The Women of Eden

Rating:
Summary: A fresh perspective on an old myth!
Review: "The Women of Eden" brings a new myth to life in a fascinating
story. The introduction sets the scene in the BC era; told with a clash of cultures and religion that in many ways has persisted to this day, especially in the Middle East. The story brings a new look to an old biblical myth, one that could bring an end to polarities between men and women as well as ending of violence and the beginning of harmony among nations.

Rating:
Summary: A New Look at an Old Myth
Review: "The Women of Eden" brings a new myth to life in a fascinating
story. The introduction sets the scene in the BC era; told with a clash of cultures and religion that in many ways has persisted to this day, especially in the Middle East. The story brings a new look to an old biblical myth, one that could bring an end to polarities between men and women as well as ending of violence and the beginning of harmony among nations.

Rating:
Summary: The place where myth meets reality
Review: Being a college student seeking a degree in Philosophy, it's refreshing to encounter a novel which strives to connect an old familiar Biblical myth with an archeaological possibility. The author breathes new life into the familiar characters and poses a new angle to view the tale from, making it both plausible and entertaining. The novel, written from the feminist point-of-view (not unlike M. Z. Bradley's retelling of the Arthurian legend in "Mists of Avalon") re-creates that long-ago time when culture strove against culture for not only dominance but also survival. The imagery and use of cultural anthropology imbue the story with an undeniable vitality - a must read for anyone who has read Genesis and found it lacking in humanity!

Rating:
Summary: The place where myth meets reality
Review: Being a college student seeking a degree in Philosophy, it's refreshing to encounter a novel which strives to connect an old familiar Biblical myth with an archeaological possibility. The author breathes new life into the familiar characters and poses a new angle to view the tale from, making it both plausible and entertaining. The novel, written from the feminist point-of-view (not unlike M. Z. Bradley's retelling of the Arthurian legend in "Mists of Avalon") re-creates that long-ago time when culture strove against culture for not only dominance but also survival. The imagery and use of cultural anthropology imbue the story with an undeniable vitality - a must read for anyone who has read Genesis and found it lacking in humanity!

Rating:
Summary: GREAT READ!
Review: Excellent book. This is one you can't put down. Clearly this book was well researched and thought out. I would recommend this book to any womyn!

Rating:
Summary: GREAT READ!
Review: Excellent book. This is one you can't put down. Clearly this book was well researched and thought out. I would recommend this book to any womyn!

Rating:
Summary: A fresh perspective on an old myth!
Review: Pyatt is a master storyteller; she brings the ancient legend of Cain and Abel to life in a tasteful and colorful fashion that would make any writer or feminist proud. Her expert use of setting and brilliant characters help to make this one of the best books I've ever read. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good story!

Rating:
Summary: Terrible Book!
Review: This book is terrible! It is not at all what I expected. It promises so much and delivers so little! It needs to be more indepth. So many important things were barely touched upon, yet the sex was described! And there was plenty of it. I was expecting a more spiritual book. And what's with the lesbian scene on page 124? I have nothing at all angainst lesbians - live and let live- but the scene adds nothing to the book! I can't believe another reviewer called the author a master storyteller! You can tell this is her first novel! It took her five years to write this book. You would think in all that time she could come up with something better! The concept itself is good- the story of Cain and Abel. Only in this story, Cain is a girl, and she did not kill him, she was set up. Fine in and of itself. But the back cover makes it sound like a real indepth book and a good story about the struggle between the old Goddess worshipers and the people of the new religion (Christianity). But that part is completely glossed over. This book is nothing at all like The Red Tent by Anita Diamant! That book is so much better! Save your money on this one. My copy is getting thrown out!

Rating:
Summary: If I could give a book zero stars...
Review: This book was so friggin terrible, I don't know where to begin. Have you ever read someone who has a knack for making dialogue sound natural? A.K. Pyatt hasn't. The plot was god-awful, or goddess-awful, in this case. The characters were like paper cutouts waved around on popsicle sticks ("Hul-lo, A-dam, where is our son A-bel? Oh my. He has been vi-scious-ly mur-dered.") Ever since Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote The Mists of Avalon, other authors have attempted to reimagine old stories from feminine viewpoints, with varying degrees of success. The Red Tent, for example, was very good. The Women of Eden, on the other hand, is shoddy, stale, trite and predictable. As a feminist, as a pagan, as a gnostic, this book makes me cringe. Hide it under a bushel, YES!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Perspective
Review: This is an amazing book! I read it in a weekend and gained so much from it. The idea of telling the story of Cain and Abel from a totally new perspective is masterful. I thought the assertion that Cain was a female and was set up for the killing of her brother made a very interesting story. Cain, as a warrior, drifted away from her Goddess-centered spirituality and focused on revenge. Taking her grandmother Erde with her, however, did help keep her connected in some ways to her roots. This was an amazing story about losing your spiritual connection and finding it again, not taking it for granted until the end of your life. This book touched me in ways that I had not been touched in a long time!