Garden of Eve--A Great Read!

The Garden of Eve by K.L. Going

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Evie can't believe it when her father decides to move from Michigan to New York shortly after her mother dies. She is even more angry to find that they have moved into a house next to a dead orchard that her father is trying to bring back to life. Worse yet, there is a cemetery there, too. And it's not her mom's cemetery. The first day they arrive there is a funeral going on for a young boy, Alex. Soon, Evie notices the ghostly shadow of a boy. She gathers up enough courage to start talking to him and he tells her that he is Alex. She finds out that the town is thought to have a curse, and that a young girl named Eve disappeared in the orchard many years ago. She is left a gift by the previous owner of the house; a small seed. This seed holds an important secret about the mysterious town, one that only Evie can unlock.

From the title and the back cover I didn't think I would like this book. However, it has turned out to be one my favorites that I've read this summer! The beginning and build-up is amazing, the end lacks a little bit but only because some things aren't wrapped up. It deals with the pain of loss, believing in magic, mystery and obviously, allusions to the garden of Eden. Overall, this is a great read for kids in 4th-8th grade.


Favorite quotes from the book:

Didn't you know? Don't worry, love. I grew up in that house and I never saw a single ghost. And trust me, i was watching. -- The Garden of Eve

Watching him now was like meeting someone on the street who you hasn't realized was missing- you felt all the pleasure of seeing them and all the pain of missing them at once. --The Garden of Eve

After talking to father she knew the truth. Home was a ghost. --The Garden of Eve

She thought of all her mother's magical stories and remembered how she'd told father she didn't believe in magic anymore. But maybe magic still believed in her. --The Garden of Eve

Pain has a way of blinding us to everything but what we want to see. --The Garden of Eve

There's almost always a way to get things done. You just have to think smart enough and don't take no for an answer. --The Garden of Eve

For the first time since Mom died, she felt her mother's presence, not as something outside of herself that she'd brought to life, but as something inside of her-as something she was. --The Garden of Eve



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