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5th out of 36 books
—
187 voters
Turtle Moon
When teenager Keith Rosen runs away from his Florida home - inexplicably taking along a motherless baby - his divorced mother is perplexed and terrified. she takes off on her own journey to find him. Turtle Moon follows their path in a suspenseful, beautifully written story that confirms once again the exquisite talent of Alice Hoffman.
Paperback, 275 pages
Published
April 4th 2002
by Vintage
(first published 1992)
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Mar 30, 2009
LeAnn
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Readers of contemporary fantasy
Alice Hoffman leaves the temperate Northeast and heads south to Verity, a fictional town that "is home to more divorced women from New York than any other town in the state of Florida." As with other Hoffman books, it's difficult to pin down a protagonist, but the action revolves around a divorcee named Lucy, a K-9 cop with a nasty scar named Julian, and Lucy's 12-year-old son Keith, the "meanest boy in Verity."
"Turtle Moon" is the magical, maddening month of May when the heat ratchets up and th...more
"Turtle Moon" is the magical, maddening month of May when the heat ratchets up and th...more
Nov 21, 2007
elissa
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of magical realism
Recommended to elissa by:
Karlan Sick
The first Hoffman book that I ever read (it was recommended to me by another librarian--Karlan Sick). It started me on a frenzy of reading her books. I read everything of hers that had been published up to then, and I've read most of her books since. She's one of my very favorite authors.
It took ten years, but I finally finished "Turtle Moon" by Alice Hoffman, an off-beat magical, romantic, mystery journey that several characters embark on after a runaway wife is murdered and her baby taken. Some reviewers called this novel suspenseful and thrilling, but its beat sways to the lazy, hot weather in Verity, Florida, where emotions drip like the sap from a gumbo tree and relationships are as messy as the squashed turtles on the road in May. One must wade through a muddled beginning,...more
Recent rants about Alice Hoffman books obviously didn't hold me back from trying another one. In this case, I'm glad I did. While it still took me a little while to get used to the drawn out descriptions, "Turtle Moon" turned out to be a great read.
In a small town called Verity, divorced women walk around with green hair, Diet Dr. Pepper addictions, and children who are generally unhappy, wanting their no longer present fathers. One woman chooses Verity as an escape from in-laws bent on taking...more
In a small town called Verity, divorced women walk around with green hair, Diet Dr. Pepper addictions, and children who are generally unhappy, wanting their no longer present fathers. One woman chooses Verity as an escape from in-laws bent on taking...more
I bought this book today for a long subway ride to Morningside Heights. I thought I'd read a chapter or two. I finished it a few minutes ago. I tried to do other things but I just couldn't put this book down. Like a lot of Alice Hoffman's work, it has a magical realistic touch. And unlike a lot of magical realism, it feels very realistic; its details evocative of a real life somewhere. Yet, there is still magic. I think this is why I love Alice Hoffman's work. She creates worlds where magic is e...more
A murder mystery is not the usual sort of tale where an author may suspend the laws of nature, but Hoffman seems to get pretty close to that line, albeit without crossing it (except for the ghost).
Sometimes folks discover that they don’t get along well. When they decide to go their separate ways, the town of Verity, Florida seems to accumulate these displaced northern housewives in greater proportion. Verity isn’t described as the garden spot of the nation – especially during the month of May wh...more
Sometimes folks discover that they don’t get along well. When they decide to go their separate ways, the town of Verity, Florida seems to accumulate these displaced northern housewives in greater proportion. Verity isn’t described as the garden spot of the nation – especially during the month of May wh...more
I like Alice Hoffman. So many times she captures the mood and essence of a place. While this was not one of my more favorite of hers, she got the description of the South in the the hot season spot on:
It isn't the humidity, or even the heat, which is so fierce and sudden it can make frown men cry. Every May, when the sea turtles begin their migration across West Main Street, mistaking the glow of streetlights for the moon, people go a little bit crasy...At this difficult time of the year peopl...more
Sep 22, 2010
Jane Stewart
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
womens-fiction-mystery-some-romance
I loved the unique and odd characters. I hated the ending which left me grieving for days.
