Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - The House of Eve

Loved this one! I was nervous to buy it since I didn’t love Yellow Wife, but this one kept me interested throughout the entire read. I did find Ruby’s story more interesting than Eleanor’s, and the characters didn’t really develop, but overall a good read.

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kemareadsalot's review against another edition

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5.0

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mariacassar's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring 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? No

4.0

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siobhanward's review

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emotional 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

3.0

Reese's Book Club Pick 62/68

I loved the premise of this book and I loved that it was based in some Johnson's real family history, but it felt like the pacing was off. The first two parts of the book moved slowly and then everything wrapped up in the blink of an eye. I wish there had been more time spent with the stories winding together, and less time spent leading up to the two plots coming together. I think that more time spent in Ruby and Eleanor's lives before they got to this point, or more time spent after their plots intersected would have been great, but as it was written, the pacing just felt kind of off.

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inked_in_pages's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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jenbosen's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

4.0

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amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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happily_undignified's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson is a gripping historical fiction that shows The challenges and triumphs of two black women in the 1940s. The story is full of history and relevant events but also has a ton of heart and soul that makes it feel personal. Both of the main characters are beautifully written with rich personalities and show an amazing amount of growth throughout the tale. Ruby was my favorite character because she was so persistent in chasing her dreams and I loved her motivation for becoming an ophthalmologist. Her artistic nature made her way of working at the world beautiful, even when it was heartbreaking. I was utterly appalled at her treatment in the middle of the story and it's even worse to realize that that was a common occurrence in the 1940s. Eleanor was an amazing character as well and it was great to see her friendships and personality mature throughout her life. The House of Eve was easy to get drawn into and reading it felt like catching up with an old friend. Sadeqa Johnson Is a talented storyteller who makes you really think about the characters of the world that they live in. The way that she wove personal history, US history, and fiction together to create a tale that is challenging and inspiring is nothing short of magic. I loved the way the two women's stories intersected towards the end and the last little surprise twist was Perfect. I'm excited to read Yellow Wife and more by this author.

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