From the very first words "Tonight, the hay in the fields is already brittle with frost, especially to the west of Fox Hill, where the pastures shine like stars" this book grabs you and spins you into the lives of four protagonists: a woman and her teenage daughter and a man and his teenage nephew, all of them brought together by the death of a woman they all knew but bound to each other by forces that at times seem like love, but, at least for two of them, turns out to be something far more sinister. This is a story of possession, obsession and, more importantly, of power, control and abuse. This masterfully told story shows how passion can overwhelm logic and reason, and how some people refuse to admit they are being emotionally and psychologically abused because they refuse to see themselves as victims or the one they are with as an abuser because, after all, he doesn't hit them, does he? There is no happy ending here, mind you, just a well-told story of a woman seeking love and getting abused instead.
I found the landscape Hoffman describes and the characters who inhabited it dreary and depressing. I realized halfway through the book that I had no sympathy for the characters: Hollis was narcissistic and abusive, wow -- just like Alan! -- Sue was snippy and judgmental and March self-absorbed. Gwen had possibility, but I stopped reading before she could develop one way or the other. Too much sturm und drang - high emotionalism and a revolt against good judgment.
Very thought-provoking; most typical of Hoffman's work. The book is well-written; characterization is done well. Anyone who enjoyed her other works will surely love this one. I highly recommend it.
I love Alice Hoffman's writing style, but I don't think this was one of her best books. The ending was a surprise and still left you kind of hanging. I liked Ice Queen a lot better. This book was not a romance by any means, but it was a very sexual book.
Hoffman's writing style is engaging and this book was a quick read. I would not classify it as a love story, though, unless it is about lessons behind the main plot, as control and abuse should never be mistaken for love. Probably a mark of good writing, if a difficult situation is capable of affection a raw nerve.
I enjoyed this book. A page turner for me and would recommend.
A moving story of family love and the forces that threaten to undermine it.
