Product Description
In a novel the Village Voice calls "memorable" and "striking," Alice Hoffman vividly portrays a family shattered by tragedy when eleven-year-old Amanda is diagnosed with AIDS...

"Brilliant...explosive...heart-rending."

--Chicago Tribune

"Graceful...emotionally potent...A cathartic tale that begs us, with heartbreaking eloquence, to stop looking the other way."

--Glamour

"Within pages, the reader falls in love with this very real little girl... Moving, dramatic and painfully human."

--Miami Herald

"Compelling power...tenderness and perceptiveness."

--New York Times

"I have rarely encountered a work that has moved me as strongly... extraordinary."

--Mademoiselle

"Deeply impressive...powerful."

--Newsweek

"Deeply moving...Sensitivity and empathy...radiate from this beautiful novel."

--Chicago Sun-Times

"Compassionate...This is a serious, honest novel."

--Village Voice

"Tender, strikingly simple and deeply memorable."

--Kirkus Reviews

"An affecting novel of exquisite delicacy, with humor, warmth, and sensitivity.Miss Hoffman heals wounds with the gentle touch of an angel."

--Joseph Heller ... Read more

Customer Reviews (49)

Beautiful
I bought this book secondhand at the library. The back of the book gave little of the story away and I was surprised when I brought it home to find that it was from 1988, and it dealt with AIDS.A book about someone dying from AIDS has the potential to be melodramatic, sappy, overdone, but Hoffman does none of this.I agree with the reviewer who stated that reading it made her feel like she was sitting with the characters.Her prose is simple and clear and the novel moves smoothly; her characters feel real and are fleshed out; her plot and the interactions between characters also seem genuine..I knew how it would end, but her writing and characterizations made it a joy to read, and I've read it several times since then.Pick it up.You won't be disappointed.

Dull
I finished the book, but was so disappointed. Storyline was wishy-washy and the characters dull.

The first book that made me cry as an adult
I was assigned this book in college and found myself weeping in the library. At Risk isn't heavy-handed, and that's what makes it so powerful. The family is believable, and therein lies its poignancy.

Review of At Risk
I think that At Risk is a must read for young adults.It shows a family with courage and how they deal with such a great hardship.It helped to understand how some people react to a disease that they know almost nothing about and how some of there assumptions made matters worse. This book is the amazing story of an 11 year old girl who is diagnosed with AIDS and how her family, friends, and community deals with it.It is a heartbreaking book that teaches great morals and life lessons.I would recommend this book to anyone interested in AIDS or who just wants a good read.It's an easy read and is great for all ages.

Powerfully brilliant, emotionally engaging novel!

What can I add to the other reviews?With excellent characterizations and natural dialogue, Alice Hoffman is a master at drawing typical suburban lifestyles and family dynamics! The family in this story endeared themselves to the reader before tragedy fell upon them, making their ordeal much more heartwrenching. It was very interesting to read how they were torn apart and I wondered if the parents relationship would be strengthened or would be unrepairably damaged in the end. My heart particularly went out to Charlie, who at 8 years old, didn't know exactly how to react and got kind of lost in the activity. I was especially pained at how the community, through their ignorance about AIDS, shunned Amanda. It was equally amazing how the pediatrician, coach and school principal remained undeterred and supportive throughout the controversy. Although tears flowed, it was a beautiful compassion-inspiring story, not depressing perhaps because such strides have been make since the 1980's in the treatment and public awareness of AIDS. I will not easily forget these characters nor their plight. ... Read more

Product Description
13 year-old Martha Glimmer is convinced this is the worst time of her life.Her mother died, she grew 7 inches, and she has to put up with a woman who plys Martha's lonely father with food and opinions about how 13 year-old girls should behave.Martha longs to leave Oak Grove and travel.Martha's best friend Trevor and his brother Eli also want to leave Oak Grove.Nicknamed Trout and Eel because of the thin webbing between their fingers and toes, they long to see the ocean.Together, Martha, Trout, and Eel are going to find the true meaning of home -- in very unexpected places.Amazon.com Review
Fans of Alice Hoffman's first novella for children, Aquamarine, will be thrilled to discover Indigo, another watery tale that blends fantasy with reality in a surprising coming-of-age quest. Thirteen-year-old Martha and her best friends, brothers nicknamed Trout and Eel for their fishy tendencies and webbed fingers and toes, long to escape from their dull, dry town. Their ambivalent feelings about running away, though, are reinforced when a fierce storm interrupts their journey and helps them begin to answer their questions about who they are "at the deepest core"--and who they will become. Unfortunately, there's not enough time for Hoffman to develop her characters here, and an implausibly pat denouement may leave the reader wishing the book were longer--or shorter--but the elements of friendship, loss, and hope will come through for those who take it for the parable it is. (Ages 10 to 14) --Emilie Coulter ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

A Distant Longing
This short young adult novel...
dear lovers of magical realism,
... by Alice Hoffman is quite charming. This is the story of two young brothers who have webbed feet and hands who long to see the sea in a town that because of past floods does all it can to avoid water, and their friend, a young girl, whose mother has died and is plagued by a local woman eager to be her wicked step mother. It is a quick and sweet read and we very much enjoyed it, which is why we are recommending it to you.
kyela,
the silver elves

A YA BOOK THAT IS A BIT DIFFERENT - Refreshingly so.
What an odd little tale this one was.It is written almost in the mode of one of the many Irish folk tale of Selkies; the same mater of fact and whimsical tone you find in so many of those old tales is present which takes on an almost rhythmic beat as you read along. I absolutely relished the author's syntax in this work.

This is the story of three friends in a small, could be anywhere kind of place, but in this case Texas town. It is dry there and the people of the village do no like water since their town was washed away by a flood in the past.The three friends, Martha Glimmer, a motherless young girl and two brothers, Trout and Ell McGill long to leave this dry boring place; to seek something more, to experience something that will fill the obvious void in their lives. They know beyond a doubt that there is something else out there, another world' a world they know they should be a part of in an instinctive way.Something is missing in their lives and they want answers.

There is of course a mystical quality about this book, this short book, but that is only right as it deals with the mystical part of the inner heart.There are several things going on throughout this work; the importance of friendship, trust, family relationships and most important the message of acceptance.

Not to throw in any spoilers, but there is something definitely fishlike about the two young boys.Their parents, a childless couple went on a vacation a number of years ago, and apparently "adopted" these two young men and have raised them in a loving home since. The boys are "different," in that they have webbed feet and hands and there is a look in their eye that is not all together of this world.

