Hoffman Books

When I read, I tried instead of condemning Silas Marner, to see the book through his eyes. And as the book went on, I almost felt myself getting dimmer,more cut off from society. It was rather sad.

The book isn't the best representative of what life in 19th century England would have been like, but it is a very good picture of how uncultured people treat other people from other lands. It's only when misfortune falls upon that person, do they accept them.

I absolutely loved the fact that Silas found a "golden-haired replacement". That was the sweetest thing I've read in my life, how he instantly wanted to protect her and give her the best things in life. Godfrey seemed nice at first, but as the book uncovered his past, I started to like him less and less. He needed to act like a man, buck up and take control of his life, and not be constantly cowed by his father. I can understand due to the time period why he thought Eppie would come with him and Nancy, but still, the way he kept asking even after she said no the first time was rude.

The book was very uninteresting in the beginning. I had to force myself to read it. It was only after Dunsey stole Silas's money that it began to be interesting. Still, it was a sweet book and I liked it a lot.

This book is required reading for freshman in our high school. This version is very hard to read due to the Old English style of writing.

Silas Marner / 0-553-21229-X

Silas Marner always invariably compares in my mind to Dicken's Scrooge. In the height of his youth, healthy, happy, and in love, he is betrayed, cast down, and taught the 'lesson' that only the criminal and avaricious get ahead in life. Banished to a new town, he abandons all attempts to connect with the society around him and instead focuses on hoarding his wealth carefully, counting his money lovingly in the evenings. When the money simply disappears one day, stolen by a burglar, Silas is crushed. Only the arrival of an "angel" - a little orphan girl with golden curls on her head - saves him, and starts him down the long road to redemption. Given something to love, Silas flourishes and learns to join the society of people.

The local nobility, Cass, serves as a perfect counterpoint to Silas' lessons. Cass is rescued in one fell swoop from all his burdens - his inconvenient lower class wife dies suddenly clearing the way for his 'true love' and noble girlfriend, his illegitimate child is adopted by Silas, and his blackmailing brother disappears into the snow for good - and yet, Cass is doomed to a life of disappointment. His perfect upper class wife Nancy cannot bear children, and their perfect home is turned into a silent as the two simply age (they do not grow) and they find that they never really loved each other after all. When Cass realizes, too late, what a treasure his daughter would have been in his life, he finds himself rejected as the girl prefers her adoptive father to the natural one who would not claim her. And though the girl marries below her father's level of nobility, she marries a good man who loves and appreciates her, and her future seems much more rosy than that of her upper class 'parents'.

George Eliot is the best woman author I've ever read. She had God-given talent that you or I, no matter how much we read, no matter how much we write, could not consciously replicate. She had something which can't be taught, a kernel of genius hidden somewhere in the brain, which was allowed to express itself...to our collective benefit.

Silas Marner, while not perfect, is something recognizably special--a book with lingering phrases, a book with extraordinary insight, a book that instates the reader with the feeling that the author knows what the hell she is doing. It's a book that matters.

I know what you are afraid of: you are afraid this book will be a bloated succession of tea parties and persiflage with mutton-chopped vicars. No fear: the plot is credibly organic, and moves along briskly, wrapping itself up in just over two-hundred pages. It should hold your interest so that you can discover the ten or so gem-sentences dispersed throughout. Sentences that are not just airtight, but that meld with your mind, and cause an "Aha!" reaction. You know what I'm talking about.

Perhaps the most convincing signal I can offer of my sincere regard for her abilities is the fact that I'll now seek out her other works...something I can't say about Virginia Woolf, for instance, whose literary inferiority to Eliot I would take as axiomatic. (Ironic, isn't it--or maybe not--that feminists seem to esteem Woolf more highly than Eliot?)

Silas Marner is a skillfully crafted novel to be enjoyed by readers with varied tastes. It was written by a woman, who found it necessary to use a man's name because of attitudes in England in the nineteenth century. It is built around problems that all of us face in our lives, such as, "How important is money?" As in all great novels, the characters change as the plot develops.

SILAS MARNER is a realistic novel because it portrays life in a real and believable fashion. The author, Mary Ann Evans, who used the pen name, George Eliot, pays careful attention to a few distinguishing details about here characters and settings.

