Rosie the Reviewer {Havah: The Story of Eve}

5*****

Synopsis:

A single decision has the power to unravel making. Created, not born. The world’s first woman, without flaw until one fateful choice. Now all humanity must pay for the mistake. From paradise to exile, from immortality to the death of Adam, experience the dawn of mankind through the eyes of Eve – the first woman known as Havah.

My Review:

I had been wanting to read Havah: The Story of Eve for a while and at first when I started the novel, I was a little puzzled. Though as I progressed further into the novel, I found it captivating, Tosca Lee’s unique writing technique is wonderful. She wrote in interesting possibilities about the first couple’s time in Eden. Not to mention it had never dawned on me that realizing the destruction of Eden would cause sudden panic Adam and Havah had never would have experienced. For me it is natural for me to fear, I’ve known nothing else, but to be without flaw and living in perfect harmony, paradise, there would be no fear. That scene is only one out of many thought provoking aspects Tosca brought out for the readers. She also used the Hebrew names, which was a nice touch. Havah: The Story of Eve is outstanding and so is Tosca. She is definitely on my favorite authors list after reading this.

Rahab

Rahab was a harlot, a prostitute, a whore, unworthy, and the list could go on.

Does anyone think any less of her? Even God decided that Rahab the harlot would join the lineage of his son Jesus. Rahab married Salmon, who has been thought to be an Israelite spy, maybe even the very one she helped hide when the spies came into Jericho. Salmon was a man of God, who worshiped and fought for God. Have we forgotten that God used a harlot to be save his men? That if it had not been for her courage and strength, who knew how long it would take for the Israelites to defeat Jericho?!

No Rahab wasn’t perfect, she sinned. Though the one thing each person forgets is that every sin is the same to God, when anyone of us sins just once it pulls us away from Him. There is no mild sin, no worst ever sin, there is only sin. And when one of us sins, it severs our closeness to God. It makes us imperfect.

Sin is sin. Let us hate the sin and love the sinner. Just as God loves us.

Rosie the Reviewer {The Magic of Ordinary Days}

4 stars ****

The Novel:

Livvy Dunne is a thoughtful 24-year-old with yearnings toward archeology, who in a rash moment in WWII Colorado becomes pregnant by a dashing officer and is forced into a marriage of convenience by her sternly puritanical minister father. Lonesome Livvy yearns for more communicative companionship, however, and grows close to a pair of charming Nisei sisters at an internment camp and this is where plot devices begin to play an unwarranted role. For Rose and Lorelei, it turns out, will do anything for love and involve Livvy in what develops into a dangerous (and inherently improbable) exercise in deceit and manipulation. The book recovers its stride for a poignant if rather hasty finish, but the calm spell cast by the tale of Livvy and Ray, which would have been perfectly satisfactory to maintain the book, has been broken.

My Review:

I first decided to read the novel after seeing “The Magic of Ordinary Days” the Hallmark Hall of fame movie when it re-released early this year. There were quite a few differences between novel and movie. However I loved the book equally to the movie. They are different, but I loved them so much. Ann’s style wasn’t what I was expecting, however I enjoyed it immensely. I love reading books from first person narrative and the way Ann wrote this novel made me want to read more of her work. Livvy Dunne was just as she was portrayed in the movie a lonely young woman just in want of love looking for it the wrong places who ended up getting pregnant and was made to marry Ray out of convenience. And Ray Singleton was just as sweet and compassionate as he was in the movie, if not more so. The sweet and gentility he showed her as they grew as a couple and from friendship/companionship to love was wonderful. It mentioned how Ray would pray every day and read the Bible more than any book, I don’t know if Ann is a believer, but she truly brought across what a true believer is, not perfect, but loves unconditionally just as Christ commanded of us. He showed Livvy love from day one and that’s more than I can say with many of the Christian novels I’ve read in the past.

Rosie the Reviewer {A Woman's Place}

5 *****

Synopsis:

They watched their sons, their brothers, and their husbands enlist to fight a growing menace across the seas. And when their nation asked, they answered the call as well. Virginia longs to find a purpose beyond others' expectations. Helen is driven by a loneliness money can't fulfill. Rosa is desperate to flee her in-laws' rules. Jean hopes to prove herself in a man's world. Under the storm clouds of destruction that threaten America during the early 1940s, this unlikely gathering of women will experience life in sometimes starling new ways as their beliefs are challenged and they struggle toward a new understanding of what love and sacrifice truly mean.

My Review:

Virginia – Ginny Mitchell wishes her family needed her and that she knew her husband still loves her. After a spontaneous urge to change the monotony in her life, Ginny applies for a job at her local shipyard, even though her husband doesn’t know about it.

Helen – Helen Kimball doesn’t believe in God anymore because her estranged parents coldness due to loosing all their children but Helen. All she wants to do is teach underprivileged children like her lost love Jimmy, but out of boredom Helen applies for a job at the shipyard.

Rosa – Rosa Bonelli-Vorhees hates the rules that her new in-laws enforce on her. Not sure what to do or where to go, Rosa loves her husband, but can’t seem to get along with his parents. After seeking help from the bottle, Rosa ends up getting a job at the shipyard and life after that will never be the same for her.

Jean – Jean has dreams of going to college and making an impact on the world she lives in. Once she is made chief of an electrician crew at the Stockton shipyard, Jean is challenged in more ways than she expected. From racism, equality for woman, and even an admirer, Jean does what she can to keep her crew together and her personal life as well.

The Story – Four different woman, four different lifestyles, and four lives changed all by a world war that calls them to do their part in a man’s world. Lynn Austin captures life on the home front during WWII as well as your full attention, and yes by the time this book is up expect to have a tissue handy. A Woman’s Place is not a romance at all, which is why I loved the novel. A Woman’s Place is so realistic that you could actually see it happening and the redemptive qualities in the books of how the characters find forgiveness and unconditional love melts your heart. I highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially WWII buffs like myself.