Rating: 
Summary: Thought -provoking
Review: A simple phone call made by 12 year old Kat Williams changes the lives and beliefs of an entire town when a devastating secret about Ethan Ford, favorite son and hero, is exposed. Although she has done the right thing, the moral thing, she begins to regret her actions as she watches the waves of change begin to affect everyone around her. Perhaps we've all known a couple whose love seems to be almost ethereal, untouchable. Jorie and Ethan Ford have a love like this. Even after 13 years of marriage, they still worship one another. But when he is arrested for a murder which took place in another state before they met, Jorie's view of life begins to evolve into a harsh reality where the past meets the present. Hoffman's use of nature to describe emotions continues to work for me. She easily charms and entices us with her descriptions of food and nature to set the mood. Sweet lemonade and chocolate cake and the sound of cicadas and the smell of mimosa. I want to stop what I'm doing and go outside to see if I can experience these things first hand, to see if I can discover something in the darkness of the night that defines my life as easily as she defines the lives of Jorie and Ethan, of Charlotte and Barney, of Kat and Collie, of Rosarie. There is a certain degree of cynicism within me that wonders if people really would be as supportive of Ethan Ford and his past as those of Monroe, Massachusetts were. But this is a story and it is New England and maybe the years I've spent working in a prison have made me all too realistic (or cynical). Having said that, I urge you to read BLUE DIARY if you enjoy Alice Hoffman or if you're looking for a new author to explore. She continues to bring us stories of people we wish we knew if we don't already.
Rating: 
Summary: Questioning Ethan Ford
Review: I found the basic premise of this book difficult to accept. Ethan Ford was obviously a psychopath given his inability to establish and maintain relationships; and finally, committing the horrendous murder. It is not possible for him to have so changed into this paragon. Did anyone else feel this?
Rating:
Summary: The Key with the blue ribbon....
Review: Alice Hoffman is a writer of the first order. Her writing is honest, direct and effective and her themes are almost always about love, love lost, relationships between family or that among friends and lovers, husbands and wives. Even with her "Practical Magic," which at first glance might not seem to adhere to the above, it's the relationship between the sisters that carries the most weight and propells the novel. With Hoffman you are always aware that there is a kind, warm heart and soul behind every word she writes and every situation she creates in the world of her novels. Hoffman's latest novel, "Blue Diary" definitely falls into this "Hoffman Universe" in that a family: Ethan Ford, husband and father, Jorie,wife and mother and their son, Collie, 12 years old are faced with the fact that Ethan, 15 yrs prior had raped and killed a 15 yr old girl in a small Maryland town. The bulk of the novel is not only about the effect of this tragedy on Jorie and Collie but also on their friends and their neighbors in Monroe, Mass. There is never any doubt that Ethan has done this as he admits to it immediately ("He got down on his knees right then and there, and as he did, he felt himself leave his own body. The responsibility of his deeds descended upon him like a mountain of murderous stones, and for the first time in his life, he cried"). Hoffman raises a number of questions in regards to honesty, trust, the sanctity of marriage and more importantly: How well can we ever really know someone? Unfortunately, because this situation is so rife with reprecussions and revelations the narrative runs out of steam about 2/3 of the way through. Too many characters are called upon to comment on Ethan's (really Byron as he changed his name after the murder) crime that we lose sight of the man himself. And I think this is a bad miscalculation on Hoffman's part as it robs the story of it's primary character and our understanding more about what makes him tick.It is his crime afterall that propells this novel forward but he becomes a minor character at best for most of the novel once he's put in jail. For example we learn about his son Collie's reaction which, of course makes sense. But do we need to know about the Ford's neighbor Rosarie, her love life and how many boyfriends she's had? Jorie's trip to Maryland and the scene of the crime and her meeting with the murdered girl's (Rachel) brother James is very touching and involves some first rate writing: "Rachel was beautiful. Jorie can see that even in the half light of the living room. She was a real live girl with hopes and dreams who loved the beach...she was a girl who walked into the swamp for rose mallows and who had onced raced her horse, Sugar, all the way to the pharmacy in the center of town, where she yodeled at the top of her lungs, then galloped her way home through the woods, all for a dollar bet made with her brother...She looks like someone I would have liked, Jorie says." So much of what makes a book, movie or play good involves making the right choices. In the "Blue Diary" Alice Hoffman strays from her norm and doesn't make all the right choices...just some.
Rating: 
Summary: My first Alice Hoffman book....
Review: and it just did not do it for me. so over the top in terms of her flowery prose and dreamy reality descriptions. however, thought the story line was great.
