James Weir

I’m sorry I was unable to finish this book. I got to over 1/3 of the way through and it wasn’t for me. The setting and precis drew me in, but it was a hard slog to get to where I did.

The main character, Aimee was immature and frustrating, I found her best friend, Jane, even more annoying.

I didn’t find it funny. There didn’t seem to be much of a story line and reading it made me feel I was in the middle of one of those dreadful, fake reality TV shows.

Maybe it would appeal to younger readers or those who enjoy chicklit.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for a voluntary honest review.

My rating 1*… (meer)

This is a small, beautifully bound slight book of a personal journey of one man over decades in search of the real Eden. Did the garden of Eden really exist? The author goes in search of an actual place and his travels take him through Turkey, Iran, the Persian Gulf, Bahrain, Ethiopia, the Rift Valley. Ultimately Eden represents a lost perfect pradise for many tribes and peoples. The appeal of the book is in its presentation- the frontis is a neat fold out map covering the travels undertaken by the author and since it actually includes Diyabakir in S East Turkey and a place that I visited a few months ago -- it fits into my own library of travels to usual places. Diyabakir is a walled city ( its early century walls surrounding the old city , built of black and grey basalt give the place a romantic and fascinating allure. Eden is the place you decide is paradise and it could be anywhere in the world. I recommend this book.… (meer)