With 1268 ratings
By: WM. Paul Young, Roger Mueller, et al.
Purchased At: $16.00
The Shack shattered our limited perceptions about God. Eve will destroy harmful misconceptions about ourselves.
From the author of the 25-million copy best seller The Shack comes a beautifully crafted, captivating new novel destined to be one of the most important and talked-about books of the decade.
Eve is a bold, unprecedented exploration of the creation narrative, true to the original texts and centuries of scholarship - yet with breathtaking discoveries that challenge traditional misconceptions about who we are and how we're made. As The Shack awakened listeners to a personal, nonreligious understanding of God, Eve will free us from faulty interpretations that have compromised human relationships since the Garden of Eden.
Eve opens a refreshing conversation about the equality of men and women within the context of our beginnings, helping us see each other as our Creator does - complete, unique, and not constrained to man-defined rules or limitations.
Thoroughly researched and exquisitely written, Eve is a masterpiece that will inspire listeners for generations to come.
This novel is very different. I would call it an allegory. It made me realize just how much God loves His children as well as just how broken we are. God spoke to me through this book. I already had a personal relationship with Him, but He drew me even closer. I noticed some of the reviews were negative. I perceive that those who don't like the book either don't know the Lord or have a religious spirit. The author, I don't think means for us to take it literally as the Word of God but as a better way to understand God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. I came away with the feeling that if we look upon His face and don't turn away, we will be in the light and there will be no darkness in us. However the minute we turn even slightly away, darkness begins to seep in, probably in the form of doubt and unbelief. We have to know, that we know, that we know that He is God and that He will never let us down.
I have three initial, personal takeaways from reading this book.
1) about believing in God - He wants us to know & trust him, not just believe (from John's words to Lilly)
2) about evil - it is everywhere, even in the most precious of places (referencing: in the Garden, in the Refuge, in marriage, in friendship)
3) about loneliness - We never have been nor are we ever alone. (from Lilly's realizations about Adam in the Garden and about herself.)
I saw some of the interview of the author with Maria Shriver today. I don't think this is a book about women & how Eve (and all women) have been forever blamed for eating from the Tree of Knowledge. It does describe the fall of man in a very detailed & compelling & heart pounding way. It depicts & describes Biblical events beautifully - like the Garden, Creation, births of Adam & Eve, and more. This book, like The Shack, gives some additional framework for the reader to consider more detail than scripturally written. And, the story of Lilly, her hurt & healing, like The Shack, is amazing. My jaw dropped at the end, in a good way. I personally feel directed back to the scriptures and to my genuine love for God.
1) about believing in God - He wants us to know & trust him, not just believe (from John's words to Lilly)
2) about evil - it is everywhere, even in the most precious of places (referencing: in the Garden, in the Refuge, in marriage, in friendship)
3) about loneliness - We never have been nor are we ever alone. (from Lilly's realizations about Adam in the Garden and about herself.)
I saw some of the interview of the author with Maria Shriver today. I don't think this is a book about women & how Eve (and all women) have been forever blamed for eating from the Tree of Knowledge. It does describe the fall of man in a very detailed & compelling & heart pounding way. It depicts & describes Biblical events beautifully - like the Garden, Creation, births of Adam & Eve, and more. This book, like The Shack, gives some additional framework for the reader to consider more detail than scripturally written. And, the story of Lilly, her hurt & healing, like The Shack, is amazing. My jaw dropped at the end, in a good way. I personally feel directed back to the scriptures and to my genuine love for God.
I really liked The Shack and very much appreciate Paul Young's provocative portrayal of God and faith.
However, Eve is a failure at almost every level.
(spoilers at the end)
The setting of the story is some sort of limbo/purgatory; no one seems to know what. Those living there are known by their roles/gifts (e.g. Collector, Finder, Healer, Scholar). The story starts off with the main character - a Collector whose name is John - having a conversation with Eve who describes the coming event as the birth of her daughter. A strange ship floats in from Earth (?) containing the bodies of a dozen young teenage girls and 1 middle-aged man. It was obvious that girls had been victims of sex-trafficking and the man had been trying to free them before they were caught and all shot execution-style. On further examination, another girl is found broken and half-alive. Once the girl, whose name is later revealed as Lilly, is revived, she begins to have excursions into the past with Eve in order to be a Witness. Meanwhile, several Scholars come to learn from what she is a witness to, one of whom brings his own darkness with him. There are allusions to angels and other higher beings, but they are mostly unseen.
