After reading some reviews, I approached this book with caution. Words like "darker", "drug use", etc. made me apprehensive. Yes, it was all of that, but it was still a compelling read. As is usual with Alice Hoffman books, I had a difficult time putting it down. I thought the story was very good, the characters well-developed, and her usual symbolism was in abundance. Sometimes her endings are ambiguous and not neatly tied up, but I have come to expect that from Ms. Hoffman. And in most cases (including this one), a tidy ending would nullify the richness of the story. No pat endings for her! To me, it was a satisfying read. I loved it.

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Wow, what a disappointment. A new novel from Alice Hoffman is always a cause for celebration for me. She is one of my favorite authors, but I couldn't get into this depressing story with mostly unlikeable characters. The sisters' imaginary world and secret language was annoying. Still, I look forward to her next effort.

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I am a big fan of Hoffman. I really enjoyed this one as well. Her characters are well-developed and Hoffman has a way of capturing sadness and isolation like few other authors can. My one issue is with the ending. (Without going into detail for those of you who have not read the book), I was disappointed at how she matures the sisters. I had hoped she would bring around some of the key issues identified at the beginning to form closure and that didn't happen. There were also some plots that she brings closure to that are a little too neat, in my opinion. Finally, I was surprised at her bringing around drug use as it was very reminiscent of "Property Of". Overall, the book is very good but it is not her best, in my opinion.

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I've read a lot of books by Alice Hoffman, and this one surpassed even my expectations.
Simply marvelous.

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From the moment I started this book, I was hooked. I couldn't put it down. Every night I usually read a few pages of a book before I end up falling asleep with the book in my hand. Not so with this one. I was so immersed in the world of the Story sisters that I ended up reading for hours. Alice Hoffman truly delivers an engaging, wonderfully written story.

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I loved the book, as I do everything that Alice Hoffman writes. Yes, the characters are flawed and dark, but that is Hoffman's style and very true to real life. I found myself understanding the turmoil the main protagonist, Elv, faced her whole life and how it led her towards a downward spiral to destroying herself and her family. In the end, we find that each character's love prevails even when they are no longer there. I found myself not wanting the book to end. And again, Hoffman's attention to detail and respect for the magic of nature is illustrated in her eloquent writing.

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As others have said, it took me well over a week to read the first quarter of the book but, last night I stayed up 'til 4:00 AM this morning reading the last 200 pages. It finally totally captured me and I couldn't put it down. It is a dark book and seemed a little far out there at first (this is the first Alice Hoffman book I've read), but came together towards the end. A very unusal writing style.

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Another additive book by Alice Hoffman! This one took me a few chapters to really get into it, but it was a pretty good read.

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The Story Sisters is an incredible tale of love, loss, tragedy and betrayal. It follows the lives of the Story Sisters: Elv, Meg & Claire and how each of their lives is impacted by a single tragedy which places each of them on the path to her destiny. Alice Hoffman's telling leads us into a dark world of sadness, depression, drug abuse and death. It is written so honestly and thoughtfully that the reader is drawn into the world of these sisters and feels their pain right along with them. This is an amazing work.

I absolutely love Alice Hoffman & tend to devour her books rather quickly. This one, however, took me over a week to read. When I started it, the material was a little dark & disturbing, so I put it down, walked away & actually read another book before I came back to it. But, I did come back to it. I really wanted to know what happened to these girls and I cried several times while reading it. But, it was worth working through all the tragedy and heartbreak these girls face in order to see where they end up. As usual, I can't wait for the next Alice Hoffman to show up on my shelf.

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