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The First Love Story: Adam, Eve, and Us
From the New York Times bestselling author of Walking the Bible and Abraham comes a revelatory journey across four continents and 4,000 years exploring how Adam and Eve introduced the idea of love into the world, and how they continue to shape our deepest feelings about relationships, family, and togetherness.
Since antiquity, one story has stood at the center of every conversation about men and women. One couple has been the battleground for human relationships and sexual identity. That couple is Adam and Eve. Yet instead of celebrating them, history has blamed them for bringing sin, deceit, and death into the world.
In this fresh retelling of their story, New York Times columnist and PBS host Bruce Feiler travels from the Garden of Eden in Iraq to the Sistine Chapel in Rome, from John Milton's London to Mae West's Hollywood, discovering how Adam and Eve should be hailed as exemplars of a long-term, healthy, resilient relationship. At a time of discord and fear over the strength of our social fabric, Feiler shows how history's first couple can again be role models for unity, forgiveness, and love.
Containing all the humor, insight, and wisdom that have endeared Bruce Feiler to readers around the world, The First Love Story is an unforgettable journey that restores Adam and Eve to their rightful place as central figures in our culture's imagination and reminds us that even our most familiar stories still have the ability to surprise, inspire, and guide us today.
Since antiquity, one story has stood at the center of every conversation about men and women. One couple has been the battleground for human relationships and sexual identity. That couple is Adam and Eve. Yet instead of celebrating them, history has blamed them for bringing sin, deceit, and death into the world.
In this fresh retelling of their story, New York Times columnist and PBS host Bruce Feiler travels from the Garden of Eden in Iraq to the Sistine Chapel in Rome, from John Milton's London to Mae West's Hollywood, discovering how Adam and Eve should be hailed as exemplars of a long-term, healthy, resilient relationship. At a time of discord and fear over the strength of our social fabric, Feiler shows how history's first couple can again be role models for unity, forgiveness, and love.
Containing all the humor, insight, and wisdom that have endeared Bruce Feiler to readers around the world, The First Love Story is an unforgettable journey that restores Adam and Eve to their rightful place as central figures in our culture's imagination and reminds us that even our most familiar stories still have the ability to surprise, inspire, and guide us today.
306 pages, Hardcover
First published March 21, 2017
About the author
Bruce Feiler
56 books369 followersBRUCE FEILER is one of America’s most popular voices on contemporary life. He is the author of six consecutive New York Times bestsellers; the presenter of two prime-time series on PBS; and the inspiration for the drama COUNCIL OF DADS on NBC. Bruce’s two TED Talks have been viewed more than two million times. Employing a firsthand approach to his work, Bruce is known for living the experiences he writes about. His work combines timeless wisdom with timely knowledge turned into practical, positive messages that allow people to live with more meaning, passion, and joy. His new book, LIFE IS IN THE TRANSITIONS: Mastering Change at Any Age, describes his journey across America, collecting hundreds of life stories, exploring how we can navigate the growing number of life transitions with greater purpose and skill.
For more than a decade, Bruce has explored the intersection of families, relationships, health, and happiness. His book THE SECRETS OF HAPPY FAMILIES collects best practices from some of the country’s most creative minds. The book was featured on World News, GMA, and TODAY and excerpted in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Parade. THE COUNCIL OF DADS describes how, faced with one of life’s greatest challenges, he asked six friends to support his young daughters. The book was profiled in PEOPLE, USA Today, and Time and was the subject of a CNN documentary hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Since 2001, Bruce has been one of the country’s preeminent thinkers about the role of spirituality in contemporary life. WALKING THE BIBLE describes his 10,000-mile journey retracing the Five Books of Moses through the desert. (“An instant classic,” Washington Post). The book spent a year and a half on the New York Times bestseller list and has been translated into fifteen languages.
ABRAHAM recounts his search for the shared ancestor of the monotheistic religions. (“Exquisitely written,” Boston Globe). WHERE GOD WAS BORN describes his trek visiting biblical sites throughout Israel, Iraq, and Iran. (“Bruce Feiler is a real-life Indiana Jones,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution). AMERICA’S PROPHET is the groundbreaking story of the influence of Moses on American history. THE FIRST LOVE STORY is a journey across four continents exploring how Adam and Eve shaped our deepest feelings about relationships. (“A miraculous thing—the literary equivalent of breathing new life into a figure of clay,” New York Times Book Review; “Feiler’s best work yet,” Publishers Weekly).
A native of Savannah, Georgia, Bruce lives in Brooklyn with wife, Linda Rottenberg, and their identical twin daughters.
For more than a decade, Bruce has explored the intersection of families, relationships, health, and happiness. His book THE SECRETS OF HAPPY FAMILIES collects best practices from some of the country’s most creative minds. The book was featured on World News, GMA, and TODAY and excerpted in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and Parade. THE COUNCIL OF DADS describes how, faced with one of life’s greatest challenges, he asked six friends to support his young daughters. The book was profiled in PEOPLE, USA Today, and Time and was the subject of a CNN documentary hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
Since 2001, Bruce has been one of the country’s preeminent thinkers about the role of spirituality in contemporary life. WALKING THE BIBLE describes his 10,000-mile journey retracing the Five Books of Moses through the desert. (“An instant classic,” Washington Post). The book spent a year and a half on the New York Times bestseller list and has been translated into fifteen languages.
