Lilith: A Novel

This is a mightily thought-provoking and ambitious novel! The author seeks to retell the mystical and mythological story of human partnerships . By supposing that the female Goddess must have been present since The Garden of Eden, the author shows us that the Godess is more than just forgotten but written out of history completely. Having said that, it was worth reading this excellent novel, even if simply for the fact that it explains why we are so cut off from the world around us. When women are unequal partners in life, when we are demonized and called unworthy, how can we ever find balance in the world? The novel is also like Lilith, it’s sum is greater than the sum of its parts, because it has everything from the Garden and the Fall to the present. I would not spoil any other part of this story! The writing is clean and powerful and it transports the reader to ancient Bronze Age times and ancient places. The prose is lyrical and sweet, always concise and pithy. Lilith has much to be angry about and her rage is likely to be contagious. Because, once you finish the book, you’ll be sad that it was just fiction, you’ll wish some of it were true. We badly need balance. If only we had a Lilith to explain what has been missing from our understanding of the world which includes both men and women, then we might be like the ancient Minoans. The following is from the Wikipedia article on Cultural Transformation Theory: “… women were not only treated as equals in society (or even higher), but also worshipped in their religion as the main supreme deity. The male deity was either absent or was secondary because it is mentioned much less often. As a result, women could have a high status because of religious and social customs. This status could be comparable to the male or surpass the male.” “Although weapon-like tools and armor were found among the artifacts, the lack of battle fortifications found on the Minoan research sites suggests that the civilization was peaceful as a whole.” We should aspire to be the same egalitarian society. If you are easily offended and do not like to have your patriarchal world view disrupted, you won’t like this book. I don’t mind the challenge to my way of thinking, it’s not popular but it’s true that most people have lost their worship of The Queen of Heaven, but since Yahweh’s consort, Asherah was worshipped in Judah and Israel - in the very Temple of Jerusalem - as the consort of Yahweh. She was the wife of God. We Catholics preserve her title of The Queen of Heaven and the Mother of God. I do wish we had a partnership society where females are treated equally as we are the only life giving people in the universe. The fact that the author included information that lead me to read about Cultural Transformation Theory which proposes that societies used to follow a “partnership model” of civilization but over time, it gave way to today’s current “dominator model “ of civilization. This theory was first proposed by Riane Eisler, in her book, “The Chalice and the Blade.” I plan on reading that next. I would also love to read more about the Blessed Mother being an aspect of the Goddess. I look forward to reading again the account of Jeremiah 44:17-19 “Instead we will do everything that we have vowed - make offerings to the Queen of Heaven and pour libations to her, just as our fathers, our kings and our officials, used to do in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty to eat, we prospered and suffered no misfortune. But ever since we stopped making offerings to the Queen of Heaven and pouring libations to her, we have lacked everything, and we have perished by the sword and by famine.”

I mostly listened to the audio of this one toward the end, though I did read through it quite a bit as well. As always, my honest thoughts and opinions are directly below. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– This book is a feminist retelling of Lilith, who is known as one of the first wives of Adam from the book of Genesis in the Abrahamic Bible. This book explores her life in more detail from when she was cast out of the garden of Eden while also forecasting a possible future. ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– I grew up in a Christian home, where Lilith is not talked about in any manner. I didn't even know she existed until I started branching out with more of an open mind. I wanted to explore what was also available instead of just Christianity. I don't remember how I came across this book but it wasn't available through any of the library cards I have on Libby so I just decided to pick up the Kindle version. I then picked up the audio version as well since it wasn't available on Libby either. Anyway, I did enjoy this book a lot more than I was expecting. I don't know what I was really expecting when I went in but this was more of a fictional retelling than I was expecting. I don't have a problem with that, of course, and I did enjoy it. I guess I was really expecting more of a textbook with hard facts but this was better, in my personal opinion. I prefer fiction over non-fiction but that's just me. This book still gave me the information I was looking for and that's all I care about at this point. I didn't know any information about Lilith before going into this book since we weren't taught about her in school or church. I'm glad I went through this book just because it gave me more information than what I would've learned from my parents or the church we went to when I was growing up. I still think the church is a cult and this book cemented that opinion for me. I know not everyone agrees with me and I know I'll probably get quite a bit of hate in the comments but I'll deal with that when I get there. All in all, I'd definitely recommend this book, especially if you want more information about the lore and whatnot. If you're looking for more of a feminist viewpoint, this book has that as well, which is a plus for me.

