I just started reading the book and quite enjoy it. Today I got lucky to interview the author, Nelle Davy. Please join her book blog tour and you can win giveaways! (Look at the end of the post!).
About the Book
For generations, Aurelia was the crowning glory of more than three thousand acres of Iowa farmland and golden cornfields. The estate was a monument to matriarch Lavinia Hathaway's dream to elevate the family name - no matter what relative or stranger she had to destroy in the process. It was a desperation that wrought the downfall of the Hathaways - and the once prosperous farm.
Now the last inhabitant of the decaying old home has died - alone. None of the surviving members of the Hathaway family want anything to do with the farm, the land, or the memories.
Especially Meredith Pincetti. Now living in New York City, for seventeen years Lavinia's youngest grandchild has tried to forget everything about her family and her past. But with the receipt of a pleading letter, Meredith is again thrust into conflict with the legacy that destroyed her family's once-great name. Back at Aurelia, Meredith must confront the rise and fall of the Hathaway family... and her own part in their mottled history.
ND: Nothing tangible. It was the natural course for the story to take. I don’t shirk from darkness. I was raised on it.
D: Are any characters in the book based on people you know or have met in your personal life?
ND: No – though I think Lavinia is the part of me I could have taken if I had chosen a different path in life.
D: Which part of THE LEGACY OF EDEN was the most enjoyable to write?
ND: The part where Cal announces their affair and Lavinia threatens to stab him in his sleep if he ever hits her again at the traffic lights once they leave to go to the farm. That cemented everything for me about the kind of person she was.
Nelle Davy was born in Grenada in 1984 and was raised in London within an Anglo-Caribbean family. She studied English with creative writing at the University of Warwick and then undertook a master of philosophy degree in creative writing at Trinity College Dublin. She currently lives in London with her husband, where she works in publishing. THE LEGACY OF EDEN is her first novel and she is currently working on her second.
About the BookFor generations, Aurelia was the crowning glory of more than three thousand acres of Iowa farmland and golden cornfields. The estate was a monument to matriarch Lavinia Hathaway's dream to elevate the family name - no matter what relative or stranger she had to destroy in the process. It was a desperation that wrought the downfall of the Hathaways - and the once prosperous farm.
Now the last inhabitant of the decaying old home has died - alone. None of the surviving members of the Hathaway family want anything to do with the farm, the land, or the memories.
Especially Meredith Pincetti. Now living in New York City, for seventeen years Lavinia's youngest grandchild has tried to forget everything about her family and her past. But with the receipt of a pleading letter, Meredith is again thrust into conflict with the legacy that destroyed her family's once-great name. Back at Aurelia, Meredith must confront the rise and fall of the Hathaway family... and her own part in their mottled history.
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D: There are some darker elements to this book–what did you draw from to write that?
ND: Nothing tangible. It was the natural course for the story to take. I don’t shirk from darkness. I was raised on it.
D: Are any characters in the book based on people you know or have met in your personal life?
ND: No – though I think Lavinia is the part of me I could have taken if I had chosen a different path in life.
D: Which part of THE LEGACY OF EDEN was the most enjoyable to write?
ND: The part where Cal announces their affair and Lavinia threatens to stab him in his sleep if he ever hits her again at the traffic lights once they leave to go to the farm. That cemented everything for me about the kind of person she was.
D: Which part was the least enjoyable?
ND: The end rape scene and Meredith’s reaction. I had to do it in a way that was unforgivable without making the audience hate her and also understand why she reacted the way she did. Not a pleasant moment.
D: How did Aurelia come to be during the course of writing the book? Was it always the way it is in the published novel?
ND: Yes – lots of things have changed or developed over time but Aurelia was a constant. It was the fixed point around which the novel rotated.
ND: The end rape scene and Meredith’s reaction. I had to do it in a way that was unforgivable without making the audience hate her and also understand why she reacted the way she did. Not a pleasant moment.
D: How did Aurelia come to be during the course of writing the book? Was it always the way it is in the published novel?
ND: Yes – lots of things have changed or developed over time but Aurelia was a constant. It was the fixed point around which the novel rotated.
Thanks so much Nelle!
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About the Author
Nelle Davy was born in Grenada in 1984 and was raised in London within an Anglo-Caribbean family. She studied English with creative writing at the University of Warwick and then undertook a master of philosophy degree in creative writing at Trinity College Dublin. She currently lives in London with her husband, where she works in publishing. THE LEGACY OF EDEN is her first novel and she is currently working on her second.
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