I would have liked to have seen this work fleshed out somewhat as the author has used some fascinating personalities to tell her story...she just does not supply enough information which could leave some readers a bit frustrated I fear.I personally did not mind as I read the work more for the story telling rhythm the author uses more than anything else.

This is a likable book with several good messages.It is a very fast read, but a read that you will want to ponder a bit to glean full value from it.I do very much recommend it and certainly suggest you add it to your reading list. I am giving this one five stars because for me it was a perfect fit and for me it was an extremely enjoyable read.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

Water World
This novel is centered around water and a town that prides itself on being dry.Tragedy strikes and the town is flooded but two special children save the day.

Pretty sweet book
The book ,Indigo, is a book to read. The reason why,well even if your a slow reader this book will be easy on the eyes.The book ,Indigo, is best suited for the preteen and under for the text is not small and there are only eighty four pages.

Indigo starts out introdusing the main character,Martha,and explaines her life and the fact that her mother died and she lives with her dad.There town is named Oak Grove,or as some locals in the book called it "the high and dry town".This odd nickname originated from the fact thatwater was forbidon besides the ocasional bath.Martha is sertantly not fond of this.Her and her two friends Eel(Eli)and Trout(Trevor)have to deal with throwing rocks.They are getting tired of this and are planning to sneak out.Martha,Eel,and Trout start there trip it ends up Tevor did the math and it willtake them ten days. The travelers destination is Ocean City this plase is not forighn.Trout and Eel were born here.The first night is rough and a branch fell on Martha's arm.They later came to the conclution it was brocken.The group dicided to go back and check the arm.When Martha and her friends came back and it was flooded.Trevor and his little discover that they have unateral swimming powers.Martha goes to find her father and see the docter.trout and Eelgo to save the day or town.Finally it is over, the docter says that Martha's arm is okay.Trout's parents decide to take them back to Ocean City.Martha onthe other hand dances in the moon light having fun.

A Teacher's Perspective
This is a simple book written about 13-year-old Martha Glimmer and her two unusual friends, "Trout" (Trevor), 13, and "Eel" (Eli), 11, McGill.Trout and Eel are unique due to the unusual webbing found between their fingers and toes. They are also unique because of their affinity for water in a town that prides itself on being dry. This town is known as Oak Grove and believes 'the drier the better' since it suffered from a disastrous flood many years ago.This dry town is disappointing to the McGill brothers who dream of seeing the ocean.Martha and her two friends set out to "run-to" see the ocean as opposed to runaway from home and find that a storm/flood brings them back sooner than expected.

This book started out well, but ended disjointedly.I felt like Martha's reaction to finding out why the boys were "special" was unrealistically non-existent.Some parts that were supposed to be believable, such as the boys single-handedly moving the huge stones in the wall, were not presented in such a way that I was able to believe them.In addition, the disaster or aftermath of such a flood were not even acknowledged.I didn't so much have a problem with the fantastical element of the book, just the huge gaps left in the book that if filled would give the book more credibility.I also believe that the suggested reading level of 5 may be a bit high. ... Read more

Product Description
The matriarch of a Long Island clan with a stubbornly suicidal son and a defiant, restless granddaughter, Esther has hired a Russian landscaper to watch over the family as well as the grounds of their secluded waterfront estate. But he has been watching Esther, too. And his love for her is growing wild enough to uproot them all.

The author of Here on Earth and The River King presents a "stunning and hypnotic" novel that "interweaves past and present with piercing images and unfailing energy" (Publishers Weekly). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Strange characters.Very well-presented.
This story exemplifies Alice Hoffman's talent for drawing the dysfunctional family so well. The characters, although weird, were each likeable in their own way, and it was captivating to read about their plight.

STRANGE as STRANGE CAN BE
The characters of this book are more eccentric than my neighbors.

The tales intertwined in this book belong more in a 19th century novel than they do in today's writing world.

The biases and idiosyncracies of the characters are Hoffman-esque.Oh, are they ever so ever Hoffman.

By the time we learn what a drowning season is, we learn that the person who likes to attempt hydro-suicide ventures (almost as often as the tortoises lay their eggs) is not necessarily the most mentally disturbed family member.Maybe, you have to think, the others drove him to the shores to fill his lungs with salt water.

Hoffman writeswell. Extremely well.And, knowing that many of her other books deal with single women raising teenage kids -- something which I must assume she knows a lot about -- this book surprises you as it stays away from that common theme.

If you do not like this book, I can guarantee you will not like many (or most) of her other novels.

Very entertaining and a unique look at life and destiny.
After reading Turtle Moon I had a quest for more of Alice Hoffman. The Drowning Season gives a unique perspective of issues that I had never looked at before - namely death and obsession with a quest. Suicide is notan easy topic, but this is an eye opener. Hoffman has a timemachine builtinto her novels that transports us into these worlds almost through magic. I have never been disappointed with any of her novels, and eagerly lookforward to the next adventure into the human spirit that she takes me on.Her characters are human and fallible - like all of us.The stories arelessons learned that touch our lives over and over again. She is so timelywith stories on AIDs, abuse, gangs, new age beliefs, abandoned unwantedjuveniles, and even crime. Each is almost a modern day parable. I couldn'tput this book down, it traveled with me until I finished it.

Very poignant story of famial love
While browsing thru notes I made on books read years and years ago, I came across my remarks about Angel Landing, another Hoffman book, and remembered how impressed I was with her writing style and characters.I decided to see if she had written any more books and had no idea she had written so many others, including one selected by Oprah's reading group.I was not disappointed to be reading her again.Her characters, always quirky andstrange, are written in such a lyrical tone that they seem very real and human. In The Drowining Season, Esther the White is the matriarch of a very dysfunctional yet loving family.Hoffman slowly reveals the past deceptions and future dreams of all the family members culminating in life-changing decisions made by all three generations. Your only hope is that all will have found the peace and love so desired.A great read! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (34)

Innocent Aphrodite: An Archetype in Suburbia
In the early 1980s, Jean Shinoda Bolen, M.D., Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, UCSF clinical professor, and Jungian psychiatrist, wrote a groundbreaking book called Goddesses in Everywoman: Archetypes in Women's Lives. When I read Alice Hoffman's Seventh Heaven I wondered if she had set out to deliberately write a novel about the alchemical Aprhrodite archetype Shinoda-Bolen explores in her work, and how that archetype might be a catalyst for all sorts of inner and outer changes within the overwhelming conformity of an increasingly suburban America.

In 1950s America, a young divorcee, the sensually named Nora Silk, moves into one of the first housing subdivisions populated with uncomprehending residents who are trying to live the American Dream, but who are actually living in a stupor of obedience and lack of self awareness.