Lilith, by Nikki Marmery is absolutely stunning. It is a bold, refreshing take on female power and feminism, and it shines a light on strong female figures who have been overlooked, misinterpreted, or outright lied about throughout biblical history. I love how this book gives these women their voices back in a way that is loud and unapologetic. This is the kind of book every girl should read, whether she identifies as a feminist or not. It is empowering, thought-provoking, and deeply validating. I was hooked from start to finish and found myself thinking about it long after I closed the last page. I also listened to the audiobook, and it is lovely. The narrator’s voice is beautiful, warm, expressive, and perfectly suited to the tone of the book. The performance adds an extra layer of depth that made the story even more impactful. I thoroughly enjoyed Lilith, and I highly recommend

I fully enjoyed this telling of Lilith’s story. Not all of it rang true but I did love the narrative overall. I felt connected to her and how her brain works around the feelings connected to the legend.

Wow! I love this book, such a FAST read, and I cant stop recommending it. As a man, this book was so phenomenally thought provoking.

What an interesting, thoughtful and provocative take on the origin story. I love it!

I loved this book and as I've always loved poetry and am a poet myself, the poetic writing style of the author really appealed to me and I absolutely loved it! It's rich in imagery and the author put words together in a way that they danced on the page. I love Lilith's story as I'm a daughter of the Goddess too. It made me feel strong and powerful and proud to be one of the daughters of the Mother Goddess. I've always been proud to be Wiccan and I'm so glad that I found this book about Lilith, one of the most maligned women in history.

I thoroughly enjoyed this retelling of Lilith. This book is one of those that make you consider womens rights and why we have struggled for equality for thousands of years. It also gave me a greater understanding of biblical stories and as a fan of the classics,, I enjoyed how they draw on myth as well as the male ego. Lilith is the first woman. Borne alongside man until he decided she should be subservient. When she said no she was turned into the baddie and Eve was then ‘made from man” so obviously would do as she was told… I have always wondered why there is a god but no goddess, a father but no mother. This book has given me food for thought!

Really beautiful harback book such a shame there's a sticker stuck to the outside cover that won't come off cleanly. Especially with a cheaper price than what I paid for!?

I’m obsessed with this book. I love the story of the Midrashic (biblical fan fiction) Lilith figure and this book is incredible modern Midrash, expertly woven. I’m a Jewish scholar and loved all the details that the author included. I’ve been reading the book (for the second time) with an adult learner and we’re savouring it and looking up source stories as we go. My favourite thing about it though is the visionary Thealogy, answering the question, “what if religion and the world that rests on it held male and female as equals and included the voice of the Sacred Feminine?” I would like to think the religion I teach and practice is aligned with the vision Marmery has written about. As a Feminist read, it’s excellent. If I were to write a Midrash on this Midrash, I’d weave in Queerness and gender expansiveness.

This book should be COMPULSORY READING for everyone, especially women or those who identify as female, anyone in ANY patriarchal religion, those studying or practising religion, any company or organisation especially gender- biased ones such as the police.. This is not to detract from this book as a novel- you can easily just read ‘Lilith’ as an historical story BUT for someone raised in a patriarchal faith, I found this book life- changing. It resonates not only with issue of controlling misogynistic societies in the world today but also with the current ‘rethink’ about how evolved human behaviour is threatening the planet and the benefit of changing now before it’s too late. This book raises many questions about society’s structures, the way that they came about, and how they only benefit half of the population and none of the rest of our world. Thank- whatever female god for Nikki Marmery: her historical knowledge and phenomenal research has been applied into an easily digestible story which belies the depth of the messages embedded in it. Whatever you might take away from it, READ THIS BOOK!!!