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Book Summary InformationAuthor: K. L. Going Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2009-04-06 ISBN: 0152066144 Number of pages: 240 Publisher: Sandpiper
Book Reviews of The Garden of EveBook Review: A Beautiful Tale With Just Enough Fantasy In Its Fiction Summary: 5 Stars
For eleven year old Evie, moving with her father from Michigan to New York is torture. Not only is she leaving behind her family and friends and the only life she's known, but she's leaving behind her Mom, who died ten months ago from cancer. For Evie, the apple orchard means nothing and her life is devoid of magic because her mom is gone, but with the gift of a seed an adventure blooms. One that may help Evie believe in magic once more.
Evie's story is heartfelt with lovely little touches of fantasy. As a character, Evie is wholly realistic. Her grief radiates off the pages and is enhanced by the stark atmosphere around her. Her new home of Beaumont, NY is full of dead trees and empty buildings. Thought to be cursed, the orchard that her father just bought is not only their home, but also a place that sits directly beside a cemetery, constantly reminding Evie of her loss.
Evie's father reminds me of people I've met in the past, lost in their own lives and doing the best they can in the only way they know how. He's not the best, most sensitive father in the world, but he loves his daughter with his whole heart. Snippets of flashbacks to Evie's mother Tally bring the woman to life and make both Evie's and her father's grief resonate that much more.
The fantasy elements arise with the story behind a seed given to Evie by Rodney, the man who used to own the house. Rodney had never met Evie, but he insisted that his sister give a girl named Eve the seed. With this, the Biblical story of Adam and Eve begins to play out. Evie goes on quite the adventure with a ghost boy named Alex, where they both learn that magic is all about believing.
K.L. Going has weaved a beautiful tale about grief, magic, hope, and life beyond death with The Garden of Eve. I've read some reviews that complain that the book is too overtly religious and has too many Biblical references, but I'd disagree. School age children are not going to be reading this book and thinking about Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. All these things are mentioned, but religion is so far from being the focus here. The Garden of Eve is the perfect story for a blustery day - with the right amount of grief, countered by a touching story of believing in the magic that still exists after death.
Opening line: "Once there was a beautiful garden." ~ pg. 1
Favorite lines: Watching him now was like meeting someone on the street who you hadn't realized was missing - you felt all the pleasure of seeing them and all the pain of missing them at once. ~ pg. 29
And this one captures Evie's grief:
"How long ago did your mom die?"
"It's been ten months now," Evie said.
"How can you live without her?"
Evie studied the darkened trees. "Sometimes I don't want to." ~ pg. 115
Summary of The Garden of EveEvie reluctantly moves with her widowed father to Beaumont, New York, where he has bought an apple orchard, dismissing rumors that the town is cursed and the trees haven't borne fruit in decades. Evie doesn't believe in things like curses and fairy tales anymore--if fairy tales were real, her mom would still be alive. But odd things happen in Beaumont. Evie meets a boy who claims to be dead and receives a mysterious seed as an eleventh-birthday gift. Once planted, the seed grows into a tree overnight, but only Evie and the dead boy can see it--or go where it leads.
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