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Daughters of Eve
Sworn to secrecy. Bound by loyalty.
It's the high school's most exclusive club--but now a twisted mind is leading it. Who will be the first victim?
The girls at Modesta High School feel like they're stuck in some anti-feminist time warp-they're faced with sexism at every turn, and they've had enough. Sponsored by their new art teacher, Ms. Stark, they band together to form the Daughters of Eve. It's more than a school club-it's a secret society, a sisterhood. At first, it seems like they are actually changing the way guys at school treat them. But Ms. Stark urges them to take more vindictive action, and it starts to feel more like revenge-brutal revenge. Blinded by their oath of loyalty, the Daughters of Eve become instruments of vengeance. Can one of them break the spell before real tragedy strikes?
It's the high school's most exclusive club--but now a twisted mind is leading it. Who will be the first victim?
The girls at Modesta High School feel like they're stuck in some anti-feminist time warp-they're faced with sexism at every turn, and they've had enough. Sponsored by their new art teacher, Ms. Stark, they band together to form the Daughters of Eve. It's more than a school club-it's a secret society, a sisterhood. At first, it seems like they are actually changing the way guys at school treat them. But Ms. Stark urges them to take more vindictive action, and it starts to feel more like revenge-brutal revenge. Blinded by their oath of loyalty, the Daughters of Eve become instruments of vengeance. Can one of them break the spell before real tragedy strikes?
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
74 people are currently reading
3975 people want to read
About the author
Lois Duncan
68 books1,975 followersLois Duncan (born Lois Duncan Steinmetz) was an American writer and novelist, known primarily for her books for children and young adults, in particular (and some times controversially considering her young readership) crime thrillers. Duncan's parents were the noted magazine photographers Lois Steinmetz and Joseph Janney Steinmetz. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but grew up in Sarasota, Florida. Duncan started writing and submitting manuscripts to magazines at the age of ten, and when she was thirteen succeeded in selling her first story.
Duncan attended Duke University from 1952 to 1953 but dropped out, married, and started a family. During this time, she continued to write and publish magazine articles; over the course of her career, she has published more than 300 articles, in magazines such as Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, McCall's, Good Housekeeping, and Reader's Digest. After her first marriage, which produced three children, ended in divorce, Duncan moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to teach journalism at the University of New Mexico, where she also earned a BA in English in 1977. In 1965 she married Don Arquette, and had two more children with him.
Duncan was best known for her novels of suspense for teenagers. Some of her works have been adapted for the screen, the most famous example being the 1997 film I Know What You Did Last Summer, adapted from her novel of the same title. Other made-for-TV movies include Stranger with My Face, Killing Mr. Griffin, Don't Look Behind You, Summer of Fear and Gallows Hill.
In 1989 the youngest of Duncan's children, Kaitlyn Arquette, was murdered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, under suspicious circumstances. Who Killed My Daughter? relates the facts and conjecture about the still unsolved case.
Duncan's second book about her daughter's murder, ONE TO THE WOLVES: ON THE TRAIL OF A KILLER, picks up where the first book leaves off and contains all the new information Kait's family has uncovered from private investigation.
The 1971 children's book Hotel for Dogs was released as a theatrical movie in 2009, starring Emma Roberts. That book has now been republished by Scholastic along with two sequels, News for Dogs (2009) and Movie for Dogs (2010).
Duncan's Gothic suspense novel, DOWN A DARK HALL, is being filmed for the Big Screen and will probably be released in 2016.
Follow Lois on Twitter: http://twitter.com/duncanauthor
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?i...
http://www.kaitarquette.arquettes.com
Duncan attended Duke University from 1952 to 1953 but dropped out, married, and started a family. During this time, she continued to write and publish magazine articles; over the course of her career, she has published more than 300 articles, in magazines such as Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook, McCall's, Good Housekeeping, and Reader's Digest. After her first marriage, which produced three children, ended in divorce, Duncan moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to teach journalism at the University of New Mexico, where she also earned a BA in English in 1977. In 1965 she married Don Arquette, and had two more children with him.
Duncan was best known for her novels of suspense for teenagers. Some of her works have been adapted for the screen, the most famous example being the 1997 film I Know What You Did Last Summer, adapted from her novel of the same title. Other made-for-TV movies include Stranger with My Face, Killing Mr. Griffin, Don't Look Behind You, Summer of Fear and Gallows Hill.
In 1989 the youngest of Duncan's children, Kaitlyn Arquette, was murdered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, under suspicious circumstances. Who Killed My Daughter? relates the facts and conjecture about the still unsolved case.
Duncan's second book about her daughter's murder, ONE TO THE WOLVES: ON THE TRAIL OF A KILLER, picks up where the first book leaves off and contains all the new information Kait's family has uncovered from private investigation.
The 1971 children's book Hotel for Dogs was released as a theatrical movie in 2009, starring Emma Roberts. That book has now been republished by Scholastic along with two sequels, News for Dogs (2009) and Movie for Dogs (2010).
Duncan's Gothic suspense novel, DOWN A DARK HALL, is being filmed for the Big Screen and will probably be released in 2016.
Follow Lois on Twitter: http://twitter.com/duncanauthor
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?i...
http://www.kaitarquette.arquettes.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 360 reviews
October 27, 2007
I have to say, I'm pretty shocked by some of the reactions to this book that have been posted here. As a staunch feminist, I have no problem at all with Daughters of Eve. In fact, I'd bet money that Duncan is a self-proclaimed feminist.
I think people are misreading this book as an anti-feminist crusade, when in reality it's a commentary on radicalism gone out of control. Most of the young women portrayed in this book are victims of chauvinism in varying degrees -- Fran is struggling to be taken seriously as a budding woman scientist, Ann is faced with the unenviable choice of having a baby or pursuing a career as an artist, Ruth is deemed a second-class citizen in a male-dominated household, and Laura is devalued for being heavy in a world that prizes stick figures. I challenge anybody who claims that Duncan doesn't portray these situations as unfair. They're also sadly realistic, which only add to the book's strength.
Personally, I felt great pleasure when the Daughters of Eve meted out Peter's punishment in the woods, even though their actions were thoroughly criminal. It's when the women become so consumed with rage that they feel invincible that troubles occur -- friendships break down, innocent people get hurt, and, in the end, the most vulnerable member of the group, Jane, commits a violent act that lands her in a hospital for the criminally insane.
For me, this is Duncan's exploration of how righteous rage can quickly spiral out of control. It's a good exploration of that age-old question: Is it better to suppress one's anger about oppression and make the most of the opportunities that remain, or is it more honorable to strike a violent blow against your enemies as a means to end suffering? I think the answer lies somewhere in between, but we're dealing with a very slippery slope, here. I think it is this slope that inspired Duncan to write this story, rather than a desire to warn readers against the evils of feminism.
In closing, I think the job of a fiction writer is to create intriguing situations, instead of "sending a message." If Duncan had chosen to tell a story in which the young feminists were vindicated, I think it would have rang false. Although that's a sad commentary on our society, I'm still glad Duncan chose to avoid this trap and chose instead to construct an intriguing scenario with sympathetic characters who behaved realistically. Duncan shouldn't be criticized for having these characters suffer at the hands of a warped society -- in fact, she should be commended for her willingness to deliver a hard message: Life ain't fair, and if you rage against the machine, there's a good chance you'll get ground to a pulp.
There are tons of great stories like this -- The Scarlet Letter, Les Miserables, Tale of Two Cities, and Tess of D'Ubervilles, to name just a few. Given its great prose, complex characters, and compelling plot, I think Daughters of Eve is another one of these books. If you're looking for a happy ending, pick up a collection of fairy tales. If you'd like to have your attitudes toward female oppression challenged, though, then this book is worth your time.
I think people are misreading this book as an anti-feminist crusade, when in reality it's a commentary on radicalism gone out of control. Most of the young women portrayed in this book are victims of chauvinism in varying degrees -- Fran is struggling to be taken seriously as a budding woman scientist, Ann is faced with the unenviable choice of having a baby or pursuing a career as an artist, Ruth is deemed a second-class citizen in a male-dominated household, and Laura is devalued for being heavy in a world that prizes stick figures. I challenge anybody who claims that Duncan doesn't portray these situations as unfair. They're also sadly realistic, which only add to the book's strength.
