The Garden (Teen's Top 10 (Awards)) [Hardcover]

Set in paradise this is Eve's story as you've never heard it - in a brilliant and provocative novel, introducing the reader to the elderly, cantankerous figure of God, the wise and beautiful serpent, the gentle Adam and the enquiring, intelligent Eve. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

In the beginning...There was the Serpent, there for Eve's awakening, and for all the days since. Teacher, mentor, companion, friend, and more. There was God - the Creator, quick to anger, dangerous, majestic. There was Adam: as God said, a joy to behold. And there was Eve. These four hold the future in their hands. And only Eve - or perhaps the Serpent, too - wonders what lies outside the Garden of Eden. Passionate, witty, beautifully drawn, and utterly unforgettable, "The Garden", a debut novel, remakes and offers insights into a story that forms a cornerstone of our understanding. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

In the beginning...

... is God. Magnificent, all-powerful, fascinated and excited by the things he can create, but dangerous too in his desire for adulation.

... and there is the Serpent, a wise, loving and seductive teacher, ready for Eve's wakening, prepared to nurture her every moment.

... and then there is Adam, lithe and beautiful, who loves physical action rather than rational thought.

... and finally comes Eve. Enchanting, passionate, lively, always questioning as wrestles with the dictates of God, the whims of Adam and the problem of free will.

Behind them, the stunning backdrop of the Garden of Eden.

In bringing new insight and freshness to one of the oldest tales on earth, Elsie Aidinoff's aim is to explore questions of personal responsibility, justice and freedom. Her story is controversial and inspiring. Love it or hate it, readers will find it irresistibly gripping, a debut novel of poetic and compelling intensity.
--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

'This is a remarkable, morally complicated, provocative novel. I don't think teenagers should be allowed to keep it to themselves'

Observer

'Intriguing, absorbing and touching'

Guardian

In the beginning there is God. Magnificent, all-powerful, fascinated and excited by the things he can create, but dangerous.

A nd there is the serpent, a wise, loving and seductive teacher, ready to nuture Eve's every moment.

And then there is Adam, lithe, beautiful and physical.

And finally comes Eve. Enchanting, passionate, lively, always questioning as she wrestles with the dictates of God, the whims of Adam and the problem of free will.

This compelling debut novel brings controversial insight and inspiring freshness to one of the oldest tales on earth, exploring questions of personal responsibility, justice and freedom.

Not suitable for younger readers.

Definitions

Garden of Eden ('i:d'n) noun.

1. Old Testament, the garden in which Adam and Eve were placed at the creation

2. a delightful place, region, dwelling etc; paradise

Jacket art by Alison Jay

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Elsie Aidinoff has lived in Paris, Brussels, Hong Kong, London and New York where she has worked since 1980 in a Children's Storefront School in Harlem. She is married to a lawyer and has four grown-up children. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.