Here on Earth

Rating:
Summary: Still Pondering.
Review: A hard book to get into, but about half way through it I couldn't put it down. The book is pathetic in the sense that these people all act like they have no control over their lives. This book is all about people who can't take responsibilty. March is a "victim" of a lousy marriage. It's very insulting that none of these people could work on their own marriages, they had to run off and feel good somewhere. Whether that be sex, alcohol, whatever and regardless of their children, spouses or if they're related!!I loved the ending. Hollis finally paid the price for his temper. And March finally uses her brain. I suppose the thing that bothered me most was March was a terrible mother. Her daughter, by no means, came first in her life. But these things are better read about in a book than experienced first hand! A good book.

Rating:
Summary: intense,written with beautiful prose in gothic tradition
Review: I was totally captivated by the book. I felt it spoke more about obsession than any book I have read. I see the comparisons to Wuthering Heights,but fail to see that as a crime. There are seven basic plots and the telling of the same story line in a new manner is allowed! I was surprised that more readers did not comment on the beautiful prose. More than the characters;the discriptions of emotions and the barren land that reflects the emotions, make it an important book to me. Such writting as" the laughter falls on the ice and onto the sidewalk, where it cracks open into silence." will compell me to read much more by Alice Hoffman . I do agree with your readers on the point that Oprah's reading picks are all depressing,but because they all exhibit such fine writing,I read them and usually am very pleased.

Rating:
Summary: depressing!
Review: By the end of the novel, i was depressed and couldn't have cared less about March and her miserable life. She was a selfish and immature person- a negligent mother and a terrible wife. Had this been a true story, she her husband and her daughter would have wound up in therapy for the remainder of their lives. I would have been better off (and more entertained) had i opted to watch an episode of Jerry Springer instead!

Rating:
Summary: Good read, yet left confused!
Review: I have to say, Alice Hoffman writes beautifully with great character build-up and imagery. However, at the end, I felt the story was unresolved and confusing. At first, I felt sympathy for both March Murray and Hollis and hate towards Alan Murray. By the end, it was the other way! I sympathized mainly for Alan and March's daughter, Gwen! I guess the end was meant to leave the reader with questions which I did not expect. But overall, the book was enjoyable and a good read for the summer.

Rating:
Summary: Wuthering Heights for sure
Review: I wasn't through Chapter 3 and Wuthering Heights came to mind. I too am shocked that reviewers didn't mention it. I still enjoyed the book...

Rating:
Summary: So So
Review: This book definately sealed my opinion of Oprah's books. They all seem to be either about the oppression (of women or racial); or they are just plain depressing. This one is both. The beginning of the book was good, with great imagery; however the plot quickly became unbelievable. Never mind that March's husband let her stay in Maine with another man without putting up a fight....but to let his daughter stay also??? And while I can definately relate to an all-consuming love, it became very difficult to relate to March and her selfishness. Read Wuthering Heights if you want this story with real characters.

Rating:
Summary: Great book about the dark side of relationships.
Review: This book is a must for all women regardless of what your current relationship is like. It leads you innocent and unsuspecting into an emotional maelstrom. You become so completely involved with the lives of the characters, you find yourself unable to put the book down until the end. I stayed awake all night to finish it. Congrats Ms. Hoffman you've done it again! Please give us more!

Rating:
Summary: very good ..
Review: you just want to strangle the guy and Marge too,

Rating:
Summary: Wuthering Heights redux
Review: I don't get it. This story is so obviously derivative of Wuthering Heights, I'm kind of insulted. In fact I'm bewildered as to why more professional reviewers did not make note of that in their critiques of the novel - particularly since the similarities positively leap off the page. Fortunately, however, I did notice that at least one other reader-reviewer on amazon.com remarked on the rip-off factor. I don't know what to think, though - never having read Alice Hoffman before, I can't help but wonder if all her stories are reworkings of classics. If so she's wasting her talent, as I think her writing is strong. Now if only the ideas were hers...

Rating:
Summary: Breathless
Review: If you have ever been blind in love, breathless with longing and totally without volition, where your body and mind seem scoured by the beloved's presence, and only in his/her absence can you breath and move, then you will identify with the woman in this book. I felt as battered as she by the end, revolted and yet plummeting toward the finish, where surely, surely, something would be resolved, released, remembered. The author did not let me down.