A review by seyoban
The Book of Eve by Meg Clothier

challenging dark reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I found myself being very confused during the first half of this book about what was actually going on and I thought it was my reading comprehension but I’m happy to read that others felt the same. The prose felt needlessly complicated at times which makes sense in the first-person narrative of a character who prides herself on her intelligence, but it really felt like a chore to get through at times. There was a point a little later in the book where Beatrice just comes out directly and states

that the book helps women who are under threat

and it was like a lightbulb moment where I finally got a sense of what was going on - I could have done with more of that directness.

I enjoyed the core characters and personalities but again some editing could have helped. There were lots of nuns who were named without much scope for allowing us to get to know them, so some of the names became interchangeable. I enjoyed Beatrice’s character progression and how her story ended. 

Despite the slow and confusing start, the last 100ish pages were so much better and I wish the whole book had the tone/pacing of them.