Rating: 
Summary: Not Practical Magic or Turtle Moon, but it has its charms
Review: The Probable Future opens in familiar Alice Hoffman territory: in a New England town, Jenny Sparrow frets over the legacy her daughter Stella will receive upon waking on her thirteenth birthday. All Sparrow woman - and they are all women - find their one "talent", always something magical or supernatural, on this day. The first Sparrow, Rebecca, could not feel pain while Jenny's mother Elinor can instantly detect a lie. Jenny herself dreams other people's dreams. In true Hoffman fashion, the gift Stella receives affects not only the direction of her life but of those who love her - Jenny, Elinor, Jenny's errant ex-husband Will; Will's brother Matt; Liza, the owner of the town tea house; Hap, Stella's new best friend; and Brock Stewart, Elinor's doctor and companion.While parts of this novel are groaningly familiar, Hoffman deftly moves from these moments to something more solid and truthful. The author has her own gift, that of confident narration. Her characterizations are memorably detailed, with the portrayal of Brock Stewart perhaps the most touching I have encountered in her fiction. Unlike in Turtle Moon and Practical Magic, the magic realism here is not as much a crucial part of the story as it is an overlay. Even though Stella's gift does prompt a journey back to the Sparrows, the reasons seem forced and the action unnecessary. This story would be every bit as moving without the Sparrow women's gifts, fireflies that ignite, and bees that demand politeness. Some fans might be disappointed by the lack of seamless integration of magic and realism in this novel, but others will be thankful the author did not force it upon a story which has its most honest moments between ordinary people. Love and the author's literary expressions of its intricacies figure heavily, verging on sentimentality, but again, Hoffman seems to instinctively know when to abandon this direction just her writing is in danger of becoming maudlin. Turtle Moon and Practical Magic remain Alice Hoffman's most inventive novels; however, The Probable Future has its own charms. Quiet, loving, and upbeat, this novel is more likely to appeal to women than to men.
Rating: 
Summary: Pleasurable
Review: The Probable Future, yes, this is the first Alice Hoffman novel I have read. For me personally, it was a bit choppy, but it was an interesting read. The scenery and senses was just as strong as the characters. The details are very important in this book, and it is important to pay attention to those details. During my read, I had choosen my favorite character, Matt, but eventually others won my favor, as well. Matt Avery was so steady and sensible and patient. Who would wait a lifetime for one person? He would. He wasn't the center of the story, but he was key to the story. Liza Hull was adorable, and Hap was one of my favorites, as well. The parts I most enjoyed was when I read about Rebecca Sparrow, Sarah Sparrow, Constance Sparrow. There were more women in this remarkable line of women, but their history kept my attention. My impression of these women: they were not selfish, they cared, and they were beautiful. What can you learn from this story? Love, maybe. Understanding, who knows. What did I learn? Family may not know everything about each other, but in the end when put to a test, love is powerful. These characters experience that in some sort of way. Be diligent in your read of this book. You will find that even the bees have life and you are so glad they are an intricate part of the story. I hope you enjoy if you decide to read the book. Joy.
Rating: 
Summary: Who Are These Bewitching Sparrow Women?
Review: The Sparrow women - for centuries, residents of the small town of Unity haven't been sure whether to be frightened of them or revere them. One thing is certain, however, they are awe-inspiring. Most people despise the number 13, but the Sparrows, with their mysterious ways, thrive on it. It can't be determined whether the women are witches or simply derive from an eternally "gifted" line of blood. But on their thirteenth birthday each and every one of them woke up just a little bit different from the day before. The "gifts" range from feeling no pain to the ability to make food from anything, being able to sense lies to seeing others' dreams or deaths. And if that isn't enough, there has never been a male child born to a Sparrow woman. Stella Sparrow Avery is the thirteenth in the line and she has just gained the ability to see the deaths of people. She is also the only one never to have lived in Cake House or the town of Unity itself. In fact, her mother, Jenny, has kept the knowledge of her family roots from her and the contact of her grandmother, Elinor. This is all about to change, however, when Stella sees the death of a young woman and begs her father to warn her. In an attempt to do the right thing for once, Stella's father goes to the police, but is then held under suspicion of murder when the woman dies as predicted days later. To keep Stella away from the media and gossip, Jenny is forced to send her to live in Unity where many doors are opened into the past...and the future. Alice Hoffman's experience as a writer shines through undeniably in "The Probable Future." Her characters are far from one-dimensional names on paper. They are living individuals instilling countless emotions as they face their separate demons of lost love, soul-searching, fear of admitting wrong and the desperate attempt to create something impossible. The thought-provoking journeys of the living intertwine with the ghostly paths of those who have gone before leading to a decidedly tender culmination. The Sparrow women are admirable indeed.
