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(I received a copy of this from the publisher through Edelweiss but this does not alter my review.)
Most Alice Hoffman books I have read have been quick reads, rich with magic and relationship stories, more beach reads than deep reads. This was a departure from that trend (while recognizing I have not ready all of her novels) in a historical novel of the mother of Camille Pissarro. I was also excited to read it because it is difficult to find books set on the various islands of the Caribbean. Rac ...more
Most Alice Hoffman books I have read have been quick reads, rich with magic and relationship stories, more beach reads than deep reads. This was a departure from that trend (while recognizing I have not ready all of her novels) in a historical novel of the mother of Camille Pissarro. I was also excited to read it because it is difficult to find books set on the various islands of the Caribbean. Rac ...more
i love alice hoffman--the magic and dreamlike quality of her writing takes me in and gets me lost. but in this book, the passion has the "green tinge of bitterness" that isn't a comfortable place to be lost. i couldn't devour this book like i usually do her books. had to keep taking breaks to watch silly tv. so, the beautiful writing is still there--especially when she describes the fleeting chimera that is the caribbean. otoh, paris loses this quality to some cold reality--which makes sense whe
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I gave this book five stars because I enjoyed it so much--but I felt the last 30 pages dragged a bit.
I loved the way Hoffman incorporated the history of peoples and places so subtly in these personal stories. It's a story that left me wanting to learn more about every part of it. Recommended.
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I often think of Hoffman as "lite' reading, but I loved this book. Its a wonderful imagining of a woman's life, with deftly drawn characters and engaging sub-stories, dealing subtly and realistically with issues of gender and race by showing how both affected the characters. Most of all, I loved the language Hoffman used; it was luscious, evocative, beautiful and fitting to the setting and characters. A lovely book to read or listen to, which is what I did (melodic readers).
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Beautifully written epic story.
Mar 24, 2015
Shomeret
marked it as to-read
May 15, 2015
Sara
rated it
it was amazing
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review of another edition
Shelves:
award-winners,
audio-book,
jews,
historical-fiction,
french,
2016,
world-2016,
caribbean-islands
Jun 15, 2015
Rusalka
marked it as to-read
Jun 24, 2015
Maura Alia Badji
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Jul 11, 2015
Aleks Veselovsky
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Jul 14, 2015
Mary
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Jul 29, 2015
Kristen
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Aug 07, 2015
Jen
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Nov 03, 2015
Pragya
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Nov 15, 2015
Melaina
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Dec 02, 2015
Vicky
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Dec 05, 2015
Julie
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Dec 18, 2015
Ghadah K
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Jan 03, 2016
Jennifer Corgiat
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Jan 18, 2016
sash.
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Feb 08, 2016
Melissa Lindsey
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Nov 12, 2016
Teelei
marked it as to-read