Nora is already a curiosity and a scandal by the mere fact that she is divorced and raising her children on her own in an era when women were supposed to want nothing more than a husband, a nice car, a little black dress, and a flattering hat. She is not cunning or full of womanly guile, she is simply being herself: a sensual, naturally sexy female who loves her kids and doesn't settle for living the confined, suffocating life expected of woman in post-WWII America.

Shinoda-Bolen found that an Aphrodite Archetype is a woman who sets off usually dramatic, often self-unsettling reactions in those around her, but she herself is unaware of the affect she has on others and/or confused by the hostility she frequently encounters. She finds other women sometimes resent her, envy her, or are in awe of her, men project their sexual fantasies on her, and she herself burns with insights and desires she does not always understand; she just can't be anything other than who and what she is.

Nora sets off reactions in the people who inhabit the subdivision, and she takes on a young lover. The ghost of a teenage girl who was disdained in life haunts the story. This is a frequent theme in Hoffman's novels--a soul, usually a young soul, who was wronged some way in life and hangs around to confront characters whose lives must change if they are to keep moving forward.

This is my personal favorite of Hoffman's novels. It is funny, haunting, insightful, and an excellent example of the kind of piercing literary consciousness that followed in the wake of the The Second Wave of Feminism that began during the late days of the Civil Rights Movement and social upheaval of the mid-to-late 1960s. This could be an interesting, thought provoking, perhaps even unsettling novel to explore in a contemporary book club that might include women from ultra-conservative Rightists cultures (e.g., orthodox Muslims, Sarah Palin) insisting their voices be heard.

Magic in Suburbia - Hoffman at Her Best
This novel is reminiscent of Hoffman's Illumination Night and Fortune's Daughter.The book is poetic, lyrical and mysterious.From the beginning there are portents of the ephemeral in the mundane.

The book takes place in a Long Island suburb in the 1950's. It is inhabited by ordinary fold who, by Ms. Hoffman's exquisite rendering, harbor magic.Nora, the divorcee, and her Houdini-like son, Billy, arrive in suburbia.The novel deals with their interactions there and others' responses to them.

This is a marvelous book, Hoffman at her best.

put me to sleep
I didn't care for "Seventh Heaven". After the first chapter, it went downhill.
The writing literally made me fall asleep.

One authentic life brings magic and change to a whole neighborhood
"Seventh Heaven" by Alice Hoffman is a most unusual coming-of-age tale. Here, it is not just one youth who matures into self-discovery and understanding, but a whole community of neighbors--children, adolescents, and adults. The catalyst comes in the form of Nora Silk, a vibrant, independent, freethinking divorcee who moves into the neighborhood with her two young sons. Twenty months later, everything and everybody has changed.

Don't expect detailed character development--there are far too many characters in this novel for that. This work is more like a collection of interlocking short stories than a traditional novel. But this is Alice Hoffman writing so, trust me, you will not feel shortchanged. Her characters are spot-on perfect--so credible, they practically bleed off the page. With just a few deft words, she can capture an emotion, a life, emptiness, a dream, and make you feel that person's essence.It's uncanny, magical--it's Alice Hoffman. Clearly, I love this author!

The whole plot takes place in a mere 20 months. It is 1959 in the suburbs of New Jersey. This is a time way before the women's movement. This is like Pleasantville, U.S.A. From the first moment they see her, the neighbors know that Nora Silk doesn't fit in. She wears tight pants and high heel shoes. Her house is untidy, her kids unkempt. She runs her household, holds down a job, and does all the manly fix-it jobs around the house...and she acts as if all this were perfectly normal. From the very beginning, all the mothers in the neighborhood give her the cold shoulder, but the husbands can't keep their eyes off of her. Naturally, this doesn't help the situation. The children take cues from their mothers and start taunting and bullying Nora's third grade son, Billy. All poor Billy can do in response is to try and learn as much as he can about Houdini so he can become invisible.

But there is magic working on Hemlock Street--subtle, believable magic. The magic is Nora's authenticity. It makes all the neighbors who come in contact with her eventually question their own sanitized lives. One-by-one, the facades that each neighbor has constructed to obfuscate their inner selves begin to melt. Lives change. People get hurt, then recover, then go on to become better, more complete, and self-aware human beings...and all because of Nora.

This novel isn't for everyone. Most of these characters are deeply flawed, and some of the actions they take can be interpreted by some as being highly immoral. But, they are people who are true to their inner natures, and that's what makes them real. See if this book doesn't help you love these people for themselves, without judgment. Then perhaps you'll find it easier to love yourself and those special people in your life also without judgment. We know we should, but most of us still find this so difficult.

crow feathers and cheerios
In a "Pleasantville"-like suburb set in the fifties, men bring home the bacon, women vacuum in high heels and children play baseball and fall asleep to the sound of late evening lawn mowers. Apart from the infrequent domestic disturbance, all is peaceful, until Nora Silk moves in with her two young sons. Nora is something of a scarlet woman in the community, being divorced, attractive, and an indifferent housekeeper. She tries but continually fails to live up to the standards set by the other women as wives and mothers. Her arrival causes a series of rifts which cannot be easily repaired. An otherwise ordinary housewife leaves her family out of the blue, and other residents explore options and pursue dreams they had never considered before. Although "Seventh Heaven" doesn't have much of a plot, the book is an enjoyable read.


... Read more

Product Description
For more than thirteen years, devoted father and husband Ethan Ford has been running from his past. But one day the police show up at his door-and his life as an irreproachable family man and heroic volunteer fireman begins to come apart.

"Investigate[s] the themes of devotion, betrayal, guilt and forgiveness in trenchantly effective ways." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

"Hoffman ably sends her theme of loss and deception reverberating across several well-made subplots... fast-moving." (New York Times Book Review) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (109)

Interesting, with problems
This book was eight years old when I got around to reading it and it has been pretty thoroughly reviewed, so will stick to my reactions to what others have said and to things not covered. [FULL OF SPOILERS.]

I found both Ethan and Jorie disturbingly narcissistic in the opening scene, when they didn't think twice about staying home to make love when they had people waiting for them. Maybe that might happen in the initial "throw up" stage of lust, but after thirteen years? He seemed scary to me, even then; his seduction seemed more like control than love. Later (in flashback), when he meets her in the bar, we see that he knows what he wants and he intends to get it. It's all about HIM and his wants and needs. Sounded like a sociopath to me. Contrast his approach to women with Barney, who also knows what he wants; but his focus is on Charlotte and her wants and needs. Ethan possesses; Barney loves.

