Leaving Eden

by Amber Esplin

Having been relocated to London by their parents, Judith and her cancer-stricken younger brother, Gabriel, find themselves living in an ancient schoolhouse so their parents can research and microfilm the school’s historical records. While his mother and father are preoccupied down in the archives, Gabriel remains upstairs, wasting away. Judith begins to worry that their family ties are wasting away, too.

An old silver heart-shaped pendant and visits from a ghostly apparition of a young boy seem to hold the key to her family’s past, and future.

As Judith learns more about her ancestors and the history of the heart pendant, she is able to see her parents with greater compassion. She is tempted to give up on them, but begins to realize that what her family needs, more than anything, is each other.

Genres: Lds Fiction

242 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

From start to finish, "Leaving Eden" is a remarkably well-written and free-flowing novel, replete with smooth transitional dialogue and fantastic character development. The author, Amber Esplin, vividly illuminates the struggles and journeys of individuals in their quest to meaningfully communicate and forge lasting relationships with family members and loved ones. By humbling themselves and accepting Christ's atonement, they come to know that the worth of souls is great. The author also skillfully introduces the reader to an unnamed boy, who figures prominently throughout the novel. This unique concept of an unnamed major character fits perfectly into the storyline. In order to convey ideas of such depth and substance, Amber Esplin, in addition to her immense talent as a writer, is obviously an extremely sensitive and caring woman as well.

The author delicately balances the range of emotions experienced by readers learning about the Casey family and their ancestors. The great welding link, the Disciples of Christ Schoole for Boys and Girles, is the setting for most of the story. Amber Esplin's keen sense of subtle humor allows the reader to laugh often; just as important, her wit is never at the expense of others. At other times, the reader is subdued as he or she relates to the trials, challenges, and shortcomings of the characters in the novel.

In a beautiful and natural way, Amber Esplin gracefully weaves together several stories of faith and works, as Caseys past and present hope and pray that the hearts of children and parents will seek, find, and strengthen one another in love. "Leaving Eden" has further motivated me to cherish the relationships I have with family and friends, and instilled in me a gratitude for the encouragement and other spiritual gifts they so freely share.

Thank you, Amber, for writing such a wonderful book!

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, so my reactions to this were two-pronged:

1. I didn't like the setup where you read about a character for 30 pages or so and then switched to another character. I would just get invested in a character, and then the book would switch to someone else.

2. I thought the ending of the book was very touching. I won't spoil it for you, but suffice it to say, it was very well-written. Esplin has a way of getting more deeply into spiritual things than most writers do.

So, to sum up, I enjoyed the ending, but I'm not sure if I'll read it again soon due to the switching points-of-view.

[Leisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book on genealogy and people that are waiting for their work to be done. And I love the Author, she was my visiting teaching companion while I lived in Virginia. She is a local author too, she grew up in Preston.

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great book. I liked the characters because they weren't perfect, but I still came away from the book feeling like I had learned something from each of them. After I read the book I found out that my best friend was a visiting teaching companion with the author.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. I learned something every time I picked it up. It gave me a glimpse of what it must be like to wait and wait for important work to be done. Learned a lot about life and making it count and most importantly, no life is forgotten.

[Rayni · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book by a first time author. It is about family history & has 2 story lines. I was able to get it autographed at a booksigning. Hoping to see more books by Ms. Esplin.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot gospel principles. I usually don't like LDS authors, but she has an amazing writing style.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd novel, but interesting from a family history standpoint. I did appreciate Judith's understanding of life at the end. It's like an "aha" moment.