When Nora Silk, a recently divorced mother of two, moves into a small suburb in Long Island in 1959, her single unmarried state upsets the delicate balance. It's a town where emotional mess is kept hidden and everyone is expected to keep their lawn perfect. But Nora is a beautiful carefree spirit, and though she …
Tag: book reviews
The Drowning Season By Alice Hoffman
I couldn't put this book down, curling up with hot chocolate and reading it in one sitting! One of Hoffman's earlier books, it follows three generations of a family, from the strong Russian matriarch that has managed their lives and finances with an iron fist, to the grandaughter who longs for freedom and to follow …
Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
In this classic novel from the Columbian author of A Hundred Years Of Solitude, the story of a love triangle that lasted over fifty years is told. Set in the political unrest of South America, sharp tempered Fermina Daza is married to Dr Juvenal Urbino, a well respected man, who is nearing the end of his …
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Here On Earth by Alice Hoffman
A loose, modern retelling of Wuthering Heights, Alice Hoffman brings her magic touch to another book. March Murray returns home for a funeral with her teenage daughter in tow, leaving her loving husband behind. But her old life casts a spell over her, returning her to former days, and most importantly, old loves. When she …
The Outlaw Album by Daniel Woodrell
A thin volume of short stories by the author of Winter's Bone, the film of which launched Jennifer Lawrence's career. The book is incredibly evocative of different lives lived on the fringe of society, each story focusing on a person who transgresses, or lives with someone who transgresses the law. Most of the stories are …
East Of Eden by John Steinbeck
Although to younger readers, Steinbeck's novel Of Mice And Men might be more well known, this was the book that the author felt was his master work. It's the story of the Trask and Hamilton families, who live and grow in the Salinas Valley in California, the place that Steinbeck hailed from. Originally the book …
Simon Jay’s Bastardography: a memoir of coming out, bullying, and bipolar disorder.
I first met Simon on a film shoot about 5 or 6 years ago. He was brought in as a writer, and I liked the way he was so intelligent and down to earth. He was funny. Catching a train back into central London together, he surprised me by making little quips about Australian politics …
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Local Girls by Alice Hoffman
A lovely book from the author of River King and Practical Magic, this book is a coming of age story about two girls as they navigate life, love tragedy, and becoming adults. Narrated by the sharp witted Gretel, the book tells of the break up of her parents marriage, her mother and cousins search for …
The English Ghost by Peter Ackroyd
If I see a Peter Ackroyd book, I'll generally pick it up. This historian (I've recently heard that he's a novelist too) has a nice, anecdotal but informative writing style, and researches his books thoroughly. They are often very long, so when this one arrived, I was surprised that it's about the length of a …
Second Nature by Alice Hoffman
This beautiful, sorrowful book tells the story of a man raised by wolves, and the woman that rescues him when he's taken into the mental health system. Robin is still reeling from her split from her philandering cop husband and starting over with her teenage son in their home town, when she happens one day …
