Reviewed by Anne Boling for Readers' Favorite

Katherine Christensen has taken a myth and expanded it into a beautiful work of art. A Rib From Eve is a look into the past. The setting is Briton 620 AD. The land was savage, and the women were strong and resourceful. It was a time of struggle between the pagans and the Christians. Many still practiced the pagan arts while proclaiming faith in Jesus Christ. At times, the religions intermingled.

A Rib From Eve is the story of Malgven. Her maternal heritage was filled with mysticism and worship of the goddess. Her grandmother was Levinia and her mother Malgven. Her father was King Dagobert. As a girl she saw her mother burned at a stake by a crazed monk. Lost in her grief and trauma Malgven withdrew from the world. Her grandmother ,Levinia, nursed and cared for her. Eventually Malgven began to recover from the ordeal. Her grandmother schooled her in the old ways. At her grandfather’s insistence, she was married to an older man. At the death of her husband, King Dagobert, she return home to him. Malgven sat at her father’s left hand; he valued her as an adviser. Malgven was skilled at diplomacy. At her father’s death, she escaped to King Judicael.

A Rib From Eve is beautifully written. Katherine Christensen obviously researched her topic well. The spin of this story brings sympathy to the pagans and shows the corruption of the early church leaders. The first few chapters were a little slow reading; however, I soon became engrossed in the tale. This is not a short book, and I could not put it down. I stayed up most of the night, reading. The characters were well -developed and very strong. The women played much stronger roles at this period than I expected. Much of this history would be lost if it were not for writers like Christensen. Fans of history and romance will enjoy A Rib From Eve.