I disagree with reviewers who wanted more of the diary. What earthshaking revelations would you expect in the diary of a fifteen-year-old? The last entry tells us all we need to know about her: she has just received her first kiss. I agree that the brother wouldn't have given her the diary; but he might have shown it to her in order to make his point. But Hoffman apparently thought it was important that Ethan had kept the key to the diary, so she needed Jorie to actually possess it. That made no sense to me. Serial killers keep souvenirs; but, even though we come to loathe Ethan, we are pretty well convinced that murder was not what drove him to enter Rachel's window that night.

If Ethan had some sort of epiphany the night of the murder, it needed more development. Since it was so quickly glossed over, I got the impression that seeing Jorie in the bar was what changed his life. Not believable.

Hoffman seems like a good writer technically, although she tends to get carried away. The opening scene, my objections to the character of the characters involved aside, was way too long. It could have been cut by at least 80% without losing anything;I knew right away that this bubble would burst. Although I was not confused by the often changing viewers/narrators, I wonder why it was necessary. Why some in 1st person and some not?; maybe for a good reason, but one that escapes me. Why the annoying use of italics for some dialog? I kept trying to figure out what the italics signified, which was distracting.

I was glad that Hoffman did not expect her readers to come to the conclusion that Ethan deserved redemption based on his later good works. A leopard doesn't change its spots, and Ethan's behavior in jail showed that he hadn't either. His begging for forgiveness from Jorie and expecting it of Collie showed, once again, that it was all about HIM.

Murder of A Marriage
This is a quiet, well-written novel about a happy marriage in a small town and what happens when something unexpected happens to change the entire landscape. The story shifts perspective, which I sometimes find distracting, but worked pretty smoothly here. I will be interested in reading more of Hoffman's work, which has somehow eluded me thus far. If you're interested in more of what I'm reading and recommending, check out my book blog at allthepage.today.com.

Black and Blue Diary?
Alice Hoffman writes stories that reverberate with her audience in unexpected ways.Her prose is lyrical, her characters provocative, and her themes of love, loss, betrayal, and forgiveness poetically descriptive.I was into the book almost ½ way before it really caught fire for me but then I couldn't rest until I found out how it ended.And, thus is the talent of Alice Hoffman.I haven't read all her books (shame on me) but those I have read have always held a hidden charm and warm reward.Blue Diary is no exception. Hoffman has the ability to capture the nuances of young people as well as adults in a seamless manner that makes you certain these characters are real.

It is true that few writers can manipulate a plot with such grace and compassion on a subject that many writers might not even attempt, but Hoffman manages to do just that, illuminating real life as we puzzle over the characters choices as if they were ours to make.

Hoffman makes extraordinary use of imagery from the natural landscape and I felt that I was often seeing the silver moonlight and watching the lilies die.This book will deliver the sucker punch of the summer and if you're like me, you'll put yourself in the place of Jorie Ford and ask yourself how you would keep your life together and what decisions would you make if this tragedy was to be visited upon you.And, I hope you'll cheer for Jorie as she seems to make the only decision that can save her family.The novel is rich with complex characters and a compelling plot that will haunt you long after you finish the book.

This is a graphic novel that should provoke discussions among its readers. It may have you arguing over the meaning of loyalty and forgiveness and it certainly begs the question of whether our past deeds should be used to judge our present lives.Certainly they should inform our future and adjust our decisions but at what point should they continue to be used against us?I think most readers will agree that this past act is one that can not be washed away by the good deeds of future acts but must stand and be judged on the humanity of the deed, or lack thereof.

Again, Hoffman has given us a book full of characters that will take hold of your heart, show you what it means to be human, and leave you panting for more.It's always a great disappointment when Alice's books are over.I highly recommend this book, buy it, savor it and take time to reflect on the topic.

Overwrought and overlong
I picked up this novel, a New York Times Notable Book, with real anticipation, and was quickly drawn into the plot. However, I became increasingly distracted by the overwrought and cliche-ridden prose, silly metaphors, and unbelievable extremes with which some of the characters are drawn. I couldn't finish it.

Husband and wife are in love; really, REALLY in love. Town is picture-book idyllic, with fauna and flora and lots and lots of apple trees which all the residents seem to notice all the time, and the sky is blue, as one chapter mentions no fewer than 20 times, "painfully azure" or sometimes "damson" or "inkberry" but no doubt about it, the sky is blue. Husband is a good man; a really REALLY good man, a heroic pillar of town and so very good. But soon we learn how "downright evil" he was in a former life, as another poster here has described well: "a pathological criminal from a young age, a vain destructive boy-thief, already living off women as a teenager, serves time in prison, rapes & kills a girl and then changes into a saint in one night after falling in love with a woman in a bar." The 12-year-olds are wise beyond their years, pondering the soul and the loss of youth, yet the wife doesn't think it odd that her husband has no family or past.

Come on.

Hoffman's "Local Girls" was terrific; it's hard to believe this was written by the same author.

As an aside, are the chapter titles related to Tarot cards? "Hanged Man" "Knight of Swords" "The Conjurer"? They make no sense to me. What an unfortunate patchwork of focus this book is.

Uninspiring
This is my first Alice Hoffman book and may be my last.Her writing style rambles and switches points of view so rapidly I felt whiplash coming on.Her main character, the murderer, is so despicable when we initially see him commit his crime that it is quite unfathomable for us to think he has "changed" so much.The premise was enticing, yet the story and characters never really developed.Hoffman's writing style is to switch viewpoints every chapter, yet I felt jipped that we weren't in Ethan's point of view longer, if not to help us understand this great metamorphasis we were supposed to buy into.I don't think I'll read another. ... Read more

Product Description

Alice Hoffman’s most magical novel to date—three generations of extraordinary women are driven to unite in crisis and discover the rewards of reconciliation and love.

Women of the Sparrow family have unusual gifts. Elinor can detect falsehood. Her daughter, Jenny, can see people’s dreams when they sleep. Granddaughter Stella has a mental window on the future—a future that she might not want to see.

In The Probable Future this vivid and intriguing cast of characters confronts a haunting past—and a very current murder—against the evocative backdrop of small-town New England. By turns chilling and enchanting, The Probable Future chronicles the Sparrows’s legacy as young Stella struggles to cope with her disturbing clairvoyance. Her potential to ruin or redeem becomes unbearable when one of her premonitions puts her father in jail, wrongly accused of homicide. Yet this ordeal also leads Stella to the grandmother she was forbidden to meet and to a historic family home full of talismans from her ancestors.

