A review by chailady
The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson

challenging emotional informative reflective sad 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

4.0

I loved Yellow Wife by this author, but this one felt flat. The best part was the author’s notes and acknowledgements. It is there the reader really understands the author’s purpose. I love the character of Ruby; she was real. Eleanor felt more forced and flat. And William and his mother were so annoying. 
The story is good, the characters were so-so, but the ending was surprisingly good. 
Also, this book had similar feels to The Home for Unwanted Girls, by Joanna Goodman, When I First Held You, by Anstey Harris, and Take My Hand, by Dolen Perkins-Valdez. All four books use dual timelines/characters to convey their very similar themes:  forced institutionalism, adoption, poverty, sexism, unwed mothers, etc. if you liked The House of Eve, I recommend reading the others. 
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