Personally, I felt great pleasure when the Daughters of Eve meted out Peter's punishment in the woods, even though their actions were thoroughly criminal. It's when the women become so consumed with rage that they feel invincible that troubles occur -- friendships break down, innocent people get hurt, and, in the end, the most vulnerable member of the group, Jane, commits a violent act that lands her in a hospital for the criminally insane.
For me, this is Duncan's exploration of how righteous rage can quickly spiral out of control. It's a good exploration of that age-old question: Is it better to suppress one's anger about oppression and make the most of the opportunities that remain, or is it more honorable to strike a violent blow against your enemies as a means to end suffering? I think the answer lies somewhere in between, but we're dealing with a very slippery slope, here. I think it is this slope that inspired Duncan to write this story, rather than a desire to warn readers against the evils of feminism.
In closing, I think the job of a fiction writer is to create intriguing situations, instead of "sending a message." If Duncan had chosen to tell a story in which the young feminists were vindicated, I think it would have rang false. Although that's a sad commentary on our society, I'm still glad Duncan chose to avoid this trap and chose instead to construct an intriguing scenario with sympathetic characters who behaved realistically. Duncan shouldn't be criticized for having these characters suffer at the hands of a warped society -- in fact, she should be commended for her willingness to deliver a hard message: Life ain't fair, and if you rage against the machine, there's a good chance you'll get ground to a pulp.
There are tons of great stories like this -- The Scarlet Letter, Les Miserables, Tale of Two Cities, and Tess of D'Ubervilles, to name just a few. Given its great prose, complex characters, and compelling plot, I think Daughters of Eve is another one of these books. If you're looking for a happy ending, pick up a collection of fairy tales. If you'd like to have your attitudes toward female oppression challenged, though, then this book is worth your time.
December 6, 2023
“The silence was gone now, and the night was filled with voices—a chirp, a growl, a twitter—a burst of high-pitched laughter.”
― Lois Duncan, Daughters of Eve
I always loved this book, Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan. Can be read by any age group. And should be.
This book has been labeled the female "Lord of the flies". It was also , back in the day, banned in many places. I really think the reaction to the book was sort of extreme. I feel this is sort of a love it or hate it and I happen to love it.
For those that have no idea what this book is about it revolves around a high school society called Daughters of Eve. The group is presumably about bake sales and parties and only a few girls each year are asked to join.
The leader, Irene Stark is also the school's art teacher. She comes with baggage and does not have the highest opinion of men. Gradually she takes over the lives of the girls within the group, changing them, turning them from happy free spirited young women to bitter enraged angry people who become, like Irene, consumed with rage for the opposite sex. Things quickly escalate and tragedy occurs. Everyone's fate is changed forever.
To me, this is less about Feminism, although that certainly plays a role, and more about group think behavior and the consequences of "going along" with the pack. It also shows how people can be changed through group think or by someone extremely charismatic or in a position of power.
In that regard I do understand the LOTF references. But this is its own book and is unique. It will really make you think about what you would do if in the same position.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject matter. Beyond the plot, I love the descriptions of Michigan, the feeling of all four seasons that Duncan creates and I enjoyed all the characters. Each has their own story and the forces that shape one's life come into play here as each girl is changed for different reasons.
Daughters of Eve has been and remains, very controversial (as a great book should be!). None of the other books by Louis Duncan are remotely like this.
When this book first came out it was at the time when Women's roles in society were changing. Although it may seem dated to readers today it continues to have strong relevance and meaning in today's times as well as in the past.
It is also important to note that many years ago, Duncan updated the book to be more "current" to today's times. Not a whole lot is changed. The word "communist" is changed to "terrorist". Things are made a bit scarier. There are small changes like that. However I prefer the original and I feel bold in stating that I think most people will. It flows better, is more organic and feels more real. I did not think the update was at all needed although it is still a great book.
I am so interested in the differing opinions on this book. When I first read it I was quite young and did not really understand the damage caused Irene caused. It was only when adulthood hit that I began to really get it. That is why I would recommend this for adults too. I actually think adults may get more out of it.
5 stars and one of my all time favorites.
― Lois Duncan, Daughters of Eve
I always loved this book, Daughters of Eve by Lois Duncan. Can be read by any age group. And should be.
This book has been labeled the female "Lord of the flies". It was also , back in the day, banned in many places. I really think the reaction to the book was sort of extreme. I feel this is sort of a love it or hate it and I happen to love it.
For those that have no idea what this book is about it revolves around a high school society called Daughters of Eve. The group is presumably about bake sales and parties and only a few girls each year are asked to join.
The leader, Irene Stark is also the school's art teacher. She comes with baggage and does not have the highest opinion of men. Gradually she takes over the lives of the girls within the group, changing them, turning them from happy free spirited young women to bitter enraged angry people who become, like Irene, consumed with rage for the opposite sex. Things quickly escalate and tragedy occurs. Everyone's fate is changed forever.
To me, this is less about Feminism, although that certainly plays a role, and more about group think behavior and the consequences of "going along" with the pack. It also shows how people can be changed through group think or by someone extremely charismatic or in a position of power.
In that regard I do understand the LOTF references. But this is its own book and is unique. It will really make you think about what you would do if in the same position.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject matter. Beyond the plot, I love the descriptions of Michigan, the feeling of all four seasons that Duncan creates and I enjoyed all the characters. Each has their own story and the forces that shape one's life come into play here as each girl is changed for different reasons.
Daughters of Eve has been and remains, very controversial (as a great book should be!). None of the other books by Louis Duncan are remotely like this.
When this book first came out it was at the time when Women's roles in society were changing. Although it may seem dated to readers today it continues to have strong relevance and meaning in today's times as well as in the past.
It is also important to note that many years ago, Duncan updated the book to be more "current" to today's times. Not a whole lot is changed. The word "communist" is changed to "terrorist". Things are made a bit scarier. There are small changes like that. However I prefer the original and I feel bold in stating that I think most people will. It flows better, is more organic and feels more real. I did not think the update was at all needed although it is still a great book.
I am so interested in the differing opinions on this book. When I first read it I was quite young and did not really understand the damage caused Irene caused. It was only when adulthood hit that I began to really get it. That is why I would recommend this for adults too. I actually think adults may get more out of it.
5 stars and one of my all time favorites.
September 12, 2016
My Lois Duncan jag continues with Daughters of Eve and it's the best from the author I've read so far, a big, unwieldy but enthralling thriller with so much going on between the notes that it even develops a minor key in the paranormal. This one was first published in 1979 and revised by the author in 2011, not so much due to changes in technology or fashion, but in politics, with a high school in a fictional Michigan town curiously frozen in an era before feminism. Dry as a tinder box, this conservative setting provides the fuel for the charismatic art teacher and adviser to a club called the Daughters of Eve to ignite primal retribution within her students, with tragic results.
The ambitious novel introduces ten teenage girls as their school year begins at Modesta High School. Three underclassmen have received invitations to join the Daughters of Eve, a national organization that raises money for the community and promotes sisterhood; the Modesta chapter restricts its roll to ten. Members are sworn to secrecy and no outsiders are admitted to meetings. The new class each have secrets: freckled Kristy Grange, whose older brothers Peter and Niles have been excused from domestic work which falls on Kristy with both parents eking out a living; Laura Snow, an overweight teen with no friends and poor self-esteem who's in love with Peter Grange; and delicate Jane Rheardon, whose mother exhibits symptoms of battered wife syndrome from Jane's abusive father.
Daughters of Eve is led by president Erika Schneider, "the coolest girl in the Senior Honor Society" toiling on a top secret science project involving rats which has virtually no competition on its way to the state level science fair; club treasurer Madison Ellis, cheerleader and homecoming queen, is dating Peter Grange but refuses to go all the way with him and threaten her modeling career with a pregnancy; club secretary Ann Whitten, budding artist whose future is uncertain when her farmer boyfriend Dave proposes marriage. The other members of the club are finding their voices. Kelly Johnson is a bright girl who has lowered her expectations to a middling career as a secretary.
Holly Underwood has musical talent on the maternal side but has seen her mother squander that talent by marrying young and sacrificing for a husband and children; Paula Brummell plays basketball but laments the sad state of the neglected girls' program in comparison to the boys'; Tammy Carncross has writers for parents and is known at home as "our oracle" for her "funny feelings" which often portend the future. Faculty adviser to the Daughters of Eve is Irene Stark, art teacher from the Windy City who far from being pretty or hip looking, has earned the respect of the students for her attentiveness and ability to find solutions to their challenges.
