Rating: 
Summary: Dreadful characters do not mean the book isn't compelling!
Review: I can't call this a love story. At least, not the story of March and Hollis. It wasn't love, it was control and a deep seated hatred of humans on the part of Hollis. Hollis, the definition of "sociopath", which this book defines better than dictionary.com does, as "One who is affected with a personality disorder marked by antisocial behavior" was detestible, yet brilliant. Anti-social was only part of this guy's problems. There was also his need to control, as well as maladjustment possibly caused by PTSD.But I get ahead of myself. I liked March and Gwen when they arrived in Jenkintown for Judith Dale's funeral. I even liked March's brother Alan. Getting into the story of the past, I was appalled by Alan's treatment of "the boy" as he called Hollis when he first arrived in their home. Hollis was well treated by the adults and March, but not by Alan and his friends. Still, he didn't seem to be broken then. I still liked Hollis when he was gone from March, because I didn't know what he was doing. I started to loathe him when he returned and started calling March, who had moved away and married Richard, a man Hollis viewed as one of his rivals in property ownership and respect of the community. The statement that turned me around on him was when he told the very pregnant March, "you care more about that baby than you do about me." Yup, I would have said. I sure do. "That" baby is my baby and you are an adult. Grow up. Warning bells would have gone off for me, but they didn't for March. Too bad. Gwen certainly reformed when she found something outside of herself to care for in the former racehorse, Tarot. I could visualize that the horse loved her and responded well to her because he was reminded of the gentle Belinda, his former rider and mistress. I was relieved that Gwen and Hank could form their relationship in an adult, responsible manner; with neither falling into the obsessive behaviour that had marked March and Hollis's relationship, even from the beginning. My God! How could anyone have lived like March and Hollis did, even as teenagers?! Hollis didn't try to be subtle at all in his attempts to control March. Had March been awake, she would have seen that when her oilburner and her car mysteriously gave out and Hollis wasn't able to fix them. Had she not seen that, there was a huge clue when Hollis took March away from the Harvest Fair. But like so many abused women, she didn't see, or want to see. She didn't see his violence even when he threatened her daughter and the animals she loved. Many women don't. March was very enmeshed in her "relationship" with Hollis, but thankfully, Alice Hoffman allowed her to find her way out, if only due to an accident at the infamous devil's corner. It could have been much, much worse, and in real life, it is. To give her the benefit of the doubt, for a long time, March saw Hollis as the boy he was; before he became "Mr. Death". Still, trauma doesn't excuse his barbaric actions towards her and everyone else. 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. Thank you for persevering, Alice Hoffman!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: Book Description:
After nineteen of living in California, March Murray and her fifteen-year-old daughter Gwen come home. Struggling with the thought of returning and avoiding her troubled history she returns to her home town in Massachusetts. After a while she comes across Hollis, the boy that she desperately loved for so many years. Even after all this time they have never forgotten each other. The past collides with the present as their reckless love is reignited. There were many obstacles that this coupld had to overcome back then and they will have to do it again. A love like this is hard to forget and they couldn't seem to put it past them. This romantic tale asks the question whether it is possible to survive a love that consumes you. The thing that March has to encounter is heartbreaking and wise. Sometimes love is altogether different on Earth. Book Review:
Here on Earth is a heartwrenching romantic story that has the basic description about life and love. It grabbs the readers attention from the first pafe to the last. It was written with great wisdom and love. The theme is love can survive if you want it to. If you want a relationship like March and Hollis did it will take work and eventually hopefully you will be lucky to have something so great that will last. Here on Earth's characters were well described and made the book a must read. March and Hollis were the perfect match. They way with the words leaves the reader breathless. The story starts thirty years ago when March and Hollis meet. They fall in love and then one night Hollis disappears and does not return. March decides to move on with her life so she moves to California to get married and get away. Later she returns with her husband and daughter only to find that she still has feelings for Hollis. There are few flaws in Here on Earth. The only thing was in parts there was to much emphasis on sex and love. Other Novels By Alice Hoffman: Practical Magic
Local Girls
Turtle Moon
Seventh Heaven
The River King
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Read
Review: Book Description After nineteen years of living in California, March Murray and her fifteen-year-old daughter Gwen come home. Struggling with the thought of returning and avoiding her troubled history she returns to her home town in Massachusetts. After a while she comes across Hollis, the boy that she desperately loved for so many years. Even after all this time they have never forgotten each other. The past collides with the present as their reckless love is reignited. There were many obstacles that this couple had to overcome back then and they will have to do it again. A love like this is hard to forget and they couldn't seem to put it past them. This romantic tale asks the question whether it is possible to survive a love that consumes you. The thing that March has to encounter is heartbreaking and wise. Sometimes love is altogether different on Earth. Here on Earth is a heartwrenching romantic story that has the basic description about life and love. It grabs the readers' attention from the first page to the last. It was written with great wisdom and love. The theme is love can survive all if you want it to. If you want a relationship to last like March and Hollis did, it will eventually work out. Here on Earth's characters were well described and made the book a must read. March and Hollis were the perfect match. The writer's way with words leaves the reader breathless. The story starts 30 years ago when March and Hollis first fell in love. She leaves because Hollis disappeared one evening. Nineteen years later she returns with her husband and daughter and falls back into love with Hollis. Even though Hollis has changed, she still has the feelings she had for him before. There are few flaws in Here on Earth. The only thing I could see is too much emphasis on love and romance. Other Novels by Alice Hoffman: Practical Magic
Local Girls
Turtle Moon
Seventh Heaven
The River King
Rating:
Summary: A gem, though slightly flawed
Review: I was angry with Ms. Hoffman for keeping me up past my bedtime on a work night, but I had to know what happened to the star-crossed lovers of Here on Earth. This writer seems especially adept at introducing secondary characters to complement the main protagonists. I had to finish the book to find out what happened to Alan ("the Coward") and the gentle but sad Hank, as well as March and Hollis (more like Tennessee Williams' Stanley Kowalski than Bronte's Heathcliff), the tempestuous lovers. Hoffman explores the reasons why sometimes we remain in relationships that are bad for us for too long--that constant tension between primal passion and tender love. I will definitely try more Alice Hoffman novels. I understand that some of her novels have been criticized for being too "unrealistic." But after all, every novel is "unreal," isn't it? A good novelist should be able to make us temporarily suspend belief in order to tell her/his story. If all writers adhered to the "get real" credo, what would result are boring chronicles about getting up and going to work and washing the dishes. Not to say that these aren't admirable activities, but a tiny bit of magic doesn't hurt every now and then.
