Review - Eve in the Beginning by H.B. Moore

The first love story on earth . . . Haunting . . . Lyrical . . . Unforgettable . . .

In a world where everything is perfect, yet the same day after day, Eve must decide if she wants to live forever in the garden with Adam and never know what lies beyond the walls. When she makes a choice with terrible consequences, the pain of mortality is swift. As she and Adam explore their new world, and her body changes, Eve discovers the sweetness of first love with the man who has always been at her side.

I jumped at the opportunity to review Eve in the Beginning by H.B. Moore because, while most of us know the story of Adam and Eve as is told in the Bible... who knows what they went through before they were booted out of the Garden? Or what happened to them after they had to leave?

Long and short of it... Adam and Eve are created by Elohim and are given the entire Garden of Eden to tend and to live in. Their days are endless and infinite. Until Lucifer tempts Eve with the knowledge she's been longing for and begging Adam to ask Elohim for. She gives in to the temptation and eats the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge and Adam, not wanting to live in the Garden without his wife, does as well. Boom, out they go. But with new knowledge, or rather... knowledge that they had once but had forgotten when they were created in the Garden. Now they're forced to fend for themselves against a world that they'd once been in harmony with but now have to fight against to survive. Animal and environment are their obstacles. And Lucifer has not disappeared.

I really enjoyed this story. I'm Christian and I know my Bible... but I've always wondered what happened to Adam and Eve when they were told they would have to leave the Garden. I've always wondered what it was like to live IN the Garden. And how it felt to be the only two human beings on the face of the earth.

I know Eve in the Beginning is a work of fiction, but it was incredibly fun to read through. Genesis says almost next to nothing of their actual time in the Garden or how they spent their time after (although we know they definitely were fruitful and multiplied). So I loved reading and imagining the picturesque perfection that was their home. I loved hearing how inquisitive Eve was and seeing how much Adam loved her.

She was a little accident prone, I'll give her that. But she was also strong, despite how she felt about herself. And Adam would have probably literally given his life if it meant protecting Eve. He very nearly did a few times. And Lucifer... ugh. I can imagine being tempted with something you've wanted for such a very long time... and finding hard not to give in to that temptation. But the whole time he was in the Garden with them I was yelling "No!" at Eve in my head. Despite knowing that... inevitably their time in the Garden would end.

They go through a lot when they leave. Knowing absolutely nothing about how to take care of themselves in a wild world they're not familiar with, they have to figure out how to feed themselves and keep themselves warm because winter is approaching. But... imagine (i'm using that word a lot, sorry) taking care of animals, living at peace and in complete and total harmony with every kind of animal you could think of... and then being in a place totally foreign to you where those same animals want you for dinner. Where you have to kill them to avoid dying. How heartbreaking.

It was just incredible to read through the hurdles they had to jump over at every turn. The hardships they faced and the dangers that seemed to wait for them around every corner and behind every tree and in every bush...

If you've ever wondered what became of Adam and Eve, outside of knowing their descendants, I suggest reading this book. I'm the type of person where, if I know a story and you re-tell it and get some of it wrong, it bothers me FOREVER. But this... not the case. It's the first I've read about the parents of all humankind and I absolutely would recommend it. Fantastic read.