The House of Eve
- Downloads：1172
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-02-26 10:52:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Sadeqa Johnson
- ISBN：1668021080
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
From the award-winning author of Yellow Wife， a daring and redemptive novel set in 1950s Philadelphia and Washington， DC， that explores what it means to be a woman and a mother， and how much one is willing to sacrifice to achieve her greatest goal。
1950s Philadelphia: fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college， in spite of having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising a daughter。 But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed on to her like a birthright。
Eleanor Quarles arrives in Washington， DC， with ambition and secrets。 When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University， they fall madly in love。 But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families， and his parents don’t let just anyone into their fold。 Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally feel at home in William’s family and grant her the life she’s been searching for。 But having a baby—and fitting in—is easier said than done。
With their stories colliding in the most unexpected of ways， Ruby and Eleanor will both make decisions that shape the trajectory of their lives。
1950s Philadelphia: fifteen-year-old Ruby Pearsall is on track to becoming the first in her family to attend college， in spite of having a mother more interested in keeping a man than raising a daughter。 But a taboo love affair threatens to pull her back down into the poverty and desperation that has been passed on to her like a birthright。
Eleanor Quarles arrives in Washington， DC， with ambition and secrets。 When she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University， they fall madly in love。 But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families， and his parents don’t let just anyone into their fold。 Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally feel at home in William’s family and grant her the life she’s been searching for。 But having a baby—and fitting in—is easier said than done。
With their stories colliding in the most unexpected of ways， Ruby and Eleanor will both make decisions that shape the trajectory of their lives。
Reviews
Hilary
，
Heartbreaking and also full of hope
Rebecca
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3。5 - I think I was just expecting more after loving Yellow Wife。 The House of Eve was well written， and looked at topics I didn’t know a lot about， but I did find it quite predictable， the end very abrupt， and a bit more of a “romance” than what I was hoping it to be。
Lovee Lonii
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Sooooooo many things I enjoyed about this story。 Just when I thought I knew what to expect next there was always a turn that I couldn’t predict。 Well written， enlightening & as always， I learned something new。 & I loved how Sadeqa gave us a little update on The Yellow Wife’s legacy by way of Phoebe’s bloodline！
Heather
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Straight forward narration and delivery for another page-turner！ ❤❤❤❤
Dallas Strawn
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A truly beautiful story， beautifully written， piece of historical fiction with two perspectives set in the 50s; I found the very ending piece of how the two stories connected a touch unrealistic; but I thought the book was remarkable and very enjoyable。 A definite winner for Reese’s Book Club。 4。5 ⭐️
Susan Springer
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Rating 3。25。 I congratulate the author for shining a light on the little-known wealthy， eliteBlack families in America， the "Tell Them We Rise" program， and the forced adoption of 1。5 million women in homes for unwed mothers from 1945-1973。 However， I found the story very predictable and not nearly as good as "Yellow Wife"。 Rating 3。25。 I congratulate the author for shining a light on the little-known wealthy， eliteBlack families in America， the "Tell Them We Rise" program， and the forced adoption of 1。5 million women in homes for unwed mothers from 1945-1973。 However， I found the story very predictable and not nearly as good as "Yellow Wife"。 。。。more
Rachel
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Wow。 My mama heart。 This is such a good book。 It came out on February 7 and even though it’s about a topic that’s harder for me to read， I’m glad I did。Since I began reviewing books， I’ve written down my thoughts as I’ve been reading。 I was so absorbed in this book that I didn’t even take any notes。The House of Eve is written in dual perspective so we get both Ruby and Eleanor’s stories。 Sadeqa Johnson explained in an interview that she wrote Ruby’s story in first person so the reader can “walk Wow。 My mama heart。 This is such a good book。 It came out on February 7 and even though it’s about a topic that’s harder for me to read， I’m glad I did。Since I began reviewing books， I’ve written down my thoughts as I’ve been reading。 