Reviewed by Stefan Vucak for Readers' Favorite

Returning from the New World after eleven years of missionary work, Ignaz Pfefferkorn, a Jesuit priest, is imprisoned in Spain for ten years after the order was disbanded by Papal decree. In 1796, he is finally free and makes his way home to the Rhineland. Walking, doing odd jobs along the way, stricken with illness, Ignaz finally manages to reach Unkel and his family. After a long convalescence, he is cured and obtains a position as assistant priest at a local parish. The Pastor is accused of murdering a young man and Ignaz gets involved in trying to solve the crime. After a lengthy investigation, it turns out that it was the local doctor, involved with drug smugglers, who murdered the man to cover up his habit, framing the Pastor. French troops invade the Rhineland, killing and pillaging along the way. Abandoning the priesthood, Ignaz takes a wife.

Based on a genuine person, in this superbly written and researched work, although the appendices are more suitable for a scholarly dissertation, the reader is plunged into the daily lives and family politics of a small German town along the Rhine. The reader needs to like family intrigues to enjoy this work, as there is little drama and tension one expects in a fictional novel. I enjoyed the subtle village life he leads, but found Ignaz somewhat shallow, doubting himself and his vocation. In the end, with the French marauding everywhere and Ignaz taking a woman, the reader is left without any substance. Had the author narrated Ignaz’s life and adventures in the New World, it would have made for a much more fascinating book.

Florence Weinberg wields her pen with consummate skill, and her narrative and dialogue cannot be faulted. Given her extensive research, she portrays a vivid picture of Rhineland life in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. "Unrest in Eden" is a heavy work and makes the reader think, but some may not find it digestible.