I'm the sort of person who should really like this book. It has elements of fantasy, a central mystery and theological insights, but it just left me befuddled. Unfortunately. the fantastical elements were nebulous, the story by turns predictable or just plain muddled and the characters completely non-descript. Even the main character, Lilly is not at all sympathetic or likeable. When unexpected events happened, it was not because they moved the story along, but seemed to be just pulled out of nowhere with no relevance to the story. Theologically, Young takes an overlooked insight into the nature of man and woman, but then uses it to supercede the egalitarian vs complementarian debate and move into outright feminist gynocentrism. I don't see anyway that this book receives anything but universal condemnation
**Spoilers**
The dark Scholar immediately starts calling her Lilith. That tells you the point of the novel. it is a retelling of the Lilith myth.
After the Fall, Adam is thrown out of the garden, but not Eve. Every night he comes to the garden and cries out for her, but with no response. Once Lilly is seduced by the darkness and restored to her previous state as teenaged-prostitute, she goes back to Adam as Lilith to become Eve's replacement. He rejects her and she seeks death, but God restores her within the purifying fire of the wall around Eden. Eve eventually leaves Eden to join Adam. There is then a weird scene where Lilly joins Eve and Mary, the mother of Jesus, during the years after the fall where they commiserate about how all her sons (the men) do is fight.
As the book comes to an end, her companions are all called away to their next calling. In the end, the main character is *sadly* taken to Heaven and Lilly is escorted into a room which the office of the head of the mental health clinic she's been at where she finds her previous companions as her 'new' caretakers (although it is also obvious that at this point she is already completely healed through the fires of Eden).
However, Eve is a failure at almost every level.
(spoilers at the end)
The setting of the story is some sort of limbo/purgatory; no one seems to know what. Those living there are known by their roles/gifts (e.g. Collector, Finder, Healer, Scholar). The story starts off with the main character - a Collector whose name is John - having a conversation with Eve who describes the coming event as the birth of her daughter. A strange ship floats in from Earth (?) containing the bodies of a dozen young teenage girls and 1 middle-aged man. It was obvious that girls had been victims of sex-trafficking and the man had been trying to free them before they were caught and all shot execution-style. On further examination, another girl is found broken and half-alive. Once the girl, whose name is later revealed as Lilly, is revived, she begins to have excursions into the past with Eve in order to be a Witness. Meanwhile, several Scholars come to learn from what she is a witness to, one of whom brings his own darkness with him. There are allusions to angels and other higher beings, but they are mostly unseen.
I'm the sort of person who should really like this book. It has elements of fantasy, a central mystery and theological insights, but it just left me befuddled. Unfortunately. the fantastical elements were nebulous, the story by turns predictable or just plain muddled and the characters completely non-descript. Even the main character, Lilly is not at all sympathetic or likeable. When unexpected events happened, it was not because they moved the story along, but seemed to be just pulled out of nowhere with no relevance to the story. Theologically, Young takes an overlooked insight into the nature of man and woman, but then uses it to supercede the egalitarian vs complementarian debate and move into outright feminist gynocentrism. I don't see anyway that this book receives anything but universal condemnation
**Spoilers**
The dark Scholar immediately starts calling her Lilith. That tells you the point of the novel. it is a retelling of the Lilith myth.
After the Fall, Adam is thrown out of the garden, but not Eve. Every night he comes to the garden and cries out for her, but with no response. Once Lilly is seduced by the darkness and restored to her previous state as teenaged-prostitute, she goes back to Adam as Lilith to become Eve's replacement. He rejects her and she seeks death, but God restores her within the purifying fire of the wall around Eden. Eve eventually leaves Eden to join Adam. There is then a weird scene where Lilly joins Eve and Mary, the mother of Jesus, during the years after the fall where they commiserate about how all her sons (the men) do is fight.