STORY BRIEF:
Karen is divorced with a baby. She is on the run from her ex-husband and moves to Verity, Florida. Twelve-year-old Keith is the meanest boy in town and lives with his divorced mother Lucy. Julian is a policeman who uses dogs for police work. Julian rarely uses words and believes that bees and mosquitoes don’t sting or bite him because he is too ugly. There is a murder. Keith runs off and may be...more
STORY BRIEF:
Karen is divorced with a baby. She is on the run from her ex-husband and moves to Verity, Florida. Twelve-year-old Keith is the meanest boy in town and lives with his divorced mother Lucy. Julian is a policeman who uses dogs for police work. Julian rarely uses words and believes that bees and mosquitoes don’t sting or bite him because he is too ugly. There is a murder. Keith runs off and may be...more
As I start listening to this audiobook, I realized I had read it a long time ago. Probably when it first came out. It was a good enough book that almost 20 years later, I remember parts of it.
The audiobook is good, but it is really dated. Once the narrator finally started using different voices for different characters, it started getting better.
I forgot how much I liked this author in the early and mid 1990s. I read Anne Tyler, who was quirky, funny and Josephine Tey, who is like a dark Agath...more
The audiobook is good, but it is really dated. Once the narrator finally started using different voices for different characters, it started getting better.
I forgot how much I liked this author in the early and mid 1990s. I read Anne Tyler, who was quirky, funny and Josephine Tey, who is like a dark Agath...more
Take another journey into the heart. That is what all of Alice Hoffman's books will do for you. She is an old soul who knows how to spin a fantastic tale ripe with the beingness of the human experience. This book is no exception.
Turtle Moon was actually the first of her books which I read. I became an avid fan following this first experience. Ms. Hoffman delves into the richness of human relationships while exploring the mystical dimensions which we can all experience if we open ourselves to the...more
Turtle Moon was actually the first of her books which I read. I became an avid fan following this first experience. Ms. Hoffman delves into the richness of human relationships while exploring the mystical dimensions which we can all experience if we open ourselves to the...more
The first Alice Hoffman novel I read was the River King, and I have yet to find one of her other novels that tops it. The character development was great; Julian Cash was my favorite, and I was interested to see what would become of these worn out single mothers after leaving home to wind up in the strange town of Verity, FL. This novel was written like a drama; wives leaving husbands behind, a juvenile delinquent stealing from everyone. But the strange days of May almost seemed humorous in cont...more
Februrary 2011 COTC Book Club selection. Listened to the audio narrated by Sandra Burr which was excellent, partly due to Burr's fantastic narration. Burr delineated voices very nicely, something I've been disappointed in with some of my other recent audio listens. Had to switch to the book to finish for book club, but I was enjoying the audio so much that I went ahead and finished listening as well. I really liked this and may seek out more of Hoffman's books on audio. The town of Verity itself...more
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I often pick a favorite quotation from a book and keep it in my own personal list of books I've read. Here's my favorite from this one. The book was written poetically and had a sad and accepting feel to it. "He was waiting to see if his mother would come back for him, even after it became clear that she never would. With every night he spent at the window, his heart closed up a little more, and it would have stayed that way if Bobby hadn't come looking for him. He remembers exactly the way it f...more
Hoffman is a genius. The descriptions are vibrant and brilliant. The metaphors are spot on. Even the most casual detail feels surreal. Every page entertains. This is one of my favorite books of all time. I read this in College, around a lot of classes which were definitely taking a lot of energy out of me, but this book kept me entertained and helped me relax during that somewhat stressful academic time.