For example, we can see Silas Marner, the central character of the novel, with his pale skin and undersized body. We know how he looks with his large, near-sighted, bulging eyes. We can see the important-looking village of Raveloe, which lives peacefully in opulent neglect.

When I was a teacher, I directed many high school sophomores to read SILAS MARNER. Most students dreaded reading the novel included in their literature textbooks. Once they met Silas and spent enough time with him to become acquainted with his unique personality, they became eager readers of this well-crafted classic.

It has some of the same qualities that made Pride and Prejudice (Vintage Classics) an endearing and enduring novel. In both works, the idyllic English countryside is an enjoyable escape from everyday life. There is romantic courtship in both, but the romance of SILAS MARNER is not the central theme; therefore it is not as compelling as that in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Since the readers are not required to become obsessed with yearning for romantic fulfillment, young guys who were in my class felt free to enjoy it. (Sixteen year old young men are still self-conscious about these matters.) Both books contain the same kind of satire buffered with compassion. In both novels we laugh with the local rural and village people. Because the language in SILAS MARNER is less complex, adolescent readers enjoy it more than they do PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.

When as a student I first read SILAS MARNER in high school and when I read it with my students, I considered the coincidences plot weaknesses. Life doesn't work that way, I thought. Now that I have experienced a life of incredible coincidences, I no longer find anything in the book unbelievable. Events caused by Silas Marner's catalepsy seemed unlikely, but now they represent no problem.

Theft with its resulting bitterness provides conflict with which the readers can identify. Earlier I found it difficult to believe that the lightning of theft could strike twice, but that part of the plot is one more realistic element now. Other twists and turns with their ironic mysteries are typical of human life as I have lived it.

All the parts of the novel that seemed to be a contrived fairy tale are now a vignette of life. Even if I could not believe it all, the book would still break my heart the way Forrest Gump does with its twists and turns of satirical accounts.

When I enjoyed SILAS MARNER in my twenties with thirty teenagers at a time, I did not notice the shaping of Silas' religious beliefs as much as I do now. I remember that the students and I were indignant about the way Silas was duped by the evil church members at Lantern Yard. Now I have compassion for them, especially William, as well as for Silas.

Mary Ann Evans showed the futility of idolatry. All my students understood the disaster of worshiping money. If I could return to my students, I would like to ask them what they thought of the villagers who seemed to rely on the habits of their church to bring them close to God. Could we discuss that in the 21st century? I feel sure we would discuss the addiction to narcotics as it is realistically portrayed.

SILAS MARNER is a great English novel not difficult to read, but rich in insights. It shows what is evil and what is good in human hearts.

I absolutely loved this book. A coworker of mine found this book depressing, but I thought it was a very uplifting story about a truly unique human being. I don't know where the title came from, as it is inappropriate, but everything else about the book was wonderful. Given the petty squabbles between scientists in many disciplines, it was very nice to read a story about collaboration such as that promoted by Erdos.

I'm bad in math. Horrible to be correct. But this book is so easy to understand and even entertainning to read. Like some other reviewer said that it has all the things going on besides Erdos's life. This book may not have lots of detail about his accomplishment, which even for some that it has, not really offer a complete or clear explaination about them, but somehow it makes me want to know more and looking for anything deeper and more thorouoghly. Therefore, despite some flaws that it has, I love it. Such an entertaining when you consider it's something about math.

Paul Erdos is presented as a sweet math genius. He loved children & Math, but never had life of his own. He lifed only to futher study of Math.

Paul Erdös ("Air-dish") really did love numbers, and lived for mathematics. He was well known in maths circles, a legend, but known little outside. The book by Paul Hoffman introduces the work of this prolific numbers man to a new audience. It is at the same time a full of glimpses of the man, and tributes from those working mathematicians that he worked with. For there is no doubt that Erdös was an eccentric of the first magnitude, but Hoffman gives a picture of a well-loved man, who moved and inspired individual and groups of his colleagues worldwide.

Erdös made an enormous contribution in basic number theory, and Hoffman introduces readers to many of the ancient and modern problems of mathematics. Is it possible, for example, to predict the distribution of prime numbers? The relationship of prime numbers with each other is a well-known area of investigation in number theory, and ideas such as perfect numbers (where the sum of the factors equals the number itself - for example the number 6) and friendly numbers are well explored. Friendly numbers are where the sum of the factors of one number equals a second number, and the sum of the factors of that number equal the first number; the lowest friendly numbers are 220 and 284.