Rating:
Summary: A novel of love and forgiveness.
Review: This beautiful novel is filled with so many different kids of love: between mothers and daughters, grandparents and grandchildren, first love for teenagers and more mature love between adults, old friendship and romantic love in the geriatric set, love of family and place and ancestors. The very real and likeable charaters all seem at one time or another to cause unintentional pain to someone they love and every character must in her (or his) own time find a way to atone and to forgive. The setting in the tiny town of Unity really does bring everyone together and forces families to work out their problems. The imagery of nature, flowers, bees and animals is wonderful as is the weaving in of the history of the town and the Sparrow family. The magical gifts of each of the Sparrows are multifaceted. Elinor can always tell a lie, unless it is told to her by someone she loves. Jenny can sense other's dreams but becomes confused about who is doing the dreaming. Stella can forsee other's deaths but her images are easily mis-interpreted, and, maybe, a few of those deaths can be prevented. Elinor, Jenny and Stella reflect three passages in a woman's life and at different times I identified with each. They are funny, engaging, smart women. This is my first Alice Hoffman and I plan to read many more.
Rating:
Summary: fantastic
Review: this book is incredible. i highly recommend it to all.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic
Review: This book was very enlightening and inspiring! It took just a few days to read it and I enjoyed every minute!
Rating:
Summary: Deceptively simplistic
Review: This is an interesting book - part fairy tale with some Anne Tyler overtones. The outcome is anticipated long before the end of the book and all's well that ends well. Shattered relationships are mended, the bad guy gets his comeuppance and everyone ends up with his or her soulmate. I like this book - it leaves me with some lingering thoughts. I very much liked when the grandmother said that - I'm paraphrasing - good things are invisible: integrity, kindness, empathy, etc. How true and how worthy of pursuit in thought and deed. I've also given some thought to what I would select if I had a choice of a "gift" such as the ones that were bestowed on the Sparrow women when they turned 13. I believe that often in life, as in this novel, our greatest gift is also our greatest curse.
Rating:
Summary: The pacing is a little off
Review: This was a beautifully written book about the Sparrow's family history spanning 13 generations. Rebecca Sparrow walked out of the woods one day when she was seven or eight and no one knew where she originated. Named Rebecca by the washerwoman who took her in and Sparrow by the local boys who saw Sparrows flocking to her almost supernaturally, she lived a short life affecting the small town of Unity, Massachusettes for generations to come. Each Sparrow woman kept her surname and bore only one child, a girl. Upon the girl's 13th birthday she would awake with a gift of some sort. Sarah Sparrow, Rebecca's child, was said to need no sleep. Elinor can detect falsehood. Her daughter Jenny can dream other people's dreams. And Jenny's daughter, Stella, who just turned 13 can tell how some people are going to die. Surprisingly, the book focuses little on the supernatural gifts of the Sparrow women and more on their unity and history. Each of the remaining Sparrow women have something to learn from one another. Each of them have made mistakes needing to be corrected. The Sparrow women touch the lives of the people of Unity in a wonderful way and help them to realize what has been there all along is exactly what they need. I felt the last third of the book had pacing problems. Sometimes it was agonizingly slow. Sometimes details were given so quickly and subplots were wrapped up so hastily I had to wonder if I missed something. The last third of the book didn't keep my interest the same way the first parts did. In the end, everything falls into place exactly as you expect it would with few twists and turns.
Rating:
Summary: Love lingers
Review: This was my first book by Alice Hoffman. I really enjoyed this story as it is different from any I have read. On the surface it is about one family, many generations of women all born in March and all possesing a special ability which they discover on their 13th birthday.
The book goes on to tell how the Sparrow family women basically founded the town in which they lived. The locals however were fearful of the womens' 'talents' and even went so far as to drown the earliest recorded member, believing she was a witch.
As the book goes on, I realized this story is about love, about judging people wrongly, about not questioning your decisions until it's too late. About living with hurt, fear, and regret. It's also about forgiveness and finding that love can heal old wounds... in fact it can do a lot and change people forever.
This book is written very well and reads smoothly. I would recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: so lyrical, sublime, so beautiful it's devastating!
Review: Though this does not rate with "here on earth", it's still very moving and beautiful and what a great metaphor to use, the women in the dysfunctional family are "witches"! It parallels real life, aren't there times us in the general public, have felt that we were in a "strange" family unable to communicate to others our strange "gifts" to others. Alice Hoffman does a great job again, it just flows and there are moments of surrealism that just paints a beautiful canvas in many scenes. I hope she does more "witch" stories, she did a great job in "practical magic" and now this book!:) She has a knack for "witch" stories!
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