Scan barcode
eleasereads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Classism
micalyia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I ate this book tf up. It was so interesting to me. I was hooked from start to finish, I wanted to know how Eleanor and Ruby would affect each other so badly and the twists and turn along the way kept me on the edge of my seat.
I didn’t read the blurb so I really had no clue what to expect which I think helped in the intrigue of the story.
I loved that we saw background on the characters as this helped them to feel whole. I was able to truly empathize and understand their decisions (even if I didn’t agree with them).
I would 100% recommend that you read the authors note cause when you do you’re going to want to cry for all the women this novel was inspired by.
This book could be highly triggering for some though, so check those out.
I didn’t read the blurb so I really had no clue what to expect which I think helped in the intrigue of the story.
I loved that we saw background on the characters as this helped them to feel whole. I was able to truly empathize and understand their decisions (even if I didn’t agree with them).
I would 100% recommend that you read the authors note cause when you do you’re going to want to cry for all the women this novel was inspired by.
This book could be highly triggering for some though, so check those out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Confinement, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual content, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
✨️ The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson ✨️
Ms. Johnson, excuse me, I think you dropped this ... 👑
I absolutely loved Yellow Wife and The House of Eve was no different. Sadeqa Johnson is 💯 an auto-buy author for me!
In the 1950s, we meet two main characters. Ruby, a 15-year-old in Philadelphia, striving for a full-ride scholarship to college and the first in her family to attend, and Eleanor in DC, who marries into an elite wealthy Black family who doesn't let just anyone in. Eventually, these two characters' stories come together in an unexpected way.
I loved both POVs and could not stop reading! If I had to take a break, I was thinking about when I could get back to reading it again. There are so many layers to these stories, these characters. You know when you receive a gift, and it's wrapped so nicely, and you open it, and it's another box to unwrap, and inside that box is another box, and another box, until you get to the final box with the gift? Reading The House of Eve is like that, except each unwrapping is another gift itself.
(Also, hi, it's me, I wrap gifts like that sometimes to trick the recipient 😂)
The characters were complete, whole characters with flaws. Many harboring secrets, many with unresolved trauma, and all fighting a battle of their own. The writing was excellent, raw, and beautiful. This book is unafraid to explore heavy, taboo topics and dark pasts that we choose to ignore.
This book will stay with me. I will be thinking about it for a long time.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
⚠️CWs: sexual assault of a child, classism, racism, alcoholism, infertility & miscarriage, pregnancy. Check StoryGraph for others mentioned.
Ms. Johnson, excuse me, I think you dropped this ... 👑
I absolutely loved Yellow Wife and The House of Eve was no different. Sadeqa Johnson is 💯 an auto-buy author for me!
In the 1950s, we meet two main characters. Ruby, a 15-year-old in Philadelphia, striving for a full-ride scholarship to college and the first in her family to attend, and Eleanor in DC, who marries into an elite wealthy Black family who doesn't let just anyone in. Eventually, these two characters' stories come together in an unexpected way.
I loved both POVs and could not stop reading! If I had to take a break, I was thinking about when I could get back to reading it again. There are so many layers to these stories, these characters. You know when you receive a gift, and it's wrapped so nicely, and you open it, and it's another box to unwrap, and inside that box is another box, and another box, until you get to the final box with the gift? Reading The House of Eve is like that, except each unwrapping is another gift itself.
(Also, hi, it's me, I wrap gifts like that sometimes to trick the recipient 😂)
The characters were complete, whole characters with flaws. Many harboring secrets, many with unresolved trauma, and all fighting a battle of their own. The writing was excellent, raw, and beautiful. This book is unafraid to explore heavy, taboo topics and dark pasts that we choose to ignore.
This book will stay with me. I will be thinking about it for a long time.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
⚠️CWs: sexual assault of a child, classism, racism, alcoholism, infertility & miscarriage, pregnancy. Check StoryGraph for others mentioned.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Classism
mamaofperfectpayton's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
catalie07's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
An excellent read!! I love the author’s writing style. Two stories following two women with completely different upbringings and experiences, face a similar life event that eventually connects them beautifully. Based in the 1950s.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Racism, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse and Infertility
Minor: Cursing and Rape
jackie1324's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Minor: Rape
thebookpear's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
kelly_e's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Title: The House of Eve
Author: Sadeqa Johnson
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: February 7, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Redemptive • Haunting • Luminous
📖 S Y N O P S I S
1950s Philadelphia: fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college, in spite of having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising a daughter. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed on to her like a birthright.
Eleanor Quarles arrives in Washington, DC, with ambition and secrets. When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University, they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families, and his parents don’t let just anyone into their fold. Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally feel at home in William’s family and grant her the life she’s been searching for. But having a baby—and fitting in—is easier said than done.
With their stories colliding in the most unexpected of ways, Ruby and Eleanor will both make decisions that shape the trajectory of their lives.
💭 T H O U G H T S
As a lover of historical fiction, it will come as no surprise that The House of Eve was one of my most anticipated 2023 winter releases, so when it was chosen as an Aardvark selection for February, it was an easy choice. I went in without having read the synopsis, and I was blown away by this novel.
The writing provides everything the reader needs to know without being excessively detailed, making this novel highly readable. I honestly could not put it down! Sadeqa Johnson managed to bring the story to life through her memorable characters, and by hooking my attention from the very first page, straight through to the satisfying end. She explores many themes - womanhood and women's rights, motherhood and ambition, poverty and classism, race and colourism, as well as a snippet of wealthy Black history. And she does all of it with great knowledge and care.
