The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope

Written by Rhonda Riley

Narrated by Stina Nielsen

In the waning months of World War II, young Evelyn Roe's life is transformed when she finds what she takes to be a badly burned soldier, all but completely buried in the heavy red-clay soil on her family's farm in North Carolina. When Evelyn rescues the stranger, it quickly becomes clear he is not a simple man. As innocent as a newborn, he recovers at an unnatural speed, and then begins to change—first into Evelyn's mirror image, and then into her complement, a man she comes to know as Adam.

Evelyn and Adam fall in love, sharing a connection that reaches to the essence of Evelyn's being. But the small town where they live is not ready to accept the likes of Adam, and his unusual origin becomes the secret at the center of their seemingly normal marriage.

Adam proves gifted with horses, and together he and Evelyn establish a horse-training business. They raise five daughters, each of whom possesses something of Adam's supernatural gifts. Then a tragic accident strikes the family, and Adam, in his grief, reveals his extraordinary character to the local community. Evelyn and Adam must flee to Florida with their daughters to avoid ostracism and prying doctors. Adrift in their new surroundings, they soon realize that the difference between Adam and other men is greater than they ever imagined.

Intensely moving and unforgettable, The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope captures the beauty of the natural world, and explores the power of abiding love and otherness in all its guises. It illuminates the magic in ordinary life and makes us believe in the extraordinary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Apr 23, 2013
• ISBN: 9780062239808

Rhonda Riley

Rhonda Riley is a graduate of the creative writing program at the University of Florida. This is her first novel. She lives in Gainesville, Florida.

Reviews for The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope

[Kristen Pevahouse · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this book years ago. I would think about it every now and again but forgot what it was called. I was able to find it again and I’m currently walking around in a book hangover with tears in my eyes. It will go down as one of my favorite books. The narration was wonderful and as a southern girl with a thick accent, felt very authentic. I am so glad I found this book again!

[jsabrina-219220 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First, I have to give Rhonda Riley high praise for coming up with such an unusual and fantastical premise and grounding it so beautifully in ordinary life.

Evelyn literally pulls a naked stranger from the mud during a torrential rainstorm one night, only discovering later that this 'person' is not human. However "A" soon becomes her closest friend - and eventually her lover - a relationship divides her from her family and small town neighbors even as she outwardly seems no different.

Their lives unfold over the course of decades: raising a family, dealing with the occasional but vivid episodes of Adam's strangeness bursting into daily life. In many ways this could be a very ordinary tale of love, family, and change, but Adam's presence prevents it from ever being ordinary.

Riley is a skilled writer, creating a sense of time and place without getting weighed down in details, keeping the story moving at a gentle, quiet, but inexorable pace through the years. At the end of the book, we know Evelyn inside and out. . . but some mysteries remain veiled - and that's okay.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

adult fiction; sci-fi/romance. Kind of like Time Traveler's Wife, with the mysterious lover and expectation of eventual heartbreak, but kind of draggy. I did enjoy the Carolina countryside setting a little bit.

[thea5block · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting premise for a book and the author did a good job working out the implications, but it reminded me too much of Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. It had the same themes of a wife in love with a husband who is not who others think he is, similar motherly concern for the children who are a mix of human and otherness, etc. I enjoyed the how the characters had to deal with the concept of otherness in a different time-period - during and after WWII - and I did really enjoy Rhonda Riley's writing style. I wouldn't recommend this book wholeheartedly, but it definitely was an interesting read.

[donnab317 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I just loved this story. I loved the characters and found them and their situations so compelling. When the setting moved to central Florida, I was especially pleased (being a Gator) and reveled in the familiar geography.

[hubblegal-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an enchanting story about an especially unique life. The characters will move into your heart and will stay there. Read it with an open mind to all that is wondrous and unknown in the world or worlds around us. I just read that Rhonda Riley is working on an unrelated book and is researching for a sequel to "The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope". I couldn't be more thrilled to hear it and will keep an eye out for any books by her - she's a very special author!

[annwieland-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What a very strange book. Very strange indeed.

[theeccentriclady · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I stumbled across The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope on Overdrive while looking for an audio book to listen to while I was sewing. I have to say Rhonda Riley did a fantastic job weaving a story unconditional love and the power that love can have on a person whither spouse or child. She explores the prejudice and judgment that people have of others that are or seem different than them. The fact that she never commits to explaining A or Adam to us allows each reader to insert a person or a situation they have experienced prejudice or judgment with in their lives and allows them to make this story their own. The powerful friendship turned to love between Evelyn and Adam is beautiful and the strong family they built was a joy for me to read about. Even though there are tragedies throughout the book, I view this as a very uplifting story and am so glad I stumbled upon it. The narrator on the audio version was very pleasant to listen to and for me, helped bring this story to life.