What has made Erdös so special is his relationship with so many of the world mathematics community; he co-authored papers with 485 individuals, and in some cases was a joint author with the same individual of 15 or more papers. His output was immense, even though he was working in basic number theory, an area where much work is done by young men. Yet he continued to make significant contributions almost right up until his death in 1996.

Erdös's brain was "always open" for mathematics. He even made group maths possible, or even `invented' it,, often with several different groups in the same room, with the aged Hungarian as the lynch pin, flitting between groups engaged on different subjects. The affectionate guide by Hoffman to his life and achievements is infectious, for those with an interest in mathematics. And so was Erdös, who wanted to prove theorems, and to prove them elegantly, but was very actively engaged in encouraging and nurturing others in his obsession. Erdös had no passions in life, maths was his life.

Individuals who had written a paper with the Hungarian are said to have an Erdös numbers of 1, and to have achieved this distinction is a great accolade. Even Einstein only achieved an Erdös number of 2, having written a paper with a person who had written a paper with Erdös.

Hoffman gives a good view of the man, a glimpse of how he worked, but comparatively little about his achievements, probably because non-mathematicians would not understand it. What he does show is that without Erdös, the world is a poorer place, both mathematically, and because of his unique ways.

Peter Morgan, Bath, UK [...].

This is a very interesting and enjoyable book about Paul Erdos, an eccentric math genius.

Speaking as a former college "Mathlete" (Kappa Mu Epsilon), I used to (and still do) have an abiding love for mathematical 'truths', and this book gives readers a brief introduction to some of the many ways that a sense of wonder & curiosity, focused on the universe through the prism of mathematics, can fire one's soul on many levels, both intellectual and spiritual.

As for myself - after a promising start, I peaked early back in undergrad school, and eventually left the field after finishing a minor degree, and moved on to other studies. However, my sense of wonder has remained ... and it was this book that helped me to recall some of my old joys, and to relive some of the might-have beens, had I been able to stay with it.

In any case, the book is a fine read. However, I have some nits that I've ranked them from most to least annoying:

1) MISSING PROOFS: The author, during his tale, mentions in passing many interesting mathematical problems and theorems that both Paul Erdos, and other mathematicians, helped to solve ... but in the vast majority of instances, the author anti-climactically fails to include the details of those proofs for the benefit of interested & proficient readers. IMHO, proofs of less than, say, 5 pages, could and should have been included in an appendix, and the author could have referred readers to appropriate AMS publications for those proofs that are longer and more involved. Instead, the author leaves the reader with nadda in all but a few trivial instances. It always irks me off when an author (or editor) dumbs down a book because they think readers can't keep up. Very annoying, and very anti-climactic. I mean come on - what's the point of spending pages and pages telling about the quest for a solution, only to finish lamely that yes, they solved it ... but omit all the details. Feh.

2) FOCUS: The author did a commendable job assembling and integrating a large array of verbal and historical accounts into a fairly coherent whole ... but he also has a mildly irritating tendency to meander around, in his focus, somewhat like a runaway horse cart. First forwards in time, then backwards, then sideways across various topics, then in the middle of nowhere we're talking about Fibonacci, Gödel, Gauss, then back to the present, and then to his childhood again, etc. In other words, the flow of the book is a bit uneven and fractured in places, and IMHO it could have benefited from some additional polishing and a bit of re-organization. I kept wanting to grab the reins and drag the book back on course. It's a fine ride, but it's a bit more rickety and bouncy then it could have been with some better editing.

3) ENDMATTER: The author/editor neglected to tie the "Acknowledgements and Source Notes" section in the rear of the book (p. 269- p.278) into the main text with some helpful endnotes or annotations ... thus rendering the section mostly useless to first time readers. Without notations to clue a reader in that that information is present in the back, then readers are left to finish the book unaware of it's existence until they reach the end ... by which time the information is of little or no value.

Highly enjoyable. Subtract a star if you're a math geek who prefers to see actual proofs, rather than simply taking solutions for granted, sans details.