Historical fiction is genre I typically gravitate towards because learning about new aspects of the past while reading is something I absolutely love. And this book certainly opened my eyes (and my mind) to an area of Black history I have very seldom encountered in my reading life. Even though it is a more of fiction, it's very important to read the author's note at the end. Sadeqa details her family history and the authenticity of the content.
I must say The House of Eve was the historical fiction novel I needed to get out of a streak of mediocre reads. Ruby and Eleanor, combined with the exploration of the price women pay for love, completely enraptured me, and I know this story will stay with me for a long time. It was a book that reminded me why I love reading so much - to find stories that need telling, to learn and have my perspectives broadened. I've definitely moved Yellow Wife up my priority list, and am already anticipating whatever Sadeqa publishes next.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of dual timeline/dual perspective
• readers looking for women's right historical fiction
• bookclubs
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Knowing about racism and being abused by its wrath were two different things."
"And this trip downtown had shown me that we even had to fight for what should have been free: our dignity."
Author: Sadeqa Johnson
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5.00
Pub Date: February 7, 2023
T H R E E • W O R D S
Redemptive • Haunting • Luminous
📖 S Y N O P S I S
1950s Philadelphia: fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college, in spite of having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising a daughter. But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed on to her like a birthright.
Eleanor Quarles arrives in Washington, DC, with ambition and secrets. When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University, they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families, and his parents don’t let just anyone into their fold. Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally feel at home in William’s family and grant her the life she’s been searching for. But having a baby—and fitting in—is easier said than done.
With their stories colliding in the most unexpected of ways, Ruby and Eleanor will both make decisions that shape the trajectory of their lives.
💭 T H O U G H T S
As a lover of historical fiction, it will come as no surprise that The House of Eve was one of my most anticipated 2023 winter releases, so when it was chosen as an Aardvark selection for February, it was an easy choice. I went in without having read the synopsis, and I was blown away by this novel.
The writing provides everything the reader needs to know without being excessively detailed, making this novel highly readable. I honestly could not put it down! Sadeqa Johnson managed to bring the story to life through her memorable characters, and by hooking my attention from the very first page, straight through to the satisfying end. She explores many themes - womanhood and women's rights, motherhood and ambition, poverty and classism, race and colourism, as well as a snippet of wealthy Black history. And she does all of it with great knowledge and care.
Historical fiction is genre I typically gravitate towards because learning about new aspects of the past while reading is something I absolutely love. And this book certainly opened my eyes (and my mind) to an area of Black history I have very seldom encountered in my reading life. Even though it is a more of fiction, it's very important to read the author's note at the end. Sadeqa details her family history and the authenticity of the content.
I must say The House of Eve was the historical fiction novel I needed to get out of a streak of mediocre reads. Ruby and Eleanor, combined with the exploration of the price women pay for love, completely enraptured me, and I know this story will stay with me for a long time. It was a book that reminded me why I love reading so much - to find stories that need telling, to learn and have my perspectives broadened. I've definitely moved Yellow Wife up my priority list, and am already anticipating whatever Sadeqa publishes next.
📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• fans of dual timeline/dual perspective
• readers looking for women's right historical fiction
• bookclubs
🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S
"Knowing about racism and being abused by its wrath were two different things."
"And this trip downtown had shown me that we even had to fight for what should have been free: our dignity."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, and Classism
Minor: Emotional abuse, Rape, and Abortion
colourism, adoption, povertycarriepond's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
The House of Eve is engrossing historical fiction set in the late 1940s and early 1950s that explores Black womanhood and ambition, motherhood and racism, class, colorism, and so much more. It is told from the perspectives of two Black women. Ruby Pearsall, is a teenager who lives in Philadelphia and is competing in a prestigious academic program for a scholarship that will be her ticket to achieving her dream of being the first in her family to attend college and of becoming an ophthalmologist. Eleanor Quarles, from a working-class family in rural Ohio, is a sophomore at D.C.'s Howard University, studying to become an archivist of Black history. As they pursue their ambitions, they both find themselves in forbidden romances-- Ruby falls for Shimmy, a white Jewish boy and her landlord's son, and Eleanor falls for William Pride, a med student at Howard who comes from one of D.C.'s most elite and wealthiest Black families. When both women become pregnant, they have to decide whether and how they can reconcile their dreams with motherhood.
This book was so captivating. The characters, the setting, and the events of the novel were so layered and authentic, and it was very clear from the beginning how well-researched it is. (Like, even to the smallest details--one example: I had no idea that a common pregnancy test during this time was the "frog test," where a woman's urine was injected into a frog, and if the frog spawned, it confirmed pregnancy). I was immediately invested in both Ruby and Eleanor's stories (especially Ruby, she has my heart), and the way Johnson alternates every other chapter from each of their perspectives kept me turning page after page. This book explores race, gender, and social inequities in compelling and nuanced ways, and you really feel for the women in the novel.
I loved this impeccably researched historical fiction with complex and well-written female leads. Highly recommend to those who enjoy woman's fiction or historical fiction.
This book was so captivating. The characters, the setting, and the events of the novel were so layered and authentic, and it was very clear from the beginning how well-researched it is. (Like, even to the smallest details--one example: I had no idea that a common pregnancy test during this time was the "frog test," where a woman's urine was injected into a frog, and if the frog spawned, it confirmed pregnancy). I was immediately invested in both Ruby and Eleanor's stories (especially Ruby, she has my heart), and the way Johnson alternates every other chapter from each of their perspectives kept me turning page after page. This book explores race, gender, and social inequities in compelling and nuanced ways, and you really feel for the women in the novel.
I loved this impeccably researched historical fiction with complex and well-written female leads. Highly recommend to those who enjoy woman's fiction or historical fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, and Classism
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Abortion
Minor: Rape
drownedinfictionx's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Racism, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, and Suicide attempt