This is certainly one the most imaginative and thought-provoking novels I have read to date. Tosca Lee accomplished an amazing feat in writing a novel from Eve's perspective that is still in line with the scriptural telling of the story of creation, fall, and the life after. If you have ever wondered how must have felt, what her life was like - you'd enjoy this book.

"Wake!" with this simple command the novel opens its doors to an amazing adventure, an invitation into Eve's life. An invitation to the beginning - life in the garden, a new relationship untarnished with sin (the wondrous state of marriage unsullied by the filth of the sinful world - in its most beautiful natural state), the fresh and inhibited relationship of God (called the ONE) and mankind - in it's perfect state. The richness of descriptive elements makes this story bound off the pages in full color in your minds imaginative eye.

I had never really taken time to contemplate the pureness of life before sin - how wondrous this must have been. A time of perfect, untarnished union with the Lord. A marriage free of temptation, shame, feelings of inadequacy or guilt - just sheer pleasure in knowing each other completely - neither person having anything to hide, withhold or fear.

Nor had I ever thought about the fact that God's most beautiful angel Satan (the angel of music and beauty) was possibly there deceiving Eve one encounter at a time, slowly leading her to the taking of that which was forbidden. That she was enchanted by his beauty and slick tongue, that she was led astray by his 98% truth and 1% lie. But then how true is that of us - one little fox ruins the entire vineyard. My heart cried out at the recounting of the fall - how Eve states, "I ate. I, who had come second went first. I, who had followed in the steps of every living thing before me, walked ahead. Perhaps my hands trembled as I held it out. Perhaps I already knew. Either way, I ate then gave it to him. He ate." WOW! My breath caught in my throat as I read it written in such a way. Never had I allowed myself to actually imagine this portion of scripture to allow the impact of the action to come to rest fully on my consciences in such a shocking heavy way. In that one moment creation became dull with the entrance of sin - things changed forever.

The remainder of the novel follows the life of Eve outside of the garden in what she calls the "slow death". For the first time all life around her, all creation was in the process of dying. Even now this is what we see - and her heart longed to find a way back to the beginning to a time where there was no word for death or pain. To a time when all creation existed together in perfect harmony a constant beautiful song raised to the Father of it all - and a daily communion with Him whose hands created it all. A relationship with God that was not a struggle to maintain - no enemy to fight - surrounded by peace and beauty unexplainable. This life outside Eden is one of firsts of all kinds - some good, some bad. Again, Tosca Lee's brilliant use of descriptive words and images wakens the reader's imagination, stirs the soul, pricks the heart - awakening that awareness deep in ones self that there is something better, something we are missing, something lost that must be restored. It is as if the reader is there in the midst of it all, experiencing the deep emotions of joy and anguish.

This is an excellent book for adults. I would not recommend it to youth because of some of the graphic details.

Thank you B&H for this review copy. ( )

This is the first book I’ve read by Tosca Lee, and she has proven to be a very gifted writer. Her prose is beautiful and poetic and really lends itself to this type of story. I was completely captivated throughout and felt as though I transported to that time in history. I wasn’t prepared for such a realistic telling- one that is so gut-wrenching to experience. Obviously there is quite a bit of literary license taken to flesh out Adam and Eve’s story, and Tosca does a brilliant job in her depiction of these well-known events. The only thing that just didn’t sit right with me is the almost complete absence of God after their exile and for the entire duration of their lives. That being said, this is a book that will stay with me for a long time and I look forward to reading her other books. ( )

It's not the first time I've read a novel about the Bible's first woman. But it's the first time a novel about her intrigued and engrossed me this much.

While reading Havah: The Story of Eve by author Tosca Lee, I was glad to see that Ish and Isha aren't the more predictable—perhaps, stereotypical—"Adam and Eve" that I've seen depicted before. The author doesn't make this man and woman so much like modern (or Western) thinkers and speakers as to lose the curiousness and antiquity of the story. Havah's journey is poetically developed here with such keen observation and imagination that the telling is truly impeccable, bringing an age-old account to life without making it too easily...contemporary.

I must say, though, as engrossed as I was in this novel, much of it was so depressing to me that I almost gave up on it a few times. Of course, being banished from your home and losing depth of communion with your environment, your race, and your God is no "happy" predicament, and I'm not a stranger to books that are simultaneously excellent and hard to swallow. But it seemed so long before the hope that Havah's Adam spoke of early on found much space to convincingly breathe again. After Eden, Havah's petulance and Adam's aloofness became a bit much for me, and as I didn't exactly warm to any of the other characters during the often bleak events, I didn't enjoy the read as much as I would've liked.

Still, I can't dismiss the value or, again, the impeccability of the read, and I'd certainly recommend it to readers with questioning minds and an appreciation for lyrical literature. This is the first I've read by this author, and I've every intention of reading more. ( )

The premise for this book was clever and I was really looking forward to reading it, but unfortunately, what could have been a fabulous story failed to deliver. I found the writing style and Havah's voice irritating and the over use of adjectives annoying, which detracted from the narrative. Very disappointing! ( )

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

Havah is a beautifully written book full of important questions about God, life, and what it means to be human in all our strengths and weaknesses. It tells the story of paradise lost, both how it came to happen and how the characters of Adam and Eve (or Havah) survived after being ejected from the garden in a rush of disastrous weather that destroys their first home.

Havah narrates her tale as a persistent voice with only dialogue on occasion. It’s an old style (though coincidentally I just read two published short stories in that style), but works exceeding well in this context where the story is not a matter of events but a matter of how she experiences those events through her own filter. It’s closer even than most first person narratives in that everything we experience is through her.

I was raised Catholic so many of the pieces in this story were familiar. Rather than tainting my read, it gave the story a meta text. The questions explored are many that I’ve pondered, and the book even goes so far as to look at the position of women in society and how that came about. Same with eating meat. Havah does not ignore the day to day changes that the events require, though some are glossed over simply because they occur outside of Havah’s perception. She does, however, address the consequences or aftermath, whether she can change the results or only mourn them.

This is not a simple novel. It is not a candy read where every piece is given to you on the page. Havah is an in-depth exploration of what it means to be human and to have free will along with the mix of emotions that come from birth.

Tosca Lee did her best to stay true to the Christian and Jewish traditions, consulting with both rabbis and priests/ministers, but she brings her own interpretation into play where the text has gaps or there are multiple interpretations of a single event. That said, she does a good job of not demanding her audience comes to the novel with foreknowledge. Whether you know the story of Adam and Eve or not, Havah offers a fascinating look at humanity, faith, and change.

I read Havah as a Net Galley title. As always, the opinions are my own. ( )