Remember all of these names because there's going to be a test later.
During the initiation ceremony in the art classroom, Tammy Carncross has a vision of candle wax turning blood red and hit with a nauseous feeling, bolts as quickly as she can. She resigns from the club, only to reconsider. Kristy reveals to her new sisters that her parents have asked her to resign due to obligations at home. The others are outraged that Kristy's older brothers Peter and Niles aren't expected to help and begin to see a pattern of discrimination: Scholarships are determined by male faculty and male students seem to be awarded more often than female students. The boys' athletic department receives funding and priority while the girls' department is left in disarray.
Rebellion begins. Kristy refuses to resign from the club and accepts grounding by her parents, ultimately bringing her mother over to her side. When her brother Peter protests the amount of time his girlfriend Madison is spending on Daughters of Eve, in addition to being an "ice queen" when they're alone, she breaks up with him on the spot. Peter takes his urges to a girl he can manipulate and begins hooking up with lonely Laura, keeping their activities down at the creek on the QT. Jane speaks to her mother in a failed effort to get her to leave her abusive father. Kelly's perfect parents divorce when her father leaves her mother for another woman, stoking Kelly's isolation and hatred.
"You need your friends more than ever now," her mom had told her. Concerned about her. Loving her. Worrying over Kelly, not over herself. Wonderful, self-sacrificing Mom, and what had it gotten her? A load of crap, that's what. A load of shit, is what Madison would call it--outspoken Madison, who called a spade a spade. Kelly had never called anything by an ugly curse word like that. Words like "shit" weren't used in the Johnson household. Maybe that was why Madison didn't have any hang-ups and Kelly did.
That's why I can't go downstairs, Kelly told herself now. It's because I have a hang-up. A hang-up about being stupid, which, in its way, was just as terrible as being cruel because both things hurt equally in the long run. Her mom had trusted in love, and that was stupid. Her mom had built her whole life on the premise that she was half of a perfect couple, and now she wasn't anything. She was a cartoon character, walking around the house, emptying ashtrays that didn't need emptying, cooking big meals that no one could eat, changing sheets that didn't need changing, and it was all so stupid because she should've known. She should've known!
Laura urges Peter to take their relationship public by taking her to the homecoming dance, but realizing he ruined a good thing with Madison, Peter charms his ex back. Attending the dance with Madison, Peter not only stands Laura up on the night of, but his younger brother Niles pays Laura a visit in the hopes she'll put out for him too. Forcing himself on her, Niles is fought off by Laura, but subjects her to a stream of insults before he leaves. Shame and a bottle of sleeping pills spell Laura's resignation not only from the Daughters of Eve, but force her to leave Modesta. Miss Stark--aware that Laura had gotten herself into a sexual relationship she wasn't equipped to handle--is able to determine the identity of the creep with Kristy and Madison.
"That bastard! Freaking bastard!" Madison brought her clenched fist crashing down on the surface of the table. "And I thought he'd changed, that he really cared about me and about our relationship! How could I have been such an idiot!"
"You're not an idiot," Tammy said, trying to soothe her. "You believed what he said, and why shouldn't you? There was no way you could've guessed this was going on with Laura."
"I believed him because I wanted to, that's what was stupid. And Laura--well, at least she had the excuse of not having a lot of experience. I can see where she might fall for this crap, but with me--I've been going out with guys since middle school! I should've known better!"
"So should Laura," Kelly said coldly. "Maybe she hasn't had dating experience, but she had a dad who walked out on her and on her mom. That should be enough right there to teach her that you can't trust men."
"We don't really know--" Ann began.
"Of course we do! Irene and I had a long talk about that very thing the other night. All of us know a whole lot of things deep inside, but we close our eyes and our minds to them. Like Madison just said. We believe what we want to believe. It's easier than standing up for ourselves."
Lois Duncan sculpts with a blunt instrument. Inspired to write about a fanatical, charismatic adult who exerts influence among his pupils, Duncan's story morphed from one about a youth pastor to one about a feminist high school teacher. As a result, some feminists have accused the author of anti-feminist bias while some anti-feminists believe that Duncan is as guilty as Miss Irene Stark of pushing a feminist agenda on teenagers. Miss Stark isn't chiseled with a great deal of nuance and some of her counseling techniques seem completely inappropriate for a story taking place in 2012. Then again, if Modesta is lost in a time warp, maybe Miss Stark knew she could get away with more.
The novel is titled Daughters of Eve and its power is its raw, honest depiction of teenage girls who are strong together but vulnerable to the priorities and whims of adults when alone. The club meetings evolve into discussions of gender inequality and as the teenagers begin to ask questions, I found it fascinating how many of them thought that the problem was in some other family, rarely their own. Unwilling to write about a club and focus only on two or three characters, Duncan's inkwell is deep here. She's able to explore not only gender inequality, but domestic and sexual violence, abortion and the less overt pressures women experience daily to subordinate their lives.
The broad canvas of the novel also has the effect of multiplying the suspense. Duncan does a skillful job of placing her characters into positions of vulnerability in very short amount of time. The author draws out whether Madison will have sex with her creep boyfriend or Ann will reject her scholarship to marry or Jane will suffer the same domestic violence as her mother. If it sounds over-the-top, it is, but Daughters of Eve doesn't need to manufacture its evils. Duncan exposes how many exist under the surface of the perfect high school and explores ways to survive them. By the last page, there wasn't any doubt I was being let go from the grip of a master storyteller.
The ambitious novel introduces ten teenage girls as their school year begins at Modesta High School. Three underclassmen have received invitations to join the Daughters of Eve, a national organization that raises money for the community and promotes sisterhood; the Modesta chapter restricts its roll to ten. Members are sworn to secrecy and no outsiders are admitted to meetings. The new class each have secrets: freckled Kristy Grange, whose older brothers Peter and Niles have been excused from domestic work which falls on Kristy with both parents eking out a living; Laura Snow, an overweight teen with no friends and poor self-esteem who's in love with Peter Grange; and delicate Jane Rheardon, whose mother exhibits symptoms of battered wife syndrome from Jane's abusive father.
Daughters of Eve is led by president Erika Schneider, "the coolest girl in the Senior Honor Society" toiling on a top secret science project involving rats which has virtually no competition on its way to the state level science fair; club treasurer Madison Ellis, cheerleader and homecoming queen, is dating Peter Grange but refuses to go all the way with him and threaten her modeling career with a pregnancy; club secretary Ann Whitten, budding artist whose future is uncertain when her farmer boyfriend Dave proposes marriage. The other members of the club are finding their voices. Kelly Johnson is a bright girl who has lowered her expectations to a middling career as a secretary.
Holly Underwood has musical talent on the maternal side but has seen her mother squander that talent by marrying young and sacrificing for a husband and children; Paula Brummell plays basketball but laments the sad state of the neglected girls' program in comparison to the boys'; Tammy Carncross has writers for parents and is known at home as "our oracle" for her "funny feelings" which often portend the future. Faculty adviser to the Daughters of Eve is Irene Stark, art teacher from the Windy City who far from being pretty or hip looking, has earned the respect of the students for her attentiveness and ability to find solutions to their challenges.
Remember all of these names because there's going to be a test later.
During the initiation ceremony in the art classroom, Tammy Carncross has a vision of candle wax turning blood red and hit with a nauseous feeling, bolts as quickly as she can. She resigns from the club, only to reconsider. Kristy reveals to her new sisters that her parents have asked her to resign due to obligations at home. The others are outraged that Kristy's older brothers Peter and Niles aren't expected to help and begin to see a pattern of discrimination: Scholarships are determined by male faculty and male students seem to be awarded more often than female students. The boys' athletic department receives funding and priority while the girls' department is left in disarray.
Rebellion begins. Kristy refuses to resign from the club and accepts grounding by her parents, ultimately bringing her mother over to her side. When her brother Peter protests the amount of time his girlfriend Madison is spending on Daughters of Eve, in addition to being an "ice queen" when they're alone, she breaks up with him on the spot. Peter takes his urges to a girl he can manipulate and begins hooking up with lonely Laura, keeping their activities down at the creek on the QT. Jane speaks to her mother in a failed effort to get her to leave her abusive father. Kelly's perfect parents divorce when her father leaves her mother for another woman, stoking Kelly's isolation and hatred.