I purchased this book for my grandson who is just beginning to read. This Dr. Seuss book has become a classic. It's whimsical story line will quickly grab the attention and interest of any child. It's impossible to improve on great literature like this! I highly recommend it.

If you haven't seen "Suessical the Musical" by all means do so. This clever adaption of Suess books and characters is just wonderful. The Horton books are primarily the source of this children's musical. Horton again shows what a fine elephant he is by standing fast to his ideals. Children can learn a lot by reading this rhyming, entertaining book.

Very pleased with quick shipping, a quality product as described, and would do business again with Amazon. Saw the movie and read the book with grandkids. What a joy for them and me. Satisfied customer. psw - S.E.Oklahoma

The kids saw the movie and really enjoyed the book as well. What more can I say, it's Dr. Seuss!

Horton Hears a Who is a masterpiece. Often heralded as a book on friendship, it is much more than that. Theodor Seuss Geisel was an outspoken critic of Hitler and Mussolini, and Horton Hears a Who has been said to have been Geisel's call to support the fledgling democracy in Japan after World War II. But Horton is much more than that. Horton Hears a Who is a reminder of the importance of protecting those weaker than we and a timeless call for people to unite and speak up for themselves.

This book grabbed me from page one.
It starts off with an 8 year old girl who lives with her mother and older brother, it is January and thier house is cold, the heat is off, they are poor. The mom is going out with her two friends to celebrate her 30th birthday and the daughter begs her not to go. The mom goes anyway, and the little girl makes a wish to 'never see her mother again'. The mom dies that night in a car accident. The girl always blames herself for the accident. She and her brother go to live with their grandmother in New Jersey.

As an adult, the brother, Ned, eventually moves out and ends up becoming a teacher and marrying one as well. The girl winds up becoming a librarian and lives with her grandmother until her grandma's death. Being left alone now, the girl moves to Florida, where Ned lives. She is a loner, works at the library and has no outside life other than that. One day while talking to Ned, she wishes out lout to be struck my lightning....soon after, she is.

I found this aspect of the story to be odd and fascinating. She is struck by lightning while at home. It almost kills her, but she survives, and is really sick, the equivalent of having radiation poisoning. She loses her hair, cannot eat, hears a 'clicking' sound in her head and becomes color blind to the color red.

The woman in this story always believes that if she makes a wish, it will come true. So much tragedy has happened in her life this way, by making wishes. She considers herself an 'ice queen', so no one can touch her, she has a heart made of ice.
I won't give anymore details on the story, exept that it is fascinating.
I liked the main character, whose name is never given.
I liked her brother Ned alot, and her relationship with him, especially in the end of the story. Her close friend Renny is another character that is well written and likeable.

Honestly at first the tone of the book is so dark I wasn't sure I was going to keep reading. Next thing I knew, while there is not even a hint of a "Disney ending" - I could not put it down.

Seeing life through the eyes of the main character was illuminating and will stay with me for quite some time!

Excellent reading!

It was difficult to find the exact descriptive word for this Alice Hoffman novel. "Spectacular" "Imaginative", "Dream-Like"...I couldn't choose. I found "The Ice Queen" absolutely breathtaking. The tale's core centers around fairytails and the realization that life is more than what you wish for. The main character sees her life in "before and after" terms. A quiet librarian, she's forced into living in an uncomfortable environment and then struck by lightning. Much like being reborn, we see her evolve through relationships with a lover, her brother and her sister-in-law. I really enjoy Hoffman's books and this is one of my fave. You many never look at the color red the same way again!

The main character, the ice queen librarian, is weird. Not without reason, mind you, but weird nevertheless. She blames herself for her mother's death long ago and deeply feels everything that has even happened since then is all her fault. She feels that every morbid wish she makes comes true and everything she loves, dies. When she is struck by lightening, it is a change for the better, tho not right away. She has an amazing torrid affair with Lazarus and her love and devotion to him is quite amazing and magical escpecially after she discovers the truth. One does not find devotion like that nowdays. This book is disturbing at times and the author and the character has an extreme obsession with death but the ending is pleasant. I also love the way her and her brother finally get over their issues together and become good friends in the end.