As the book comes to an end, her companions are all called away to their next calling. In the end, the main character is *sadly* taken to Heaven and Lilly is escorted into a room which the office of the head of the mental health clinic she's been at where she finds her previous companions as her 'new' caretakers (although it is also obvious that at this point she is already completely healed through the fires of Eden).
EVE starts out with John the Collector finding a teenage girl on the verge of death. She was washed ashore on a mysterious island in a shipping container. She is taken care of and brought back to health at the Refuge where Healers, Scholars, Menders and others care for her. She gets to witness Creation and to meet Adam and Eve. She was there to witness the Serpent tempting both Adam and Eve and how each of them turned to sin. Convalescing on the island, she meets many different people along with John the Collector. She learns how Adam turned away from God, the choices Eve made and their eventual banishment from the Garden of Eden.
The story, to some, will seem like just another journey into the realms of SciFy yet for those of us who are aware of the Biblical account of Creation and the fall from Grace it is much much more. The story is told on a lush scale, which Creation certainly was and is. The building of the world coupled with this far reaching story will fascinate readers acquainted with the story of Creation. At the heart of the book is how sin crept into the world long before the fall took place and how it is possible to restore our relationship with God. In my opinion, Wm. Paul Young does not pardon Eve of all sin but seems to place most of the blame on Adam for the fall.
Wm. Paul Young blends Biblical accounts to his stories as well as gives them an ordinary feel that can capture even young people's interest. I have read his other books, The Shack and The Crossroads. All of his works are a pure joy to read and for those of us that are familiar with the "heart" of his stories, they will be delighted when they run into familiar characters that are near and dear to our hearts. I highly recommend this book as well as his other works of joy.
The story, to some, will seem like just another journey into the realms of SciFy yet for those of us who are aware of the Biblical account of Creation and the fall from Grace it is much much more. The story is told on a lush scale, which Creation certainly was and is. The building of the world coupled with this far reaching story will fascinate readers acquainted with the story of Creation. At the heart of the book is how sin crept into the world long before the fall took place and how it is possible to restore our relationship with God. In my opinion, Wm. Paul Young does not pardon Eve of all sin but seems to place most of the blame on Adam for the fall.
Wm. Paul Young blends Biblical accounts to his stories as well as gives them an ordinary feel that can capture even young people's interest. I have read his other books, The Shack and The Crossroads. All of his works are a pure joy to read and for those of us that are familiar with the "heart" of his stories, they will be delighted when they run into familiar characters that are near and dear to our hearts. I highly recommend this book as well as his other works of joy.
I got this book yesterday and could barely put it down and finished it last night... Wow. The love that God has for us in this retelling of creation awed me. The author has a way of writing about God's love in such a way, that I can feel His presence when I read... and apologise for not turning to Him.
There were a couple of things that have particularly stood out in my mind... I thought the way of introducing the serpent to Adam before the Fall certainly reminded me of ways that I have turned away from God at times in my life - not due to sin, not due to anything actually happening e.g. just by worrying about what *could* happen - through just looking inward to myself and not looking outward to Him/Them, and not renewing my mind in who He is/They are. The second one is the mirror. I know what it feels like to look in a mirror such as Lilly does and see what she saw in my reflection. I now, however, see myself as God sees me, too.
This book has challenged me intellectually, has got me speaking to God about creation in a whole new way, and also has shown me (on a level I had previously not experienced) how much I am LOVED by God. It also touched pieces of my heart and mind that have been bruised and broken and reminded me I have a Healer who will restore me if I return to Him.
Were some parts a bit confusing? Yes... but I was reading it a bit quick!! But it will mean that when I go back... there will be delights that I will read that I missed this time... and I am looking forward to it!
