Today's Read: The Legacy of Eden by Nelle Davy

Welcome to those of you who have been following The Legacy of Eden scavenger hunt tour. If this is the first you've heard of Nelle Davy's debut novel, then you might want to check out this Book Trib page, where you'll find the links to the other blogs on the tour. Some sites have reviews, others have guest posts or interviews, and several are hosting giveaways. Each one has a portion of the first chapter, so you can get sucked into a feel for the novel.

The Legacy of Eden is a family saga set on the fertile lands of Iowa on the Hathaway family farm, Aurelia. Thanks to Lavinia, who married a Hathaway soon after World War II, the 3,000 acres was home not just to wheat and corn but also to a modern house and beautiful gardens. It was the envy (and not necessarily in a nice way) of the county.

When Meredith Pincetti, Lavinia's youngest grandchild, is informed that her uncle died, leaving the farm in debt, she is the only one of her sisters and cousins to bother to call back the lawyers handling the estate. Despite 17 years in New York City as an art student and then a sculptor, Meredith hasn't been able to bury or forget her Midwest childhood. It looks as if it's up to her to decide the fate of Aurelia. But first she must face the painful truth of her family history.

Davy's descriptive writing and well-paced plot will soon pull you into the Hathaway family story. If you've ever lived in a small town, you'll relate all too well to life around Aurelia. With its Gothic undertones and hints of a mystery, The Legacy of Eden is a great weekend read. In fact, it's killing me that I'm only halfway done, I'll definitely finish this tonight.

I plan to do a full review of the novel soon: there are themes I'd like to comment on, but feel I should wait until I finish the book.

Here's today's tour excerpt. To understand the context, you'll have to visit the other blogs. :)

I stood up and walked out of the room. This is it, I thought to myself, I’ve snapped. I’m finally broken.

“You’re not fucking real,” I suddenly shouted.

“Dear God, girl, still so uncouth,” my grandmother said, stepping out from the kitchen, her tongue flicking the words out like a whip.

“I always told your mother she should have used the strap on you girls more often, but she was too soft a touch.”

I turned around to face her, my fists clenching and unclenching by my side. “You—if you hadn’t—”

She turned away from me, disdainful, bored. If this were all in my head, what did that say about me?

“Enough excuses, Meredith.”

I was shaking so hard, my voice tripped over itself.

“You were a monster, you know that? A complete monster.”

“Made not born,” she said and looked at me knowingly.

“Oh, no—” I shook my head “—I am nothing like you.”

“No, Merey—” and she smiled “—you exceeded all of our expectations.”

I took a step toward her—toward where I thought she was.

Intriguing? Read the entire first chapter, and I bet you'll add The Legacy of Eden to your list. For tomorrow's tour stop, head on over to Type-A Parent.

Buy The Legacy of Eden at an Indie, Powell's, Book Depository, or a bookstore near you. These links lead to affiliate programs.
Published by Mira 2012
ISBN-13: 9780778329558
Source: Review (see review policy)
Rating: TK
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)