I'm not being hyperbolic when I say that this is the perfect book to read if you enjoy lush...more
I'm not being hyperbolic when I say that this is the perfect book to read if you enjoy lush...more
My overall impression of this book is that it is a good, fast read with a couple of moments that stay with you for days afterward. The plot and characters were interesting though it sometimes felt like there were too many characters and I found it hard to keep track of them all. The story around Keith "the menanest boy in Verity" was the most interesting and well told and Julian's tale of accepting his past was good too. The only part I found unlikeable was the love story as it seemed silly and...more
This is a very different book than I normally read (it was a book for my book club), and the only book I can think to compare it to is Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver. It is both lush and spare with its words, and somehow makes you feel the heat, humidity and tension of a small town in Florida in May. It is slow to start, with too many characters thrown at you in a random fashion, but then it draws you in.
I just opened to a random place and here is the first sentence: "Even people who are...more
I just opened to a random place and here is the first sentence: "Even people who are...more
A mix of murder and magic in the Florida sunshine. Verity, Florida, once known for live alligators, is now better known for alligator salads (a mix of spinach, peppers, avocado and chopped eggs, tinted green), as well as for having more divorced women from New York than any other town in the state of Florida. Lucy Rosen is one of those ...
Ms. Hoffman believes in a magical world, and she insists upon her readers' experiencing it. In her very first paragraph, she reports that "The air all around...more
Ms. Hoffman believes in a magical world, and she insists upon her readers' experiencing it. In her very first paragraph, she reports that "The air all around...more
Terrific book. When a young mother runs away from her domineering husband and takes her baby daughter with her, the husband sends a thug after her to kidnap the child and bring her back. While the mother and daughter are in the basement (the mother is doing laundry), the thug hides in the apartment. The mother returns briefly to the apartment leaving the daughter in the basment, and surprises the thug, who kills her. A young, trouble-making boy, finds the baby, realizes she is in danger, and run...more
Set in Florida, the central activities involve the murder of a woman who has taken her baby and fled from her husband in NY. But the book isn't a real mystery nor is the plot the interesting aspect of the book. The characters make the book. They are beautifully described by the author. The writing is wonderful. The characters are complex and evolve in the course of the story. A tragic event from 30 years earlier forms a backdrop for the story and provides a rich complexity to the story. --- A go...more
I recently re-read this book and liked it even better the second time. In Verity, Florida there seems to be a lot of women who are running away from ex-husbands and unhappy lives. One of these is the mysterious Karen and her sweet, happy baby. Another is Lucy who has left an unfulfilling marriage in New York and brought with her a 12 year old son, Keith, who is perfectly miserable. But everything changes when Karen is mysteriously murdered and Keith runs away with the baby in an attempt to prote...more
There is something about Florida that inspires a subset of American literature that is both tragic and comedic in the same breath. It's probably the closest that American literature comes to magical realism.
Turtle Moon by Alice Hoffman is a perfect example of a Floridian novel. It is set in the month of May when "girls run away from home, babies cry all night, [and] ficus hedges explode into flame." (p. 3). Set against the oppressive heat and humidity of May in Verity, Florida, Bethany Lee is m...more
Turtle Moon by Alice Hoffman is a perfect example of a Floridian novel. It is set in the month of May when "girls run away from home, babies cry all night, [and] ficus hedges explode into flame." (p. 3). Set against the oppressive heat and humidity of May in Verity, Florida, Bethany Lee is m...more
What a captivating novel! I definitely enjoyed this one.
