Published back in 1956, this novel broke the bounds of what was acceptable and became a runaway best seller. Previous to it's publication, books and films revolved around women being the objects of desire, rather than possessing any, and small town America was felt to be safe, sleep and benign. And then this book came …
Tag: family
The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman
If you've ever been to a small town, where everyone knows everyone and each house is full of old names and ancient history, this book should feel familiar. It's the story of a place, from its foundation to current day. Each chapter tells a different part of local history, and family names and traits flow …
Travels With My Father: An Autobiographical Novel By Karen Jennings
Don't judge a book by it's cover. Although, in most cases you normally can, it would be a real shame to go past this absolute gem because of it's dressing. The book is an exquisite examination of family, grief, dying and the father-daughter relationship, as well as an exploration of place and family anecdote in …
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The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
One of Hoffman's shorter novels, this fairytale-like story is of a girl whose impulsive wishes can curse those around her to die, and whose wrteched heart has turned to ice.Her first wish was as an eight year old girl, when she wanted her mother to stay home instead of go out to a birthday dinner, …
The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman
This one may in fact become my favourite Alice Hoffman book, though they're all pretty awesome and unique. In this story, the Sparrow family, a long line of women, have all woken up on their 13th birthday with a gift. Elinor was able to tell if someone was lying, her daughter Jenny can dream other …
Seventh Heaven by Alice Hoffman
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 …
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 …