Rating: 
Summary: Magical writing
Review: I love the way Alice Hoffman writes, and this tale swept me away. It's a perfect blend of characterization and mystery,the kind of novel I like best--literate, character driven and yet above all a story where you want to know what happens next. Reminds me of both Fran Dorf (her wonderful Saving Elijah) and Anne Tyler.
Rating:
Summary: Overwrought
Review: I really wanted to like this book (my first Hoffman), but it had way too many flaws to get an endorsement. How can anyone truly believe in the perfection of Ethan and Jorie's marriage? There was something utterly juvenile in the set-up - borderline nauseating - Small examples: wild passionate sex, heroic feats in burning buildings, townspeople in awe of the couple's beauty). It would have been more compelling if Hoffman had given us clues as to Ethan's true character, which considering the absolute beast he was pre-wife, it defies credulity that he didn't slip up to his old self now and then. Some swarm was alluded to between him and his teenage neighbor post-"troubles" and elaboration would have made it more interesting. His wife was simply weak and silly with way too much time on her hands... and of course, beautiful. Everyone was beautiful in this story, unless they were smart. Please!!!! If you want to read a novel that is so much well-written and more nuanced with the same theme of deception, read "A Pilot's Wife" by Anita Sheve. It's adult and very sophisticated. Give this one to your teenage daughter.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Story, But Not For Everyone
Review: In "Blue Diary," Alice Hoffman asks an intriguing question: What would happen if someone you knew and loved, was seen on "America's Most Wanted?" Ethan Ford and his wife Jorie and son Collie have lived a model life in the small Massachusetts town of Monroe, until the day a neighbor sees Ethan's picture on TV and discovers his real name is Byron Bell and he's wanted for the murder of a young girl in Maryland. Soon the sheriff is at Ford's door and the quiet little town of Monroe will never be the same. Can a bad man become good? Or has Ethan/Byron simply been pretending to be a local hero and model father for the past 15 years? Ford's friends and family struggle with these questions in "Blue Diary," which is not a murder mystery (Ford quickly confesses) or courtroom drama (the book ends before the trial even begins), but instead a probe into every day human nature. "Blue Diary" also takes Hoffman's unique narrative style (writing each chapter from a different character's perspective) to a new level, as she tells the story in the voice of at least nine of the novel's main characters. The premise that drives the plot is an intriguing one, but the schizophrenic nature of the book makes it hard to get interested in the story line, or get to know the characters, until you're at least halfway through the story. That having been said, I remain a fan of Hoffman's work and, while "Blue Diary" probably isn't for everyone, and isn't my favorite Hoffman novel (that would be "Here on Earth"), it's another unique and interesting tale from this talented author.
Rating:
Summary: Will "s... you in" immediately!
Review: I had not read Alice Hoffman before Blue Diary, but when I finished, I purchased as many of her previous novels as I could lay my hands on - her writing is that good. This book is full of descriptions and I liked how the chapters alternated between the points of view of the wife and the little girl next door. The story flows nicely and you're never left wondering how or why a certain character may have done or said something. Alice Hoffman provides just enough history and character development so that the reader can easily understand why the little gir's sister would be attracted to such an older man, why the wife felt the way she did on her trip out of town, why the son changed his actions so dramatically. You come to know and love these characters so you never have to say "No way - that would never happen", because with Alice Hoffman's writing, you can easily understand why things happen the way they do. Great book and I am looking forward to reading the several other Alice Hoffman novels I have since purchased!
Rating:
Summary: A twist on the question of good and evil
Review: The very first thing that struck me as Ms. Hoffman set the scene for the perfect marriage was, when is this train gonna wreck? It did with a knock at the door. A common literary question is, can good people step over the edge and go bad? Think, A Simple Plan. But in this book, the question is, can a bad person go good? While it does stretch the imagination a bit, it's still enough to make you think well after you finish the story. I liked the young girl character, Kat. She was one of the more interesting characters. Ethan, the good/bad guy is never really explained. You don't ever know if he was really reformed or else always waiting for the knock at the door. The title never pans out. You don't get to know the young victim very well, just the way her death destroyed lives. Over all, Hoffman doesn't ever answer her own questions but she makes you wonder anyway. Perhaps, it's because some questions can't be answered. Last note. One never really knows someone else.
Rating:
Summary: Blue Diary - Alice Hoffman
Review: This is the first Alice Hoffman novel I have read. It certainly will not be my last. I savoured every word, her writing is spell binding. The plot, although fascinating, is secondary to the eloquence of her prose and ability to evoke the reader's sense of smell, sight and touch when imagining the scenes. The characters are mesmerising and there were many sentences that made me think beyond the novel to personal relevances. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
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