"You need your friends more than ever now," her mom had told her. Concerned about her. Loving her. Worrying over Kelly, not over herself. Wonderful, self-sacrificing Mom, and what had it gotten her? A load of crap, that's what. A load of shit, is what Madison would call it--outspoken Madison, who called a spade a spade. Kelly had never called anything by an ugly curse word like that. Words like "shit" weren't used in the Johnson household. Maybe that was why Madison didn't have any hang-ups and Kelly did.
That's why I can't go downstairs, Kelly told herself now. It's because I have a hang-up. A hang-up about being stupid, which, in its way, was just as terrible as being cruel because both things hurt equally in the long run. Her mom had trusted in love, and that was stupid. Her mom had built her whole life on the premise that she was half of a perfect couple, and now she wasn't anything. She was a cartoon character, walking around the house, emptying ashtrays that didn't need emptying, cooking big meals that no one could eat, changing sheets that didn't need changing, and it was all so stupid because she should've known. She should've known!
Laura urges Peter to take their relationship public by taking her to the homecoming dance, but realizing he ruined a good thing with Madison, Peter charms his ex back. Attending the dance with Madison, Peter not only stands Laura up on the night of, but his younger brother Niles pays Laura a visit in the hopes she'll put out for him too. Forcing himself on her, Niles is fought off by Laura, but subjects her to a stream of insults before he leaves. Shame and a bottle of sleeping pills spell Laura's resignation not only from the Daughters of Eve, but force her to leave Modesta. Miss Stark--aware that Laura had gotten herself into a sexual relationship she wasn't equipped to handle--is able to determine the identity of the creep with Kristy and Madison.
"That bastard! Freaking bastard!" Madison brought her clenched fist crashing down on the surface of the table. "And I thought he'd changed, that he really cared about me and about our relationship! How could I have been such an idiot!"
"You're not an idiot," Tammy said, trying to soothe her. "You believed what he said, and why shouldn't you? There was no way you could've guessed this was going on with Laura."
"I believed him because I wanted to, that's what was stupid. And Laura--well, at least she had the excuse of not having a lot of experience. I can see where she might fall for this crap, but with me--I've been going out with guys since middle school! I should've known better!"
"So should Laura," Kelly said coldly. "Maybe she hasn't had dating experience, but she had a dad who walked out on her and on her mom. That should be enough right there to teach her that you can't trust men."
"We don't really know--" Ann began.
"Of course we do! Irene and I had a long talk about that very thing the other night. All of us know a whole lot of things deep inside, but we close our eyes and our minds to them. Like Madison just said. We believe what we want to believe. It's easier than standing up for ourselves."
Lois Duncan sculpts with a blunt instrument. Inspired to write about a fanatical, charismatic adult who exerts influence among his pupils, Duncan's story morphed from one about a youth pastor to one about a feminist high school teacher. As a result, some feminists have accused the author of anti-feminist bias while some anti-feminists believe that Duncan is as guilty as Miss Irene Stark of pushing a feminist agenda on teenagers. Miss Stark isn't chiseled with a great deal of nuance and some of her counseling techniques seem completely inappropriate for a story taking place in 2012. Then again, if Modesta is lost in a time warp, maybe Miss Stark knew she could get away with more.
The novel is titled Daughters of Eve and its power is its raw, honest depiction of teenage girls who are strong together but vulnerable to the priorities and whims of adults when alone. The club meetings evolve into discussions of gender inequality and as the teenagers begin to ask questions, I found it fascinating how many of them thought that the problem was in some other family, rarely their own. Unwilling to write about a club and focus only on two or three characters, Duncan's inkwell is deep here. She's able to explore not only gender inequality, but domestic and sexual violence, abortion and the less overt pressures women experience daily to subordinate their lives.
The broad canvas of the novel also has the effect of multiplying the suspense. Duncan does a skillful job of placing her characters into positions of vulnerability in very short amount of time. The author draws out whether Madison will have sex with her creep boyfriend or Ann will reject her scholarship to marry or Jane will suffer the same domestic violence as her mother. If it sounds over-the-top, it is, but Daughters of Eve doesn't need to manufacture its evils. Duncan exposes how many exist under the surface of the perfect high school and explores ways to survive them. By the last page, there wasn't any doubt I was being let go from the grip of a master storyteller.
June 21, 2016
A complete load of old nonsense. That anyone could think this is a feminist novel beggars belief. Nearly every man in it is awful, but the girls and their teacher are villainised for saying so. In fact, the teacher is flagged as a villain from the get go, leaving the reader in little doubt as to the message being drilled home here.
If Irene Stark is the villain, driven "mad" by bitterness and resentment at her position in life, then of course everything she says and recommends must be viewed with suspicion. Yet the things she says, by and large, are perfectly reasonable. She suggests it's wrong that a girl is expected to clear up after her brothers. She thinks driving a girl to suicide deserves some kind of action. She believes a girl should have an abortion if she wishes, so she can pursue her dreams. And she thinks girls are justified in being angry when their school robs money they raised to fund a soccer program for them.
I mean, what the hell is wrong with any of that? There's literally nothing radical about those points of view. Even the actions she encourages are as tame as can be. Shaving a head? Smearing poop around a classroom? Chopping up a desk?
Wow someone call the FBI, quick. Hopefully they have a school prank department.
The problem is though, everyone reacts like this is crazed feminism gone mad. Even the girls themselves are like WHAT HAVE WE BECOME. You'd think they were going round butchering every man in sight the way they go on about it.
And then to cap it off, one of the girls DOES kill a man. For almost killing her mother and threatening to kill her. Only it's painted like she just went bonkers because of that awful feminazi instead of you know snapping because her Father was psychotic wife beater who just committed attempted murder.
I mean, what am I supposed to think of that? What are we supposed to take away from this?
Ooooh don't get mad that your friend tried to kill herself girls, you might go down the terrible slippery slope of shaving a guy's head! Never expect to have an afternoon off from clearing up after your gross brothers ladies, next thing you know you'll be justifiably mad that your school doesn't give a shit about girls in sports! Watch out for your teacher telling you feminist things - they might force you to defend yourself against your murderous Father!
I award this book no stars, and may God have mercy on its soul.
If Irene Stark is the villain, driven "mad" by bitterness and resentment at her position in life, then of course everything she says and recommends must be viewed with suspicion. Yet the things she says, by and large, are perfectly reasonable. She suggests it's wrong that a girl is expected to clear up after her brothers. She thinks driving a girl to suicide deserves some kind of action. She believes a girl should have an abortion if she wishes, so she can pursue her dreams. And she thinks girls are justified in being angry when their school robs money they raised to fund a soccer program for them.
I mean, what the hell is wrong with any of that? There's literally nothing radical about those points of view. Even the actions she encourages are as tame as can be. Shaving a head? Smearing poop around a classroom? Chopping up a desk?
Wow someone call the FBI, quick. Hopefully they have a school prank department.
The problem is though, everyone reacts like this is crazed feminism gone mad. Even the girls themselves are like WHAT HAVE WE BECOME. You'd think they were going round butchering every man in sight the way they go on about it.
And then to cap it off, one of the girls DOES kill a man. For almost killing her mother and threatening to kill her. Only it's painted like she just went bonkers because of that awful feminazi instead of you know snapping because her Father was psychotic wife beater who just committed attempted murder.
I mean, what am I supposed to think of that? What are we supposed to take away from this?
Ooooh don't get mad that your friend tried to kill herself girls, you might go down the terrible slippery slope of shaving a guy's head! Never expect to have an afternoon off from clearing up after your gross brothers ladies, next thing you know you'll be justifiably mad that your school doesn't give a shit about girls in sports! Watch out for your teacher telling you feminist things - they might force you to defend yourself against your murderous Father!
I award this book no stars, and may God have mercy on its soul.
September 18, 2007
A straight-up anti-feminist screed, and an embarrassment that Lois Duncan should be ashamed of herself for having written. The whole thing was so dreadful and offensive that I stole it from the Englewood Public Library in New Jersey so that no young minds would be tainted by it. (Yes, I know it was wrong. The only excuse I have is that I was in my early 20s at the time.)
