From Publishers Weekly
In compiling her 1977 book, Beginnings: Creation Myths, the author became fascinated by Judeo-Christian mythology. Here, she has taken a smattering of stories and ideas from the Bible, rabbinical sources and scholarly texts to create a unique interpretation of Genesis and of Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden. With the bittersweet perspective of old age, Eve tells of her loss of innocenceher love for Adam and her jealousy of Lilith, Adam's first wife, which leads to her inevitable tasting of the forbidden fruit. In this case, the fig, not the apple, is the culprit. Farmer portrays an Eden that is far from paradisiacal. Though an expert spinner of tales, she is hampered by her material. Clearly she is more interested in the cerebral aspects of this story; the characters take a backseat to the assembled facts.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Farmer's version of the story of the Garden reinterprets the roles of men and women in the creation of culture. Child bride of Adam, Eve grows to maturity through relationships with her sister Lilith and the serpent. While one causes her to question the meaning of her marriage, the other stirs her imagination with the eternal stories that will become the history of humanity's struggle with lost innocence. The desire to author her own tales compels Eve to eat a fig from the tree of knowledgethe gesture of a woman well aware of the consequences. Although we know the outcome, Farmer's interpretation is an entertaining insight into the patriarchal construction of historical truth. Mollie Brodsky, Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
