Rating: 
Summary: What a downer.
Review: I enjoyed "Turtle Moon" and "Practical Magic" by this author. They were nicely written, quirky, magical stories that balanced real-life conflicts with an optimism that allows for believing in love-at-first-sight. Blue Diary has none of that. For one thing, the premise of Blue Diary, as other reviewers have pointed out, is just too implausible to go with for long. (Who would ask NOTHING about their partner's past for twelve YEARS?) Don't expect anything upbeat about Blue Diary either: every single character is sick, suffering, or already dead. And, while poetic descriptions of the natural environment figure promimently in the other two Hoffman books I've read, in Blue Diary, they are excessive and ultimately backfire. It seems that EVERY variety of apple has grown in Monroe, Massachusetts. There are lists and lists of apples. We get your point, Alice: apples are the symbol of sudden knowledge and insight. It's all a little overdone. The reader who enjoys Blue Diary will have also enjoyed "The Pact" by Jodi Picoult: a book that is even more shallow, silly and unbelievable than this one. If you want good books by Hoffman, try the other two I've mentioned.
Rating: 
Summary: A great read!
Review: This is the first Alice Hoffman book I've read and I loved it. This book deals with the old questions of, "How well do you really know someone?", and "Can people change?" I thought the characters were realistic and well developed. I also felt that Jorie's dealing with the discovery of her husbands past was more realistic then the standard "stand by your man" approach most authors would take. It was also refreshing to see a young girl, Kat, with such insight and a black & white view of things. There are 12 yr olds today who are much more wordly and mature then we expect. My heart broke for Collie having to deal with the community views differing from his mother and then also having to deal with his own feelings and decide where his loyalty would lie. Overall, unpleasant subject matter, but a very well written book. I'm definitely ready for more Alice Hoffman.
Rating: 
Summary: Unbelievable Characters
Review: The storyline seemed intriguing - a man is exposed as an ex-con wanted for rape and murder when a neighbor recognizes his face on a TV unsolved crime show. His wife of 13 years, his son and the whole small town are shocked to discover that Ethan has kept many secrets from them. I shoud have paid more attention to some of the other reviews here. Every page of "Blue Diary" had something that made me incredulous and the cliche characters were unbelievable.
Truly Beyond Belief:
- Can you imagine being married to a man for 13 years without ever thinking to ask if he has family or where he comes from?
- Kat Williams insights coming from a 12 year old girl.
- When a man hangs himself in the garage where his children or his wife will find his corpse it is not because he loves them too much.
- Jorie going to visit the victim's brother.
- Anyone being able to absolutely change personalities the way Ethan did. A pathological criminal from a young age, described as a vain destructive boy - thief, already living off women as a teenager, serves time in prison, rapes & kills Rachel and then changes into a saint in one night after falling in love with a woman in a bar. Very disappointing read.
Rating: 
Summary: sensuous and serious "Blue Diary" is a complete triumph
Review: Alice Hoffman's "Blue Diary" is so extraordinarily brilliant, it is hard to know what aspect of this deeply human, gorgeously crafted novel is most deserving of praise. Its narrative drive absorbs the reader, and its excruciating dramatic tension makes "Diary" a compulsive page-turner. Ms. Hoffman's considerable understanding of the human heart in conflict with itself generates a series of tormented, bewildered and haunted characters, all of whom share a humanity that leaves one gasping with admiration at the author's compassion and love for the human condition. The novel is thematically rich; existential questions vie with emotional quandries. Hoffman investigates the very core of human nature in this novel, often with such subtlety that one mujst read sentences and paragraphs several times to appreciate the nuanced talent. On top of all this, her imagery is lucious, sensual, provocative. The plot of"Blue Diary" draws on the themes of change and transformation -- within individuals, friendships, marriage and a community -- when one man, a genuine stalwart in his small town discovers that his seemingly successful attempt to deny his past and recreate a new life unravels when he faces accusation of a particularly heinous crime perpetrated some fifteen years earlier. The novel permits us to explore how much humans choose to remember, or forget, about their beloved's past. To what degree do we owe commitments to take precedence above truth? What occurs when love, trust, dedication, tolerance and honesty compete for our affirmation? How do we really know what is real, whom to trust, where the limits of acceptance and repudiation lie? Not only does Alice Hoffman fully integrate her complex themes in the tapestry of the narrative, each of her significant characters come to symbolize some transcendent idea. Ethan Ford, at one a model husband/citizen and an accused murderer, personifies the author's investigation of the possibility and limits of self-creation and transformation. Ethan's singularly perceptive and increasingly introspective wife Jorie compels us to question the very definition of love, fidelity and marriage. Their bruised, conflicted son, Collie, and his marvelously-etched friend Kat discover new dimensions of frienship, and, inadvertently, betrayal. Two seemingly mismatched characters, a forlorn unhappy attorney and a despairing baker, burdened by the desolate emotional landscape of their respectively unfulfilled lives, ponder the possibilities of love and friendship as redemptive acts. Hoffman's descriptive talents are fully on display in "Diary." She accords love such sensuous, lyrical qualities, readers may be tempted to call their own beloved and share passages. She writes with such ardor that even cynics may be transformed into believers. Hoffman is so skilled that she is able to make a backyard garden resemble Eden, the nighttime sounds of insects into a symphony. "Blue Diary" will reconfirm Alice Hoffman's place in contemporary American literature.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Little Read
Review: Alice Hoffman in "The Blue Diary" captivates readers with a story of love/lust/deception and murder. Ethan Ford is a good father, husband and community member. However, little does anyone know that he is a fugative. Kat, the "girl next door" tips authorities to Ethan's whereabouts after seeing his "wanted" photo on a tv show for a gruesome murder committed years ago in Maryland. This revelation is a wake up call for the small New England community where he lives, his wife and son.
