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A review by fandomsandfiction
The Book of Eve: A Spellbinding Tale of Magic and Mystery by Meg Clothier
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
My mind while reading this: "oh how I love being a woman."
When I first started reading this one, I was already looking forward to ending it. There were just too many unknown words (even for me, the word nerd!), the writing style was difficult to get into, and the main character was just so unlikeable. These initial thoughts quickly changed.
Set in a fictional world where governance is built around religion, The Book of Eve tells the story of Beatrice, the sullen covenant librarian, who comes upon a mysterious book with a power and will of its own. When Beatrice is given the book by a dying woman, her quiet life of isolation is thrown into disarray. Men of the faith desperately want this book. They attribute it to an evil that must be destroyed. But Beatrice cannot seem to give it up and soon the lives of her and all the women around her are thrown into peril.
At its core, this is a book about womanhood. It is about women standing together in solidarity against vile, power-hungry men. And that's exactly what I like!!! I quickly went from contemplating 'dnf' to devouring every word. The narrative's pace is slow and steady, but after the halfway mark it gets quite heated and heavy. I went from impassively turning pages to feeling BOILING RAGE that made me want to SCREAM and CRY (and possibly commit a felony against fictional characters). I read it as commentary on how domineering men have distorted religious beliefs so that they hold power over women. This book may paint an archaic fictional world, but it reflects the very real and pressing issues of contemporary society. It shows how a combination of men's manipulation and women with internalized misogyny turn 'patriarchy' into a dirty word. It portrays the pains of women who blame themselves... women who shame themselves... all because they could not protect themselves or their loved ones from the desires of wretched men. The author's way of intertwining fiction/reality and fantasy/religion is a magnificent thing! The writing leans towards an old-fashioned style (possibly medieval?) and the prose is rich, spellbinding, and perhaps even a little sacrilegious.
While I initially disliked the main character, Beatrice slowly grew on me. She is a haunted woman who loves books. She is just like me. She is me. (And you too if you can relate).
The Book of Eve makes a powerful statement. I just wish it were more coherent.
When I first started reading this one, I was already looking forward to ending it. There were just too many unknown words (even for me, the word nerd!), the writing style was difficult to get into, and the main character was just so unlikeable. These initial thoughts quickly changed.
Set in a fictional world where governance is built around religion, The Book of Eve tells the story of Beatrice, the sullen covenant librarian, who comes upon a mysterious book with a power and will of its own. When Beatrice is given the book by a dying woman, her quiet life of isolation is thrown into disarray. Men of the faith desperately want this book. They attribute it to an evil that must be destroyed. But Beatrice cannot seem to give it up and soon the lives of her and all the women around her are thrown into peril.
At its core, this is a book about womanhood. It is about women standing together in solidarity against vile, power-hungry men. And that's exactly what I like!!! I quickly went from contemplating 'dnf' to devouring every word. The narrative's pace is slow and steady, but after the halfway mark it gets quite heated and heavy. I went from impassively turning pages to feeling BOILING RAGE that made me want to SCREAM and CRY (and possibly commit a felony against fictional characters). I read it as commentary on how domineering men have distorted religious beliefs so that they hold power over women. This book may paint an archaic fictional world, but it reflects the very real and pressing issues of contemporary society. It shows how a combination of men's manipulation and women with internalized misogyny turn 'patriarchy' into a dirty word. It portrays the pains of women who blame themselves... women who shame themselves... all because they could not protect themselves or their loved ones from the desires of wretched men. The author's way of intertwining fiction/reality and fantasy/religion is a magnificent thing! The writing leans towards an old-fashioned style (possibly medieval?) and the prose is rich, spellbinding, and perhaps even a little sacrilegious.
While I initially disliked the main character, Beatrice slowly grew on me. She is a haunted woman who loves books. She is just like me. She is me. (And you too if you can relate).
The Book of Eve makes a powerful statement. I just wish it were more coherent.