Rating: 
Summary: Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman
Review: I found this book to be a great psychological thriller, sad but great. When March and her daughter Gwen take a trip to the mother's childhood home of near Boston, little do they know what's ahead of them. The man she once loved just isn't the same
as he used to be. I'd recommend this book to one and all:)
Rating: 
Summary: Painful but strangely moving
Review: I picked up this book at a local charity store, having enjoyed Hoffman's style in other of her novels. I read it twice in about a week, and found its description of an abusive relationship painful, but reading Hoffman's prose is like swimming in the river. You step in, and are immediately caught up in its turbulent flow of emotion. I kept thinking, I know this story. I've read this before, haven't I -- but not in this form, not from this perspective. It's odd, all the characters live in this remote area with its dreadful weather, and everyone knows each other, and two characters from one family marry two characters from the other prominent family in the area, and the poor orphan from lowly background gets adopted but never loses his low self-esteem, and people KEEP DYING YOUNG. Seems so Victorian, I mused.
It wasn't until I was reading a different book, where the characters were discussing Wuthering Heights, that I recognized it. The characters were commenting that Hareton was going to make it, because he used both his head and his heart -- and the penny dropped. Hareton is Hank. AHA! And Heathcliff is Hollis, of course... Here On Earth is what might have happened if Heathcliff had got his Cathy back, at least for a time.
Did no one get this? NO ONE??!? I've read several reviews of this book, and so far I haven't read one that mentions it. It's hard for me to believe that book reviewers are so little versed in their classics that not one of them recognized this updating of the Bronte classic (with, admittedly, some twists). One reviewer calls Hollis "Heathcliff-like", but the whole setup is Wuthering Heights.
This book is not a great casual read, but I found it interesting that a good story is still a good story, even disguised. It all depends on the treatment, of course. Shakespeare lifted other people's stories all the time, and made them definitively his. Hoffman's prose is surprisingly lovely, given the subject matter.
Rating: 
Summary: Big disappointment
Review: I got about halfway through this book when I simply couldn't take it anymore and started leafing through till the end. I was glad I hadn't taken the time to read all the way through. I found the characters to be extremeley one-dimensional and felt no compassion for them. Hollis was a complete jerk, infatuation or not. Some sort of background on March's marriage to Richard was completely lacking, and then to top it all off, there was no conclusion for March or Gwen. I gave three stars since I thought the style of writing was good, but the characters were so weak, they definitely needed much more depth and substance.
Rating:
Summary: Hoffman's "Here on Earth" is an average read at best.
Review: I just read Hoffman's "Here on Earth," and I found it extremely disapointing. I purchased it after seeing it on Oprah's list of recommended reading, thinking that following her suggestion may lead me to an interesting writer. The plot of the story is common and at certain points I found myself comparing it to the nickle and dime books I read as a child. There wasn't any real depth to the characters which was disappointing because as a reader,it left many questions unanswered, and many voids and gaps in a story that could have otherwise held my attention. Hoffman teases the reader with the tragic heroine's and hero's moral and ethical dilemmas, but falls short in delivering a thorough resolution -- where all questions raised in the development of the plot are completely answered. The opening of the novel is well written and in parts her creative language did pull me back into the story, but only briefly. As a whole, however, "Here on Earth" did not overcome its shortcomings. I would not recommend this book as a good or interesting read.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best Hoffman by far, though still enjoyable enough.
Review: 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
Rating:
Summary: NOT WHAT I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE.
Review: I liked reading this book but just was not all that pleased at the end. It was kind of strange.
Rating:
Summary: A Sad and Compelling Story
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Three Stars
Review: 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,
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I've read most of the Oprah's Book club selections and just got around to reading this one. I was expecting similarities to Wuthering Heights, but this is just a rehash 90's style. I prefer the classic version, thank you! Little new here.
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