The plot, as I remember it, is that a woman teacher, who’s your run-of-the-mill man-hating, ugly, radical feminist lesbian, takes over a girls' club and indoctrinates them all with her evil philosophy, turning them all into man-hating harpies just like her. Only one girl – one of the pretty ones, of course – is able to stand up and say, “No! No! Men are not all bad! There are good men!” and they shout her down. One of the girls winds up murdering her father with a cast-iron skillet. Does she do this because he beats her mother, putting the mother in the hospital, and threatens to beat and rape the daughter now that the mother isn’t there to kick around any more? Nope -- it’s because she’s been corrupted by feminism!
The moral of Duncan’s story is that feminism is not only a hateful philosophy, leading to irrational man-hating and probably lesbianism too, but also to patricide. This book was the most irresponsible, twisted piece of shit I’ve ever read. Issues much, Lois?
The plot, as I remember it, is that a woman teacher, who’s your run-of-the-mill man-hating, ugly, radical feminist lesbian, takes over a girls' club and indoctrinates them all with her evil philosophy, turning them all into man-hating harpies just like her. Only one girl – one of the pretty ones, of course – is able to stand up and say, “No! No! Men are not all bad! There are good men!” and they shout her down. One of the girls winds up murdering her father with a cast-iron skillet. Does she do this because he beats her mother, putting the mother in the hospital, and threatens to beat and rape the daughter now that the mother isn’t there to kick around any more? Nope -- it’s because she’s been corrupted by feminism!
The moral of Duncan’s story is that feminism is not only a hateful philosophy, leading to irrational man-hating and probably lesbianism too, but also to patricide. This book was the most irresponsible, twisted piece of shit I’ve ever read. Issues much, Lois?
March 27, 2015
If you don't mind being disgusted, read this book; it's very good.
The men in Daughters of Eve are horrific, and some of the women are giving them a run for their money. I think there is one decent male character in the entire book.
The story takes place in 1979, but you would think it was 1949. One girl's father still believes that only females should wash dishes, tend to younger siblings, and clean up any mess that a male makes around the house. Ruth is not allowed to do anything outside of school ever, while her brothers run free. They even tell their mother what they will and won't do, and the father backs them up. Sick stuff.
Another girl has a father who beats his wife every Friday, and the mother says it's because she got on his nerves and it's her fault because she should know how hard he works and not give him trouble.
Another poor pitiful soul named Laura is a big fat monster. She has the nerve to weigh 160 pounds. How awful! She's a beast. The book describes her as huge, so massive she has many chins. Really? At 160 she would have to be like 4'0" to look anywhere near as big as that. I'm sure she was at least 5'0", so I have no clue why they described her to be as large as bigfoot in girth.
Irene is a bitter woman, but look at the crap she has had to put up with. Who can blame her for being crazy.
I don't think I have ever hated so many characters in one book.
Here is my usual gripe. The book was written in 1979, so yes, it's dated! Why people act surprised by the fact that a book from 1979 is dated is beyond me. Here is a tip, if you read Wuthering Heights, it will be dated.
The men in Daughters of Eve are horrific, and some of the women are giving them a run for their money. I think there is one decent male character in the entire book.
The story takes place in 1979, but you would think it was 1949. One girl's father still believes that only females should wash dishes, tend to younger siblings, and clean up any mess that a male makes around the house. Ruth is not allowed to do anything outside of school ever, while her brothers run free. They even tell their mother what they will and won't do, and the father backs them up. Sick stuff.
Another girl has a father who beats his wife every Friday, and the mother says it's because she got on his nerves and it's her fault because she should know how hard he works and not give him trouble.
Another poor pitiful soul named Laura is a big fat monster. She has the nerve to weigh 160 pounds. How awful! She's a beast. The book describes her as huge, so massive she has many chins. Really? At 160 she would have to be like 4'0" to look anywhere near as big as that. I'm sure she was at least 5'0", so I have no clue why they described her to be as large as bigfoot in girth.
Irene is a bitter woman, but look at the crap she has had to put up with. Who can blame her for being crazy.
I don't think I have ever hated so many characters in one book.
Here is my usual gripe. The book was written in 1979, so yes, it's dated! Why people act surprised by the fact that a book from 1979 is dated is beyond me. Here is a tip, if you read Wuthering Heights, it will be dated.
May 1, 2009
One summer when I was a teenager I read almost every book every written by Lois Duncan. I was really into suspense stories at the time, and I remember just devouring every one of her books I could get my hands on. Out of all the titles I checked out of the library that summer, Daughters of Eve and Stranger With My Face were the two that left a lasting impression on me,so much so that I bought my own copies. They still stay with me almost 10 years later.
Daughters of Eve is a great read- but very different from Duncan’s other books as there is no real “supernatural” aspect to it. It is more psychological. The story surrounds a a secret society called "The Daughters of Eve," set up by a feminist high school teacher and a handful of her female pupils. Each of these students are different but have the commonality of having been hurt or abused by a male at some point in their lives. Of course, the society becomes a little too hard core and takes their man-hating to dangerous extremes. The book ends on a gruesome, open-ended climax that leaves you staring at the last sentence, wide eyed, with your mouth gaping open.
I honestly don’t know what the author’s agenda was with this book- whether she is a feminist herself or whether she was writing this book as a backlash to the feminist movement in the 1970’s. I myself wasn't offended by it either way, but rather intrigued by it. Whatever her intention, she tells one compelling story.
Daughters of Eve is a great read- but very different from Duncan’s other books as there is no real “supernatural” aspect to it. It is more psychological. The story surrounds a a secret society called "The Daughters of Eve," set up by a feminist high school teacher and a handful of her female pupils. Each of these students are different but have the commonality of having been hurt or abused by a male at some point in their lives. Of course, the society becomes a little too hard core and takes their man-hating to dangerous extremes. The book ends on a gruesome, open-ended climax that leaves you staring at the last sentence, wide eyed, with your mouth gaping open.
I honestly don’t know what the author’s agenda was with this book- whether she is a feminist herself or whether she was writing this book as a backlash to the feminist movement in the 1970’s. I myself wasn't offended by it either way, but rather intrigued by it. Whatever her intention, she tells one compelling story.
October 14, 2024
I can see myself liking this book more if I read it as a teen, or even if I read the physical copy. The narrator was grating on my ears. I came into the one right after a wonderful and professional narrator and then I am here with a teenage girl persona. I honestly think the narrator of this got the character age down well, but to be honest it's not an age that is fun to listen for me.
There wasn't anything glaringly wrong with the writing by Lois Duncan, it just wasn't the book for me. I like that she is introducing horror to this age group, and I definitely recommend it for younger audiences in the Teen age group. The secret society was Mean Girls in a horror movie type of feel, haha.
I was not a HUGE fan of the constant male bashing. As a mother of a son, this is a dangerous mindset to uphold at this age. I have already seen a fair amount of power-hungry females, and my son is only in 4th grade. That definitely was somewhat annoying as a reader. She-Woman man-hating catty girl society.
While I am NEVER supportive of banning books, I can see why there would be a problem with some of the topics, but then just talk to your child about it, don't ban it. Have open communication parents.
2.5 stars for me.
There wasn't anything glaringly wrong with the writing by Lois Duncan, it just wasn't the book for me. I like that she is introducing horror to this age group, and I definitely recommend it for younger audiences in the Teen age group. The secret society was Mean Girls in a horror movie type of feel, haha.
I was not a HUGE fan of the constant male bashing. As a mother of a son, this is a dangerous mindset to uphold at this age. I have already seen a fair amount of power-hungry females, and my son is only in 4th grade. That definitely was somewhat annoying as a reader. She-Woman man-hating catty girl society.
While I am NEVER supportive of banning books, I can see why there would be a problem with some of the topics, but then just talk to your child about it, don't ban it. Have open communication parents.
2.5 stars for me.
March 24, 2011
This and A Gift of Magic are my two ultimate favorite Lois Duncan books. Not only is her writing style amazing, but these topics felt real to me when I read them the first time, and I still enjoy them now.
In Daughters of Eve, we have a bit of a popular-girls high school setting, but not in the way you would expect. Irene, a teacher, picks those girls who need friendship most and brings them together to create something good, something feminine and powerful. The only drawback is that Irene has a bone to pick and wants to get back at men for cruelties she was subjected to as a younger woman. That is where the dark, horror-esque type genre comes in to play. All of a sudden it's girls vs boys where the girls have taken up Irene's feelings and are lashing out at society males as a whole.