ABRAHAM recounts his search for the shared ancestor of the monotheistic religions. (“Exquisitely written,” Boston Globe). WHERE GOD WAS BORN describes his trek visiting biblical sites throughout Israel, Iraq, and Iran. (“Bruce Feiler is a real-life Indiana Jones,” Atlanta Journal-Constitution). AMERICA’S PROPHET is the groundbreaking story of the influence of Moses on American history. THE FIRST LOVE STORY is a journey across four continents exploring how Adam and Eve shaped our deepest feelings about relationships. (“A miraculous thing—the literary equivalent of breathing new life into a figure of clay,” New York Times Book Review; “Feiler’s best work yet,” Publishers Weekly).
A native of Savannah, Georgia, Bruce lives in Brooklyn with wife, Linda Rottenberg, and their identical twin daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
August 16, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's a tribute to the first couple, to Love and to Eve herself.
The author looked at the Gospels, the Bible, interviewed various Experts of theology, psychology, human behaviorists. He put a lot of thought, in an unbiased way, into his thesis.
Although I didn't buy into all he said, his final story was a positive one of human togetherness and kinship.
His tribute to the first couple as a loving, caring, imperfect pair has merit. I certainly hope that Adam & Eve did find love and did connect on a level that brought them together.
This was an interesting look at how humans need each other and thrive in each other's equal partnership.
I listened to the audio version, read by the author, and loved it.
The author looked at the Gospels, the Bible, interviewed various Experts of theology, psychology, human behaviorists. He put a lot of thought, in an unbiased way, into his thesis.
Although I didn't buy into all he said, his final story was a positive one of human togetherness and kinship.
His tribute to the first couple as a loving, caring, imperfect pair has merit. I certainly hope that Adam & Eve did find love and did connect on a level that brought them together.
This was an interesting look at how humans need each other and thrive in each other's equal partnership.
I listened to the audio version, read by the author, and loved it.
March 24, 2017
This book works at every level. I purchased a hard copy of this book for my personal library and will be reading it again and again.
Meticulous in his research, eloquent in his approach, and profound in his philosophy, Bruce Feiler has taken this, the most necessary of all our myths—distorted for centuries by misinformation and society’s reinforcement of patriarchal dogma—and turned it on its head.
His timing could not have been better. Approaching his last years, Joseph Campbell asserted that our old myths—the metaphors for the spiritual potentialities of our lives— were no longer operative, and effective new ones had not arisen to replace them. Today, Mr. Feiler has, in effect, given rise to a new Creation myth, one which goes to the core of every relationship we have as humans on this planet. Reading this book will change your life. It could also change the world. My highest recommendation.
Peter Wilkes, author of Lucifer Eve and Adam: the Absolutely True and Completely Honest Story of Creation
Meticulous in his research, eloquent in his approach, and profound in his philosophy, Bruce Feiler has taken this, the most necessary of all our myths—distorted for centuries by misinformation and society’s reinforcement of patriarchal dogma—and turned it on its head.
His timing could not have been better. Approaching his last years, Joseph Campbell asserted that our old myths—the metaphors for the spiritual potentialities of our lives— were no longer operative, and effective new ones had not arisen to replace them. Today, Mr. Feiler has, in effect, given rise to a new Creation myth, one which goes to the core of every relationship we have as humans on this planet. Reading this book will change your life. It could also change the world. My highest recommendation.
Peter Wilkes, author of Lucifer Eve and Adam: the Absolutely True and Completely Honest Story of Creation
December 4, 2017
I propose an alternate title: Adam and Eve: Here Are All My Opinions and the Resources I Bend to Fit My Premise.
October 17, 2021
This is the last book in my year of Eve - my remarkable person of the year. After having read many fictionalized accounts of her, this is a non-fiction book about what we can learn for our lives from this very first and oldest tale. About love and life.
Bruce Feiler is an award winning journalist with weekly columns. I first met him when he came to our synagogue, and spoke about another book he had written about families and family organization. I found him warm and funny as well as intelligent and insightful.
I don't care for non-fiction as a rule, but there was a lot in here that interested me. But I did feel my attention waver, which likely has nothing to do with the book. I started thinking about how much I would enjoy this if it were a podcast. Which is such a funny thought, since I have never ever seen a podcast in my life. The author begins by talking about the many plays and stories that come from this original one. And talking about elements of the story that are universally relatable, the last third of the book really began to grab me. This is where he talks not only about themes of love, relationship, marriage, and sexuality, and innocence, he begins to move to trauma. He begins to talk about how Adam and Eve deal with having a murderer for a son, and a son who is murdered.
We begin to see grieving parents, and a model for how one deals with such overwhelming profound grief. And how we in the best of circumstances, turn to one another, and choose love over anger. How we recommit in the face of broken shards and pain. How we come to choose life and choose love. He brings in other examples of this, including the musical Hamilton, where Alexander and Eliza move past the pain and feel closer after the tragic loss of their son Philip.
He refers to other works of art to illuminate this theme. Proust's Remembrance of Things Past; "I must choose, either to cease from suffering or cease from loving." And Frank Sinatra, "Love is lovelier the second time around." He speaks of his own life challenges. He brings in literature, plays, mythology, stories, film, and also his own life experiences. He then relates this to how partners have to come to a sense of mutual respect and equality, and the rise of women's equality. There is no love without mutual respect for one another. The changes in how we now see and narrate the story of Eve, with equal responsibility, is the new order for how we see and narrate relationships. Toward a greater equality amongst the sexes.
Back on how trauma transforms, emancipation and mature love both, lead to the idea of mature love being richer and deeper and more joyful, when emancipated, into limitless joy. The same metaphor is true for trauma, that through relationship one gains transcendence.
