Here on Earth (Oprah's Book Club) by Alice Hoffman Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Here on Earth (Oprah's Book Club)
Book Review: Somber at best... yet compelling and difficult to put down
Summary: 3 Stars
The book is gripping and I had a hard time putting it down. It is definitly not one to read if you are looking for an uplifting story. Alice Hoffman writes and incredibly dark story that might depress the happiest person. The relationship between March and Hollis is so all consuming that neither can see how it has over shadowed and destroyed their lives. March infuriated me when she allowed Hollis to treat her the way he did but even more so when he threatened her daughter... how could any mother ever subject her child to the horrors she did? Then stand by and make excuses? Hoffman makes you want to reach into the story and shake her awake... I hated Hollis yet Alice Hoffman has a great talent in keeping you reading even when disgusted with the caracters actions. I was thankful that Gwen grew in the story and was able to free herself (and saddened that she was smarter than her weakened and abused mother. March makes you feel sorry for her blind stupidity at times.
The other characters in the book are very interesting and make you wonder about the choices people make in life-for right or wrong. Louise Justice is a prime example of a woman who makes a choice to stand by her husband because she loves him even though most would not be able to abide his actions. Yet, both characters are still likeable and you can understand their feelings.
The ending leaves you wondering what will become of them and in a way might offer a glimmer of hope that rights can be wronged, stupidity learned from, betrayal eventually forgiven,and love is not always what it seems because what we think we want is not always what is best for us...
If it were not for Alice Hoffman's talent I would have a hard time recommending this book. Having read it right after Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman I would probably never read anything else by her...yet I am intrigued & will read something else by her.
Book Review: Great page-turner, ambiguous ending
Summary: 3 Stars
I couldn't put this book down. I was completely entranced by the story and how some of the charecters could live their lives in such a way. The charecters seemed real in the beginning, but the way in which many of their personalities literally spiraled out of control was intriguing, but a little unrealistic. There is no definitive ending and the reader is left with so many questions as to how these people that they have come to know and develop so many emotions for will end up.
Basically, I loved the fastasy-like story line but hated how I was left wondering about the conclusion.
Book Review: Don't bother
Summary: 1 Stars
Ughh! I was so frustrated with the main character of March in this book that it made it hard to enjoy anything else about it. She was whiny and selfish and abandons all those who truly care about her. It was impossible to have any patience or sympathy for such weak character. You wanted to tell her to grow up and start putting her daughter's needs before her own. Instead, she puts her daughter's life at risk by moving her in with a sociopath. The daughter, Gwen, was very interesting and you felt so sorry for her for having such a terrible mother. I also enjoyed her "love interest", her cousin that lives with Hollis, as well as her relationship with the horse. For me, these were the only redeemable parts of the book.Book Review: What a downer
Summary: 3 Stars
I had to keep reading the book in hopes of something better for the characters. This book is intriging and dark. Many of the books I have read from Oprahs book club tend to lean toward the darker sides of life and this book is definately one of them.
I may read one more book by Alice Hoffman just to see if all of her ideas are depressing or not. I thought this book was well written in the sense that I wanted to find out what did happen to the characters.
Book Review: RIVETING!
Summary: 5 Stars
No matter how very valid are the cons noted in other reviews, I've just finished this book and feel as though I've read a combo effort of Bronte/King/Koontz/Higgins Clark w/a touch of Steel. Add to that the sensation of intrigue, suspense, "can't put the d*mn thing down," gifted prose-- succinct but filled with clarity & emotion--how could I not rate this 5 stars?
Yes, it is a twisted romance melded with horror but at the center is love...and hate. Love right, love wrong, love naive; hate common but often overlooked for the good of the order. Love gone awry & how an innocent can convert to a monster. Make that 2 innocents-which will be revealed when you read the novel. Love transformed to obsessive, love blind, love that metamorphs & mutates until it's twisted, ugly, despicable . Ultimately, no longer love at all. Does it sound familiar in the real world? Maybe not to the majority of readers but some of us might understand an inkling; some more. Thus, the fascination. The reader recognizes this warp, supporting characters do, but not the central figures. As with all suspense, that's what makes it so captivating! We, the reader, initially supportive, then we question, ponder, fret...but
they don't...not in time.
One reviewer writes of the mirror image of Wuthering Heights premise. Great observation & having just finished this book--feeling spine-tingling anxiety, it only makes me want to digest W. Heights again ASAP! Any book that causes one to yearn for the classics (due to being so moved) is truly a book that's worth reading. This should happen more often. I know...I read 3 books per wk. Some are so dull, I wonder why I've bothered. Not this one! A rare find.
My chief & only gripe with Here on Earth is the title. Perhaps the premise could only happen "here on earth???"