Reviews

The House of Eve: Totally heartbreaking and unputdownable historical fiction by Sadeqa Johnson

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kiera_loves_boooks's review against another edition

5.0

Let me start out by saying I've never met a Sadeqa Johnson book I didn't love. The House of Eve presents the stories of Ruby Pearsall and Eleanor Quarles, two women with different circumstances, but many of the same problems, The book was not only intriguing, it had me caught up from beginning to end. From the very start, I was drawn into their stories, told in alternating chapters. Their stories are set in the 1950s and 1960s and the added details about life in that time period are well researched and captivating. I enjoyed getting to know both the women and their families. The writing was easy to read, flowed well, and for a serious topic, it was very thought provoking and made you wonder what you would've done in that predicament and time frame.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, drama, great writing, and a story that will engage you and hold your attention from beginning to end.

rileyreadsalatte's review against another edition

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3.0

This was an entertaining historical fiction, but I wish that we would have gotten more of an ending. While things in the middle felt a bit dragged out, the ending felt very rushed.

napostories's review against another edition

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4.0

Inicialmente eran 4.0 ⭐️
Pero el epílogo lo elevó a 4.5

brittney_king's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

mysterymom40's review against another edition

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emotional 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? It's complicated

3.75

katie_holder's review against another edition

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5.0

I don't typically read this type of novel, because reading such heartache is not entertainment to me. With that said I cannot deny that this book was perfectly written. The subject matter is difficult because although this is historical fiction its core is truth. Just because I don't particularly like this era in history doesn't mean that this book wasn't great. It was a terrific, captivating, and heartbreaking story. A necessary story, a book that must be read by all.

~Read it!

bsmith27's review against another edition

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4.0

A great story set in the 50s of two black women. Eleanor is a young woman at Howard college and meets a dashing rich young black man. She ends up getting pregnant and so they have a shotgun wedding. However she miscarries and her husband begin a very nice married life together. She becomes pregnant again but this child is lost at 17 weeks. Because of her history of miscarriages the doctor suggest you not get pregnant again. Her mother-in-law who is metal some and not particularly fond of her goes behind her back and has a nun come talk to her about adoption. Eleanor really likes the idea and they follow through on it. They plan to pass the adopted baby off as their own because no one knows that she miscarried. The other half of the story is Ruby who is a young teenager in Philadelphia. She is a poor black girl who is very smart and is attempting to get a scholarship to go to college. She meets the Jewish son of a building owner and they end up getting pregnant. Ruby is sent to a maternity house by the boy's mother so that she can get the scholarship after she gets up the baby. the book talks a lot about how awful these maternity houses were in girls were forced to give up their babies. They were only a few black girls in this house and Ruby was one of them. In the end Ruby is drugged and the baby is taken from her. She does nurse the baby for 5 days and forms quite a bond. That baby is then given to Eleanor and her husband. Just after Eleanor gets the baby she finds out that her mother-in-law orchestrated the whole adoption thing. She begins to doubt everything about her family and runs away to her mother in ohio. The mother-in-law follows her and confesses that she did it but with good intentions and promises to back off. At the very end of the novel 13 years into the future you see Eleanor's adopted daughter struggling to fit in because she doesn't look like her parents although she doesn't know she's adopted. Eleanor's husband is a doctor and introduces Eleanor to his newest coworker who is Ruby. The story ends right there. I loved looking at what black women went through in a pre-roe world. The author's note at the end was very insightful. A great read.

whitec321's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

3.0

jainalunsford's review against another edition

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informative sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

marim139's review against another edition

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emotional informative sad 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? No

4.5

Wow! What a fantastic book. Although the story is very sad, it is based in historical facts. I appreciate that this book exists and that I was able to learn so much. This book is a must read!

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