Rating: 
Summary: Somewhat disappointing, but still enjoyable
Review: I really liked "Here on Earth" until the last chapter. I couldn't put the book down until I read it through. I must say though, I really thought Hollis would see the error of his ways, so I was very suprised in the last chapter. I recommend this book over "White Horses" and "Second Nature" which only made me question Alice Hoffman's intentions with the characters. So if you like tragic romances, pick up one of the three I mentioned, because that's exactly what you'll get with these books.
Rating: 
Summary: Illustrates how crazy love can be....
Review: I personally enjoyed this book a great deal. While it shamelessly stole the plot from Wuthering Heights for a modern update, I felt it really grounded the story "here on Earth" by highlighting how women can find themselves staying with abusive men through their love for them, however crazy that love might be when you consider how the men treat them. It is a story of love and hopes unfulfilled, then unexpectedly fulfilled, and then lost. I too wish the end hadn't come so suddenly. More of March's mindset toward the end would have been better. Well written prose, and I enjoyed the tale much more than some of the others who commented before me. I would recommend the book to my friends.
Rating: 
Summary: Totally unlikeable characters
Review: I am so relieved to know that there are others who dislike this book as much as I do and I'm concerned about readers who think this is a great love story. I got the audio version for a road trip and found myself telling characters off more than once. It's no paean to to Bronte or Wuthering Heights; while shamelessly culling its plot, it only serves to emphasize all the parts I was most uncomfortable with in the original novel. Both serve as a handbook on how to raise a neglected child, and in both, there is no learning, no redemption. The characters are just as self-centered, neglectful, and cruel at 40 as they were in their younger years. March's parenting skills are negligible, and the sainted husband Richard's are no better. And how believable is it in a small town that Gwen would not know Hank was her first cousin or Belinda was her aunt? But what truly makes me unable to finish this tape is my absolute dislike of the two main characters and my total lack of interest in what happens to them - except for the concern over the two children they are dragging behind in their wake. What a sad, disappointing book.
Rating:
Summary: Hoffman developed real and deep Characters
Review: In her novel, Here on Earth, Hoffman does an excellent job in creating her characters: March, Holla, Gwen, and Hank. March is a character that most women can relate to at some piont in their life. The long lost love that is rekindled, and although at points I was very frustrated with March's decision to stay with the controlling Hollas, I could understand what was making her stay and how she was thinking. This was her first love, the love that she has been dealing with her whole life. I absolutely love the developement of Gwen, from a rebellious teen to a young women with a lot of self understanding and sense of who she is. Her relationship with Hank was really amazing, where they both helped eachother to grow as individuals. I thought Hoffman wrote this book with a lot of thought and consideration as to really connecting the reader to each character. I walked away from this book feeling like I had been in the same town with them through all of their experiences. A great book!!! Very touching!
Rating:
Summary: Hoffman created real and deep characters
Review: I really enjoyed reading Here on Earth, by Alice Hoffman. I found myself learning so much from the characters and I liked seeing the transformation of Gwen from a rebelious teen to a girl who knew who she was and really belonged. It was interesting to see Gwen and her mother, March sort of switch places, where March did not know of existence beyound her and Hollas' relationship. I found myself getting mad at her and frustrated with her decisions to remain under the control of him. I loved the relationship between Hank and Gwen and the growth of both these characters. I thought the ending allowed for the reader's imagination to predict what eventually takes place, but I would have liked to see something come out of the relationship between Gwen and Hank. Overall I thought this book was well-written, with a lot of imagery and detail. I loved the characters and found myself in the small town with them. I would recommend this novel to readers interested in romance, family secrets, and character growth. A Great Book!!!
Rating:
Summary: Read another one of her books!
Review: I tried to read this book twice. I got a little farther the second time, thinking it must have just been my mood the first time, but I could not get into this book. I have read many of Hoffman's other books and consider her one of my favorite authors. For a wonderful book by Hoffman read "Illumination Night", it is magical and even many years later parts of it will stay with you.
