoke till after you are twenty-one. A growing boy can't smoke in safety."

Guns are safer than cigs. Got it.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love the land and secretly dream of ditching city life and moving your family to the country you just might like this book. Or if you love country life and enjoy stories of a "father knows best" kind of dad instructing his family how to make the most of their new farmland you might like this book too. It's not a masterpiece, but I enjoyed it in part because of the agriculture theme and in part because it's nice to read about a family who is happy working together.