Interestingly, the author with his powerful connections, attended an audience with the Pope, and was stunned to find his remarks to entirely be about Adam and Eve, and and how their tensions and love embodies that which we must do with one another, but also what is needed to heal the world. That the expulsion from Eden was because God is supposed to come through families, through growth, and loving one another. "Stake everything on Love." The number one answer, both the Pope and Bruce Feiler state, is to love one another. That we need Adam and Eve as role models, and that they live inside us. That their togetherness and love story endures, and what survives of them today is ultimately love.
Bruce Feiler is an award winning journalist with weekly columns. I first met him when he came to our synagogue, and spoke about another book he had written about families and family organization. I found him warm and funny as well as intelligent and insightful.
I don't care for non-fiction as a rule, but there was a lot in here that interested me. But I did feel my attention waver, which likely has nothing to do with the book. I started thinking about how much I would enjoy this if it were a podcast. Which is such a funny thought, since I have never ever seen a podcast in my life. The author begins by talking about the many plays and stories that come from this original one. And talking about elements of the story that are universally relatable, the last third of the book really began to grab me. This is where he talks not only about themes of love, relationship, marriage, and sexuality, and innocence, he begins to move to trauma. He begins to talk about how Adam and Eve deal with having a murderer for a son, and a son who is murdered.
We begin to see grieving parents, and a model for how one deals with such overwhelming profound grief. And how we in the best of circumstances, turn to one another, and choose love over anger. How we recommit in the face of broken shards and pain. How we come to choose life and choose love. He brings in other examples of this, including the musical Hamilton, where Alexander and Eliza move past the pain and feel closer after the tragic loss of their son Philip.
He refers to other works of art to illuminate this theme. Proust's Remembrance of Things Past; "I must choose, either to cease from suffering or cease from loving." And Frank Sinatra, "Love is lovelier the second time around." He speaks of his own life challenges. He brings in literature, plays, mythology, stories, film, and also his own life experiences. He then relates this to how partners have to come to a sense of mutual respect and equality, and the rise of women's equality. There is no love without mutual respect for one another. The changes in how we now see and narrate the story of Eve, with equal responsibility, is the new order for how we see and narrate relationships. Toward a greater equality amongst the sexes.
Back on how trauma transforms, emancipation and mature love both, lead to the idea of mature love being richer and deeper and more joyful, when emancipated, into limitless joy. The same metaphor is true for trauma, that through relationship one gains transcendence.
Interestingly, the author with his powerful connections, attended an audience with the Pope, and was stunned to find his remarks to entirely be about Adam and Eve, and and how their tensions and love embodies that which we must do with one another, but also what is needed to heal the world. That the expulsion from Eden was because God is supposed to come through families, through growth, and loving one another. "Stake everything on Love." The number one answer, both the Pope and Bruce Feiler state, is to love one another. That we need Adam and Eve as role models, and that they live inside us. That their togetherness and love story endures, and what survives of them today is ultimately love.
July 22, 2017
If you like overwrought analogies, sweeping projections, and endlessly pounding the same goddamn point into the ground again and again and again and again, you'll love this book. It's like reading a freshman philosophy student's end-of-the-year project. It sounds all scholarly, but the hypothesis is weakly supported, poorly explored, and not especially interesting in the first place. If you make it past the first two chapters, there is actually some good meat here. You can put it down when he starts analyzing the Pope's visit to Philadelphia, there's nothing of value beyond pious abstractions and academic dithering about love.
July 19, 2018
Reclaiming, gorgeous, relevant
September 21, 2022
Bruce Feiler writes a weekly column for the New York Times and has published at least 10 books on religion, history and society. My purpose in reading this book on Adam and Eve was to better understand religious and moral views on the institution of marriage and the roles of women and men. This is another step in investigating the lives of my parents, their relationship and their legacy. My parents were not religious people - both were probably agnostic, traveling the well trodden path of lapsed Catholics in the sixties and seventies. They both suffered through a difficult marriage for 20 years, falling victim to some of the traps of our times. Of course, they were ultimately responsible for making their choices and managing their own lives but at the same time I believe that a good part of their suffering stemmed from their cultural milieu. Feiler's book is an exploration of the two Genesis stories of Adam and Eve and some of the consequences of interpretation of those stories over the centuries. The style of Feiler's book is one I don't enjoy - it consists of vignettes from various conversations with academics and religious thinkers. The set up is basically "And then I flew to Jerusalem to talk to Dr. So and So and then I drove to New York to meet with a noted relationship counselor." Perhaps I am a little snooty about structure and style but the book seemed too breezy to be taken seriously. I guess I need a different style to believe that the insights presented are well grounded and worthwhile - this could be entirely my problem. However, in the end, I actually got some useful insights on the many interpretations of the story of Adam and Eve and hope to employ them as I continue to write about my own parents.
March 26, 2017
Bruce Feiler, author of Walking the Bible: A Journey by Land Through the Five Books of Moses, revisits the story of Adam and Eve. Having heard the creation story countless times, I thought I knew it inside and out. Feiler manages to put a fresh spin on it. Instead of original sin, the fall of humankind, the serpent, death, temptation, and (especially) Eve as the villain, Feiler weaves a love story. He strips away the patriarchal spin and put Adam and Eve on equal footing. Along the way, you'll meet a whole host of interesting characters and elements that give further insight to Adam and Eve - John Milton, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, Mae West, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and many more. This book completely changed the way I think about Adam and Eve.