Poignant, arresting, unsettling, The Probable Future showcases the lavish literary gifts that have made Alice Hoffman one of America’s most treasured writers.

Customer Reviews (60)

The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman
I was very pleased by the service of the book seller.It came quickly in the mail in the condition stated.The story, not so much.

A Good Story
The Probable Future is the story of the Sparrow women, each of whom discovers their own unique ability on their 13th birthday. Though many Sparrow women are mentioned, the story mainly concerns the three latest generations. Elinor, the current matriarch, can discern liars; Jenny, the mother, dreams other people's dreams; and Stella, the daughter can see the manner in which people will die. Along the way we learn a little about their infamous ancestor, Rebecca Sparrow, who was blessed (or cursed) with the inability to feel pain which lead to her demise at the hands of a suspicious mob.

Their unique gifts and long history in the town of Unity make the Sparrow women both a source of pride as well as the subject of rumor and assumptions. Desperate to escape the burden of her heritage and an un-loving mother, Jenny runs away with Will Avery an attractive young man who could charm anyone, with the exception of Elinor Sparrow who knew him to be a liar and a cheat the second she laid eyes upon him.

Jenny sacrifices her education in order to ensure that Will receives his, only to have Will squander his opportunity at Harvard University, which pretty much sets up a cycle which the couple repeats in various forms through the years. Eventually, Jenny and Will have a daughter. It is a difficult birth, but both the child and the mother survive. Jenny swears that her daughter will never learn of her heritage, and strives to be the kind of mother that she herself never had. Jenny's efforts serve only to drive her daughter further away. Their relationship is further strained by the fact that Jenny has left Will, and he has moved out, since Stella practically worships her father.

Stella's 13th birthday coincides with the onset of menstruation, and she begins to have graphic visions indicating a person's manner of death. She sees a large fish trapped in her math teacher's throat, a pea sized sphere in the brain of a cab driver, etc... Not understanding what she is seeing, Stella confides in the only person she feels that she can trust, her father.

When Stella predicts the murder of a woman in the restaurant he takes her to celebrate her birthday Stella urges Will to warn her of impending death. When the woman fails to take the vision seriously, Stella forces her father to do more in order to prevent the death. Will goes to the police to make a report, but the police don't take him seriously either. When the murder occurs, Will becomes the prime suspect and the media descend on him and his family to get the story.

Jenny is forced to send her daughter to live with her grandmother in her ancestral home. When Jenny loses her job due to the scandal, she returns to her home as well to make a new start. With three generations of Sparrow women under one roof and the threat of the real murderer lurking in the darkness the women are forced to deal with their issues, lost loves, and the powers that they cannot deny.

I really enjoyed The Probable Future, I felt that it could very well be the story of distant cousins of the Owens women in Hoffman's Practical Magic as the two novels bear a few striking similarities. Both stories concern the most recent in a long line of magical women, a very unique house, and the struggle to find and accept love.

Although the word witch appears only once in the whole book, there are hints that the women are witches, or have some knowledge of witchcraft. Rebecca Sparrow wanders out of the woods with only a bell, a compass, and wearing a silver star around her neck. Elinor Sparrow is accused of cursing people by sticking an onion with black headed pins, or driving chicken feathers through a knotted length of thread.

While the murder of a woman the author didn't expend the effort to name moves the story along, the central plot of this book is the dynamic of the mother/daughter relationship. The Probable Future teaches us that the secret to a successful relationship is like one of the recipes in Rebecca Sparrow's ancient cookbook. All the ingredients are there, we just have to add them in the right proportion. It takes a little sour to balance the sweet, a little heat can bring out flavor, but too much can burn the stew and leave a bitter taste in your mouth, and a dish left out in the cold overnight will often spoil......

Perfect
Hoffman weaves her usual magic with this novel.

She explores heavy-duty Hawthorne Territory: a small Massachusetts town where a family of women are haunted by curses (or possibly gifts) and a female forebear executed as a witch.

The novel is as haunted as The House of the Seven Gables, but it is as uplifting and and defiant as Hester Prynne.

Each generation of Sparrow girl is always born in March and always inherits a gift that may also be a curse: spotting liars, knowing others' dreams, inability to feel pain, holding one's breath under water for 20 minutes, knowing when and how people will die.

Each generation also seems to be in terminal conflict with the previous one.

But by the end of the book, all the gifts (or curses) have brought the surviving women together, and together with their persecuted or suffering foremothers.

Tidy but unexpected and magical and exact in its picture of family-dysfunction and the cataclysmic, but redeeming power of romantic love.

A wonderful book.

Okay but, some dislikeable lead characters
I read and listened to this novel on CDs. On the CDs the actress who read did a great job with voices. The plot was okay but it dragged. It wasn't a pageturner for me. I dislikedElenor Sparrow and her bratty,fresh granddaughter. I wish the Sparrow women had been a little more appealing. Hoffman writes well but for some reason this story was boring at times. This really a 2 1/2 star book.

Heartbreakingly Beautiful
This is a book about living, loving, growing up, dying, and all the stages between.It is the most insightful book on death and letting go that I have ever read.I cried at least three times, and having read thousands of books, I can truthfully say that this has happened only a hand full of times.I would highly recommend it to anyone experiencing the loss of someone close.There were seven deaths in my family in the past 18 months, and this small, sweet book soothed my soul. ... Read more

Product Description
The New York Times bestselling author of Here on Earth presents a "sexually charged...almost hypnotic"* novel about men, women, romance, and real life. (Publishers Weekly)

When Teresa was a little girl, she dreamed of dark-eyed, fearless heroes on white horses who would sweep her away. But now, as the adult Teresa negotiates life and love, she begins to understand that fairy tales don't always come true...

"Haunting...Hoffman is a daring and able writer."--The New Yorker ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

simply dreadful!
I usually like Alice Hoffman, but this book isn't even close to her other works.The characters in this book are so bland about everything that is happening to them - whether it's casual sex with strangers, incest, the death of a loved one or spousal abuse.That drove me crazy!The only character that had a whiff of decency was Bergen - everyone else was the most selfish they could possibly be.I didn't find anything magical here that the author kept implying - just really annoying justifications and mystical stories that tried to explain these annoying people and their habits.I forced myself to finish it - and I'm sorry I did.A real waste.

Tragic
White Horses is an interesting book.It's about a young girl who spends her adolescence and early adulthood searching for an Aria (the special kind of fantasy man her mother used to tell her stories about).