Like I said before, the writing is superb, especially for a YA book. I was engrossed the whole time I read this and I would recommend it to all YA fans but also a bit older generation. The topics discussed in this book that Duncan tries to garner attention for are still alive today. They are set in a more drastic light (I believe a bit more of who women were treated in the 60's) but there are still injustices today.
All of the underlying stories of the individual girls were also so great to read about. There is at least one character who you feel connected with! A great book, and one that I'd read over and over.
In Daughters of Eve, we have a bit of a popular-girls high school setting, but not in the way you would expect. Irene, a teacher, picks those girls who need friendship most and brings them together to create something good, something feminine and powerful. The only drawback is that Irene has a bone to pick and wants to get back at men for cruelties she was subjected to as a younger woman. That is where the dark, horror-esque type genre comes in to play. All of a sudden it's girls vs boys where the girls have taken up Irene's feelings and are lashing out at society males as a whole.
Like I said before, the writing is superb, especially for a YA book. I was engrossed the whole time I read this and I would recommend it to all YA fans but also a bit older generation. The topics discussed in this book that Duncan tries to garner attention for are still alive today. They are set in a more drastic light (I believe a bit more of who women were treated in the 60's) but there are still injustices today.
All of the underlying stories of the individual girls were also so great to read about. There is at least one character who you feel connected with! A great book, and one that I'd read over and over.
December 3, 2011
Oh my god! This book! There are instances when I can't read another word because the situation about on how women are treated are just too much. The men are very offensive and they act like they own the world. Toward the middle when the girls are realizing their worth, I was given some sort of ease. But the story turned again. Ms. Irene Stark their club sponsor is a man-hater-psycho-bitch! And I got the impression that she's trying to turn the girls into man haters too, which is like pretty much the same thing the men does to women. So much prejudice on both sides! It took quite some time for me to finish the book because I have no idea if I should like it hate it. I mean, its good that the book was about how women learn to take a stand against sexism but the characters turned into twisted psychos who will hurt men when they think that they are being wronged. The ending of the book was also one of those WTF moments.. I mean really? how? what happened next? There was no closure! Well maybe if you count 1 sentence explaining what happened to each character after three years!
July 31, 2012
I don't think this book is about feminism but about extremism. I think it brings up a lot of great points for its time.
September 16, 2018
I’m angry! The story wasn’t really wrapped up, and justice wasn’t restored. Also, the “modernized” text meant clunkily substituting CDs and iPods for records, and cellphones and email for landlines and letters. Very annoying. I’m going to read the original edition if I can find it.
The story was gripping indeed, but it should have been longer to better finish all the stories. And as I said, right and justice did not prevail, which felt both unsatisfying and unrealistic.
This trend of updating decades-old books for the new generation really bugs me. Do they think we’re too dumb to notice the contrast between tone and tech? This book is obviously from 1979, and no tech can hide that. Do they think having the current devices in a book is more important to us than plot, character, and theme? Heck, I think people were realer in 1979! All this revision does is add a weird, distracting anachronistic feeling to the book.
Enough complaining. This was a real page-turner. Must find real book.
Update: it seems that they even changed some of the names to make them more hip! Frustrated groan.
The story was gripping indeed, but it should have been longer to better finish all the stories. And as I said, right and justice did not prevail, which felt both unsatisfying and unrealistic.
This trend of updating decades-old books for the new generation really bugs me. Do they think we’re too dumb to notice the contrast between tone and tech? This book is obviously from 1979, and no tech can hide that. Do they think having the current devices in a book is more important to us than plot, character, and theme? Heck, I think people were realer in 1979! All this revision does is add a weird, distracting anachronistic feeling to the book.
Enough complaining. This was a real page-turner. Must find real book.
Update: it seems that they even changed some of the names to make them more hip! Frustrated groan.
March 30, 2017
Great book. Loved this one, too. Would love to own the versions of Duncan's book I had as a teen. I think they fell apart from reading so often.
June 2016: Updating to say I'm sorry to hear of Duncan's death. Daughters of Eve made a huge impression on me. I think it's often misinterpreted as anti-feminist. But I disagree. Observing these girls as they discover self value was enlightening.
June 2016: Updating to say I'm sorry to hear of Duncan's death. Daughters of Eve made a huge impression on me. I think it's often misinterpreted as anti-feminist. But I disagree. Observing these girls as they discover self value was enlightening.
April 30, 2018
'How about some coffee?' her husband said now. His eyes were back on the newspaper.
'It's on, and the cups are in the drying rack.'
'I didn't ask you where it was. I said, how about some?'
'I know. I'm sorry.' Edna Grange got to her feet and went into the kitchen and poured his coffee.
This book was originally published in 1979. And now, here I sit reading in the year of our Lord two thousand and seventeen. And it is still painfully relevant. Body shaming, gender roles, bodily autonomy are still issues dealt with every day. There are still deserving women being passed over for promotions, in favor of their male colleagues. Girls are still dating manipulative boys like Peter. Domestic abuse is still an every day occurrence.
However, I do not think Daughters of Eve is as black and white as many reviewers are making it out to be.
While there are absolutely feminist themes and the condemnation of sexism, it didn't feel like the book was trying to be decidedly feminist or antifeminist. To me, this reads more as an ensemble piece about a cult with a malevolent leader. The novel cautions against radicalism, not feminism in and of itself. Was it a perfect book? No, but Duncan told a haunting, gripping story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
'It's on, and the cups are in the drying rack.'
'I didn't ask you where it was. I said, how about some?'
'I know. I'm sorry.' Edna Grange got to her feet and went into the kitchen and poured his coffee.
This book was originally published in 1979. And now, here I sit reading in the year of our Lord two thousand and seventeen. And it is still painfully relevant. Body shaming, gender roles, bodily autonomy are still issues dealt with every day. There are still deserving women being passed over for promotions, in favor of their male colleagues. Girls are still dating manipulative boys like Peter. Domestic abuse is still an every day occurrence.
However, I do not think Daughters of Eve is as black and white as many reviewers are making it out to be.
While there are absolutely feminist themes and the condemnation of sexism, it didn't feel like the book was trying to be decidedly feminist or antifeminist. To me, this reads more as an ensemble piece about a cult with a malevolent leader. The novel cautions against radicalism, not feminism in and of itself. Was it a perfect book? No, but Duncan told a haunting, gripping story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.
January 11, 2010
This could have been a really good book, but the characters were all such stereotypes, it was hard to feel anything for any of them. There was this weird undertone that I couldn't figure out as well. Was the author trying to be pro-strong independent female? If so, she was so heavy handed that it made you almost root against the girls and their journey to independence. It was like she was saying in order to be a strong, independent woman, you have to hate men. That's so far from the truth, in my opinion. The male characters were all one diminesional and evil. The female characters were weak, until they decided to go off the deep end. And then they were just crazy females. Blah. Not a good book.
October 29, 2014
By about page 75, I was like "Yes, I get it, there is gender inequality. Enough already...what is the plot? Where are we going?" My main problem with this book is that there are just too many characters. I found myself having a hard time keeping some of the girls straight because the author has about ten girls but she takes a long time to come back to each of them. Then there's a bizarre anti-climactic climax with a page and a half denouement at the end. Meh. It's just meh.
January 17, 2018
Lois Duncan man - what a woman way ahead of the times. This book hits all points of discussion within feminism: misogyny, sexism, chauvinism, abortion/the right to choose, ALL the points. This definitely will point young adults into the discussion of feminism, women's rights, conservatism, and (I hope) the idea of going a little too far in being a super radical whatever.
September 29, 2024
This book was so good and she is an amazing author. This was written in 1979 and still holds up. Very interesting and original characters and storylines.
July 7, 2024
This book was very interesting but It was too short and I just did not like how it ended :),but I would still recommend.
August 12, 2017
I listened to the audio version and quite enjoyed this. It's the story of the Daughter's of Eve, which is an exclusive girls club in backwater Modesta. Duncan dishes out an interesting cast of characters. There's the overweight, insecure girl, the pretty, popular girl, a science enthusiast, an artist in love with a local farmer, a girl living in a home full of domestic abuse, a musician, and the teacher's daughter with a touch of ESP. The teacher-mentor of the club is a real piece of work. She got the shaft at her old job and in her old relationship and is now hard-core feminist with a chip in her shoulder. She's like a sister to the girls and wields a lot of influence.