[sleahey_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rather slow-starting, nonetheless this novel is captivating for its development of the main character Evelyn, and her family. I was completely willing to buy in to the magical parts of the books, and consider them for the themes they represented.

[lmm161 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to like this book more than I did... A strange being rises from the Carolina mud, becomes the woman who finds him and later a man so they can have kids.... It was strange. it was hard to follow, and in the end there was no pay off whatsoever. Did Adam die, is he going to change? who know. I wanted to know how their daughters responded, i wanted to know what came from their adventure, and instead, i feel like i should have quit reading around page 100 like i wanted to.

[tututhefirst_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's very very different, beautiful writing, gorgeous love story(ies) and has an exceptional out-of-the-box premise. Once I started, I was at first afraid to keep reading because I didn't want the magic to end, and I worried that Riley could not sustain the level of exquisiteness she started (but she did!). I was also afraid that whatever the ending was going to be, I wouldn't like it. (Surprise!) Still..it took me a while to get my mind around the whole concept. The premise of this otherworldly person who develops into Adam was a difficult one for me, so I chose to read the book as an allegory of the original Adam and Eve in the garden story. About half-way into the story however, I just fell in love with the characters, the settings, and the story of love in all its forms. Magical realism isn't a genre in my comfort zone, but Riley's writing is so special it won me over. It is as lush and verdant as the Garden of Eden, and at the same time as straight-forward and unadorned as the North Carolina farm where the story begins.

[dianekeenoy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very unusual story, just exactly what I enjoy!

[hammockqueen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Her impossible characters developed beautifully into persons I could know and thoroughly enjoy. This was a novel I read slower than usual so I could make it last. When it ended, I felt a definite loss of people I managed to love and be interested in. This is an outstanding 1st novel that I highly recommend.

[jnwelch_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope is an enchanting tale of love and appreciating life, even when it throws you curveballs. SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW It starts with Eve graduating from her small town high school near Charlotte, NC near the end of WWII, and being given a deceased aunt's farm to run, one she had worked on for many years. In a storm she finds someone stuck in the mud near an apple tree, who she digs out, brings home, and nurses back to health. The stranger heals fast and occasionally gives off an odd, soothing, chiming sound. They begin to learn one another, working the farm together, and eventually become lovers. There is magic realism at work, and a refreshing carefree immersion to their sexuality. When they both realize they want children, a transformation into Adam Hope occurs (yes, they become Eve and Adam), and, as the author lets you know in the first few pages, their family of unusually talented girls is begun.Adam has to learn everything as if for the first time, including the ropes of being a manly man when around other men. "So no more hanging up panties {on the clothes line} for me - at least when anyone else is around. Some other lessons I've learned." He held up his fingers, counting them off. "Limit questions to those about cars, engines, and sports. Do not look another man in the eye for more than a second when you pass on the street, one quick glance and a nod will do. Most men want you to stand beside them and look at something else with them, not face them when you're talking. Don't spend much time in the kitchen with the women. Arrange yourself before you leave the bathroom." They encounter fear and intolerance, and the challenge of raising girls who are wonderful but not off the shelf. But they also encounter embracing friendship and reciprocal love.They work hard to make the farm a success, with Adam using his unique communication abilities to calm and train difficult horses, which begins to bring business from surrounding areas. The scenes with the horses are some of the most engaging in the book. The small town accepts him, and he and the girls turn out to have unifying musical talents as well. But it is hard for anyone to avoid our earthly tragedies, and Eve and Adam are knocked sideways by more than one. In the worst of it, Eve gives this beautiful description of grief. "Grief is a powerful river in flood. It cannot be argued or reasoned or wrestled down to an insignificant trickle. You must let it take you where it is going. When it pulls you under, all you can do is keep your eyes open for rocks and fallen trees, try not to panic, and stay faceup so you will know where the sky is. You will need that information later. Eventually, its waters calm and you will be on a shore far from where you began, raw and sore, but clean and as close to whole as you will ever be again."There is a definite "hippie vibe" to this novel which I imagine some will not cotton to. I loved it. The believable, powerful strength of Eve and Adam's love for one another, and the sustained imagination of Rhonda Riley's unusual story, made this one I poured through. Thanks to maggie1944 and mckait for recommending it.

[patricia_poland_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I almost put this book down around page 80 but the craft of the writing was so good, I kept on and I'm glad I did. Absorbing and otherworldly, yet most definitely human in its portrayal of mothers and their hopes, dreams, worries for their children; a very caring and deep look at the love between two people -- first woman to woman, then man to woman; both of the prominent settings are rural (N.C. & FL) and lend themselves well to the story while also portraying the relationship between humans and the land that they inhabit temporarily.

