5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
don't waste your time, June 6, 2008
I read the first chapter of this book on Amazon and thought it sounded like a well-written, intriguing story, so I purchased the book. Too bad the rest of the book didn't live up to the promise of the first chapter.
The good parts about this book were that
1. the story is just interesting enough to keep you reading to find out what's going on
2. the descriptions (houses, clothes, etc.) are fairly well written
3. parts of this book really have a spooky atmosphere that befits its setting of a decrepit Southern plantation well.
However, overall I found that the story was full of plot holes and could be quite confusing to follow in places. Sometimes events were brought up in the story that needed an explanation, but with no explanations given I ended up feeling like big pieces of the story were missing. For instance, at the end of the first chapter the heroine says, "That night I dreamed of Eve for the first time in many years." You'd expect that the heroine might then explain who Eve is, or what kind of dreams she used to have about Eve, or why she finds it weird to dream about a woman called Eve, but there is nothing! She doesn't talk about Eve at all, so it's hard to empathize with her when she finds out who Eve really is. These gaps in the background of the story made it hard to know what was supposed to be shocking to the characters, and it made it hard to care about the characters, too.
The best part of the book comes when the heroine explores the house on the hill, but after that the story goes downhill, right to its muddled and confusing ending. Overall, a book not really worth the time.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
wonderful richly descriptive story of love and deception, September 1, 2001
I found this book intriguing and suspenseful. I liked the changes in time periods and looking at the lives of the families that had been intertwined (at times without even knowing it) over generations. The characters were richly described. I stayed up into the early hours of the morning for several nights because I couldn't put the book down. i hope there is another novel from the author soon.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Rising Literary Star, July 12, 2001
By A Customer
I have just read MS. Bryant's novel THE OTHER EDEN. I was skeptical at first - concerned that would only appeal to women. I couldn't have been more wrong! Her sophisticated knowledge of music and the intriguing interplay of characters and plot captured me instantly and kept me reading. I have referred this fine book and the author to many friends - both male and female. The response has been universally positive. I look forward to the next book by Bryant. A reader in Rhode Island
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