Here on Earth (Oprah's Book Club) | Alice Hoffman

Here on Earth (Oprah's Book Club) | Alice Hoffman | Three Stars

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Here on Earth (Opr...

	Here on Earth (Oprah's Book Club) Alice Hoffman Berkley, 1999 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 484 reviews view larger image
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A Sad and Compelling Story

I finished this book last night and I still can't get the sad story of March and Hollis out of my mind and heart. A book such as this one draws you in, makes you feel so much for the characters that it's hard to let them go. I found myself having a love-hate relationship with the character of Hollis (the so-called Heathcliff character); it seems as though most people who read this book really grew to hate Hollis. In my opinion, it's only a great author who can make you feel sympathy for the villain, and that is exactly what the author made me feel for Hollis. Although his behaviour becomes despicable and inexcusable, I couldn't help seeing him as a broken man; the author skillfully does this by focusing on memories of him as a boy. I did find myself becoming frustrated with March at times; the way she ignores her daughter and seems to become completely unaware of what is going on around her. The end of the book was particularly poignant for me. For all of those who had trouble understanding why March would stay with someone like Hollis, I think the author explains it all very well in the last chapter. One of my favorite lines in the book: If this is love, they better call it something else.

This is a great book by a great writer.

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Three Stars

I first started reading this book and was so angry at the main character, March, that I put it down for about 6 months. I don't know what compelled me to pick it up again, but I ended up getting reeled in around the middle of the book. I really loved the descriptive nature of her writing. Many of the characters were really likeable and quirky. However, I felt like she left out more character development in the main characters. There was just no explanation as to why March behaved the way she did. Her daughter's thoughts and words were a little too sophisticated for a fifteen year old girl too. I found her writing to be enjoyable and would recommend this book to anyone to read. Just try not to get personally involved in March, she will make you want to rip her hair out!I found that a little hard to buy into. I also wished that she had written the last chapter. You really felt like you could picture the town, the people, etc. I think she must have been sick of writing and just turned in the script without finishing. I really felt absolutely no closure; there was no direction I was sure to imagine the ending would head. Still,

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Not the best Hoffman by far, though still enjoyable enough.

I'm a little surprised to finally be saying this, but...

...I wasn't so keen on this book. Now, granted, I'll happily caveat that this was on an abridged audio edition by Nova, and I am a huge fan of Alice Hoffman to begin with, and this is not her recent novel. But, somehow, it left me a little cold.

Mostly, I believe it was because there was no typical Hoffman magic or mystery to the story. A woman named March returns to her home town with her daughter when her housekeeper dies. After the funeral, she finds herself drawn towards a young man who was raised in her household by her father, with whom she had a strong, nigh co-dependant relationship with in her youth.

They start an affair, the relationship definitely takes a sombre turn (or three), and then, all at once, the book sort of ends. The ending was almost trite, actually. Much like 'Second Nature,' this one didn't do much at all beyond mundane and angry relationship angst, and it left me a little tired on behalf of all the characters concerned. Indeed, there wasn't a single character in the tale for whom I felt relief, or gained a sense of 'they've been saved' about, which is something I adore about Hoffman usually. Even the language seemed less lyrical and immediate. All of that isn't to say the book was bad, just not up to Hoffman's usual wonder-inspiring work.

Perhaps I just need a break from her, but either way, this in no way reached the intense wonderful levels of writing I know and love Hoffman for, like in 'Blue Diary,' 'River King,' 'Practical Magic,' 'Local Girls,' and 'The Probable Future.'

'Nathan

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Disappointing

I used to think that if I disliked the characters of a novel, I could dismiss the novel as "not very good". No more. I despised Hollis, but the art it takes to create an evil person like him is immense. To continue to work with a horrible character that the author surely hated as well takes a lot of fortitude.

NOT WHAT I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.

I liked reading this book but just was not all that pleased at the end. It was kind of strange.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, page 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

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