The protagonist of this chilly and unsatisfying novel blames herself for her mother's death. When she was eight, her mother said she was going out to celebrate her 30th birthday with friends. The little girl gets angry and says she wishes she will never see her again -- and of course the mother dies.
From this day on, the "heroine" is like an ice maiden, emotionally frozen. She makes a second wish -- that she should be struck by lightning -- and that also comes true. She joins a support group for other damaged victims of lightning strikes and hears of one survivor who died for 45 minutes and came back to life. So she seeks out this man whose flesh is so hot that merely touching it can cause second or third-degree burns. This man is so hot he can eat raw food and it gets cooked in his mouth. (Yes, he's a real hottie.) They make passionate love in a bath full of ice cubes. The man has a secret -- but when it's revealed it turns out to be pretty ho-hum.
I can't really go on with a description of the plot for to do so would be wasting my time, just as reading the book would be wasting yours.
This book has no characters and little plot. Various people flit in and out -- the heroine's brother, another burn victim, the librarian. None has any real character. The reader's guide at the end poses this question: "The narrator's two romantic interests, Lazarus and Jack, are different from each other. What does each of these men offer her?" In fact, they are completely alike in that neither has any character at all.
Hoffman apparently isn't interested in men. She doesn't bother describing them. She's not all that much interested in women either. She's interested in mood, in weather, in atmosphere, in words -- and she has talent. But this doesn't add up to a satisfying novel that tells us anything about her characters or the human condition in general.
I read Hoffman's "Seventh Heaven" and enjoyed it. It had a certain magical quality even though I thought it was seriously flawed. Unfortunately, I can't recommend this book at all. It started out being depressing and ended up being boring.

this book is a very good book to read and i enjoyed it from start to end. i mainly used it for the little handbook on making explosives which do work. The only thing i don't like is that some of the tricks and ways of getting money there are in the book are written to be used in the 70s and not in modern times. it is still a good book and every anarchist should have this one in their library

I checked this book out of the library instead of stealing it. Because of the provacative title, it was kept behind the library front desk!


I read the book for laughs then because in the late 70's, the book already was tremendously out of date. I does give you a good idea what the Yippies (not the hippies, they were non-violent)were about.

As far as Hoffman's preaching of violence against the system, well I side with John Lennon's sentiment, "You can count me out".

This book is even more relevant today than it was in the time of Nixon when it was written. The fact that too few people read it explains how this country was able to be suckered by con-servative artists like Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and Bush, along with their cronies in Saudi Arabia, Capitalist China, Silverado, Enron, Halliburton, etc.

Steal This Book is a nice, interesting book to read. There are some interesting items in the book that if followed today, would easily land you in jail. Whether or not the author got away with the majority of these items to steal is questionable. The book was written decades ago and some of the items mentioned will not mean anything to todays generations. But for those of us who came of age in the 1960's, it will bring a laugh or two and good memories. I would not spend the money on a new or a hard copy, but if you come across it in paperback and used, go for it.

Most people might not realize, but from the perspective of a new immigrant student, "Steal This Book" was a major catalyst for the downward trend evolution of what I saw as a honest, decent society to an ever growing corrupt society.

I came as a student from Europe in 1960 and was enthralled with the honesty, decency and total trust in other people's honesty and decency by the vast majority of Americans. It was amazing to see that people could leave their purses, wallets, cameras and other valuables on picnic tables while off to swim or hike, unlocked doors, keys in cars etc. Then, in the mid 60s, about the time Abbie Hoffman taught and published this book in which he encourages the hippy generation to start ripping off not only corporations and the government (which really is the people)but also take from regular citizens. And oh boy, did the hippy types take to that invitation. Suddenly campers and others found their trust stolen along with their valuables. It truly was the end of an era.

And today his followers are our politicians, teachers, professors, lawyers and corporate leaders.
Should we be surprised of the downhill trend that has been accelerating at dizzying speeds?

As I got ready to post this review I checked on what Amazon meant by "TAG" and with a chuckle I discovered their objection to "Tags which promote illegal or immoral conduct". I'd say Hoffman's book falls neatly into that category.

The Prince & The Pauper - the title of this book pretty much explains the plot. The Prince, Edward, Prince of Wales (son of Henry VIII) and The Pauper, Tom Canty of Offal Court meet one day and realizing how much they look alike decide to switch places for a day. If only it were that easy - as circumstances would have it it's not that easy to explain the situation to people, thus it's numerous days before they are reunited again, during which hilarity ensues.