June 16, 2017
A well told examination of this allegory and so much more from a pro-female position.
July 20, 2017
I came to this one with high hopes, and for a while it didn't disappoint. When Feiler is talking specifically about passages in Genesis, interpreting them according to his knowledge of Hebrew, he is very interesting. I had never noticed before that after God creates the world seeing each step as "very good," the first thing that he explicitly finds "not good" is that the human is alone. That is a wonderful insight and is worth explication, which Feiler gives at length. But in his intense desire to make the Adam and Eve story important to moderns, he wanders into Freudianism, new age crystals, feminism, surprisingly open-minded fundamentalism, and many other isms, none of them in my view especially relevant to the story or helpful in understanding it. I was afraid he was going to ignore St. Augustine altogether, the philosopher whose take on the "fall of man" colored western thinking for a thousand years (and still does today, to some extent). But he did eventually gave the saint a one-page summary, which, if you've read any of the excellent current biographies, seemed like a simplistic and unfair caricature. Late in the book Feiler has a lot to say about alienation, apparently unaware that Augustine pretty much invented the idea. Further, this book is ostensibly an exploration of love, romantic, divine, and the relation between them, but the word "Dante" never comes up. That's a little like writing an exploration of the idea of unalienable rights without mentioning Thomas Jefferson. In general the book seems to start from the most salient psychological and emotional worries of today and then tries very hard to make the Adam and Eve story seem important to understanding them. Feiler uses a play by Byron as a way of getting into how the biblical story might "draw attention to a larger truth: Having children is hard." That may seem like a larger truth to you; to me it seems like a commonplace. In any case it requires some heavy-duty interpretation of the biblical story to find any evidence that the writer(s) of that story thought or cared much about the parental horror of one son killing the other. Much of the book follows this same pattern. The final chapter is very strong, coming full circle and emphasizing more deeply the opening material about aloneness. I would recommend reading the first and last chapters.
June 13, 2017
When I received a copy of this book I admit to not really knowing what to expect. I had heard the author on a podcast I like and honestly, that is the biggest reason this book moved to the top of my "to read list" I mean, we all know the story of Adam and Eve already, or do we? That said, I am pleased to admit that I absolutely loved this book! It made me consider the story in a way that I had not previously. It made me really think about the role of women in church in the past as well as the present. It inspired me to look up many things including, but not limited to pictures of the Sistine chapel (we have all seen it, of course, but I needed to STUDY it!) writings of Catholic church and reformation leaders past, and so much more. While I did find that there were some points that were repeated a bit more than necessary I also found that when I set this book down I was still left thinking about it and wanting to talk about it with everyone. I will note that if you are a very conservative Christian there are some parts you may not like (the author gives Eve, and women in general, more power than very traditional churches teach and perhaps a few other small parts) but I personally did not find them offensive at all. This book was well researched and an enjoyable read.
*This book was received in a giveaway on this very site, but my review and opinion are in no way influenced by that.
*This book was received in a giveaway on this very site, but my review and opinion are in no way influenced by that.
June 15, 2017
I have always liked this author and have read all of his books. His latest is a new retelling of the story of Adam and Eve in the Bible. He writes with much insight and wisdom and has done quite a lot of meticulous research. This book began when the author visited Rome and the Sistine Chapel and looked at the Michelangelo painting on the ceiling depicting the Creation of Adam. Feiler travels to Garden of Eden in Iraq, the Sistine Chapel in Rome and John Milton’s London. He discusses them with the perspectives of a Jewish scholar, an art historian, a fundamentalist preacher and others to tell this story with clear views. He introduces us to an Adam and Eve as a role model for unity, forgiveness and love. It made me think about women’s equality and their role or lack of in the church and get the viewpoints of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a leading figure of the early women’s rights movement and I spent some time looking at the pictures of the Sistine Chapel’s paintings to envision the story better. I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
February 11, 2022
I really like this book even if it took me five months to read. I had to do it slowly to think on each piece. This book is sometimes brought down by the sheer number of references although that does show how many connections there are to Adam and Eve and the legacy of their love.
Some quotes I loved:
“Or you can take the other path. The one that leads you to form relationships. And when you come into a room like this [Sistine Chapel] and look at the ceiling, you realize that our earliest ancestors were in relationships. They were the first to do this thing we’re still trying to figure out.”
“In the Bible what’s last is often first. Just as God’s six days of creation build toward its climax in human beings, so his creation builds towards its climax in Eve. The woman is not an afterthought. She is the culmination.”
“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity. Taken to its highest degree, it is the same thing as prayer.”
Some quotes I loved:
“Or you can take the other path. The one that leads you to form relationships. And when you come into a room like this [Sistine Chapel] and look at the ceiling, you realize that our earliest ancestors were in relationships. They were the first to do this thing we’re still trying to figure out.”
“In the Bible what’s last is often first. Just as God’s six days of creation build toward its climax in human beings, so his creation builds towards its climax in Eve. The woman is not an afterthought. She is the culmination.”
“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity. Taken to its highest degree, it is the same thing as prayer.”
July 1, 2017
Amazing book! I have been single since 1993. A number of my married friends look at me with envy. I can do what I want, how I want, when I want and with or without who I want. I don't have to negotiate any of my choices with anyone. Enviable, right? What others don't see, what I hide from others so well, is that there's a price I pay for that. It's the "l" word. It's the word that most single people have not come to terms with. It's the pronouncement from God in Genesis, the insight from God, that none of us should be alone. I have had it all wrong, since 1993. This book helped me understand what I have been missing since 1993--what I have done to myself, trying to protect myself. Not anymore.