I was so absorbed in this book that I didn’t even take any notes。The House of Eve is written in dual perspective so we get both Ruby and Eleanor’s stories。 Sadeqa Johnson explained in an interview that she wrote Ruby’s story in first person so the reader can “walk through the story with her as if they were living that moment，” and she wrote Eleanor’s story in third person so there would be “a little bit of distance in her story。” I thought it was perfect。 Even though I was pretty sure where their stories were going， I didn’t know how it was going to get there and I didn’t want to stop reading。There are many novels about racism in the United States。 What made this book different （at least for me）， is that while it definitely explored racism against Black people in the 1940’s and 1950’s， it also explored the fact that Black people even separated themselves by colour， and how lighter-skinned Black people treated darker-skinned Black people as well as the choices women had to make， that were somewhat based on the colour of their skin。I also loved the author’s note at the end， and getting a little bit of the history behind this book， both personal and historical。I can absolutely understand why this was picked for Reese’s Book Club for February。 。。。more
Amy
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This story could have been so much more。 When I finished the book， I was surprised that nothing was wrapped up and not much happened， kind of an injustice to the characters。 I was just hoping for more。
Victoria Brunn
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This was a good book。 A tale of two women really who come to life with their own individual stories and growth/learning points。 A point of view I would not understand without a great story teller。 Something I love about books is they challenge my knowledge of lives outside of my own。
Cheri McElroy
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4。5 stars。Ruby is working hard to pull herself out of generational poverty that has plagued her family in Philadelphia。 Eleanor， attending Howard College， meets William， a rich black man， studying to be a doctor， and falls in love。 Ruby becomes pregnant and her life is suddenly upended。 Eleanor， now married， longs for a child。 And their lives are about to connect in an unexpected way。This is such a poignant， heartbreaking， and hopeful story。 I loved how it explored racism and the various experie 4。5 stars。Ruby is working hard to pull herself out of generational poverty that has plagued her family in Philadelphia。 Eleanor， attending Howard College， meets William， a rich black man， studying to be a doctor， and falls in love。 Ruby becomes pregnant and her life is suddenly upended。 Eleanor， now married， longs for a child。 And their lives are about to connect in an unexpected way。This is such a poignant， heartbreaking， and hopeful story。 I loved how it explored racism and the various experiences of Black people in the 1950s。 。。。more
Annmbray
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Very well written book with believable and sympathetic characters！ A slice of history before in vitro fertilization was available and where adoption was still some couples’ only way to have a family！ A look intoBlack high society families in the 1950’s and 60’s！ All in all a fascinating read！！！！
Samantha Gill
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Really loved this one。
Heather Stephany
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I loved Safeway Johnson’s first book The Yellow Wife so I knew I needed to read her second one as well。 It was just as great。 It was both heart wrenching and heartwarming。 An eye opening tale of the treatment of unwed mothers in the 50s， in particular black unwed mothers。
Erricka Hager
，
4。5 🌟Sadeqa I’m a FAN。 You surely know how to write a captivating historical fiction！I loved this story of motherhood， reproductive health， young and forbidden love， poverty， everything！ My only issue was the pacing was off in the beginning and caused me to not fully be invested。
Daina （Dai2DaiReader）
，
4。5 stars！
Vnunez-Ms_luv2read
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Very good book about two women from different journies， but in the end their lives converge in a interesting way。 They both want the same thing but due to circumstances， they cannot have。 Walk with these two women and experience their lives。 Does it all was out in the end？ RSad it and decide for oneself。 Good read and holds your interest。 I would like to see a second book to find out if and how the new character introduced at the end interacts with the main characters。 I recommend this read。 Tha Very good book about two women from different journies， but in the end their lives converge in a interesting way。 They both want the same thing but due to circumstances， they cannot have。 Walk with these two women and experience their lives。 Does it all was out in the end？ RSad it and decide for oneself。 Good read and holds your interest。 I would like to see a second book to find out if and how the new character introduced at the end interacts with the main characters。 I recommend this read。 Thanks to Netgalley， the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review。 Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on this review。 。。。more