It took me awhile to get into this book, which was suprising given that it's only 209 pages. It just didn't blow me away, that being said, I enjoyed the overall story and the life lessons that are subtley hidden through out the pages.

The Prince and the Pauper is Mark Twain's historical novel of mistaken identity. In it, Prince Edward and a filthy, destitute urchin who looks exactly like him inadvertently switch places. The majority of the book is spent following the boys, particularly Edward, as they attempt (or not) to regain their rightful places.

This book features numerous historical characters, and Twain researched them and the time period well. There is a great deal of social commentary here, as Twain has quite a lot to say about some of the more ruthless laws that England has had. He also delivers a rather ironic commentary on the social classes of the day.

The Prince and the Pauper is entertaining, although it suffers from slow pacing. There's entirely too much time spent with people carrying on about how each imposter has gone mad, and how he must be humored, and how this will put him to rights again. It grows tiresome, as does Edward's continual attempts to assert his kingly rights while dressed in rags. His learning curve is a straight line.

All in all, The Prince and the Pauper is an entertaining enough book, and certainly it inspired innumerable inferior derivatives like few works have, but it doesn't quite measure up to Twain's later work of historical fiction, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.

Very good edition with original illustrations replicated. Sent in a timely fashion and arrived in good condition.

One of the most persistent themes in American pop and literary culture is the switched identity plot. Movies like Garfield 2, Face-Off, Big Business and Double Dragon have been based on this trick. Where did it all start? Probably with this children's classic by Mark Twain. Set in Renaissance England, it tells the story of two boys who look exactly alike, except one is a prince and the other is a poor boy. The two meet each other, exchange places, and have loads of fun. All ends well as they each regain their proper places with more wisdom and friends than before.

The text of the book is readable by most elementary school kids, though the length is quite long for a children's work. The dialogue is English, and might make hard reading the first time around, and the comedy might be dry for those not used to it. But the book is enjoyable and totally appropriate. I highly recommend it.

The Prince and the Pauper is a classic tale of switched and mistaken identities when two young boys who are similar looking in appearance happen to meet each other and decide to change appearances. Despite the fact that the two look similar, the two boys have led quite different lives--one boy living a poor, destitute life with an abusive father, and the other, living a life of luxury. Once the two boys decide to switch to see how each other looks, they seemingly do not know that it will be hard to switch back. Mark Twain's ability to establish a children's story with a sense of royalty and fantasy intermixed is clearly attributed to his forte as a great versatile writer, both of satire and comedy, as well as fantasy. While the story has a simple idea and basis for its course--the idea that two boys must learn how to live in the "others" shoes for awhile--the greater strength and stability is to depict a strong moral in the story, which is that we often do not know or appreciate how hard things can be for someone else in life.

Another fun aspect of this work is simply the trademark satire from Twain. He has a way of making fun of the idea of royalty in a dignified and subtle way, and has fun once the two boys are in the "others" world. Not only this, but he has fun "overdoing" some of the scenes for both boys. Tom Canty is distressed at the process of how much trouble it is to do anything without the "Royal Court" helping him with an everyday task, from taxing to simple. The king is ashamed at the ill treatment he receives from mean citizens of the town, and despite his protests of being a king, no one listens.

Each child gets himself in unwittingly bad circumstances that he wishes himself out of, and each must find ways at adapting to their new life. For instance, Tom Canty cannot believe the power that his words has in the court of law, and he is both shocked, and impressed, by his ability to literally change the course of those condemned to death. Although frightened at first, he learns to manage his new station in life. Meanwhile, the poor king has to life an unaccustomed life of poverty, and must deal with all the malevolent allies of poor Tom's father, despicable individuals who rob, cuss, steal, and are vulgar. Generally, he struggles, but is aided by a generous man named Miles Hendon, who helps him through all the difficulties.

Perhaps another moral evoked from Twain's tale is that of not thinking yourself better than another person, despite your or their station in life. The boys seem to have to deal with this by the book's end, and learn their ways, having a greater and deeper appreciation of the opposite point of view.

