Customer Reviews

The Garden

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4 star:		(6)
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2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

In the Afterword to this debut novel, author Aidinoff relates how the idea for it came to her in church. Specifically, she was studying one of the Old Testament creation stories - remember, there are two in the book of Genesis! -- and found herself unsatisfied with the cryptic telling of the story of Adam, Eve, and serpent. So she decided to embark on a retelling that lengthened and elucidated the text, as she saw it.

This process of retelling is a longstanding tradition in Bible study and teaching, made popular by Diamant's The Red Tent. Aidinoff's efforts are considerable. The fruits, though, are mixed to say the least.

The problem is a heavy-handed agenda. First on it is to paint God as an irredeemable corner and then hurl felonies at him. Aidinoff depicts God in her narrative specifically as she describes him in the Old Testament in her Afterword: choleric and impetuous. Within the text, Aidinoff does everything she can to underscore this characterization, even having God encourage Adam to rape the virgin Eve. This rape is Eve's first sexual experience. God, have you stopped telling your son to rape your daughter? Andrea Dworkin must be applauding, someplace.

Second, Aidinoff brings to the table a conception of the Almighty that matches how she sees the scientists at Los Alamos who developed the world's first operating nuclear weapon during the Second World War. That is, as she writes in her Afterword, "geniuses...that never considered the moral implication of the [atomic] bomb, or the suffering it would bring."

Put aside for a moment that the author apparently is not a nuclear scientist, was not part of the Manhattan Project, and therefore would have no idea about what scientists talked about in their living rooms or in church. The fact is that the writings and speeches of such scientists as Robert Oppenheimer make it clear that there was no dearth of moral struggle over the creation of the ultimate weapon. "I am become as death," Dr. Oppenheimer famously muttered, quoting the Bhagavad Gita phrase about the Hindu death god Shiva, while witnessing the May 1945 nuclear test at Alamagordo, New Mexico.

Third, Aidinoff is intrigued by the Snake in the Adam and Eve story, and wants to recast the serpent as hero instead of villain. The snake becomes Eve's tutor, teaching her an idealistic view of equality amongst the creatures of the world: "The Serpent says we're all equal, us and the creatures and the plants and the land. We all have the same right to live and use the things around us." Nice sentiments, yes. But this is the same sort of moral claptrap that leads kids to deadlock when asked: "A dog and a child are drowning. You can only save one. Which do you save?"

Some will certainly dismiss The Garden as blasphemy, causing others to rush to its defense on the grounds of artistic freedom. Yet God is hardly beyond reproach and I'd be the first to say there is sanctity in our God-given ability to create art -no subject too sacred. I laughed hard at George Burns in Oh, God! and Jim Carey in Bruce Almighty. I hardly think that Harry Potter promotes the worship of the devil. I thought The Red Tent was terrific and The Da Vinci Code a cracking good read. Blasphemy isn't the issue. Some of the world's greatest thinkers were supposedly blasphemers - the brilliant philosopher Spinoza was excommunicated for blasphemy.

My fear is that Aidinoff's audacity is going to turn this novel into the literary equivalent of the Andres Serrano "Piss Christ" furor at the Brooklyn Museum a few years back - a brouhaha over a work of art that isn't good enough to merit the hubbub. What matters more to me than blasphemy, and what's going to matter most to the young readers for whom this novel is purportedly intended, is that The Garden turns out to be a muddled mess of New Age pseudo-wisdom that is not fun to read; four hundred pages with little forward thrust toward what we will know will come near the end: the consumption of the apple from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Even that climactic moment is undercut when you stop and think how many moral judgments Eve has made during the preceding ninety percent of the novel - a logical inconsistency from which the text never recovers.

Yes, it's good to be audacious. More writers should be audacious. But it's more audacious to be good.

In this provocative retelling of Genesis, modern values such as freedom, independence, and equality are juxtaposed with a definitively Old Testament God--petulant, controlling, jealous, and easily angered. God wants his creations to do as he says and is disturbed to find that they have minds of their own, minds more complex than he ever envisioned. He created human beings to amuse and worship him, not to go around questioning him.

