My Thoughts on Daughter of Eden by Jill Eileen Smith

 

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When the greatest joys she has ever known are stripped away, the first woman must find the courage to face an unknown future

The first time she opens her eyes, Eve gazes on one whose beauty nearly blinds her, whose breath is in her lungs. Her Creator takes her hand and gives her to another like her and yet different. Together, she and Adam experience pure joy as they explore Eden. Her favorite moments are when the Creator comes to walk with them, day after day.

Then everything changes.

Through one act of disobedience, Eve finds that her world is no longer a friendly place. With remorse in her heart, she must face the unknown future--the births, the deaths, the sacrifices, the loss of the only home she has ever known. Perhaps worst of all is the loss of trust, not only with her Creator but also with the man who shares her life. How will they ever survive out of Eden?

Bestselling biblical fiction author Jill Eileen Smith imagines the life of the first woman to ever live, unspooling an epic story of love, loss, and the promise of redemption.

My Thoughts:

I cannot imagine how hard it may be to write a story about Eve. She lived a life that none of us can imagine, and yet due to her and Adam's choices, we are all affected to this day. 

This story begins before the fall and shows us what it might have been like to live in perfect peace and harmony with God and nature and your spouse. We follow Eve's life through the fall, the first days and weeks after, all the way up to the end of her life. Some of the things that really stood out to me was what it would have been like to have your life so changed, that there was no going back. To lose your home and the closeness with your husband. To lose the relationship with God. She nor Adam knew what the first birth would be like. Nor could they have understood the pain of one child killing another. Watching the whole world turn more evil and the realization that these are your kids, your grandkids. Wow.

The evil thoughts of Lucifer towards God's most precious were chilling. The plans he devised were disturbing. But he is all that is evil. Yet, he is predictable, and he has already been crushed.

Of all the other stories I have read about Eve, this one tackled her story in a very human and realistic way showing me that she was a woman with hopes and dreams trying to carve out life after such a glorious beginning and after a most horrible choice. May we all learn a lesson or two from our first parents' lives.

I was provided a copy of this novel from the publisher. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

About the Author:

Jill Eileen Smith is the bestselling and award-winning author of the biblical fiction series The Wives of King David, Wives of the Patriarchs, and Daughters of the Promised Land, as well as The Heart of a King, Star of Persia: Esther's Story, Miriam's Song, The Prince and the Prodigal, and Daughter of Eden. She is also the author of the nonfiction books When Life Doesn't Match Your Dreams and She Walked Before Us. Her research has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in biblical times. Jill lives with her family in southeast Michigan. Learn more at www.jilleileensmith.com.