January 29, 2018
Wow! I loved this book so much. It’s so refreshing to hear such a different take on Adam and Eve, one that honors them and gives them dignity, as well as disputes the presupposition that man is greater than woman. I thoroughly enjoyed the journey through time and culture, exploring anthropological, religious and historical research about the Adam and Eve story. In the end I came to a deeper understanding of love, gender, commitment, relationships, God and humanity. I was looking for a book on marriage, and I found something so much more.
March 10, 2017
I think it's safe to say we all know the story of Adam and Eve, even if we don't know any other story in the Bible. What exactly do we know, though? We know Adam was created from the ground, that Eve was created from Adam's side, that God told them not to eat from that one tree, that Eve listened to the serpent and ate from the forbidden tree anyway, that she took the fruit to Adam and he ate it, and then God came down, found out, and kicked them out of Eden. Sounds about right, yes? What Mr. Feiler does is take that old familiar story, the one where we blame Eve for all of our problems, and shows how Adam and Eve's story is actually about love. He also, through literature and talking to experts, shows how Adam and Eve's love story is still relevant to us today.
Throughout this book, Mr. Feiler tends to focus on one person more than the other. He focuses on Eve and shows how she was more important to the story than we were initially taught. Mr. Feiler also personalizes Adam and Eve's story in such a way that it is totally relatable to our personal love lives. We were not meant to be alone. We were not meant to feel alone. Being/Feeling alone is bad. We were meant to have a companion. And, despite what you may think, Mr. Feiler doesn't promote heterosexual relationships over homosexual ones. He never states his opinion one way or the other. Instead, he presents his findings with an open mind and leaves it up to the reader to determine right and wrong where that aspect is concerned.
I can see where the more traditional Christians would have an issue with many aspects of this book. And it's the same reason I can also see where non-traditional Christians could find relatable material in this book. Do I have to say it? Probably so. It has to do with the references to feminism and homosexuality. I feel as if I may be getting close to veering off topic here so let me gear it back towards my review of the book.
Out of 5 stars, I'd give this 3 - not because of one opinion or another, but because it seemed a little redundant in parts. Towards the end, I was just pushing to finish the book. BUT I did gain a new perspective on Adam and Eve's story. I did learn about some influences their story has had on other novels that I knew nothing about, or didn't even consider. I do enjoy it when a book challenges me the way this one challenged my traditional upbringing. I'm always looking for new insights and new opinions to grow my own, whether I stick with my traditional opinions or not. If you are interested in seeing Adam and Eve's story as a love one and not a dysfunctional one, then I would recommend this for your TBR pile.
*A physical copy of this book was provided by the publisher, Penguin Press, in exchange for an honest review.
Throughout this book, Mr. Feiler tends to focus on one person more than the other. He focuses on Eve and shows how she was more important to the story than we were initially taught. Mr. Feiler also personalizes Adam and Eve's story in such a way that it is totally relatable to our personal love lives. We were not meant to be alone. We were not meant to feel alone. Being/Feeling alone is bad. We were meant to have a companion. And, despite what you may think, Mr. Feiler doesn't promote heterosexual relationships over homosexual ones. He never states his opinion one way or the other. Instead, he presents his findings with an open mind and leaves it up to the reader to determine right and wrong where that aspect is concerned.
I can see where the more traditional Christians would have an issue with many aspects of this book. And it's the same reason I can also see where non-traditional Christians could find relatable material in this book. Do I have to say it? Probably so. It has to do with the references to feminism and homosexuality. I feel as if I may be getting close to veering off topic here so let me gear it back towards my review of the book.
Out of 5 stars, I'd give this 3 - not because of one opinion or another, but because it seemed a little redundant in parts. Towards the end, I was just pushing to finish the book. BUT I did gain a new perspective on Adam and Eve's story. I did learn about some influences their story has had on other novels that I knew nothing about, or didn't even consider. I do enjoy it when a book challenges me the way this one challenged my traditional upbringing. I'm always looking for new insights and new opinions to grow my own, whether I stick with my traditional opinions or not. If you are interested in seeing Adam and Eve's story as a love one and not a dysfunctional one, then I would recommend this for your TBR pile.
*A physical copy of this book was provided by the publisher, Penguin Press, in exchange for an honest review.
July 25, 2017
Good read, not as stupendous as some of the testimonials on the book jacket read, but was interesting -- weaving stories about Augustine and Michaelangelo and Darwin with Jewish/Christian scholarship on the Adam & Eve tale.
March 28, 2017
Quite good! Spent much time on Google looking at pictures of the Sistine chapel's paintings. Never studied them much before but found them quite interesting. Also looked at Genesis in the bible again. Learned a lot from the book and spent time with the paintings and Genesis. Good stuf! Well worth the time spent. Educational. Will probably read John Milton "Paradise Lost" sometime soon.
March 12, 2017
I won this book through Goodreads.A wonderful read .an inspirationl look at Adam &Eve as a love story with a lot of focus on Eve,Mr.Feller makes us laugh shares with us personal moments in his families life.I really enjoyed The First Love Story.
April 22, 2017
When you've listened to or read Bible stories for many years, it becomes difficult to look at them with fresh eyes. This is a book that does that in a very interesting and entertaining way, challenging what you thought you knew about Adam and Eve.