There is plenty of adventure, imagination, and humor to keep you entertained in this book. At times, several scenes do get a little confusing, but overall it is a rather quick and simple read. The Bantam Classic edition also has footnotes to explain terms in the index, and fairly big print easy for reading.

I read this book fairly quickly. The short chapters(stories)go quickly.
Most of the book was good, but it got kind of boring in the last 1/4.

Local Girls, Alice Hoffman
A sad piece. There is Gretel, who tells the story, Jason her brother, Franny their divorced mother, and cousin Margot, and a few friends. There is illness, death, lives ruined and/or wasted. With every quick turn of the page you'll be fairly shouting, NO! Don't do that, do this! As always, Hoffman flashes us some hope: healthy children born to perhaps a more hopeful existence, and Gretel's great escape. Not a book to read if you are in a low mood already. Still, the writing is brilliant.

Reality is invaded by a variety of magical elements straight out of the fairy tales as the story about a teenager and her family unfolds.

This book is written in a different format from her other novels. Rather than a straightforward plot, it consists of chapters which take place in the same small New Hampshire town loosely tied together. They center around Gretel Samuelson, a sensitive but bored teen, her flamboyant best friend Jill, and their extended families beginning the summer after Gretel's parents have divorced. We learn about Jason, Gretel's older brother, who is Harvard-bound but has unexpectedly lost his motivation, Gretel's Grandma Frieda, mother and cousin Margot. As usual, magic realism abounds: a farmhouse covered with roses; a ghost seeking revenge on her daughter's ex-husband; a great horned owl; and a stepmother straight out of a fairy tale. As usual, Hoffman writes vividly and poetically about the mysteries of everyday life and the shifting alliances between families and friends in crisis.

Alice Hoffman continues to amaze me with her versatile writing. Each book is unique yet somehow the same. The feelings expressed through the main character are oaverwhelming and sometimes beautiful. When the point of view changed I got confused but when my confusion cleared I found the prose linking grandmother to mother to daughter simply precious.

This book is a good version to read to kids. The language is basic enough for kids to follow the plot. I plan on using it as a lesson on legends around Halloween time for my fourth grade students.

The cover of this book is beautiful. Most books these days come with dust jackets and dull covers underneath. Sleepy Hollow comes with a clear dust jacket and beautiful art underneath. Totally worth the price of admission alone. The first story, Sleepy Hollow, follows very closely the Disney version. There are a few hints as to how the Johnny Depp version came about. After Sleepy Hollow follow other short stories. Mostly ghost stories some with very cleaver twists at the end. The twists make this book somewhat appropriate for younger children. Still recommend a once over from adult first before reading to youngster. Then the book turns to one story with about five sequels. These stories did not seem to match the quality of the previous stories. Actually on the boring side. That is why I rated this book four stars out of five.

I give my neices and nephews storybooks each year for Christmas.
Last year, I ordered all the books in September and Amazon filled most of the order, but kept delaying several of the books. Christmas came and went, and I had to give some of the kids candy and promises that their books would come later. It took 12 months, until September of this year, when Amazon admitted they could never fill the order. So, this year, I tried hard to find the books in other places, but unfortunately, I had to order a few from Amazon. Despite my low expectations, the books showed up on time.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a fascinating story, but I purchased it for an eleven year old, and its original presentation, i.e., use of words, and small print are difficult for someone of that young age to read and comprehend.

It is a classic story that I hope she will enjoy later on.

I will keep this quick because it was already a waste of time to read this book. They used these horrible drawing for the book that look like my little brother did them. Basically they messed up the story and made it for kids. They made it a childrens book, if that is what your looking for then it is good.

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.

Alice Hoffman weaves her usual magic in this story of relationships between mothers and daughters, and the men in their lives. Excellent reading!

Alice Hoffman's "The Probable Future" begins with mystery, history and magical realism that seamlessly blends with the present times of the current three generations of Sparrow women: Elinor, Jenny and Stella. Rebecca Sparrow, the matriarch of this line of gifted women, had the gift of not feeling pain, which led to her drowning by the small town of Unity, Massachusetts; this was the time when things out of the ordinary were considered from the devil or aligned with witchcraft.