I wasn't really distracted by the shifts in point of view, but be warned that there are a lot of point of view shifts, and Hoffman doesn't necessarily use space breaks or chapter breaks to signify this switch in perspective.Yes, there is an incestuous relationship between Teresa and her brother;the relationship begins in an exploitative way, and over the years, Teresa finds herself dependent on it.She's always had a bit of an obsession with her beloved older brother.She thinks he's an Aria.And yes, there's a lot of promiscuity and drugs and violence.But I felt that Hoffman did a good job of making me understand the characters, even the detestable ones. That's not to say their actions were justifiable, but there are people out there like this, who do all kinds of bad things.Hoffman made me feel their loneliness and desperation.And the characters felt believable to me, even if they weren't all sympathetic.

Teresa, in some ways, reminds me of myself.I haven't made the same kinds of destructive decisions she's made, but I could relate to that search for self, and that sense of sometimes just sleepwalking through life.

I thought that the first section was good and the final section was good.There were some weak spots in the middle.I liked the ethereal, dream-like quality of the beginning of the book, but as the pages went on, it became less dream-like and subtle and more blunt with its points, and that kind of ruined the mood for me.

I don't think this book was a pleasant one, but it felt honest.Some will wonder why they bothered reading it, but the story has a sort of haunting beauty to it.I think it's really a matter of personal taste.

Somewherebetween disappointing and dreadful
This book is quite dreary. It is populated by horrid, selfish people, who are either weak, evil or clueless.

Teresa's sleep disorder is a perfect metaphor for her unrelenting passivity--she has no life skills except seduction and being ornamental.
She survives only by her face, certainly not her wits, as she doesn't have many of those.

Hofffman's attempt at magical realism is a failure -- it is just fanciful twaddle.

Kept me reading
White Horses had me confused at first. It jumped from character to character. There was something about the story and characters,though, that kept me reading.
Silver was a sick cad in my opinion. He took advantage of his sister.
He treated women in general like dirt.
The Silver/Teresa relationship was a turn off,but other than that, a good read.

Neither the best or the worst book you've read
White Horses is a book worth reading if you are an Alice Hoffman fan. It is because it is written by Alice Hoffman that it is worth reading, and is the main selling point. This book, true to form, has her beautiful and lyrical style of writing that sweeps readers up and carries them along. Even more than making us feel that we are there - she makes us feel like we are privileged to be there.

That being said, it is useful to know that it isn't an especially happy book. It's difficult to relate to any of the characters - they are all forlorn and (by varying degrees) shallow. While we as the reader want the best for them, we don't really expect that they will get it, and they don't. Sometimes it isn't clear where the book is going, and there are many parts of the book that aren't developed. The reader is left wondering why it was put there to start with. Other themes are overly developed to the point of being repetitious. This books lacks the enjoyment we received from Practical Magic and Turtle Moon. Ironically, if you know all this from the beginning, you will very likely enjoy it more.

We like to read books by our favorite authors, and we recognize that not all books will be of equal quality. Because of this, fans will still want to read this book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

Depression's Daughter
I adore Alice Hoffman, but not this time.This book is completely depressing, the characters so needy and selfish that you want to slap them silly, and the ending was bizarre.Granted I'm from the south and never could understand the so-called New England stoicism that alienates others and just causes more damage to the individual feeling the pain, let alone the others surrounding her.
I have three words for the women in this story: "Get a Life!"

Fortune's Daughter
I was extremely disappointed in this book.The story didn't hold together for me.I found it disjointed and not credible .I was initially excited to read it because the description I read said the book had a mystical flavor to it.I found the "mysticism" to be spiritually disturbing. I like my mysticism to read as spiritually enhancing not as psycho pathology.The book progressively declined in story line and just when I was looking forward to some cohesiveness, "lo and behold", an earthquake is introduced to further complicate and distract the readerfromtrying to make sense of the story.Also one of the main characters Lila, was so disagreeable it was difficult to maintain any compassion for her even though she had had a tough time.She had a husband who loved her and an abandoned pregnant girl, Rae, who continually sought her help even though Lilacontinually rebuffed her. Inexplicably, these two characters kept going back to Lila in an attempt to get "blood from this emotional turnip". The characters and their relationship to each other made no sense as depicted.Good counseling for all and at least one or two 12-step meetings could have saved them and us as readers.

A Beautiful and Tender Book in the Style of Magical Realism
This book is so beautiful that I cried from its emotional impact.The writing is exquisite, so rare and so precious.The novel captures loss and yearning with vividness, tenuousness, a poetic tenderness, and passion.It is a spiritual book, filled with mysticism and written in Alice Hoffman's inimitable style of magical realism.

The story is about Lila, a fortune teller, and her meeting Rae Ann while reading her tea leaves.What she sees in the leaves gives rise to the story.Lila is not your typical fortune teller, but a lovely woman who has been given a special gift that she feels a need to carry out.

I give this book my highest recommendation.

The best of Alice Hoffman's lyrical prose
I have read nearly all of Alice Hoffman's books, so I admit that I'm an adamant fan. She writes in such descriptive prose that it could easily be converted to poetry. At this point, this is my favorite Alice Hoffman work.

This is a story about a 25 year old, Rae, and her reluctant 44 year old friend, Lila. Rae has wasted her life with a man who is self-centered and obnoxious. Now she is alone and pregnant. Rae meets Lila at a local restaurant, where she is telling people their fortune as seen in their tea leaves. She sees a terrifying fortune in Rae's cup. But is it really Rae's fortune that she sees? Thus begins the story of these two women.

The story is full of tragedy and triumph. It is written so beautifully that it's worthy reading for the prose alone. If you only read one Alice Hoffman book, this should be the one.