Bruce Feiler starts out in the Sistine Chapel, where everyone knows God is reaching out his fingertip to Adam. But did you ever think that the woman held intimately under God's arm, close to his heart, was Eve? Feiler explores this story through imagery, literature (Paradise Lost, Frankenstein and more), commentaries and reinterpretations. He also talks to many people about the story's meaning for people today--what Adam and Eve's relationship says about our romantic relationships.
He sees an essential equality between Adam and Eve and their enduring connection through expulsion from the garden and the murder of one of their sons by the other, as something of a template for us and an antidote to loneliness.
Bruce Feiler starts out in the Sistine Chapel, where everyone knows God is reaching out his fingertip to Adam. But did you ever think that the woman held intimately under God's arm, close to his heart, was Eve? Feiler explores this story through imagery, literature (Paradise Lost, Frankenstein and more), commentaries and reinterpretations. He also talks to many people about the story's meaning for people today--what Adam and Eve's relationship says about our romantic relationships.
He sees an essential equality between Adam and Eve and their enduring connection through expulsion from the garden and the murder of one of their sons by the other, as something of a template for us and an antidote to loneliness.
August 7, 2017
This book had a great premise, but didn't really deliver. It read like a first draft- some good information, but it mostly felt like a brain dump of ideas that was never edited or revised. Additionally, it seems like Feiler had a couple of points he wanted to make and just kept repeating them throughout the book, with no additional value added each time he mentioned them.
I also didn't really like his style. This is a nonfiction book, but he felt compelled to tell me what the experts he talked to look like. It's not important for me to read who had red hair or how someone styled their hair. He also, many times, would ask a question and say, "To find out, I went to ____." I guess it's work-related tax write offs because almost every time he went somewhere to talk to someone, it doesn't seem like he did anything he couldn't have done over the phone or by email.
I also didn't really like his style. This is a nonfiction book, but he felt compelled to tell me what the experts he talked to look like. It's not important for me to read who had red hair or how someone styled their hair. He also, many times, would ask a question and say, "To find out, I went to ____." I guess it's work-related tax write offs because almost every time he went somewhere to talk to someone, it doesn't seem like he did anything he couldn't have done over the phone or by email.
July 31, 2017
This is probably one of the worst books I have read in a long time. It read like a term paper that was written the night before it was due. A series of random topics strung together by somehow relating them to Adam and Eve. For example, the author goes on and on, very negatively, about dealing with the security related to Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia. He lets us all know that he was with CNN. Why didn't the author just go to a papal audience when he was in Rome? What do those details have to do with Adam and Eve anyway?
The book was full of mind numbing minutiae and name dropping. Blech.
The book was full of mind numbing minutiae and name dropping. Blech.
August 23, 2017
Although I only gave it four stars I totally recommend it to anyone interested in relationships in general. I first heard about this book on Radio West http://radiowest.kuer.org/post/first-... and I have to say I preferred the author's voice in the interview over his voice in the book. Somehow in the book he never quite felt serious or professional enough. He covered some really good material but I always preferred the people or sources he was quoting over his commentary. Luckily he used a lot of quotes. If I were a really good reviewer I might throw some of my favorites in here - but I'm not - so give it a quick read. I've already put a couple other books on hold that he refers to - here's hoping they're as intriguing as this book has led me to believe.
This may seem totally random, but the author gave me the feeling I get when I first meet someone at a party who is very personable and knowledgable and engaging, but I go home feeling like I never really got past their surface personality and figure they're that charming with everyone. Anyway, back to the topic of Adam and Eve - I never really comprehended what an impact this story has had on our world and especially my life. I loved that the author gives it the respect and depth of analysis it deserves, but again, I felt like he could have done more - it felt a bit too much like cocktail party chitchat. I wanted the semester long course -not the quick read you do in an airport lobby waiting for a plane, which is what I felt this book was written for.
So yeah, only four stars because I felt like this book could have done more for me - I wanted more out of it. I want my friends and family to read it, though, so I can have some good discussions with them about "family" and "love" and how they all go together.
Thank you Bruce for a great book!
This may seem totally random, but the author gave me the feeling I get when I first meet someone at a party who is very personable and knowledgable and engaging, but I go home feeling like I never really got past their surface personality and figure they're that charming with everyone. Anyway, back to the topic of Adam and Eve - I never really comprehended what an impact this story has had on our world and especially my life. I loved that the author gives it the respect and depth of analysis it deserves, but again, I felt like he could have done more - it felt a bit too much like cocktail party chitchat. I wanted the semester long course -not the quick read you do in an airport lobby waiting for a plane, which is what I felt this book was written for.
So yeah, only four stars because I felt like this book could have done more for me - I wanted more out of it. I want my friends and family to read it, though, so I can have some good discussions with them about "family" and "love" and how they all go together.
Thank you Bruce for a great book!
December 12, 2020
Bruce Feiler ne invită într-o călătorie spre origini, acolo unde doi oameni au inventat iubirea și au început această poveste a umanității pe care o trăim și astăzi. Locul se numește Grădina Edenului, iar îndrăgostiții sunt Adam și Eva. Probabil cel mai cunoscut cuplu din istorie, cei doi au fost, de-a lungul timpului, judecați, criticați, culpabilizați pentru alegerea lor de a mânca din „pomul cunoștinței binelui și răului”. Povestea lor a reprezentat mult timp un argument solid în demonizarea tuturor femeilor pentru că Eva a inițiat păcatul originar. Drept pedeapsă, acestea au fost ținute, secole întregi, la distanță de viața social-politică și obligate să se supună voinței bărbaților, indiferent de circumstanțe.
