Segmentation of the novel into five major parts is significant for characterization and for the cumulative symbolism of "New Eden." Since Part One is overtly tided "Nicole's Journal" and is rendered in first person, the feminine perspective dominates the work. Also, many of the chapters within the first part are short, as diary entries often may be (although chapters in the other sections are usually not much more than ten pages long, and may also be subdivided internally as well).

They are also dated, as journal entries tend to be, charting in uneven fashion the passage of time. As mentioned above, Clarke and Lee had two women review their work for realistic rendering of female actions, attitudes, and feelings. The Garden of Rama gives far more attention to interpersonal relationships from a feminine perspective than does the rest of the Clarke canon (although Rama Revealed [1994], last in the...