The River King

Rating:
Summary: Not up to her usual standard
Review: That said, this is still a worthwhile book, and for anyone not familiar with Alice Hoffman's work, it wouldn't be a bad introduction. But for those who are familiar with her work, I agree with those reviewers who found something missing.

I've always loved the way Hoffman entertwines the unreal with the realistic, and imbues the ordinary with extraordinary qualities that seem perfectly accurate at the time you're reading her words. Her writing is lyrical and evocative, yet it never seems overdone or precious or self-conscious. She's the type of author I consider a natural-born writer.

And all of the above does hold true for "The River King" -- it's just that the people whose stories she tells in these books seem to exist to serve the plot rather than the other way around.

For example, one of the main characters, Carlin Leander (well, maybe that name IS a bit precious...), is 14-year-old girl...14-going-on-25. Maybe if Carlin had been born to Bohemian parents and raised in, say, Greenhich Village, her behavior and personality would have made sense. But she's a poor girl from Florida. Of course that doesn't mean she couldn't be as world-weary and sophisticated as Carlin comes across, but given Carlin's background, it seems unlikely.

Then there is Betsy Chase, the photographer/photography teacher at the Haddon School (the snooty private establishment where Carlin's a swimming scholarship student), another main character. She doesn't quite make sense to me either. I can't somehow fathom a school like Haddon (which doesn't seem to have that many students) being flush with enough tuition payments to be able to hire a teacher just to teach photography. Even if such were the case, it seems just a bit too convenient that Betsy is hired as a *teacher* simply because she's a professional photographer who was previously hired to take class pictures. In addition, Betsy is made a junior house parent. Again, to me, this makes no sense; what are her qualifications other than being able to take pictures? Teaching/being responsible for teenagers requires much more than that.

Then there's Abel Grey, the cop who was formerly a juvenile delinquent. He's yet another character whose function seems to be multi-purpose. It's never explained how he makes the unlikely transition from being a law-breaker to a law-enforcer; we're just supposed to take the author's word for it.

At the climax of the book, Abel sets up Harry McKenna, the book's bad guy and Carlin's one-time boyfriend, who has helped cruely kill a student misfit named Gus Pierce, for cheating. This is because the town of Haddon is supposedly so much in the grip of the school that Abel's investigation of the murder has gotten him fired, since it threatens the school. So, Abel is reduced to breaking into the school and planting the answers to a test in Harry's room. This evidence of Harry's cheating gets Harry, always the fair-haired boy up until now, expelled virtually instanteously.

So here we come to one more thing that doesn't make sense. Why is Harry kicked out so quickly, with no due process at all? It's not a satisfying conclusion, for one thing; Harry still gets away with murder. And it's hard to buy that Haddon School would treat a student like Harry, whom it was willing to protect from any suspicion of harming Gus Pierce to the point of resorting to bribing the local police department, would then turn around and expel him "simply" for cheating. Cheating on a test = entirely unacceptable!; killing fellow student = our little secret?

If anyone is still with me, tell me -- DOES that make sense? Because it didn't to me.

As I finished the book, I almost felt as if I'd read the equivalent of a Lifetime TV movie. The only reason I didn't feel that way entirely is because of Alice Hoffman's talent as a writer. But in those book she just doesn't appear to sweat the details, and it shows.

Rating:
Summary: Came Out Waterlogged-But I Finished It in Two Days
Review: I can't say this book was the best that I have ever read, but I enjoyed it. The suspense had a way of buliding up, but there were things that were so obviously impossible to happen that I almost kicked the characters. And I don't understand the point of the end of the story. Why didn't those kids get in trouble? Once I put it down I just realized that some things are better left unknown and the justice is always a dish served at the wrong time.

Rating:
Summary: Best Yet!
Review: So far I have read Practical Magic, Illumination Night, Seventh Heaven, Blue Diary, Here on Earth, Drowning Season, and The River King. I found that the River King was the best yet. It had true emotions expressed throughout the book that touches you in an unexplainable way. This book was not only moving, but it had a little mystery to it as well. If you read any of her books. Read this one.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointment
Review: I *HATE* it when I finish a book and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. This book did just that; I've read Alice Hoffman before and while I can't say I'm a huge fan, I've found her other work to be engaging and aside from her annoying use of fantasy and magic, I've usually gotten a good read. Not so in "The River King"... there were a number of distractions that cropped up: she has her faculty meeting in the library -- but no, suddenly it's in the auditorium. Then we're sort of led to think that maybe Annie was a tragic character from long ago, but she evidently was a contemporary of some of the people in the book. That just didn't seem believable.

My biggest beef with this book, though, is that the plot (loosely wrought and contrived as it was) just sort of sputtered and petered out. What about that lame excuse for not pursuing the murder investigation? I doubt whether that would happen AT ALL in real life. I don't know where Alice Hoffman wanted to go with this, but it wound up being a big fat disappointment. I had expected so much better.