The story is told from the first-person perspective of Eve, who is a curious, artistic, and brave. She can't understand why God made her physically weaker than Adam and wants to run with the gazelles as he does. The serpent is recast as Eve's mentor, a wise being as ancient as God who recognizes the necessity for Adam and Eve to learn their own lessons and to think for themselves. He does not trick them into eating the apple but lets them know exactly what they will be gaining (freedom) and what they will be giving up (ease and safety).

The book is written in simple but poetic prose that is easily gobbled up. I finished all 400 pages in a day. Despite the fact that I already knew the ending, I still wanted to keep reading. Eve is a well-realized and sympathetic character, particularly for young girls. Adam is not so well-developed, but this is really Eve's story. Furthermore, The Garden questions pertinent issues such as death, the soul, justice, free will, obedience, science vs. religion, and whether God is omnipotent. Some of the most interesting parts of the book concern Eve and the serpent's philosophical discussions. To many critics, this book is unsatisfactory merely because it calls into question the established religious dogma. To me, this kind of questioning is a good thing. I don't think Aidinoff is trying to start a new religion here, but merely to ask...what if?

I am writing this reveiw to remind other reveiwers what they have apperantly forgotten.
A)This is a work of fiction, as such you can chose to ignore the way it approches God or not.
B) While I readily admit that Adam isn't as developed as one would wish, as a teenage girl boys at times can seem completly normal or creatures from planet x. This leads to considering them as sort of one-d figures. (If you don't belive me just think back to your crush days)
That done let me say that as a teenage girl who reads 500 pages in a sitting and now a-days has to go to the adult section to get somthing on my reading level this is a great book. I love it and the other people I've recomended it to (be they atheists who normaly wouldn't pick up a book with Judeo-Christian themes, to strict Lutherins) have loved this book. In fact the only people who I beleive haven't liked this book has been adults, maybe they just don't remember what it was like to feel as if God was unjust and cruel for putting you through the ultimate torture which is adolesence.

THE GARDEN is a retelling of the events in the Garden of Eden from Eve's point of view. Elsie V. Aidinoff's Eden will be recognizable to those who have read it in Genesis or heard the story retold elsewhere, but she adds some completely original twists. Adam and Eve are raised separately: Adam by a controlling, jealous and angry God who insists on total obedience, and Eve by the wise and gentle Serpent, who encourages her to ask questions and challenges her to think for herself.

It is no surprise that such drastically different characters come into conflict. Eve cannot understand a god who refuses to accept her questioning. Adam does not know how to disobey God who, in Aidinoff's Eden, is not always looking after the best interests of his creations. A quarter of the way into the book, this conflict leads to rape. The rest of the story deals with Eve's recovery from the violation, and how she comes to make her decision to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, a choice that Aidinoff equates with freeing humans from the hands of an angry god.

Aidinoff's ideas are compelling and poetic, but even in the hands of a clearly gifted writer there are unavoidable conflicts in the narrative. One of the largest narrative problems is the rape itself and the necessity for Eve to forgive her attacker who, after all, is the only man in all of creation.

Still, this book explores a number of interesting ideas and is an excellent place to begin asking many of the difficult questions that are a part of human existence: the problem of evil, science vs. mythology, the hierarchy of living beings and, ultimately, freewill. It is beautifully and lovingly written. The characters of Eve and the Serpent are especially well-realized. The Serpent is not equated with Evil or Satan, but with Justice and Wisdom. When Eve asks him who he is, the Serpent replies, "My role on this earth: to counterbalance the excesses of a jealous god."

One of the most interesting questions that THE GARDEN asks is how much Adam and Eve knew before they ate from the Tree of Knowledge. In this story, Eve has learned a great deal about the nature of good vs. evil, not to mention suffering and the soul, before she makes her choice. As part of her healing process, Eve and the Serpent travel outside the garden to see the rest of the world. Even before she has eaten from the Tree of Knowledge, Eve experiences the desert, the mountains, the ocean and the volcano, and learns the skills she will need to survive outside the garden.