I agree with the disappointed readers....
I'm also a big Alice Hoffman fan & was looking forward to reading this particularly as my daughter is currently carrying my second granddaughter- I was even looking forward to recommending it to her but after slogging my way thru this depressing mess I pitched it into the "book trade bag" for the 2nd hand shop and warned her against it.No expectant mom should read this!
Lila goes insane & no one manages to notice or get her help. Rae finally finds her own strength and then we are left with the impression that she gives it up again "just like that" when the "man" comes back into her life--- while she's in labor after he has deserted and robbed her in the first few weeks of the pregnancy!
I never found any reason to sympathize w. these women except for the appalling treatment of Lila during her delivery and the incredible stupidity of barely-more-than-a-child- Raes' obsession w. a completely selfish, boorish & abusive male. Why Hoffman didn't add beatings into Raes' portion of the tale seems like oversight on her part because Rae is definitely a victim of abuse!
Lila is herself abusive to her sweet loving husband but we're given the excuse of growing incipient insanity for her part. Altho' Hoffman doesn't call it insanity but aims to invite the image of mystical conjuring ("thoughts are things")BWAH!
I actually found this novel to be insulting to the intelligence. I was utterly repulsed by Lilas' selfishness and self absorbed cruelty (even with mental illness as an "excuse" given toward the end).
I felt a bit more sympthetic toward Rae because she was at least able to care about a stray dog and was young enough to have the excuse of inexperience. But ALL motherhood in this tale was portrayed with horrors! Then at the end when it seemed we might have some semblence of rational relationship or at least the blossoming of genuine Motherhood and new life we are left hanging and (in my case) completely disgusted with Rae going back to her abuser--feeling sorry for HIM like all abused women tend to do between the beating times--getting in Jessups truck just like she did when beginning her lonesome sad saga. The ending was truly a disappointing attempt at a cliff-hanger-- I wish all the characters would just jump off that cliff.
Disappointing ending/ depressing read-- had to start another book right away to get the taste of this one out of my mind.
Hoffman IS a good writer & I usually enjoy her greatly-- but her writing couldn't overcome this STORY. Sheesh!
... Read more

Product Description
Alice Hoffman reveals the magic in everyday life in her first book for children. Bumbling Jackie Healy becomes an unexpected hero when the fireflies fail to show up on the first of May and his town is frozen in endless winter. Age 5-8. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A beautiful whimsical story
This is a sweet book with a lovely moral tale to it. It is also beautifully illustrated by Wayne McLoughlin ~~ perfect short story to share with all kids ~~ old and young.

Jackie is so clumsy that he trips over his feet all the time. He doesn't mean to but he just does. No matter what he does, he falls or disturbs something. One year, the fireflies that always bring spring never came. People started losing hope that summer would never come again. Jack gets teased by some kids in town when he kept falling on the ice while ice-skating. So he runs away. And that is the beginning of a lovely story.

This story brings to the point of how sometimes when you're the most clumsiest, that is when you are full of life and grace. It doesn't matter who you are ~~ and no matter how clumsy you are, there will always be someone who loves you. This story illustrates that.

It is a lovely story ~~ perfect to give to the one you love and to your children to share over and over. It'd make a wonderful Christmas present...

Fireflies
This has become one of my favorite children's stories of all time. The story of a boy who can't seem to do anything right but in the end saves the town - by accident. And also of a town that learns not to judge people, but rather to accept them for who they are. I have read this to many children in the grade school I work at and they all love it. In their own way, each of them can feel what it is like to walk in Jackie's shoes. The illustrations are wonderful too.

Fireflies: A winters Tale
Our son (who is 9) really enjoyed this story of a 9 year old boy who discovers firelies.It is a quick read, and the illustrations are lovely. ... Read more

Product Description
Ethan and Jorie, the perfect couple, have been married for 13 years, and are still very much in love. But 13 years ago, Ethan committed a brutal rape and murder. A young girl's phone call exposes him, and nothing will ever be the same for them again. ... Read more

Product Description
This novel is set on a tiny island. When Robin, a divorced mother of a teenage boy, brings home a handsome, if slightly strange, off-islander named Stephen, the whole island is alive with rumour. When someone starts prowling around the island at night, suspicion falls on Stephen. ... Read more

Product Description
If you haven't encountered Alice Hoffman's watery fairy tales of modern magic, dive in! Aquamarine The tide brings in something unexpected that will change best friends Claire and Haley's last summer together. Indigo Martha and her friends discover that running to follow a dream is the only way they'll find the true meaning of 'home'. ... Read more

Product Description
Friendships are forever.Love knows no bounds.The supernatural graces the everyday in unexpected ways.These themes have made Alice Hoffman a cherished best selling author across the country.Now, with Aquamarine and Indigo, she gives us wonderful magic realism for all ages.Unforgettable stories of love, loss, hope, and amazement--in one mass market volume. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

another great book for my daughter
Alice Hoffman was a recent author I came across and I was surprised to see she wrote a book my daughter was familiar with (movie-Aquamarine) and got her to read the book.It is nice we can read the same authors.

GREAT
I would give the Aquamarine part of this book a 4 because.....
When i first read it i kind of got bored.But when i got into the book i felt like i was in a magical world or in peter pan.,Sarah

Not a great book
I love to read. Espeacially fantasies. I was so excited to see this book sitting on the shelf, after reading a great mermaid book I had to read more. This book was not at all intended for me. It was a story collection and none were very good. I thought a lot more work could have been added and more descriptions. I only recomend it to children in 3rd grade, though it does not have pictures for the younger. I highly suggest that if you are any older then don't read it. I disliked it a lot, the stories were really cheesy.

One of the best books i've ever read
I loved the book. I'm not a big reader. I HATE reading but this book was good.Inever could find a good book until AQUAMARIANE AND INDIGO. I think you sould read it. And or buy it. Well thats my opinon.But then, I don't know yours. HAVE A NICE DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

2 Not-That-Great books

Aquamarine: This book had the potential of being interesting and fun to read. But instead this book was just bland.

Hailey and Claire are best friends and they have one summer together before Claire has to move to Florida, leaving Hailey beind. Their 'hang-out' is the nearly abandoned country club, with it's very green, dirty pool. One day they find a mermaid in the pool and when the mermaid asks them to set her up on a date with the only employee of the country club, they help her fulfill this wish before putting her back in the ocean.

Indigo: I got the impression that I was like I wasn't even reading a real book; it was more like reading something that a 4 year old dreams about. And not in a good way. This book has a stupid plot line.

Martha, Eli and Trevor are best friends. They live in the very dry town of Oak Grove. All the people of Oak Grove are terrified of water because of a flood that the town had a few years prior. But Martha, Eli and Trevor all want to see the ocean, despite their parent's wishes to have stay on dry land all their lives. So the children all start walking one day to get to the ocean. A storm comes and a tree branch falls onto Martha and hurts her, so they turn back to Oak Grove. And Eli and Trevor save Martha and all the townspeople because they can naturally swim, because they are offspring to mermaids.

I do not recomend this book. Not worth buying, let alone reading.