Hoffman informs us, "For as long as their history has been known, there have been only girl children born to the Sparrow family and every one of these daughters has kept the family name and celebrated her birthday in March." In addition, the Sparrow women always receive their gift on their thirteenth birthday. Elinor can detect when someone is lying; her daughter, Jenny, can see other people's dreams. The thirteenth generation, Jenny's daughter, Stella, is turning thirteen. Stella sees the future, how people will die. But as we read further, it is a probable future since Stella uses her foreknowledge to alter the future. But the gifts of the Sparrow women are used as subplots that are left in the background while the main focus and conflict is the difficulty the two pairs of mothers and daughters have in connecting.

Jenny's estranged, irresponsible, philandering husband, Will Avery (Elinor knew he was a liar, but Jenny refused to listen) reports a murder a week in advance to the Boston police due to Stella's insistence. But then the murder occurs and Will becomes the main suspect (due to the police report and his phone number being found at the homicide scene) and thereafter brings the entire family together in Unity, away from the media frenzy, while the case is pending. Elinor, Jenny and Stella must face each other and their unresolved conflicts. We also learn more about the other Sparrow women, but it all becomes dull after Hoffman repeats the same town folklore over and over like a history teacher who has run out of tales to tell, therefore repeats the same ones with a slight variation.

"The Probable Future" bursts forth with many promises and gleeful expectations; in fact, the pages do turn rather quickly as Hoffman piques our curiosity to know more about these thirteen Sparrow women who have had a major influence on the town's history. But ultimately, the burst disappears all too quickly; only the sparks of clichés, repetitions and implausible character turns remain.

Bohdan Kot

THE PROBABLE FUTURE is the story of the Sparrow women, who have inhabited Cake House in a small New England town for centuries, and who have extraordinary powers. Sound familiar? That's because this novel seems like an attempt to re-create the delight and magic of PRACTICAL MAGIC. However, in my opinion, it missed the mark. Hoffman's natural (and supernatural) descriptions are not the spice that livens the story as they have in her previous works. They seem forced and overdone, and did not endear any of the characters to me. The only Alice Hoffman book I have ever not wanted to read again.

I like historical fiction, and this story has all of the elements of a good plot. It was written in the passive voice used by so many mediocre writers, though. The prose wore me out. The editor was not paying attention. There were details that didn't flow, and character progressions that did not ring true. Will is not a believable character, and even Stella is progressed way beyond her 13 years in a short amount of time. Ms. Hoffman can certainly conceive of a good story, she just didn't tell it well this time. I may take a stab at Practical Magic, since it was well-reviewed. I wouldn't recommend this book as an introduction to Ms. Hoffman's work, though. Pick another.

I loved this book. It was one of those stories that was hard to put down. Great summer reading - I found it in a used book store while on vacation. I am going to add Alice Hoffman to my list of favorite authors.

I am just getting into Alice Hoffman. I really liked Here on Earth and have since been reading a few others. All of which have been good reads.

Turtle Moon is a pretty short read, and with the story that is exciting and you're wondering what will happen, the pages fly by. Since there is a bit of the supernatural in this book, I consider it unique from what I normally read. This is a love story, a parenting story, a story about redemption and finding your place in life, and about all kinds of love. I have to say that what sealed the deal for me on this book was the ending, I just really thought it fit well and was very pleased.

I'd recommend Alice Hoffman and this book.

Every time I pick up an Alice Hoffman book, I am transported, and this was no exception. The characters are wonderfully complicated. The plot moves unpredictably. She is able to create such a strong ambience by making the reader smell the smells, feel the heat and visualize Florada. This book is both plot-driven and character-driven, indicating Hoffman's superior ability to write. A great read.

This is one of my favorite stories of all time. If you haven't read this yet, do it now, you won't regret it.

This my second Hoffman book, the first being "Here on Earth", and it reinforced my opinion of her writing. Hoffman is a talented story teller who adds an interesting otherworldliness to her novels but there is not much else about her style to grab on to. The prose is basic, the characters under developed, and some of the events are so implausible that they become irksome. She also tends to recreate the divorced or unhappily married woman with a mixed up teenager in her books. In this particular book the numerous divorced female characters all blend together. This makes it difficult to remember who is who and what their histories are (something that you need to follow for the story to make sense). All in all, Hoffman is a great read for the train or beach she but doesn't really challenge or satisfy me.