Hoffman's Blue Diary is captivating, and the characters are well-developed. A great little book for a rainy day read.
Rating:
Summary: Playing with the reader's emotions
Review: Alice Hoffman is a genius with language and this is one of the reasons that I read her books. In Blue Diary, she doesn't disappoint- her use of words is fresh, original and evocative. But for me, the real strength of this book is the way in which she portays the lead character, Ethan. At the start of the book you are introduced to Ethan and his perfect life - his wife, son, business. He is a pillar of the community - a part time firefighter - and a thoughtful friend to all. When the police arrive to arrest him for a murder committed a decade ago, the reader's first instinct is to think that it MUST be mistaken identity, because we want to like him so much. But after his confession, which comes early in the book, we begin to see him revealed as the man he was, and one can't help thinking that his conversion to "good guy" was never sincere. As things close in on him the real man surfaces. This is no where clearer than in the way he manipulates a young girl, sympathetic to his cause, on whom he practices the charm that got him that model life in the first place.
This is a good read, set at a good pace and beautifully written. It is one of her best.
Rating:
Summary: I'm a Hoffman Fan and I was disappointed
Review: I really wanted to like this book, especially after Hoffman wrote with such power in "The River King." But I simply could not buy the premise of "Blue Diary." Hoffman can't have it both ways: her villain is either an ordinary man or he is an evil wraith. If he's an ordinary man, his selfless new life should be reason enough to exonerate him. After all, confession, remorse and forgiveness are at the core of our justice and religious systems. But if he is a purely evil construct, Ethan should not be the object of so much pity. The reader is invited to care for him and his acts of contrition. Then the author yanks him back and proclaims him to be not worthy of our symptathy. The book sets him up as a straw man and uses a very suspect plot device (the trampy teenage girl) to make him look as if he never changed his ways. I just couldn't buy it. This said, Hoffman's descriptions and scenes are so pure I feel I am there in a Mass. summer. Her characters, other than Ethan, are lovingly and realistically drawn. I wish she'd stop the head-hopping and concentrate on one point of view at a time, but the prose does flow so well, the reader often does not notice this flaw. I'm hoping for better next time. So much more could have happened in this story. And I do believe in redemption and forgiveness, so if Ethan was human, he got a raw deal from the author.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This being my first read by Alice Hoffman, I didn't know what to expect. Now that I do, I won't bother again. Blue Diary has an interesting story line, but in my opinion way too wordy and blah... I lost track of what she was trying to say simply because I had to return again and again to pull the facts out of (at times) excruciatingly descriptive sentences. If all her books incorporate the same "wordy" style, then once around is enough for me.
Rating:
Summary: Ho Hum
Review: I listened to this book on tape and found the story an interesting concept, but the characters were quite irritating. I also was a bit annoyed with all the metaphors that Hoffman used in this book. Why is it necessary to compare the shinyness of the jail cell bars to a glittering lake. There were times when I just wanted her to get on with the story. I think the plot line is not condusive to her writing style.
Rating:
Summary: Alice Hoffman at Her Best
Review: Alice Hoffman fans will not be disappointed in her new book Blue Diary. In typical Alice Hoffman fashion, the writing is elegant and plays on the readers senses. Hoffman has the ability to transform bland, sentences lacking description into beautiful well thought out sentences. Hoffman also has the ability to take insignificant ordinary people bumbling through life and turn their lives into a wonderful complex story. Hoffman accomplishes both of these things in Blue Diary.
The beginning Blue Diary introduces the main character Ethan Ford, and his wife, Jorie. Ethan is an extraordinary citizen, and excels at everything he does and is far from ordinary. Suddenly, Ethan is arrested at his front door, and Jorie doesn't exactly know for what. It turns out the Ethan was arrested for a murder that took place 15 years before, long before Ethan met Jorie and made a perfect life for himself. The rest of the story unfolds through the different point of views of primarily four characters: Ethan, Jorie, their son Collie, and Collie's best friend Kat.
Up until the last third of the book, the plot excels, making this book extremely hard to put down. The writing is absolutely beautiful, and certain sentences have an almost chilling effect. Towards the end of the book though, the plot begins to weaken. It's almost as if Hoffman had a deadline to meet and had to rush through the ending of the book. The writing is still beautiful, and that almost makes up for the lack of plot.
Blue Diary is a suspenseful novel that captures the readers by playing on their emotions and their senses. It is extremely hard not to fall in love with this book. Alice Hoffman is an amazing writer and her book, Blue Diary, doesn't fall short of wonderful.
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