Brides of Eden - Softcover

Crew, Linda

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0064472175 ISBN 13: 9780064472173

Publisher: HarperTeen, 2003

Synopsis

In our defense, I can say only that nothing seemed so terribly strange in the beginning...

When, in 1903, the fiery preacher Joshua arrives in sleepy Corvallis, Oregon, Eva Mae -- and the whole town -- is never the same again.

Joshua is wonderful. He's charismatic. Insisting on simplicity, he commands his converts to burn their possessions. Demanding devotion to Christ, he tells them to abandon their personal ties.

But there's a surge of violence rising, and before it's over, families will be ripped apart and lives will be destroyed. Eva Mae's gripping true story is a stranger-than-fiction tale of a turn-of-the-century apocalyptic cult.

About this title

Review:

Many of the citizens of Corvallis, Oregon, hope that the handsome, fervent drifter who claims to have God's ear will continue on his spiritual journey--right on out of town. But its young people, especially 16-year-old Eva Mae Hurt, are completely entranced by itinerant preacher Joshua Creffield. From the first time she sees Joshua in 1903, Eva Mae feels "absolutely riveted." Her feelings are shared by other young women, who follow Joshua unhesitatingly. They listen to his end-of-the-world sermons in a state of ecstasy, confident in their "chosen" status. But Eva is troubled by Joshua's unreasonable rules and the "secret rites" he performs with his "brides of Eden" alone in his tent. Swept up in his wonderful and terrible vision, Eva Mae loses almost everything before she is able to break free of the bindings of Joshua's brainwashing.

Based on historical events, Brides of Eden is strongly written and deeply felt. Using Eva Mae's voice, Crew captures perfectly not only the spell of fanaticism, but also the difficulty in readjusting to everyday life: "If you've felt yourself to be center stage in a great drama, a thrilling story which might, on any given day, climax with your ascension into the clouds, it's not so easy to return to your old place in the real world." Older teens will identify with Eva Mae's aching need to belong to this exclusive group and will be fascinated by this portrait of extremism parallel to the Heaven's Gate and Branch Davidian cults of their time. (Ages 13 and older) --Jennifer Hubert

About the Author:

As a native of Corvallis, Oregon, Linda Crew has long been aware of the story of Joshua and the "Holy Roller" cult, a part of the town's lore which is often reprinted in the local papers when some new cult tragedy makes headlines elsewhere in the world.

A graduate of the University of Oregon, Crew is the author of Fire on the Wind, Long Time Passing, and the award-winning Children of the River. She lives at Wake Robin Farm, in Corvallis With her husband and children.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperTeen
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0064472175
• ISBN 13: 9780064472173
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256