Havah

Yesterday's performance of Treasure Island went off without a hitch. Mia had a lot of fun, and I think that next year she'll definitely be ready for a larger role. I was curious to see just how these two people were going to get 49 kids ready for a show in just five days, and was pleasantly surprised at just how much fun it was. There were a few missed lines, but nothing major, and it was filled with lots of great slapstick comedy. I think that the actors had probably as much fun as the audience. It made me think of old vaudeville acts that were fun for the whole family. There was plenty of laughter, catchy songs, a broadly sketched storyline, and over-the-top characters that ended with a moral lesson that wasn't too preachy.

Now I'm looking forward to two quiet weeks before school starts on September 1st. No more summer school, swimming lessons, or musical theater. Just two weeks of sleeping in and enjoying the last days of vacation. Then we'll be diving right back into the grind of cheerleading practice, dance class, and homework. I'm going to enjoy every single one of these last sixteen days!

Havah by Tosca Lee is the intelligent and poignant tale of the first woman on earth, Eve. From those first days in Paradise to the hard-scrabble early days of the exile to raising a brood and then finally dying as the Great Mother of everyone living on earth, Lee takes Havah through every stage of her life. Her first breath and steps are taken in wonder and joy as she learns the name to each animal and plant and lives in complete harmony with the adam and the One who made her. But she is intrigued by the serpent who lives near the succulent fruit of the tree of knowledge. Adam has told her that they must never touch much less eat the enticing fruit, but the serpent tempts her with its beauty and her own ego. Lee's description of the Fall is both terrifying and heartbreaking as seen through Havah's eyes. Her loss of connection with both her mate and her Creator leaves her reeling and lost. In the new world, the two must fight daily for existence, and although the birth of their many children eases some of the burden, it also creates new turmoil as their children are also tainted with sin. Kayin, their eldest, is weighed down by the expectations of his mother that he will crush the head of the serpent, returning them to their paradisaical life in the valley. Lee takes the reader through stories heard endless times about Adam and Eve and makes them truly come to life. Most Christian fiction books aren't written this intelligently or with as much passion. Her version of Paradise lost if completely believable and will bring new understanding to readers about the first woman and how her sin has effected us all to this very day. I will never read the first four chapters of Genesis the same way again.

Thank you to B&H Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book for review.