[ddirmeyer_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the 1940s in rural North Carolina, Evelyn finds a man mostly buried in mud outside her farm during a storm. Living alone, and only a teenager herself, she finds the strength to not only bring the man into her home but also to nurse him back to health. The events that ensue transform not only the person she found in the mud but also herself.As we watch the rescued person become an individual, the story actually focuses more on Evelyn becoming her own person. She becomes more comfortable living a life separate from her family, even though she mourns the loss of complete truthfulness and honesty she once shared with them. Evelyn becomes a wife and mother and these roles, along with running the farm and a thriving horse business, occupy all of Evelyn's time.I didn't realize this was a debut novel when I read it. The writing is almost lyrical and certainly Riley has a successful career ahead of her as a writer.I enjoyed the development of Evelyn's character particularly through the details of her life becoming the sole caretaker of the farm. I also enjoyed the glimpses into the individual characters of Evelyn's five daughters, although I felt they could have been explored even further.The fantastical turns in the book reminded me greatly of both The Time Traveler's Wife and Benjamin Button. The greatest difference I found was that this book truly focused on Evelyn and not the character undergoing the magical transformations.I found this to be a refreshing change of perspective. I look forward to further books by Riley.

[kimd66 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This may very well be the worst book I have ever read. Period. I found nothing redeeming about the "love" the two main characters had for each other. They were so in "love" they couldn't communicate anything to each other or their children. HORRID!

[maggie1944 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rhonda Riley's first book demonstrates her ability to write a story I've read before (young woman, family ties to the land, meets and marries, has children, life full of blessings and tragedies, small town prejudices) in an entirely fresh and poetic way. Ms Riley's sentences forced me to slow down and read them each carefully the way one might examine a fresh strawberry picked off the vine on a warm summer day. The writing caused me to let it fill me with joy and sorrow. Just like life.And she also freshens her story with addition of magic in just the right measure. This book has been called magical realism but I actually felt she captured the way in which real life has its very magical moments that are completely TRUE.

[mckait · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope by Rhonda Riley is a debut novel by this author. It is one of those rare books whose characters stay with you, haunt you, long after the last page has been read. The main character is Evelyn Roe, a teenager when World War II comes to a close. She and her family, like so many others are struggling to make ends meet as the war draws to and end. They live in a small town where the main employer is a mill, which is where you will find may of the townsfolk working to make a living. Unlike so many others, however, Evelyn's family has the good fortune of having a family member who owns a farm. The crops they grow help the entire family make it through the year. The family helps as much as they can, but work in the mill is no less exhausting or time consuming, so it's only on Saturdays that Evelyn has help. The aunt who owns the farm has always been very special to Evelyn. From the time she was little more than a toddler, she would find her way to the farm and work beside her cousins and her aunt. There is something in the soil itself that draws some to want to work it, and magic in watching rows of plants grow, and become delicious fruits and vegetables. There is a strong satisfaction in working in a steamy kitchen for hours and then standing back to admire the rows and rows of food that you have put up, shoulder to shoulder with others in the family. Knowing that your efforts, together with the generosity of Mother Earth will nourish those you love throughout the cold months of winter. Magic too, in opening those jars and suddenly catching a whiff of summer or fall, which somehow always makes its way into the jars with the apples and tomatoes and berries. The death of her aunt, after losing her sons to the war places the farm into young Evelyn's capable hands. She moves into the farmhouse on her own, as she is the one who has always loved it and worked it. The work is hard, and many today would find it overwhelming, she manages. Then one day, during a downpour which she watched as carefully as any farmer, always thinking of how it would affect her crops and her home, she went out to investigate where the runoff was headed. It was then she found what at first glance seemed to be a lifeless body. She soon realized that there was still life in this person, naked and covered in mud. A soldier she thought, badly burned, naked, bald and cold. But healing was quick with good care and food. Things are not always as they seem. This is how we are introduced to Addie. Addie, who seemed to have a mystical connection with animals, and who developed a deep connection with Evelyn. Sharing the work of the farm became more than hard work, since they had each other and the charismatic Addie clearly had a connection to the family, anyone looking at her could see that. Life was good. Evelyn and Addie begin to work together, farming and taking on new challenges. Addie is welcomed warmly by all, and soon it seems as if she has always been there, part of the family, a familiar face in town. The thing about life is that it changes. Has ups and downs, good times and bad. One day Addie went away and never returned. That was one of the bad times. But soon after she left, Adam turned up at the farm. Adam Hope. Adam might be described as the silver lining following the cloud that the loss of Addie left behind. Then things get even more interesting.

[cataylor_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is the end of World War II and Evelyn is 17 when she is sent to her Aunt's farm at the edge of town to keep things running. She's always felt herself an outsider, but her loneliness deepens until one cold rainy day when she pulls a living body out of the earth. The tale that follows is magical and ethereal, but becomes a love story that lasts a lifetime. If you can imagine a world where the edges are a bit fuzzy and are willing to accept that none of us truly knows one another or our beginnings, you will become absorbed in Evelyn and Adam's story and the unimaginable possibilities that exist.