There were a couple of things that have particularly stood out in my mind... I thought the way of introducing the serpent to Adam before the Fall certainly reminded me of ways that I have turned away from God at times in my life - not due to sin, not due to anything actually happening e.g. just by worrying about what *could* happen - through just looking inward to myself and not looking outward to Him/Them, and not renewing my mind in who He is/They are. The second one is the mirror. I know what it feels like to look in a mirror such as Lilly does and see what she saw in my reflection. I now, however, see myself as God sees me, too.
This book has challenged me intellectually, has got me speaking to God about creation in a whole new way, and also has shown me (on a level I had previously not experienced) how much I am LOVED by God. It also touched pieces of my heart and mind that have been bruised and broken and reminded me I have a Healer who will restore me if I return to Him.
Were some parts a bit confusing? Yes... but I was reading it a bit quick!! But it will mean that when I go back... there will be delights that I will read that I missed this time... and I am looking forward to it!
I have read all of Paul Young's books and so far they have never disappointed, neither does this one. It gives another perspective based perhaps on the authors personal spiritual beliefs. Maybe not theologically accurate but definitely brings one closer to God. Thank you
Life changing. I finished it earlier today & still feel in a bit of a haze of mystery, revelation and heart transformation.... much of which I sense has happened but couldn’t tell you what exactly. Profoundly grateful to the author & the journey with God he must have had in order to write this book.
This book is amazing. Wm. Paul Young is such a gifted writer. He writes in such a visual way you can fully immerse yourself in the story.
I loved this book and I'm so looking forward to reading more from this author.
Just like in his previous books (The Shack and Crossroads) he's not afraid to tackle some difficult issues but he does it so well. This one touches on human trafficking and abuse but it's so healing.
I loved this book and I'm so looking forward to reading more from this author.
Just like in his previous books (The Shack and Crossroads) he's not afraid to tackle some difficult issues but he does it so well. This one touches on human trafficking and abuse but it's so healing.
What a different and knowledgeable way of taking the creation and interpreting in into the modern day.
The characters were named ,I feel so personal I can relate each one in my life.
I felt all Lilly's emotions,and felt I was taking the journey with her. especially at the end when everything slotted into place.
Thank you P.W Young for great story .
The characters were named ,I feel so personal I can relate each one in my life.
I felt all Lilly's emotions,and felt I was taking the journey with her. especially at the end when everything slotted into place.
Thank you P.W Young for great story .
I loved the imagery, the story telling, but more than that the promised restoration of Lilly - of us all, if only we would turn back to God and trust Him every day. I couldn't put the book down. Finished it in two days!
Like all books by this author it encourages you to think differently about life, people etc, and that can be a good thing
Most importantly, though, is that it brought me closer to GOD
Most importantly, though, is that it brought me closer to GOD
This book really gets you thinking, and challenges all you thought you knew abot Adam and Eve. It will draw you in, and then you slowly become hungry for the next page, the next & suddenly youve read the whole book....and learned a thing ot two about human nature along the way.
It made me think afresh and was very timely. Thank you for writing it. I love to explore what it means to be loved and wanted and treasured by the one who put it all together.
The book was a bit slow to start with and very discriptive but the book unfolds and gives a great account by the author of the Adam and Eve situation. It is different but as possibel as the biblical account which we all know about. Well worth a read.
The depths of insights in Paul Young's writing is so profound and he has an incredible gift in his writing that touches and opens the real knowing deep in your soul. Each and every chapter needs time to pause and reflect on the message Paul is conveying and I thank him for sharing and revealing these insights to us. I highly recommend this book to everyone who is searching for the truth.
Absolutely loved the shack I think I brought it for ten people , as for eve it's good it just didn't grab me like the shack , it didn't have the same feeling but still worth a read
I am a big fan of The Shack and keep copies to give to others, this book continues to show the love story between man and God wonderfully written.
A truly bizarre take on the story of Adam and Eve. Mr Young has let his imagination run away with him. Needs an interpretation to understand the meaning of this book. Read it for an intellectual challenge
Somewhat confusing story initially, but intriguing and somehow it draws you along and in, feels right and satisfying when you reach the end. Very different from the Shack, which I also enjoyed.