Ultimately, Aidinoff's novel makes a powerful case for Eve's choice and for the idea that the introduction of knowledge, and the death that comes with it, is necessary for human development. "If there were no death," the Serpent tells Eve, "most beings would be very old. The ancient would rule, for they would have power. And they would believe they know best ... The Earth would be quickly overrun. You could not have a succession of beings progressing through life, each generation learning and growing and giving in its own way, rediscovering beauty, taking joy in the world around them. Death makes way for the young."

This is a powerful message for readers, some of whom will be experiencing these questions for the first time. THE GARDEN is an excellent place to begin their journey, and would also be a good choice for an intergenerational book club. There is likely to be controversy about Aidinoff's version of the Judeo-Christian creation myth, but this also makes for good discussion and reading.

--- Reviewed by Sarah A. Wood

God has been bringing up Adam. Meanwhile, He has had the Serpent taking care of and teaching young Eve in a distant part of the Garden. Now, the Serpent has brought Eve to meet her Creator and Adam for the first time. The fun-loving, irresponsible Adam, who is off racing the gazelles or some such thing, has apparently spaced out on God's telling him that Eve was coming this morning, and so they are sitting around chatting and waiting for Adam's return:

" 'I'm glad you like it. It's linen, Eve, a piece of linen cloth.'
" 'How did you make it?' I asked.
" 'Oh, I just waved a finger.' God turned back to the Serpent. 'What a boy,' he said, raising both hands in the air. 'Not very bright, mind you, but that's not important. He's the first, you know, my first try, so he's not perfect. But he's beautiful--you must see him run--and he's a nice boy, kindhearted, and good with his hands. I have had fun with him; you can't imagine.
" 'I can,' said the Serpent, glancing at me. But I was watching God. God who was able to create cloth simply by waving a finger in the air; what power he must have! I shivered.
" 'But it's very tiring,' God went on. 'He takes a long time with his lessons and seems to have trouble remembering names, and he doesn't always pay attention. And for some reason I can't fix him by waving a finger.' The Serpent coughed. God frowned. 'What's the matter with you? You're always coughing. You never did that before.
" 'Just a little dust in my throat,' said the Serpent. 'Go on.'
" 'The boy can't sit still, either. He wiggles his toes and plays with his hair until it drives me crazy.'
" 'Mmph,' said the Serpent thoughtfully.
" 'And his balls,' said God.
" 'What?' said the Serpent.
" 'His balls. He plays with his balls.'
"The Serpent lifted the front of his body into the air. 'What does he do with them.'
" 'He play with them all the time. All the time. Bounces them about!'
"The Serpent raised its head farther and widened its eyes. 'That's quite a trick. How does he do it?'
" 'From hand to hand, back and forth, to and fro, while I'm trying to explain things like the solar system.'
" 'Well,' said the Serpent, blinking. 'He sounds like quite an accomplished and original young man.'
" 'Yes, he's good with his hands,' God repeated. 'Look at this woodwork!' God waved at the porch with its carved columns. 'And he loves to make those balls I told you about. I must admit it's difficult work, with his big hands. But he makes lots of them, small ones, large ones. He weaves reeds together for the cover and stuffs them with bits of wool or seeds. They are wonderful balls, and they bounce very well. He's fascinated by them. I only wish he'd put as much time and interest into learning.'
" 'Oh. Of course,' said the Serpent. It sank into its coils, coughing.
" 'There you go again, said God. 'You should take something for it; try honey. Anyway,' he continued, 'when I ask Adam questions, he acts as if he's never heard the subject before. "What?" he'll say. "A planet? Nine planets? What's a planet?" as if we hadn't been talking and eating and sleeping planets for days.'
" 'It must be very trying for you,' said the Serpent.' "

There certainly is humor in THE GARDEN, a tale of what happened in the Garden of Eden told from Eve's point of view. But there is so much more. The God we meet is loving, but also stubborn, and impatient, and prideful. He has a terrible time dealing with the notion that the creatures He made in his own image have taken on lives of their own.