Molly Egan
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This book was so moving。 I ached for the characters in this story。 I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough— hooked from the beginning！
Becky Tuttle
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This is a solid work of historical fiction showcasing the lives of two young Black women in the late 1940s-early 1950s。 Ruby and Eleanor are both trying to break out of poverty through education but face discrimination and romantic distraction along the way。 Their stories are both similar and different， separate but eventually related。 I struggled with feelings of sadness that overwhelmed my hope for happiness in the second half of this book。
Bianca
，
This book is set in the 1950’s and follows to African American girls who are trying to make something of themselves， by going to college and beating the odd’s in their cruel world。 I really enjoyed this book and could relate to Ruby and Eleanor’s stories as well as all of the other characters。 I gave this three stars because the ending did not give me the shocker I had hoped for。 However， it was a good read and was a nice break from my thriller streak。
Brook
，
4。5-5 two people’s lives overlapping。 Love， racism， feminism， working hard， journeys， love of self/babies。 ❤️
Jessie
，
Sadeqa Johnson has officially become an auto buy author me。 The House of Eve was absolutely incredible and this book is going to stick with for me a while。 5 brilliant 🌟
Michelle Hall
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4。5 With alternating stories taking place in the 1950s， we are introduced to Eleanor - a sophomore at Howard University， and Ruby - a high school sophomore。 Both young black women are faced with numerous challenges。 There are many topics touched on like: interracial love， racism， teen pregnancy， abortion， and socioeconomic status。 This was a great story and Ms。 Johnson certainly is a gifted writer。
Tara
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4。5
Janay Parker
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I loved this！ Read it along with the audiobook
Mo
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I am pretty neutral on this book。 I loved "The Yellow Wife"， so possibly disappointed this wasn't as good。 I would not recommend it， but if it is your wheelhouse of books you enjoy， you will probably like it。 I am certainly in the minority with a 3-star rating。 Sometimes， you just aren't in the right mood for a certain type of book。 I feel like that was the case for me with this one。 Sadeqa Johnson is a very talented writer， there is no arguing that。 I am pretty neutral on this book。 I loved "The Yellow Wife"， so possibly disappointed this wasn't as good。 I would not recommend it， but if it is your wheelhouse of books you enjoy， you will probably like it。 I am certainly in the minority with a 3-star rating。 Sometimes， you just aren't in the right mood for a certain type of book。 I feel like that was the case for me with this one。 Sadeqa Johnson is a very talented writer， there is no arguing that。 。。。more
Sylvia
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It had a very promising beginning。 The story of two young black girls in very different situations felt real and immediate and then about halfway through it went off the rails。 The rest of the story was steeped in over the top melodrama worthy of a soap with new characters that were cardboard villains。 One thing I hate in a book is when a character goes through a 180 change that’s sudden and very hard to believe。 The author could have made all her points without throwing in everything she ever h It had a very promising beginning。 The story of two young black girls in very different situations felt real and immediate and then about halfway through it went off the rails。 The rest of the story was steeped in over the top melodrama worthy of a soap with new characters that were cardboard villains。 One thing I hate in a book is when a character goes through a 180 change that’s sudden and very hard to believe。 The author could have made all her points without throwing in everything she ever heard about the Catholic homes for unwed mothers all in one spew。 A little subtlety would have gone a long way。 。。。more
Anna Pidkaminy
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So so so so goooood！
Michele
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Audiobook， well narrated。 This book was sad but informative about African American women’s lives and sacrifices to be educated in American in the 50s。
Amy B Shaffer
，
Very good book！
Lisa Buchanan
，
Great story with rich characters！ Be sure to read Yellow Wife too。
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Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The House of Eve
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The House of Eve&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The House of Eve&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0