~Atalanta ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Moondog - good story for Halloween or during a full moon!
One night a basket was left on the porch of the McKenzie family. The next morning brother and sister Michael and Hazel woke up to find their front yard had been destroyed... the flower bed had been trampled, their trees looked like toothpicks and their front porch steps had been chewed. And on the porch is a basket and inside is the cutest little puppy. Michael and Hazel had always wanted a dog and convince their parents to keep the puppy they named Angel. He was a perfect angel of a dog, easy to train, came when called and never chewed anything... until when the moon was full. That night there came such a racket that woke up Michael and Hazel ran to the kitchen. The kitchen was a mess and Angel was gone! On the floor was Angel's paw prints in some spilled flour. So Michael and Hazel followed the paw prints outside and to Miss Eleanor Mingle's house which was scary looking. No one had ever been brave enough to walk up to Miss Mingle's home. The only thing scarier than Miss Mingle was her dog Bunny. Bunny was big, shaggy and had big teeth! Michael and Hazel peeked in Miss Mingle's window and there was Angel and Bunny.

I don't want to ruin the end of the story for you, so I'll stop here. It does have a happy ending for both Angel and Miss Mingle! Cute story and for me this is one of the 1st books illustrated by Yumi Heo that I actually like. For me he just doesn't draw nice Asian faces.

This would be a good story for Halloween or for during a full moon!

Another EXCELLENT story from Alice Hoffman
As a lifelong fan of Alice Hoffman's adult books, I was thrilled to get my daughter interested in the children's stories.So far my 9-year old loves all of Hoffman's stories for kids and young adults, but Moondog is her favorite.Even though she's now a bit too old for the recommended age group of 4-8, she still loves reading this wonderful tale about an extremely special little dog.Filled with fun, love and awesome artwork, our daughter loves reading this book *to us* now. ... Read more

Product Description
For more than a century, the small town of Haddan, Massachusetts, has been divided, as if by a line drawn down the centre of Main Street, separating those born and bred in the 'village' from those who attend the prestigious Haddan School. But one October night the two worlds are thrust together by an inexplicable death and the town's divided history is revealed in all its complexity. The lives of everyone involved are unravelled: from Carlin Leander, the fifteen year old girl who is as loyal as she is proud, to Betsy Chase, a woman running from her own destiny; from August Pierce, a boy who unexpectedly finds courage in his darkest hour, to Abel Grey, the police officer who refuses to let unspeakable actions - both past and present - slide by without notice. This is a novel as compelling as it is daring, an exploration of forgiveness and hope, a magical tale of innocence and evil and of the secrets that lurk beneath the most ordinary lives. ... Read more

Product Description
Feeling neglected by her husband, whose single-minded commitment to the environment leaves him very little time for her, therapist Natalie becomes involved with one of her clients. Reissue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

A Shallow and Silly Book
This is a silly book. The magical realism that is the hallmark of Alice Hoffman's
style is apparent, but none of the attributes of her writing are evident in this
book.The premise of the book is ignorant, bordering on repellant.

A young welder causes an explosion at a power plant and seeks therapy. The
therapist falls in love with him and initiates an affair.No boundaries exist. As
if the affair wasn't enough, the therapist also breaches confidentiality.Hoffman
treats this all as okay.

The relationships are shallow and the dialogue simplistic.I expect much better
from a writer of Alice Hoffman's caliber.I recommend skipping this book and
reading one of her better ones such as 'Illumination Night' or 'Second Nature'.

One of the Best Books I've Had the Pleasure of Discovering.
This was my first Alice Hoffman book and, hopefully, it won't be my last.If her other books are better than this--as noted below--then I have to be in for a serious treat!Why doesthe above reviewer have to regard this story as outdated?So are stories like the awful "classic" Catcher in the Rye, but that's okay?

Everyone agrees on one point:the character Minnie is strong, funny, delightfully pure of heart and full of honest conviction, but I found the dark love story of Natalie Lansky and Michael Finn equally moving and with a sweet ending full of promise.I was too young to understand the era from which stories like this came, but found the characters touching and the story involving to the end.Sure, Natalie was a horrible therapist, but that was pretty much implied from the first chapter of the book, and her unethical conduct with Finn only pointed that fact out more.Beside that, if you've ever seen the awful movie The Morning After, the novel looks a lot better in comparison.Knowing something about the era in which this book was written and regarding it as a historical period piece would most likely help increase your pleasure with this particular work.

Worst book
This is the worst book i've read by ALice hoffman.All her other novels were brilliant,but this was disappointing.The characters in the book are weird and they are not likeable.The story just doesn't seems real.....

not what I had hoped for
I recently picked up Here on Earth and was really impressed.So I rushed out to get more Alice Hoffman books.I picked up Turtle Moon, Angel Landing, and The Drowning Season.I dove into Angel Landing and thought, why did I buy these?

After the intense characters in Here On Earth these characters were pretty blase.Finn was a bit textbook for my taste.I think we were supposed to base all of his adult behavior on his childhood woes and that just doesn't work for me. The only one I really liked was Minnie. She was quirky but had a real heart and conviction for things.

I am disappointed that I didn't get the good vocabulary in this book.I like to be challenged as a reader and I wasn't with this book.It won't keep me from reading another book by Alice Hoffman.There are too many good reviews of her other works to sway me from my pursuit of finding good material to fill my days.

Definitely an Early Work
I have read a number of Alice Hoffman's books and consider her work "high quality brain candy"-easy to digest but more thought provoking and interesting than a lot of the bestseller junk.Angels Landing was a quick read, but disappointing.I thought the characters, particularly Finn, were contrived and predictable.They all felt like caricatures.On the other hand, I can't be too hard on the book ... I did read it through in an afternoon. ... Read more

Product Description
Local Girls (Laural Merlington and Aasne Vigesaa, Laura Grafton, Luann Kindem): In a dazzling series of family portraits, Alice Hoffman evokes the world of the Samuelsons, a family torn apart by tragedy and divorce in a world of bad judgment and fierce attachments, disappointments and devotion. With rich, pure prose Hoffman charts the progress of Gretel Samuelson from the time she is a young girl already acquainted with betrayal and grief, until she finally leaves home.

The River King (Laural Merlington, Joyce Bean, Luann Kindem): For more than a century, the small town of Haddan, Massachusetts, has been divided, as if by a line drawn down the center of Main Street, separating those born and bred in the village from those who attend the prestigious Haddan School. But one October night the two worlds are thrust together due to an inexplicable death, and the town's divided history is revealed in all its complexity.

Blue Diary (Joyce Bean, Laura Grafton, Mike Council): When Ethan Ford fails to show up for work on a brilliant summer morning, none of his neighbors would guess that for more than thirteen years, he has been running from his past. His true nature has been locked away, as hidden as his real identity. But sometimes locks spring open, and the devastating truths of Ethan Ford's history shatter the small-town peace of Monroe, affecting family and friends alike.
... Read more