" 'What are the important things?' I asked. It seemed to me that everything I had learned was important.
"God frowned. 'Eve, you must learn not to interrupt! Serpent, I'm surprised you allow it!'
" 'I find the interruptions are often the most productive moments,' said the Serpent.
"God hunched his shoulders as if he found the idea incomprehensible, and turned back to me. 'Eve, in the next few weeks I will teach you the correct view of the world and the correct view of me. You must learn to appreciate what it means, that I created the world and all the animals and the birds and the fish, all the insects, everything! God waved his hands at the landscape behind us, which Adam and I could not see. A wasp circled around his head, and he waved it away. 'I created you, both of you! Adam and Eve!'
" 'And the linen, I said.' "

God sets off the complex series of events when he orders Adam to force himself upon Eve, making the "first time" horribly traumatic for both Adam and Eve. Furious about God's lack of patience and understanding, the Serpent takes Eve home, insisting that God and Adam stay away from her for six moons. During that time the Serpent and Eve embark upon a series of secret explorations outside the safe confines of the Garden.

My ninth grader reads everything these days with an overly-critical eye. This was the first thing I've seen her truly passionate about in months. Her copy was passed on to an eighth grade fantasy reader, who devoured 200 pages overnight, and came into class yesterday smiling and exclaiming that, "They're going to have to put that author into the Witness Protection Program."

THE GARDEN is a both an enchanting story and a powerful, incredibly thought-provoking book. Ms. Aidinoff's characterizations of Adam and Eve will prompt great discussions concerning the roots of "maleness" and "femaleness." It will also instigate debates about parenting styles and about freewill.

THE GARDEN is sure to germinate fields full of thoughtful reader reaction. Be sure to let the sun shine in on this extraordinary story by adding it to your collection.

This was one of those books that I couldn't put down. I thought the author's vision was well-thought out, and beautifully depicted. The plot was interesting, and the characters of Eve and the Serpeant were well developed, while God and Adam were only secondary figures. While this book definately deals with adult material, I feel like The Garden is a book everyone should read because it provides such a new and thought provoking view on the whole creation story. Eve is curious and good, instead of manipulative and inferior. However, I can see how this book would offend some people. The God portrayed in The Garden is not a heroic figure; he is selfish, petty, vain, and easily angered. However, I don't think that book pusheds the idea that this is the correct view of God. I found that this book was more about the human aspects of the Creation myth- what knowledge, freedom, beauty and paradise really mean. This was a simply stunning novel.

It isn't surprising that hardcore Christians would bad-mouth this book. Any source that makes them second-guess the Bible is, of course, evil.

What they have failed to mention is that this author is not intending to write a religious story. She didn't act as if this was the way things were or that her views are correct. In fact, they aren't even her views. It's a work of FICTION. Just because you don't like what someone has to say doesn't mean they're a psychotic Satanist out to sacrifice your children. Why is it that anything that mildly contradicts the Bible, down to Harry Potter, suddenly becomes a religious book with a vindictive attack against the Christian world? Not every single author is out there to kill Christianity, and neither is this one. Now, after getting THAT off my chest, on to the book.

This book is beautiful, plain and simple, and kids aren't turned against Christianity by it. I haven't met a single teenager that hasn't loved the book. Hardcore Christian teenagers that I know have read this book and used it to discuss not why Satan was right but about the nature of temptation. It's difficult for us to understand what temptation is like and that the simplest acts of rebellion, innocent or justified as they are, have consequences. This book helps teenagers see that, and how does that go again Christian thought?

