Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: I was disappointed in this book. The premise and prose promised a story of complete characters living out a complex story full of interesting depth. But they all fall flat and the story became predictable about 1/2 way through. The drama Ms. Hoffman creates with her poetic descriptive prose overshadows the predictable plot. The characters originally seem much too smart to be caught in these circumstances, but by the end they've left you wondering what earth they were on here and why. You almost feel like this book was an outline for a much deeper study of human relationships. Too bad it didn't fulfill its promise.
Rating:
Summary: Style: Intriguing - Plot: Tragedy of the Week
Review: The style is intriguing as perspective and characters change mid-paragraph. But the tale itself fizzles after a promising start. In the begining March and Hollis' love was tragic, but by the end it was pathetic - not something I wanted to read any more about. I have read that Michael Douglas has purchased the movie rights to this book - I hope he won't venture to anything larger than the small screen. The book did not insight me to read another Hoffman title.
Rating: 
Summary: An insightful, sensitive portrayal of obcessions.
Review: This was another wonderful journey taken with Alice Hoffman. Not always comfortable, but always a grand adventure. Hoffman's style has the precision of a surgeon and the whimsy of an Irish fairy tale. I hope she keeps them coming - she only gets better with every tale.
Rating: 
Summary: How disappointing!!
Review: What starts out as a pretty good read soon turns to sleaze when the main character, March Murray, gives up her marriage to return to the arms of her past teen lover - her foster brother! The sleaze spreads when March does nothing to discourage her daughter's budding romance with the girl's first cousin!! I've enjoyed other Hoffman novels, but this one is a disappointment. And what was Oprah thinking?
Rating:
Summary: Intertwined lives of 3 generations, of 3 families...
Review: This beautifully written story literally draws you into the lives of it's well-developed characters. Each person (and animal) has a past, present, and future and we the reader are priviledged to take the journey with them. We follow 3 generations of love affairs and the choices young and old have made and will make that sometimes drastically changes their lives, and other times holds a steady course of dignified tolerance and unspoken feelings. The author takes us on a journey through the intertwined lives of 3 generations of 3 families, the Murrays, the Justices, and the Coopers. You can only hope that the 3rd generation will learn from the choices they've witnessed their family members making, that love is more complicated than one emotion.
Rating: 
Summary: Wuthering Heights in the information age?
Review: I wonder if Alice Hoffman had been reading Bronte novels before she started writing this book. I actually liked the story line and overall I liked the book, but I felt myself saying, "oh, come on!" as I read it. Like the names -- Hollis, "The Coward" and March. And some of the analogies, like "He smelled quite strongly of soap... but also of some scorching scent, which March would later come to believe was anger." I agree with the reviews I've read -- that writing about an overwhelming love can be difficult -- and I think she comes close to hitting the mark. Maybe if she let the drama play itself out without pushing it so hard this book would be more effective. I definitely felt that the author intruded the narrative.
Rating:
Summary: No Where Near Its Potential
Review: Oprah's penchant for dysfunctional families is readily apparent in Here on Earth. It starts off so well with really evocative prose but after a few chapters turns into a Movie of the Week plot. March's character never gets interesting and the daughter develops into someone totally unbelievable. The bad guy, Hollis, is laughable. Hollis seemed to be a Hud wannabee. After Paradise, Here on Earth is an ironic letdown
Rating:
Summary: ....wow.....
Review: A very powerful, emotional book - I read it in 24 hours and was drained emotionally afterwards! Sadly enough, I think this tale is played out too often in our world.
Rating: 
Summary: Fickle Human Nature in a Quick Read
Review: I read this book in a day and a half. It moved quickly and was easy to read. The characters were interesting and I enjoyed watching them evolve and grow as they had some new experiences, and fell into familiar, but not so comfortable roles. The problem I had with this book was a moral issue that is similar to the one in THE HORSE WHISPERER. I hate the "Oh well, try it, if you don't like it you can always go back" attitude. Overall, a well-written book. Good job Oprah.
Rating:
Summary: Run of the Mill Romance "Novel"
Review: Where was Fabio on the Cover of this book to warn off those of us thinking this was going to be a literary excursion? The prose was drivel. Numerous "deep meaning" references to food and animals left me saying "so what?". The characters were shoddily drawn caricatures, one-dimensional and wholly predictable. I was actually laughing at a few of the "revelations" of the so-called reporter Susie in her investigation of Hollis. While the subject of domestic abuse and obsessive love could have been delved into seriously..and even compellingly for the purpose of fiction...this book did little more than trivialize a serious matter with the paper-thin personalities of March, Hollis Hank, Gwen and "the Coward". I finished the book to give Oprah the benefit of the doubt...but now I see that the same thing that allowed her to engage housewife-voyeurs in the sensationalism of her talk show has also allowed her to endorse this ridiculous book.
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