A magical new novel by a world-class writer whose ability to fuse the domestic and the uncanny within a magnetically compelling and beautifully written narrative is unrivalled.
Alice Hoffman is the bestselling author of acclaimed novels, including Here on Earth (an Oprah Book Club selection), Practical Magic (a Hollywood film), The River King, Blue Diary, Turtle Moon and most recently Skylight Confessions. Blackbird House was shortlisted for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award. She divides her time between Boston and New York City.
Magical and entertaining; at times positively bewitching... That
Hoffman is a highly capable storyteller is in no doubt. Hoffman's
latest novel possesses the irresistible quality of a compelling
fairytale for adults
*Scotland on Sunday*
A great atmospheric storyteller... Her books are a real
pleasure
*Kate Atkinson*
Like her contemporaries, Carol Shields and Alice Munro, Hoffman has
an acute yet tender eye for detail... Hoffman writes with
heartbreaking clarity
*The Times*
An enchanting page-turner of a novel... Charming, utterly absorbing
and very enjoyable, this book will leave you wanting move
*Big Issue*
Alice Hoffman is a daring and able writer; she plots conjunctions
of mundane and magical events with such ease that the reader never
doubts her word
*New Yorker*
Hoffman gives us another over-the-top yet thoroughly appealing fictional confection, with themes and settings that recall her Practical Magic. This time the small-town Massachusetts matriarchy is the Sparrow family, whose many generations of daughters, always born in March, exhibit singular paranormal talents upon turning 13. The story focuses on Elinor, who can unfailingly identify liars; long-estranged daughter Jenny, who can detect a sleeper's dreams; and teenage granddaughter Stella, who can sense when and how others will meet their deaths. Stella's initial fumbling with her strange gift results in her father's mistaken indictment for murder, which forces Stella and Jenny to flee their Boston home and reunite uncomfortably with Elinor. Their new life brings startling and exhilarating encounters with magic, danger, and intense romantic love. Filled with vivid (if sometimes sketchy) characters and cinematic descriptions of New England landscapes, this book will be a hit wherever Hoffman is in demand. [Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 3/1/03.]-Starr E. Smith, Fairfax Cty. P.L., VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Adult/High School-On her 13th birthday, Stella Avery receives a remarkable gift. Like her mother, grandmother, and other women in her family reaching back to the 1600s, she awakens to discover that she now has a special paranormal ability. Her mother, Jenny, dreams other people's dreams; and her grandmother, Elinor, can ferret out deceit and lies by looking into someone's eyes. When Stella foresees a woman's death and has her father warn the victim, a series of cataclysmic events ensue. Her father is charged with the woman's murder, Jenny and Stella are forced to move in with Elinor, and eventually the eerie tale of their matriarch, Rebecca Sparrow, is brought full circle. Hoffman introduces elements of magical realism, making the book reminiscent of her novel Practical Magic (Berkley, 1996). With a home environment that includes a haunted pond, roads full of toads, and snapping turtles at every bush, the setting emphasizes the women's otherworldliness. The strength of the Sparrow females allows them to face prejudice, love, accusations, threats, and death, all the while keeping their personal integrity, finding the capacity to go on, and experiencing life as good. Complexly constructed, with intertwined plots, memorable settings, and intriguing characters, this is a magnificent novel.-Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Magical and entertaining; at times positively bewitching... That
Hoffman is a highly capable storyteller is in no doubt. Hoffman's
latest novel possesses the irresistible quality of a compelling
fairytale for adults * Scotland on Sunday *
A great atmospheric storyteller... Her books are a real pleasure *
Kate Atkinson *
Like her contemporaries, Carol Shields and Alice Munro, Hoffman has
an acute yet tender eye for detail... Hoffman writes with
heartbreaking clarity * The Times *
An enchanting page-turner of a novel... Charming, utterly absorbing
and very enjoyable, this book will leave you wanting move * Big
Issue *
Alice Hoffman is a daring and able writer; she plots conjunctions
of mundane and magical events with such ease that the reader never
doubts her word * New Yorker *
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