{Book Review} Havah: The Story of Eve by Tosca Lee

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: NavPress (September 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600061249
• ISBN-13: 978-1600061240

Synopsis:

Myth and legend shroud her in mystery. Now hear her story.

From paradise to exile, from immortality to the death of Adam. Visit the dawn of mankind through the eyes of Eve—the woman first known as

Havah.

Review:

Havah: The Story of Eve is a wonderful re-telling of the dawn of mankind from Eve's viewpoint. Tosca nicely imagines the life of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden and writes the story with an excellent literary prose which is bound to captivate readers. As a result of their decision to eat the "Forbidden fruit", Adam and Eve lost their innocence, became separated from God and were exiled from the garden where they were forced to adopt agriculture under less than desirable circumstances for a living.

Their yearning to hear God's voice again after the exile was saddening. They wanted to return to their birthplace and tried to find it their whole life, but all of their efforts were to no avail. They experience the many emotions of life - happiness, sadness, joy, sorrow, hope, heartbreak and despair. They lost their second son, under some extraordinary circumstances. This tragedy caused Eve to grieve for a long time. She remembered him even after a long time. Eve's attempts to bring the dying Adam on a unsuccessful journey to return to Eden before he took his final breath was really touching. Even though there were some albatross between Adam and Eve, in her heart, Eve still loved Adam.

Tosca had imagined all these convincingly. The life of Adam and Eve before and after the exile was well-written. This book is truly a masterpiece! I really loved this beautiful tale and highly recommend it to everyone, especially Christian readers. I'm sure you'll find it as interesting as I do.

Rating:

Special thanks to Tosca Lee for providing me a copy of Havah: The Story of Eve for this review! Thank you, Tosca!

Author's bio:

Tosca Lee is a sought-after speaker, consultant, and writer who travels the world in her role as a leadership consultant and performance coach. A former Mrs. Nebraska, she is a regular spokesperson for local charities and has been lauded nationally for her efforts against breast cancer. In her spare time, Tosca enjoys studying history and theology, cooking, and traveling with her family and friends. She currently resides in Nebraska.

~Tosca's Online Connections~
Facebook :: Twitter :: Website

Purchase Havah: The Story of Eve from Amazon / Alibris / Barnes & Noble

Tosca's Other Books:
Demon: A Memoir
Iscariot (Coming Soon)

Watch the trailer:


*Demon and Havah’s first editions published by NavPress have just gone out of print in anticipation of their re-release by B&H publishing this summer, with new covers, and all kinds of cool stuff.

{Book Review} Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee

Demon: A Memoir by Tosca Lee

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: NavPress (May 18, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1600061230
• ISBN-13: 978-1600061233

Synopsis:

One night changes everything.

Recently divorced and mired in a meaningless existence, Clay drifts from his drab apartment to his equally lusterless job as an editor for a small Boston press until the night Lucian finds him and everything changes with the simple words: I'm going to tell you my story and you are going to write it down and publish it.

What begins as a mystery soon spirals into chaotic obsession as Clay struggles to piece together Lucian's dark tale of love, ambition, and grace only to discover that the demon's story has become his own.

And then only one thing matters: learning how the story ends.

Review:

Demon: A Memoir is told from an interesting perspective, and I really liked how Tosca weaves everything together with her beautifully-crafted words. The concept, main theme and synopsis of the story sounds brilliant. I found it interesting sometimes, but the other times, I found it a little confusing.

I liked how Tosca portrayed the demon's hatred towards humans. It was clear that Lucian was jealous because God loved the humans, who were newly-created but imperfect, more than his kind. When Lucian first warned Clay: "the story is really about you.", I was intrigued. However, it appeared several times throughout the novel and seemed to have become a cliché. I really enjoyed reading the middle part of the novel, because that's where the "real content" is.

After reading this book, I obtained a better understanding about the happenings in the Bible, such as the creation of mankind and the garden Eden, God's reaction to man's first sin and Jesus' sacrifice. I realized that God is forgiving and is always offering a second chance. He still loves us even though we had sinned and sometimes betrayed Him. His love for us is immense and unmeasurable.

"But even the forbearance of El in his grief had limits," he said. "And there came the day that he could abide it no longer. Of course, I expected him to slam down the heavy fist, but the day came, and still he held off. Like a mother giving a child to the count of three, El gave the clay people one hundred and twenty years to change their ways."

And as for Satan, he will do anything to further the distance between God and humans. So, it is up to us to choose whether we want to be on God's side or give in to Satan's lure.

Overall, Demon: A Memoir was an enjoyable read. This novel shows us the limitless extent of God's love and the weaknesses in humans. It is a thought-provoking novel which I'm sure Christian readers would love to read.

Rating: 8/10

Special thanks to Tosca Lee for providing me a copy of Demon: A Memoir for this review! Thank you, Tosca!

Author's bio:

Tosca Lee is a sought-after speaker, consultant, and writer who travels the world in her role as a leadership consultant and performance coach. A former Mrs. Nebraska, she is a regular spokesperson for local charities and has been lauded nationally for her efforts against breast cancer. In her spare time, Tosca enjoys studying history and theology, cooking, and traveling with her family and friends. She currently resides in Nebraska.

Tosca's Online Connections
Facebook :: Twitter :: Website

Purchase Demon: A Memoir from Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Tosca's Other Books:
Havah: The Story of Eve / A Novel
Iscariot (Coming Soon)