Rating:
Summary: playing it safe
Review: I was excited when i realized this book was a modernized version of Wurthering Heights, but was soon dissappointed. Not that I expected it to live up to the original, but I at least thought it would be an interesting take on one of my favorite books. For one thing, the book did not go far enough - Hoffman tried to keep it "safe" for the modern reader. Hollis (Heathcliff) is completely one dimensional, negelecting the reader of the one character that makes Wuthering Heights such a great novel. Bronte never gave the reader what he/she expected - which is that either Heathcliff would turn out not to be so evil or that all the other characters in the novel would wise up and leave him to suffer alone. Hoffman gives the reader exactly what he/she is expecting, and this is what truly made the novel inferior to its predecessor.
Rating: 
Summary: Downright depressing.
Review: I struggled through the last 200 pages of this book. The first part of the story was good but towards the end the book lost my interest. The charactors were alright but sometimes they were very predictable. My favorite charactor would have to be Gwen. She was strong and knew what she wanted to do. My least favorite charactor had to be March. She was weak in her ways and became more through out the book. This is one of those books I would never read again. I Am sure a lot of people enjoyed the book, but for me I didn't.
Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't Compare to Wuthering Heights
Review: I picked up this book because it was by Alice Hoffman and I thoroughly enjoyed Practical Magic and Second Nature, and the inside cover compares the hero to my favorite hero from any book - Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. In no WAY does Hollis even come close to Heathcliff. Hollis is a true degenerate. I never saw a reasoning for it either. I felt so sorry for March and Gwen and wanted nothing more than to see them out of the reach of this brute. Alice Hoffman is a wonderful writer, but she could never compare to Emily Bronte.
Rating:
Summary: A sorry choice
Review: In this day and age time is a commodity, hard to come by. We complain about not having enough time to do the things we like to do, for example, reading. Luckily, books like this one are published! You see, this book is just like reading Wuthering Heights, The Horse Whisperer, Cinderella, Lassie and The Woman Who Walked Into Doors. Imagine! You can kill five birds with one stone! Well, don't take me too seriously: this book does not do justice to any of the ones mentioned (not even Lassie). Here are my reasons: The first thing that annoyed me about this book is the fantasy license that it takes. For example, a horse cannot singe lilac bushes, no matter how fast it's running. Moreover, the lilacs will not smell sulfury after a horse, regardless of how evil and wild it is, runs down the street. More fantasy: How about tears so hot that scald your face leaving little pinprick scars on your cheeks? How about fainting during sex? Can your (long) hair turn white in two months? I know that happened to Marie Antoinette when she was waiting for her execution, but her circumstances were a little different from March's. After all, March only needed to get a ride to the store to buy some hair dye. The second thing that annoyed me was that the storyline is unplausible: teenage girl falls in love with teenage boy and viceversa, and cannot get over each other no matter how many years go by. Come on! How many times during high school did you cry yourself to sleep over some guy whose name you can hardly remember today? There is also something wrong with generous Henry Murray, because he does not change his will or makes provisions after taking in a foster kid. This is why the evil step-brother takes advantage, like in Cinderella, only Hollis is no princess with a heart of gold. This is too much melodrama for my taste. Something else that is too unrealistic (unless you are a Kennedy) is that there are too many dead people in the book: March's mom and dad, Alan's wife, Hollis' wife and son, Richard's parents, Judith Dale. Most of them died in tragic circumstances or were too young. I also cannot believe that Gwen went from being a spoiled teenager devoid of any inspiration to becoming a self-assertive person after simply seeing a horse in a pasture. The analysis that Gwen makes of herself is also way off base. That would be difficult for a very mature 15-year old, and Gwen is not being presented as very mature anyway. The third thing that really annoyed me is that there is not a single lovable character in the book. March is a pathetic idiot, Richard is a pushover, Alan is scary and let's not even mention Hollis. There is no redemption for anyone at the end. This book is not worth your time.
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