The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson
🌺 The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson — Spoiler-Rich Review
⭐ 3 out of 5 stars | Beautifully written, but ultimately forgettable
💭 My Honest Take
I really did enjoy this book — Sadeqa Johnson is a truly talented writer. The prose was smooth, the pacing solid, and the story moved along without ever dragging. But here’s the thing: it never soared either.
The tension, the drama, the excitement? It stayed at a constant level the entire time. Not boring, not unexciting — just... steady. And because of that, I closed the book thinking, that was nice, but also knowing I’ll probably forget most of the details in a week.
That’s why this one lands at 3 stars for me. The writing? Excellent. The emotional impact? Just didn’t stick.
📝 The Full Plot
The book tells two parallel stories, both set in the 1950s, of young Black women navigating love, motherhood, and the crushing weight of societal expectations.
🌹 Ruby’s Story
Ruby comes from poverty — her mother had her young, and now Ruby lives with her aunt and grandparents. She’s determined to break the cycle by winning a We Rise scholarship and going to college. But then she meets Shimmy, a sweet Jewish boy who sweeps her off her feet.
You can guess what happens: Ruby gets pregnant. Shimmy’s all for running off together, but Ruby’s not so sure. She keeps him at arm’s length — she doesn’t trust that he can protect her from the fallout.
Enter Shimmy’s mother, who (surprise!) offers Ruby a solution: go to the House of Magdalene, a home for unwed mothers where her stay will be covered and she’ll be guaranteed that scholarship. Ruby agrees, seeing no other way out.
At Magdalene, Ruby faces segregation — the Black girls are kept apart from the White girls. When a White girl gives birth to a baby with a droopy eye, the staff decide they can’t let the rich adoptive parents back out. They induce Ruby early to make sure the donation goes through as planned. Ruby’s baby is adopted out... and Ruby moves on, eventually becoming an optometrist.
🌸 Eleanor’s Story
Eleanor is a student at Howard University when she meets William, a light-skinned Black medical student. William falls hard for Eleanor, but his family (especially his mother, Rose) looks down on her for being darker-skinned.
They marry anyway. Eleanor gets pregnant, miscarries, tries again, miscarries. In a painful turn, we learn she’s actually had three miscarriages — one she kept secret from William, from when she was in high school. The doctor warns that future pregnancies could kill her.
So, what does William (with Rose’s full support) decide? Adoption. They donate to the House of Magdalene, and behind Eleanor’s back, William and Rose arrange for a nun to come convince Eleanor it’s the right path. She agrees, on the condition that Rose stays out of it (ha — spoiler: Rose finds out anyway).
The baby they adopt? Ruby’s.
🌼 The Ending
Ruby gets her scholarship, goes to school, and becomes successful. Eleanor and William raise Ruby’s child, who turns out to share Ruby’s artistic talent.
🌟 Final Thoughts
✅ Beautifully written
✅ A powerful look at race, class, colorism, and womanhood
⚠️ The emotional beats never quite hit hard enough — no big highs or lows
⚠️ The story was solid, but not memorable enough to linger
📌 Where to Buy The House of Eve
📚 If you liked The House of Eve, try:
-
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
-
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
-
Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson
Comments
Post a Comment