Rating:
Summary: Not impressed..
Review: I like Alice Hoffman as a writer, and this book certainly had the potential to be a pot boiler. Great characters, nice magical references, but it appears Alice got to a certain page and decided to wrap it up. No ryhme, no reason.

The plot did not deserve this ending. I'm left feeling very unfulfilled. I'm not even certain of the reason for the name of the book, let alone why one of the better characters is killed off early on and we're not ever given a satisfactory reason. And then other characters appear but don't seem to stay around of have any purpose, like Sean Byers.

And Betsy running away with Abe???? The pharmacist suddenly discussing everything with his wife. This isn't the result of magic, but lack of imagination maybe? None of the actions or character/plotline prepares the reader for the way Alice wraps up a tidy little ending, unfit for the great beginning. Quite a let down. Did Alice run out of steam on this one? I won't give up on Hoffman, but this was not her best effort.

Rating:
Summary: The Ingredients Were All There, But It Left Me Untouched...
Review: I was fairly hyped and ready for this book, but I was ultimately disappointed in the way it unfolded. In fact, the character I really cared about was killed off and the unraveling tale didn't satisfy the build-up.

I like Alice Hoffman's writing and this book had all the makings of a winner but it just seemed to fizzle out. I don't feel Hoffman satisfactorily completed what could have been truly magical. Instead, she seemed to reach a certain point and then give up, still leaving me with more questions than answers. Even the title didn't fit--it was all a little too tidy and the actions didn't match the character build-up and the secrets that are unveiled at the end don't add to the climax or explain anything.

What a waste of some great characters and plot potential. What's the point, when all is said and done? I didn't find it magical but I did find it tragic and I feel cheated somehow that I stayed with the book to the end hoping that somehow Alice would salvage all she worked so hard to create, but alas, it was not to be. Not one of her best, by any means.

Rating:
Summary: The Flow of Love
Review: In The River King, a mixture of mystery, magic and love, creates a juicy story that is hard to put down. From the rather run down, but prestigious, New England prep school to the characters from the town, Alice Hoffman has woven a web of intrigue and mystique that will whet the appetite of almost any reader. The story starts off slowly with descriptions of the small Massachuttes town and its local characters interwoven with the lives and lies of several students at the private school.
Two students stand out for their very differences from the preppy and priviledged elite who are the norm at Haddon School. Carlin, a scholarship girl from Florida befriends Gus, a loner from New York and together, at least for a while, they struggle to find their place. Tragedy strikes and the world changes for them both. Amid fear, guilt and suspicion, the plot unravels with unexpected twists and turns. Crimes are committed and retribution is nearly made while some suffer and others rebound.
The adult love story that intertwines the student story is not quite as interesting but comes out well in the end. The most fascinating element of the novel lies in its magical realism. Roses exude strong fragrances in mid-winter when no rose could bloom. Live fish and river rocks turn up in a dripping raincoat months after it comes out of the water. Phantom figures appear in photographs and shades lurk in shadows. Legend mixes with reality to reveal what lies beneath the surface.
I could hardly put this book down, reading it almost in one setting. But it's not sensational; it is pure with motives uncovered and truths revealed.

Rating:
Summary: On par with Practical Magic
Review: The other reviews of this novel do not give "The River King" justice. It is truly an excellent piece of work. Hoffman's descriptive writing, as usual, is wonderfully melodic, and the characters in this book are some of the most endearing I have encountered. Gus, one of the main characters, is the type of person you just want to hold and protect, and Carlin is equally captivating, though infuriatingly human. Betsy and Abe, the two adults with a romance, are just as captivating. I highly reccommend this book. I have read quite a few of Hoffman's works, and I would say this (along with Practical Magic) is one of her best.
I just finished reading it 2 days ago, and no matter how hard I try I can't stop thinking about it. The characters are so wonderful that I just can't leave them behind me. Be forwarned, it's a terribly sad book, but it is definitely worth the read! In fact, I hope everyone reads it! I think it's a fantastic book, despite what the other reviewers say.Another reviewer has said that it does not leave you feeling like a piece of yourself has been released-this is true. But I think that the reason you don't feel like you have released a piece of yourself is because it becomes such a part of you that you cannot let it go. It's that good.

Rating:
Summary: Terrible book!
Review: Is it a ghost story? A love story? A murder mystery? A coming of age story? This book hits on all of these things in passing and fails at each and every one. The character development is awful- she sets up the characters with one personality and then immediately has them act in the exact opposite way. New characters are introduced halfway through the book. Don't waste your time or money!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: A Hoffman Book Through and Through.
Review: The first Alice Hoffman Book I read was Pratical Magic. Shortly thereafter I read six of her books in a three week span. None the books disappointed me and neither did this one. In typical Hoffman style, she slowly introduces the readers to her cast of characters and although at times throughout the book there are pages here and there that linger instead propelling the plot forward Hoffman's characters are interesting enough to keep my attention.
Although the River King isn't one of Hoffman's Novels that makes you take a deep sigh in and feel like a piece of you has been released, it's a solid addition to Alice Hoffman's writing.