Here On Earth (Oprah's Book Club) - Softcover

Hoffman, Alice

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0425167313 ISBN 13: 9780425167311

Publisher: Penguin, 1998

Synopsis

After nearly twenty years of living in California, March Murray, along with her fifteen-year-old daughter, Gwen, returns to the small Massachusetts town where she grew up, to attend the funeral of Judith Dale, the beloved housekeeper who raised her. Thrust into the world of her past, March slowly realizes the complexity of the choices made by those around her, including Mrs. Dale, who knew more of love than March could have ever suspected; Alan, the brother whose tragic history has left him grief-stricken, with alcohol his only solace; and Hollis, the boy she loved, the man she can't seem to stay away from.

About this title

Review:

In this first-rate "tape turner" Hoffman once again proves her powers as a storyteller. Dialogue rings remarkably true in this reading by Susan Ericksen, which also brings out the incisive details and keen observations on nature, both human and otherwise, that Hoffman carefully deploys in this masterful narrative. When March Murray travels East with her teenage daughter to attend the funeral of the beloved housekeeper who looked after her when she was growing up, March's past comes rushing up to meet her. The present is quickly dominated by the lurking presence of her former lover, Hollis, who has patiently awaited her long overdue return. The tale is populated by those for whom love brings more sorrow than happiness: a woman afraid to commit to a relationship, a husband in love with someone other than his wife, two young people who fall for each other only to find they are close relatives, and the self-destructing love of Hollis and March. While love has the power to transform those who fall under its spell--devotion to an old racehorse turns March's daughter, a sullen teenager, into a strong young woman--the love March herself suffers robs her of nearly all sense and goodness. Hoffman deftly weaves her characters' stories against a vivid New England landscape where the past always has a grip on the present. And the listener is left at the end both satisfied and longing to hear more. --Anne Depue

Review:

Praise for Here on Earth

"Written with great wisdom and compassion...one of the finest fictional explorations of family love, and all those forces that threaten to undermine it, that I've read in many years."--The Washington Post Book World

"Here on Earth is Hoffman's twelfth novel, and the spell she casts is stronger than ever."--Orlando Sentinel

"A sound addition to an impressive body of work."--Boston Globe

"Haunting...it will enthrall the reader from beginning to end."--Library Journal

"Sumptuous prose...a way with words that can leave readers breathless."--The Denver Post

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0425167313
• ISBN 13: 9780425167311
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 304