Alice Hoffman

In a Nutshell: A good story but not memorable.

Isabel Gibson lives an independent life in New York, having severed her connection with her childhood home on Brinkley’s Island, Maine. Her parents are long dead, she hasn’t spoken to her sister in more than a decade, and her family-run bookstore is probably already closed down. But when she receives a mysterious letter one day with just one word written in it, she feels the tug of her old home calling her back.

In many ways, this is like a Hallmark movie – the successful city girl discovers the true joy of home and family when she returns to her small hometown. The only difference is that instead of finding her one true love, Isabel ends up connecting with her one true family. The story is predictable and holds no major surprises. There are some nice themes such as relationships and open communication. There is also a cute dog and a spunky tween.

What would have made the story better for me were two factors:

1. As the title stresses on the bookstore, I would have loved for it to play a bigger role in the proceedings. But the store is just in the background, with the primary focus being on the sisters.

2. From Alice Hoffman, I would expect a little dash of magic in the book. I have no idea why some readers have slotted this on their ‘fantasy’ shelves, because there is nothing fantastical in the story.

If you want to try a Hoffman short story, I’d recommend [b:Everything My Mother Taught Me|48617752|Everything My Mother Taught Me|Alice Hoffman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1572313653l/48617752._SY75_.jpg|73916699]. This one is just about okay in comparison, though it isn’t bad on the whole.

3 stars.

The story is available for free to Amazon Prime subscribers.



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An amazing short story, part of the Inheritance collection and available on KU.

Adeline is a twelve year old who decides to stop talking after her adulterous mother Nora shows no signs of changing her behaviour after the death of her husband and Adeline’s father. When her lovers fail to support her, Nora takes up a housekeeping job in a remote lighthouse. But the change in circumstances doesn’t change her behaviour and Adeline, while still quiet, observes the happenings and starts making her own plans.

I don’t want to reveal much of the story beyond this point because it is just a short story and it needs to be read and relished.

This story is set in 1908 and the location is an island in Essex county, north of Boston. The writing captures the remote setting and the era well. But even more captivating than the atmosphere is the dynamic of the relationships in the story. Nora’s lack of empathy towards her own daughter is more than compensated by the strong feelings that Julie, one of the keeper’s wives, has for the young girl.

Within just 25-30 pages, Ms. Hoffman develops a masterful story, one that I simply couldn’t keep aside. It has all the hallmarks of a great short tale – a clear plot structure, fluid development, an impactful beginning-middle-end, quick pace, and a perfect ending that doesn’t go over the top.

Well worth the read because it is excellent!

4.25 stars.




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I am not sure what I think about this book. On the one hand, it kept me reading. But it felt overloaded with magical realism, I like that in smaller portions. There are parts of the book that I could not stomach like Aryln vowing to marry the next man she saw soon after her father's death. She seemed so irrational that I could not believe it. She does marry a rich man in a glass house, the man that she saw. I didn't like how she forced him to marry her by being there constantly and chasing after him after she settles her father's estate.

Aryln has two children, the first was a son with the man she married and she had a daughter from another later relationship. I did not like Aryln or her husband. I understand why her son was damaged but it was so painful to read about his change from very bad to much worse.

It kept my interest but I didn't feel I learned anything from it, it was so dark and strange.… (altro)