Rating: 
Summary: A frustrating read
Review: Some reviewers seem to hate this book for stealing the plot of Wuthering Heights. I, never having read Wuthering Heights (and now confused about whether I should bother), still disliked this book. I generally disliked many of the characters and the choices they made, and I won't rave about Alice Hoffman's writing style, though it is difficult to put my finger on what exactly bothered me. Perhaps the author was trying to prove a point about obsessive love, but characters' behavior seemed to change too abruptly. I knew early on that the book would only frustrate me, but the story was captivating enough to keep me reading. The end wasn't so bad, but getting there was painful. I'm sure others will enjoy this book -- to each his own -- but I wouldn't recommend it.
Rating: 
Summary: A miracle.
Review: A modern-day Wuthering Heights that ponders the question "What would have happened if Cathy had lived?" and frighteningly shows that sometimes teens have more sense and values than adults.
Rating: 
Summary: Unfinished
Review: Okay, but not one of the best books I've read. I was let down at the end as it seemed like the author just wanted to "hurry up" and finish the book. I would recommend it for a summer book, but expect to be let down at the end by the quick ending that leaves many loose ends and the reader wondering.
Rating:
Summary: not all love is a Jane Austen novel
Review: I know this book is "homage to Emily Bronte" but I found myself comparing Hollis to another character from Louisa May Alcott's novel, A Long Fatal Love Chase. And just as I came away from that book I also came away from this book thinking that love isn't always like it is in a Jane Austen novel. Love is different for many people. They way we show love is also different. I didn't care need to psychoanalyze Hollis to determine why he was so controlling and so possesive. Instead I asked myself why am I NOT like that. Maybe the sincerest form of love is the one that controls you and everyone around you. Aside from that the novel was well written. I found myself starting to underline passages that seemed to me to be uterly profound. "Sometimes love is like a house without any doors." I pondered those words for a long time before reading on. "Unfinished buisness always comes back to haunt you, and a man who swears he'll love you forever isn't finished with you until he's done." My friend thought this was kind of creepy but I feel like this was a true testament of love. I loved it!!
Rating: 
Summary: Emily Bronte is looking for her lawyer (in the hereafter)
Review: Alice Hoffman certainly has the gift of composition and setting, but shows in "Here On Earth" that she is rather like a skilled talentless painter who can only mimic the masters, but not create anything original. The settings, the characters, the happenings are so much like Wuthering Heights, one wonders why Hoffman didn't title the book New England Heights or some such thing.. bog and marsh and so on. Reading this book is rather like eating a meal that had great promotion, and finding afterwards that it was not particularly satisfying.
Really a disappointing book, hardly worthy of Oprah's list (and not the only one which devalues Ophrah's choices). The mere fact of Hoffman's "robbery" of Emily Bronte's marvellous creation is really a sad thing. A known writer besmirching her reputation by literally stealing plot, setting, characters from a classic and not even acknowledging it. One could almost expect "thanks to Emily Bronte for the idea of the novel".. It would have been appropriate. How can an author steal stuff so blatantly?
Better to read the original I think. Heathcliffe at least suffered the agony of Catharine's death bemoaning her loss, and at end died happy to join her. Hollis had the promise of being a decent character, but Hoffman transformed him into an ugly monster and knocked him off without so much as giving him a chance to redeem himself or die a monster's death - sort of like the first Terminator. Hoffman could have made this story so much richer (and more original) by using the characters and the settings but not relying on Bronte's characterizations.
What a load of .......... this book really is.
Shame on Hoffman, and shame on Oprah for picking it. My copy is going into the garbage.
Rating:
Summary: Upsetting...
Review: This is the first Alice Hoffman book I've read. I like the way it was written...I hate the way it ended. I thought the main character had no back bone and should have broke off the relationship And listen to her daughter. If you still want to read the book to find out for youself get it at the Library.
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