I've also known teenagers without anything at all, the ones that schools ignore and let fall into depression, read this book and find hope. They see that maybe, somewhere, they aren't the only ones misunderstood. Taking a story that most in this country are familiar with and using it to promote a message that there is good even in the darkest times is a source of inspiration. These characters are Biblical, yes, but they come alive in a way that is far different from Genesis. It's like comparing a film remake of a book to the book itself: some basic things are kept and the rest changed for a moral point. The moral point is that suffering is temporary and that, in the end, you must stay true to yourself no matter what. We need to hear that more often.

The book is well written, touching, and emotional. Those who attack every single grammatical error only do so out of vindication because the book itself isn't awful at all. There's a poetry to the words that most novels, much less ones for teenagers, lack.

I suppose that if one were scared of allowing others to make their own decisions and thinking on their own, this book would be dangerous and evil. For the rest of us that believe in something a little different from the moral status quo, this is a wonderful piece of fiction.

A very old story... Adam and Eve. A new look at what happened in that Garden! Delicious!!

I think that in order to fully appreciate and enjoy this book, one must read it without comparing it at all to the original story of Adam and Eve, the book is certaintly better when viewed as it's own piece of literature.
It simply makes more sense this way The story really has little in common with the original story, except for the characters names. The serpent, instead of embodying evil, is wisdom and justice, and reason, he's the good guy. And god, rather then being a kind and merciful being, or even a vengeful one, is instead merely selfish, arrogant, and ignorant.
If you are going to be offended by the author taking such great liberties, or if you're unable to seperate the two tales, i suggest you to skip this book.
That being said, the book was pretty good. here were a couple typos, and there were some logistical issues. The way Eve was able to make clothe from cotton and wool without looms or spindles, basically everything she created, without any of the proper or necessary technology was unrealistic. The fact that she was even able to imagine all these inventions, which allow the world we know it to function today, would probably make her a certified genius.
All that being said.....it was pretty good.

I really enjoyed The Garden up until the very end. If you do not wish to be spoiled please stop reading because my review discusses events at the end of the book.

In The Garden Eve is raped by Adam and spends a great deal of time trying to recover from the horrific event. The wise serpent helps her deal with her pain and is always there to offer advice and comfort. At first I was very pleased with the fact that rape was being looked at and written about honestly and with a conscious effort to depict how traumatizing it is for victims. I feel very strongly about the subject of rape and was at first happy with the way the author was handling such a delicate and painful topic. That is, until I reached the end of the book where the author completely loses all her credibility and my respect.

The serpent realizes that the time is coming when Adam and Eve will have to leave the garden, but Eve is still unwilling to entertain the idea of sex. This, of course, is a problem for obvious reasons revolving around trying to maintain the species. So what is the serpent's grand idea of how to fix this? He should rape Eve! He attempts to SLIP HER A DRUG (or as he calls it "tea") that will make her fall asleep so he can have his way with her unconscious body. Eve doesn't drink the tea but is asleep when the serpent starts to touch her. For some unknown and magical reason Eve is totally fine with the fact that a strange person who she doesn't know is in her bed, touching her and they proceed to have sex.

This is wrong on so many levels I can't even being to express my anger and disappointment. Having sex with someone who has not consented to it IS RAPE and the fact that the serpent was planning on doing just that is mind boggling. He spent the entire book telling Eve that rape is wrong and that what happened to her was wrong but in the end he tries to commit the same atrocity! The fact that he was touching her while she was still asleep at the very least is sexual harassment!

Did he rape her? No, because she consented (even though it makes absolutely no sense why she would considering the situation and her sexual history) but the fact that the character who was so adamantly defending Eve, and condemning God tries to rape her just shows how ridiculous and stupid the author is. The whole idea behind this is so harmful- the serpent spoke out against Eve's rape so what he was planning wasn't really rape, right? WRONG. He was planning to rape her because he was planning to have sex with her when she did not have the ability to give consent. Why on earth the author decided to ruin the character of the serpent (and the whole book in my opinion) is beyond me and it horrifies me to think that she can write for hundreds of pages on the pain and suffering rape causes and not recognize rape when she's making her character attempt it! Forget about all the religious outrage this book is receiving, people should be mad about how hypocritical and morally reprehensible it is.