"Welcome to Verity-home of more divorced women from New York than any other town in the state of Florida. Where Lucy Rosen has moved to get away from her ex. Where Officer Julian Cash watches over the town with a fierce German shepherd and an even fiercer expression. Where Lucy's son Keith hates everything: the heat, the school, and sometimes his mother. He can't wait to get away. And then he does, when a woman is murdered and her baby is l...more
"Welcome to Verity-home of more divorced women from New York than any other town in the state of Florida. Where Lucy Rosen has moved to get away from her ex. Where Officer Julian Cash watches over the town with a fierce German shepherd and an even fiercer expression. Where Lucy's son Keith hates everything: the heat, the school, and sometimes his mother. He can't wait to get away. And then he does, when a woman is murdered and her baby is l...more
This was my first Alice Hoffman novel and she immediately became my absolute favourite author. I can only describe Alice's writing as poetry in the novel form. I often have to stop at the end of a sentence and close my eyes, so I can imagine it, smell it, or feel it brush past my skin. Her writing is so vivid I sometimes think I just absorb her words rather than just read them. Quirky, raw, heartbreaking and lovely. Treat yourself to every single one.
I recently attended a book club in which Alice Hoffman was the guest speaker, so I was anxious to try one of her early works.
I thought this book was ok. I needed a light read this week and this fit the bill. It keep me intrigued.
This particular book is a mix of murder and magic in Florida. Lucy Rosen is a divorocee who has recently moved with her son Keith, to Verity, Fl. What she doesn't know yet is that in May, when the turtles come out and crawl across the roads, anything can happen, life a...more
I thought this book was ok. I needed a light read this week and this fit the bill. It keep me intrigued.
This particular book is a mix of murder and magic in Florida. Lucy Rosen is a divorocee who has recently moved with her son Keith, to Verity, Fl. What she doesn't know yet is that in May, when the turtles come out and crawl across the roads, anything can happen, life a...more
Alice Hoffman was recommended to me by a friend and I did like this book. The author leaves many "holes" that the reader can fill in a variety of ways. This story is about divorced women and their children with all of the in securities they face. The book is really about difficulties in personal relationships. There was a murder, an abduction, a run-away teen, an angel, a guilt ridden police officer,a couple of orphans, a divorcee detective....and it was the dog who got MY sympathies. Still, I l...more
Just read the first chapter last night. So far, I'm loving it - quirky and interesting.
UPDATE
Stayed up way too late last night finishing this book. I really enjoyed it - it was exactly what I wanted to read right now. Early Alice Hoffman, before she got famous for Practical Magic. Quite a masterful job of presenting the longings of several characters; especially the very poignant Julien. With just a touch of magic realism - nothing too overbearing. I will definitely check out more of her early b...more
UPDATE
Stayed up way too late last night finishing this book. I really enjoyed it - it was exactly what I wanted to read right now. Early Alice Hoffman, before she got famous for Practical Magic. Quite a masterful job of presenting the longings of several characters; especially the very poignant Julien. With just a touch of magic realism - nothing too overbearing. I will definitely check out more of her early b...more
This is the book that introduced me to Alice Hoffman. As soon as I finished it, I read it again, then went searching for anything and everything else she had in print. I read it years ago and still take it out from time to time, thinking I'll kill a few minutes between appointments. Then I end up late for the appointment, staying up late to read the whole thing again. There is no part of the book that I don't want to eat up.
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I selected this book because one of my favorite authors, Jodi Picoult, is a big fan of Alice Hoffman and chose this book (in an Oprah magazine column) as one of the five that most influenced her. I can understand now why Picoult loves Hoffman--there are some similarities in the style and themes of their novels, and there is a magical quality to their writing that just warms your heart.
It took me a little while to get into Turtle Moon because the scenarios and characers seemed disjointed at firs...more
It took me a little while to get into Turtle Moon because the scenarios and characers seemed disjointed at firs...more
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| Suspension of disbelief collapsed | 9 | 18 | Apr 08, 2013 10:44am |
Alice Hoffman was born in New York City on March 16, 1952 and grew up on Long Island. After graduating from high school in 1969, she attended Adelphi University, from which she received a BA, and then received a Mirrellees Fellowship to the Stanford University Creative Writing Center, which she attended in 1973 and 74, receiving an MA in creative writing. She currently lives in Boston and New York...more
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Jan 26, 2010 07:52pm