Mar 17, 2023
How often does Biblical fiction go back in time... before time? Not often in my experience, but Jill Eileen Smith's Daughter of Eden takes a bold step to imagine the creation of the angels... of even Michael the Archangel! Listen in while we chat about Eden, Eve, her children, and the war between those banished from heaven and those who remained to protect those made in God's image.
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When Jill Eileen Smith said her book started at the fall--the original fall--instead of in the Garden of Eden, I knew this would be a book I had to read. I mean, come on! If you listen to the audiobook sample, it shares the creation of Michael and his first reaction to seeing the King of Kings! I loved it, and it made me even more eager to read Daughter of Eden.
Jill says she wanted to show the internal battle that must have raged within Eve as she regretted the terrible decision to give in to Satan's lies instead of trusting the Lord's goodness and care for her. Can you imagine that lifetime of regret?
But also, Jill talks about how they had to learn to do everything. What plants to grow to create fibers. How to spin those fibers into thread. How to weave that thread into cloth. And they had to do it with everything... pottery, butchering, gardening, medicinal plants perhaps? There's so much to learn and yes, they had hundreds of years to learn it, but did they? They needed those things immediately!
The first time she opens her eyes, Eve gazes on One whose beauty nearly blinds her, whose breath is in her lungs. Her Creator takes her hand and gives her to one like her and yet different. Together, she and Adam experience pure joy as they explore Eden. But her favorite moments are when the Creator comes to walk with them, day after day.
Until everything changes. With one act of disobedience, Eve finds that her world is no longer a friendly place. With remorse in her heart, she must face the unknown future--the births, the deaths, the sacrifices, the loss of the one home she has ever known. Perhaps worst of all is the loss of trust, not only with her Creator but with the man who shares her life. How will they ever survive out of Eden?
Bestselling biblical fiction author Jill Eileen Smith imagines the life of the first woman to ever live, unspooling a story of love, loss, and the promise of redemption.
You can get Daughter of Eden at 30% off with free shipping (as of today, anyway!) at BakerBookHouse.com
Learn more about Jill at her WEBSITE. You can also listen to her episode about Miriam's Song HERE.