Autorul are meritul de a reinterpreta povestea Evei, aducându-ne aminte că, dincolo de greșelile și de umbrele caracterului ei, a fost prima femeie care s-a îndrăgostit. De asemenea, a fost prima mamă care și-a îngropat fiul și, în cele din urmă, prima văduvă din istoria omenirii. „Dragostea este ceea ce ține partenerii uniți prin toate încercările vieții de cuplu”, ne amintește Bruce Feiler. Cuplul Originar nu s-a destrămat niciodată, în ciuda tuturor greutăților și suferințelor. Au rămas împreună până când moartea i-a despărțit, așa cum toți visăm să se întâmple cu omul de care ne îndrăgostim.
Însă, pentru a atinge acest ideal, nu este suficientă dragostea romantică. Povestea lui Adam și a Evei este doar prima dintr-un lung șir de istorii personale, de cupluri care au rezistat timpului și rutinei inerente oricărei relații, de vieți unite pentru totdeauna, la bine și la rău, până la ultima respirație… Iubirea înseamnă alegere continuă, parteneriat, angajament și încredere necondiționată. Este fascinant că, după mii de ani, „relațiile pentru toată viața tot rămân etalonul în rândul oamenilor”. Probabil aceasta este cea mai importantă lecție din povestea lui Adam și a Evei… Ne-au învățat să rămânem statornici în iubire.
Autorul are meritul de a reinterpreta povestea Evei, aducându-ne aminte că, dincolo de greșelile și de umbrele caracterului ei, a fost prima femeie care s-a îndrăgostit. De asemenea, a fost prima mamă care și-a îngropat fiul și, în cele din urmă, prima văduvă din istoria omenirii. „Dragostea este ceea ce ține partenerii uniți prin toate încercările vieții de cuplu”, ne amintește Bruce Feiler. Cuplul Originar nu s-a destrămat niciodată, în ciuda tuturor greutăților și suferințelor. Au rămas împreună până când moartea i-a despărțit, așa cum toți visăm să se întâmple cu omul de care ne îndrăgostim.
Însă, pentru a atinge acest ideal, nu este suficientă dragostea romantică. Povestea lui Adam și a Evei este doar prima dintr-un lung șir de istorii personale, de cupluri care au rezistat timpului și rutinei inerente oricărei relații, de vieți unite pentru totdeauna, la bine și la rău, până la ultima respirație… Iubirea înseamnă alegere continuă, parteneriat, angajament și încredere necondiționată. Este fascinant că, după mii de ani, „relațiile pentru toată viața tot rămân etalonul în rândul oamenilor”. Probabil aceasta este cea mai importantă lecție din povestea lui Adam și a Evei… Ne-au învățat să rămânem statornici în iubire.
May 6, 2017
This is a fascinating look at Adam and Eve through different eyes - a Jewish scholar, an art historian, a fundamentalist Christian preacher to name but a few - and certainly puts "flesh" on the bare bones of the Biblical narrative.
Feiler examines not just what happened in Eden before "the Fall" but afterwards. How did the relationship of Adam and Eve survuve being the parents of the first murderer and the first murder victim?At a meeting of Compassionate Friends one bereaved parent said, "There's a reason Adam and Eve had to experience the death of a child ... It's a way to teach us what relationships are for. I would never wish what happened to us on anybody, but I do think it made us realize that our love can withstand it. And the same goes for them."
However, much as I enjoyed this book I do have to say that I vehemently disagreed with a couple of statements that Mr. Feiler made - at least initially:
1) "In no way does God follow through on His original threat. Adam and Eve do not die."
2) " 'The mother of all the living' just goes on living and living and living ... Eve is allowed to go on living because of the positive example of her life. Her immortality ... is a reward."
On reflection I think what he must have meant is that God's threat was not enacted immediately (and of course God did not say that death would be immediate), and that Eve is not literally immortal but that it seems as if she carries on living because we do not have the finality of her death stated in the book of Genesis as is that of Adam.
This sentence, for me, sums up why the story of Adam and Eve is the first love story: "In a world dominated by I, Adam and Eve were the first WE. They were the first to say WE are better off as an US than either of US is as a ME."
Feiler examines not just what happened in Eden before "the Fall" but afterwards. How did the relationship of Adam and Eve survuve being the parents of the first murderer and the first murder victim?At a meeting of Compassionate Friends one bereaved parent said, "There's a reason Adam and Eve had to experience the death of a child ... It's a way to teach us what relationships are for. I would never wish what happened to us on anybody, but I do think it made us realize that our love can withstand it. And the same goes for them."
However, much as I enjoyed this book I do have to say that I vehemently disagreed with a couple of statements that Mr. Feiler made - at least initially:
1) "In no way does God follow through on His original threat. Adam and Eve do not die."
2) " 'The mother of all the living' just goes on living and living and living ... Eve is allowed to go on living because of the positive example of her life. Her immortality ... is a reward."
On reflection I think what he must have meant is that God's threat was not enacted immediately (and of course God did not say that death would be immediate), and that Eve is not literally immortal but that it seems as if she carries on living because we do not have the finality of her death stated in the book of Genesis as is that of Adam.
This sentence, for me, sums up why the story of Adam and Eve is the first love story: "In a world dominated by I, Adam and Eve were the first WE. They were the first to say WE are better off as an US than either of US is as a ME."
September 6, 2018
I’d like to give this book 3.5 stars. I think that if I didn’t have the background in the Old Testament I may have thought more of it but the writer was less in depth (and much more repetitive) than last readings of the first few books of the Bible. If you can get past the blathering of the first two chapters, the book settles in to its message and is an easy read.