I'm always looking for a message by the author and this threw me a little. The teacher begins to point out the subtle and not so subtle biases and prejudices the girls are facing in their lives. While some of the chauvinistic attitudes feel a bit dated, it doesn't necessarily make them less true and relevant, even today. But then the twist. . . The girls go Rambo in addressing these issues. Then it starts to feel like a cautionary tale of rampant feminism. In the end, I decided to look at it as a cautionary tale of extremism.
This would be a 4 rating for me but for a few things. The transformation some of these girls go through seems too extreme. What this teacher does is too extreme. And the wrap-up feel unsatisfactory. It ends and then we get a flash-forward to what these girls are doing years later. Nonetheless, the story is entertaining and thought provoking regarding the hurdles women face in society. With such a broad cast of characters, Duncan does pretty well making them all interesting and telling their stories and addressing particular issues such as domestic abuse and low self-esteem sex and it's impact on vulnerable teenagers. Recommended.
I'm always looking for a message by the author and this threw me a little. The teacher begins to point out the subtle and not so subtle biases and prejudices the girls are facing in their lives. While some of the chauvinistic attitudes feel a bit dated, it doesn't necessarily make them less true and relevant, even today. But then the twist. . . The girls go Rambo in addressing these issues. Then it starts to feel like a cautionary tale of rampant feminism. In the end, I decided to look at it as a cautionary tale of extremism.
This would be a 4 rating for me but for a few things. The transformation some of these girls go through seems too extreme. What this teacher does is too extreme. And the wrap-up feel unsatisfactory. It ends and then we get a flash-forward to what these girls are doing years later. Nonetheless, the story is entertaining and thought provoking regarding the hurdles women face in society. With such a broad cast of characters, Duncan does pretty well making them all interesting and telling their stories and addressing particular issues such as domestic abuse and low self-esteem sex and it's impact on vulnerable teenagers. Recommended.
March 10, 2017
Hard to catch my breath after things started speeding up and forgot some of whom the main characters were. From the beginning, "Daughters of Eve" is a thriller/YA/paranormal book geared towards adults. I didn't think I'd like this at first but the book, even though it was written in 1979 then edited in 1990 was very well written. The situations in the plot still unfortunately ring true today and makes you more angry that almost nothing has changed. The story takes place in fictional "Modesta, Michigan" during the start of fall classes at the Modesta high school. A group of ten girls calling themselves "Daughters of Eve" are voting in 3 new members to replace the graduating seniors. They soon come under the influence of a charismatic art teacher named Irene Stark who's transferred from Chi-town(Chicago) and volunteered to be their sponsor. Preaching the gospel of women's liberation and feminism the girls are worked up into a man-hating lynch mob ready to exact some revenge. They had a right to be angry because their voices weren't heard, they were belittled and expected to be grateful for whatever attention the men dished out. But the men/boys in this story were more like monsters and jerks. There was only one man in the story maybe two who were normal. I don't want to include any spoilers but I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book (don't usually read YA) and I couldn't put it down until I found out the outcome from all the hate that was slowly building to a brutal act of revenge. But two of our main characters couldn't go along with the mob mentality any longer and thought things were getting out of hand then removed themselves from the source and the club. At the end, the author had a message to convey and it's up to the reader to put the pieces together. The epilogue gives the result from this revolution and where each of the 11 including Ms. Stark landed in the 3 year aftermath. Recommended!
October 1, 2012
This book has not aged well. Daughters of Eve is about an exclusive club of high school girls who find power in their sisterhood, and then use that power for revenge. Each of the 10 girls in the group is dealing with some form of sexism, but it is their teacher, a bitter, wronged woman, who leads them down a dark path.
There is no subtlety to Daughters of Eve. The reader is knocked over the head with the unfairness of being female (at least being female in the 1970's), and many of the male characters are completely evil - one guy uses one of the Daughters for sex and then stands her up for the Homecoming Dance; another Daughter has an abusive father; one father casually uses the word "fag". The personalities of some of the girls change unbelievably from caring friends to violent troublemakers. The parents seem to think the only thing these girls can accomplish is to get married and have children, and the sooner the better. It was hard to care very much about these characters when everything seemed so exaggerated. Maybe this was more realistic when the book came out in 1979, but I think most girls today would have a hard time relating to this. And the John Denver reference made me laugh out loud.
There is no subtlety to Daughters of Eve. The reader is knocked over the head with the unfairness of being female (at least being female in the 1970's), and many of the male characters are completely evil - one guy uses one of the Daughters for sex and then stands her up for the Homecoming Dance; another Daughter has an abusive father; one father casually uses the word "fag". The personalities of some of the girls change unbelievably from caring friends to violent troublemakers. The parents seem to think the only thing these girls can accomplish is to get married and have children, and the sooner the better. It was hard to care very much about these characters when everything seemed so exaggerated. Maybe this was more realistic when the book came out in 1979, but I think most girls today would have a hard time relating to this. And the John Denver reference made me laugh out loud.
July 23, 2009
Probably the worst book I've ever read in my life, and I've read some TERRIBLE books in my lifetime. This book vilifies feminism (I don't know if this was Lois Duncan's intention, seeing as she's a woman and thereby generalizing that she's cool with her sex) and makes most of her female characters such little wimps. The women with true, for lack of a better word, balls are met with such contempt and then punished at the end.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but god damn it, my spider-sense was tingling the whole time. Something was off. This whole book is off.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but god damn it, my spider-sense was tingling the whole time. Something was off. This whole book is off.
June 8, 2008
I just re-read this. It was one of my favorite teen books...it shows just how easily people can be twisted by left-wing radicalism and how one-sided and scary those view points can be.
June 16, 2025
I read this with my book club that I run on Instagram where we revisit Point Horror and other books from our childhood - @talespointhorrorbookclub
Tagline - All for one and revenge for all.
Memorable For – Incorporating feminist themes with a range of different characters and story arcs
Some Thoughts -
The girls at Modesta High School host a meeting every Monday after school, The Daughters Of Eve, kind of secret society bound by sisterhood and loyalty. Sponsored by their new art teacher, Ms. Stark, they band together and are encouraged to take action against the sexism and such in their community. Initially subtle, the girls start to feel empowered but Ms. Stark urges them to take more stronger action, and things take a turn into vengeance and escalates into something more than they bargained for.
The story interweaves each girls individual story arcs and family lives through multiple points of view which works well for the flow of the story it’s telling.
The novel explores themes of domestic violence, abortion, sexual conduct as well as feminism and anti feminism which are all consistent throughout the book.
Other highlights include a yukky boy who gets his just desserts, portrayals of good, bad and choices that are and can be made, choices that are not just black and white but also grey, a dramatic ending and an interesting epilogue!
As with other Lois Duncan books the writing is rich and really makes you think and feel. This book was written in 1979 and I read this in so much awe of Duncan for having written such a book for its time and that is still so relevant today!
One’s things for sure, I’m so happy to have read this book, for me it just struck so much of a cord, it made me happy, it made me angry, it made me sad, it made me thoughtful and with the themes it covers I feel this is a good range of emotions to have had especially for a book of its time.
Have you read Daughters Of Eve? What did you think?
Tagline - All for one and revenge for all.
Memorable For – Incorporating feminist themes with a range of different characters and story arcs
Some Thoughts -
The girls at Modesta High School host a meeting every Monday after school, The Daughters Of Eve, kind of secret society bound by sisterhood and loyalty. Sponsored by their new art teacher, Ms. Stark, they band together and are encouraged to take action against the sexism and such in their community. Initially subtle, the girls start to feel empowered but Ms. Stark urges them to take more stronger action, and things take a turn into vengeance and escalates into something more than they bargained for.
The story interweaves each girls individual story arcs and family lives through multiple points of view which works well for the flow of the story it’s telling.
The novel explores themes of domestic violence, abortion, sexual conduct as well as feminism and anti feminism which are all consistent throughout the book.
Other highlights include a yukky boy who gets his just desserts, portrayals of good, bad and choices that are and can be made, choices that are not just black and white but also grey, a dramatic ending and an interesting epilogue!
As with other Lois Duncan books the writing is rich and really makes you think and feel. This book was written in 1979 and I read this in so much awe of Duncan for having written such a book for its time and that is still so relevant today!
One’s things for sure, I’m so happy to have read this book, for me it just struck so much of a cord, it made me happy, it made me angry, it made me sad, it made me thoughtful and with the themes it covers I feel this is a good range of emotions to have had especially for a book of its time.
Have you read Daughters Of Eve? What did you think?
June 14, 2025
At Modesta High School there is a secret society called the Daughters of Eve, ten members all bound by a vow of secrecy and sisterhood. When 3 new members are invited and with art teacher and sponsor, Irene’s encouragement they take action against the misogyny and unfairness in their small town.
A controversial book when it was released in the late 70’s it is still shockingly relevant today. The casual sexism, the underlying and obvious domestic violence is infuriating but this is not a black and white revenge tale. The teacher, Irene, is bitter and manipulative, turning the girls against every man in their life. Now, some of the men deserve it, no doubt, but instead of empowering the girls to stand up and find their voice they quickly descend into horrifying acts of violence and retribution.
A fascinating story of young women realising the world is unfair and the rage that comes with that understanding, I get it, I’ve felt it and I loved this book.
A controversial book when it was released in the late 70’s it is still shockingly relevant today. The casual sexism, the underlying and obvious domestic violence is infuriating but this is not a black and white revenge tale. The teacher, Irene, is bitter and manipulative, turning the girls against every man in their life. Now, some of the men deserve it, no doubt, but instead of empowering the girls to stand up and find their voice they quickly descend into horrifying acts of violence and retribution.
A fascinating story of young women realising the world is unfair and the rage that comes with that understanding, I get it, I’ve felt it and I loved this book.
October 4, 2023
This is a dangerous book and should be banned 😁
Read for banned books week and very glad for this experience. So many cringe quotable lines! At first, it seems like high school girls are reacting to the patriarchy and wondering: is the author writing a cautionary tale about bad things that happen when you try to be a feminist? Or is the author telling us a horror story about the bad things that actually do happen when girls try to be feminist [in the 1970’s…there were some minor updates to modernize the book, but the mentality remains very pre-internet and pre-social media].
I feel like it was the latter and the author was a feminist trying to call attention to the ridiculous BS. I was rolling my eyes and laughing every time a situation came up….The older brother won’t babysit because it’s a girls job, The mom who works only to save money for her sons (and not her daughters) college fund, and plenty of even worse examples.
Tarot card: The Hierophant
Read for banned books week and very glad for this experience. So many cringe quotable lines! At first, it seems like high school girls are reacting to the patriarchy and wondering: is the author writing a cautionary tale about bad things that happen when you try to be a feminist? Or is the author telling us a horror story about the bad things that actually do happen when girls try to be feminist [in the 1970’s…there were some minor updates to modernize the book, but the mentality remains very pre-internet and pre-social media].
I feel like it was the latter and the author was a feminist trying to call attention to the ridiculous BS. I was rolling my eyes and laughing every time a situation came up….The older brother won’t babysit because it’s a girls job, The mom who works only to save money for her sons (and not her daughters) college fund, and plenty of even worse examples.
Tarot card: The Hierophant
February 1, 2024
Didn't feel as wild as other Lois Duncan books, like there was no astral projection or psychotic hillbilly trying to seduce a grown man. There's been a lot of discussion over the years about whether this is feminist or anti-feminist. When I read it as a kid, I loved Irene Stark so much, and I was disappointed in what I saw as Duncan making Stark seem crazy. Rereading it, I can see all the hints of Stark being a "crazy feminist" that I missed when I was 12. Knowing what I do about the time period when Duncan would've written this, it definitely reads to me that Stark is supposed to be an example of feminism gone too far. It's still fairly fun to read, just not as fun as other Duncan books.
December 4, 2018
Oh my god, I loved this book. This was so good. I saw some other review that saw this as staunchly anti-feminist or man-hating or whatnot, but honestly? This book basically goes to show that feminism is a good thing, connecting with your female friends and defending them is a good thing (the text supports this through analysis of its then-contemporary society), and that becoming violent and antagonistic via one's beliefs are bad things.
That being said, even the "violent" and "antagonistic" things they did were completely understandable, which the exception of that one spoiler-free thing they did in which they didn't have all the facts. (But given what facts they did have, it makes sense, given that those types of spoiler-free things still happen today). I mean...men are violent and antagonistic towards women all the time. They've caused countless health issues, self-esteem issues, and, well, being still alive issues. So why not give them a taste of their own medicine? Maybe then they'll stop being so shitty to women.
This is a book about female rage about the injustices done to them. And why shouldn't they feel this rage? This book takes on the analysis of various struggles women have, such as being fat, being in an abusive household, of being unjustly denied promotion and hiring, of being tied down and prevented from pursuing dreams. There are so many unjustices, and even today their reactions ring true. I felt vindicated through this book.
Maybe that makes me a man-hater. It probably does. Oh well. What's new about that?
It's been so long in which I've seen female characters rightfully angry and violently angry. Anger is supposed to be compartmentalized, shoved deeper and deeper, as it's our lot in life. But through their teacher, these teenage girls learn to unlock that anger, to really understand just what life has given them, what they need to take back.
This was an incredible book that I honestly think should still be read today, should be in the teenage canon, the feminist lit canon. I highly recommend this to anyone who's angry, ready to learn about their oppression, ready to quit being complicit in their own oppression. Vivent les femmes, y'all.
Review cross-listed here!
That being said, even the "violent" and "antagonistic" things they did were completely understandable, which the exception of that one spoiler-free thing they did in which they didn't have all the facts. (But given what facts they did have, it makes sense, given that those types of spoiler-free things still happen today). I mean...men are violent and antagonistic towards women all the time. They've caused countless health issues, self-esteem issues, and, well, being still alive issues. So why not give them a taste of their own medicine? Maybe then they'll stop being so shitty to women.
This is a book about female rage about the injustices done to them. And why shouldn't they feel this rage? This book takes on the analysis of various struggles women have, such as being fat, being in an abusive household, of being unjustly denied promotion and hiring, of being tied down and prevented from pursuing dreams. There are so many unjustices, and even today their reactions ring true. I felt vindicated through this book.
Maybe that makes me a man-hater. It probably does. Oh well. What's new about that?
It's been so long in which I've seen female characters rightfully angry and violently angry. Anger is supposed to be compartmentalized, shoved deeper and deeper, as it's our lot in life. But through their teacher, these teenage girls learn to unlock that anger, to really understand just what life has given them, what they need to take back.
This was an incredible book that I honestly think should still be read today, should be in the teenage canon, the feminist lit canon. I highly recommend this to anyone who's angry, ready to learn about their oppression, ready to quit being complicit in their own oppression. Vivent les femmes, y'all.
Review cross-listed here!
March 24, 2024
7/14/18 The original is so much better! Leave this book in its original setting as a story about 10 girls who become the best and worst versions of themselves as they take on sexism in the late 1970s, as led by the radical advisor of an exclusive high school club, Daughters of Eve.
6/26/18 This was my favorite of the Lois Duncan books when I was younger. I was fascinated by these 10 girls with discinct personalities and their ultra feminist club advisor. This particular edition was published in 2011. My first clue that this wasn't the same book I read in the 1980s and 1990s was when I saw the name Erika. I couldn't remember that name from the first book, but simply thought that with 10 girls I couldn't remember all the names. Then I saw the name Madison Ellis. Hmm . . . I swore that one of the character's name was Bambi. She was blond, she was beautiful. She was exactly what the name suggested to me. Plus I couldn't remember the name Madison being used much (if at all) in the early 80s. A little digging led me to find out names along with a few other details were changed in this revision! Erika was previously Fran, Madison was Bambi and Kristy was Ruth! Now I want to read a copy of the original as a comparison!
6/26/18 This was my favorite of the Lois Duncan books when I was younger. I was fascinated by these 10 girls with discinct personalities and their ultra feminist club advisor. This particular edition was published in 2011. My first clue that this wasn't the same book I read in the 1980s and 1990s was when I saw the name Erika. I couldn't remember that name from the first book, but simply thought that with 10 girls I couldn't remember all the names. Then I saw the name Madison Ellis. Hmm . . . I swore that one of the character's name was Bambi. She was blond, she was beautiful. She was exactly what the name suggested to me. Plus I couldn't remember the name Madison being used much (if at all) in the early 80s. A little digging led me to find out names along with a few other details were changed in this revision! Erika was previously Fran, Madison was Bambi and Kristy was Ruth! Now I want to read a copy of the original as a comparison!
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