I do feel this book is important and very relevant in the age of “fast” everything, including relationships. It reminds us of the human truths of the Bible (regardless of whether you believe in its literal truth) and how even today they offer us insight into ourselves and deepest needs.
It is also refreshing to find a traditional perspective on love and relationships wrapped up with a progressive (and well researched!) read of ancient texts and the context in which they were written. I especially enjoyed the exploration of the subservient role that women seem to play in religious texts and how even strict readings of the documents reveal that a paternalistic culture has subverted and minimized the importance of women (indeed Eve herself) in Bible lore.
Again, I wish that the ideas were more fully explored because they are very good ones. At worst, I suppose it may spark some to take a closer look at some other similar lines of research and thought.
I do feel this book is important and very relevant in the age of “fast” everything, including relationships. It reminds us of the human truths of the Bible (regardless of whether you believe in its literal truth) and how even today they offer us insight into ourselves and deepest needs.
It is also refreshing to find a traditional perspective on love and relationships wrapped up with a progressive (and well researched!) read of ancient texts and the context in which they were written. I especially enjoyed the exploration of the subservient role that women seem to play in religious texts and how even strict readings of the documents reveal that a paternalistic culture has subverted and minimized the importance of women (indeed Eve herself) in Bible lore.
Again, I wish that the ideas were more fully explored because they are very good ones. At worst, I suppose it may spark some to take a closer look at some other similar lines of research and thought.
December 31, 2017
I seldom write reviews beyond a star rating, because I feel a bit awkward doing so. However, since I was so curious about this book (and very happy to win an advance reading copy in a give-away), I feel compelled to at least write something. Apologies for writing this informally.
"Adam, Eve, and Us" first drew my attention by its title, and then by its description; the latter of which because it sounded as if it would likely discuss a religious topic without sounding frightening, condescending, nor full of itself. I'm happy to say, that (in my opinion) it did exactly those things. It is about friendship, love, dedication, and resiliency. It approaches Adam and Eve from several gentle, philosophical angles and ponders their story along with the reader/s. It references both old and newer perspectives and sources while doing so.
I find it difficult to explain and/or review this book, beyond merely saying I loved it enough to copy quotes from it, to give it 5 stars on here, and to add it to my small list of books-I-recommend. Hopefully others will find valuable insight from "The First Love Story: Adam, Eve, and Us" too.
"Adam, Eve, and Us" first drew my attention by its title, and then by its description; the latter of which because it sounded as if it would likely discuss a religious topic without sounding frightening, condescending, nor full of itself. I'm happy to say, that (in my opinion) it did exactly those things. It is about friendship, love, dedication, and resiliency. It approaches Adam and Eve from several gentle, philosophical angles and ponders their story along with the reader/s. It references both old and newer perspectives and sources while doing so.
I find it difficult to explain and/or review this book, beyond merely saying I loved it enough to copy quotes from it, to give it 5 stars on here, and to add it to my small list of books-I-recommend. Hopefully others will find valuable insight from "The First Love Story: Adam, Eve, and Us" too.
March 21, 2018
When we started this book in Women's Bible Study I was excited for it. It sounded like a fun way to learn more about how Adam and Eve could have lived and about their lives.
And while we did learn that here are the bigger take aways I took from this book:
1.) The author's views on marriage and relationships didn't match mine and many people's in the group. He seemed to have an underlaying issue trusting people.
2.) The author wanted to travel places so just found ideas that could match the places he wanted to go and maybe was able to get a tax write off for it
I'm pretty liberal on my views of the Bible and how literal we should take the stories but even he was a little bit too far out there for me. If you are someone who takes the Bible literal, this book is not for you.
The one positive I will give the book is we had really fun conversation during women's Bible study. We laughed a lot at things that were written and the authors views.
And while we did learn that here are the bigger take aways I took from this book:
1.) The author's views on marriage and relationships didn't match mine and many people's in the group. He seemed to have an underlaying issue trusting people.
2.) The author wanted to travel places so just found ideas that could match the places he wanted to go and maybe was able to get a tax write off for it
I'm pretty liberal on my views of the Bible and how literal we should take the stories but even he was a little bit too far out there for me. If you are someone who takes the Bible literal, this book is not for you.
The one positive I will give the book is we had really fun conversation during women's Bible study. We laughed a lot at things that were written and the authors views.
September 18, 2018
Despite the few passages in the Bible about the Creation, Adam, Eve, their relationship, or their family life, many people throughout time have written accounts and interpretations, some with great insight, into the lives of the mother and father of manking. This book takes the reader through some of those interpretations (literary, scholarly, etc) and finds a different perspective than traditional Christianity. As Feiler writes: "Their story is not just about sin, disobedience, ingratitude, squandering their inheritance, and ruining life for the rest of us. Their story is about originality, forgiveness, bouncing back from calamity, and modeling resilience. Their story is about love, in all its messy, carnal, hopeful, resurgent glory." Quite interesting, and very hopeful.
Adult
Adult
October 13, 2017
I always enjoy Bruce Feiler's books because he takes topics we know something about and really expands them into a rich, encompassing narrative, drawing in pieces and stories that we didn't know were related but obviously are. In this book he goes into the story of Adam and Eve and posits it's the world's first love story (whereas prior to this love was between gods or between a god and a human). It was interesting to learn how early feminists rewrote the story, how different religions use the story, and how writers across the age reimagined it. The book dragged a little in the middle, but if you enjoy reading about topics like this in a new light I'd recommend this book.
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