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21st out of 36 books
—
183 voters
Local Girls
From theNew York Timesbest-selling author ofThe Dovekeepers,Alice Hoffmanis at her haunting, thought-provoking best with these interconnected stories about a Long Island family, the Samuelsons, and the lessons in survival and transformation that life brings to every family..."Pulls the reader in effortlessly...Hoffman has the power to make you really laugh and really cry."...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
May 1st 2000
by Berkley Trade
(first published June 1st 1998)
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This is the book that proved to one of my best friend that despite my addiction to romances, I do actually have good taste in books. I'd been telling her for years to read Alice Hoffman, but, due to the aforementioned, she kept taking a pass. After all someone who reads romances (insert disdainful tone) couldn't possibly know a good book when they read one. Then came this book, which felt autobiographical there were so many parallels to our lives & friendship. I forced the issue and gave her...more
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I had Mr. Gober as my English teacher in the ninth grade. He was a very strange man, too strange really to document in this tiny little space, but this isn't about how strange he was. This is about how he assigned us the worst books to read, and very few of them at that. Everyone else was reading The Catcher in the Rye, while we were reading Bang the Drum Slowly--blech. I began to hate reading (and baseball), because all the books I had to read were not my taste at all.
For one assignment he to...more
For one assignment he to...more
3 likes · like · see review
Jul 13, 2009
Cherie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Alice Hoffman fans, Emily P, Venessa, Emily T
Shelves:
fiction,
oneofmyfaves
Note: Just re-read this again. This book is so phenomenal, so amazing. The emotions are so real it will make you forget your own problems. It's one of my all-time favourite books. Read it. (13 July 2009)
I have read this book so many times, and most recently, a few weeks ago. A novel in short stories, this is the fantastic story of the life of a suburban girl (and I believe the town is to be the one I grew up in!) and how things can go so horribly wrong so quickly...but luckily our narrator can h...more
I have read this book so many times, and most recently, a few weeks ago. A novel in short stories, this is the fantastic story of the life of a suburban girl (and I believe the town is to be the one I grew up in!) and how things can go so horribly wrong so quickly...but luckily our narrator can h...more
Portions of this novel were absolutely beautiful! Perhaps a deceptively simple story... if that makes sense.
My favorite quotes, which keep lingering in my mind...
“There was a bird perched above us in a leafless tree, a little grey thing, a sparrow or a wren. We all looked up, hoping it would sing, but it was silent as stone. We had to laugh then, all three of us.
“ ‘Just our luck,’ Margot said, ‘a mute.’
“ ‘Maybe it’s resting,’ my mother insisted. ‘Maybe it sang the most beautiful song in the wo...more
My favorite quotes, which keep lingering in my mind...
“There was a bird perched above us in a leafless tree, a little grey thing, a sparrow or a wren. We all looked up, hoping it would sing, but it was silent as stone. We had to laugh then, all three of us.
“ ‘Just our luck,’ Margot said, ‘a mute.’
“ ‘Maybe it’s resting,’ my mother insisted. ‘Maybe it sang the most beautiful song in the wo...more
Apr 03, 2013
Sally Whitehead
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-read-in-2013
I've read almost all of Hoffman's books since "Blue Diary" and a fair few of her earlier ones. In fact it would be fair to say she is easily one of my favourite authors. I am always a little wary though of dipping into a favourite author's "back catalogue" - but "Local Girls" did not disappoint. It lacks the magical realism of many of Hoffman's other works (although there are occasional subtle hints that it might be something she will go on to explore in the future...) but it's firmly in the "Bl...more
This is the eleventh Alice Hoffman novel I have read, but the first in five years, and it isn't a new one. She was once my favorite novelist, and "Second Nature" remains one of my dozen favorite books, ever. But I hated the last one I read before this, "The Ice Queen". I hated it so much that I quit reading Hoffman.
Nonetheless, when I was searching my shelves a few days ago for a book to read, I found "Local Girls" tucked away where it had been forgotten, and because it was an older novel of he...more
Nonetheless, when I was searching my shelves a few days ago for a book to read, I found "Local Girls" tucked away where it had been forgotten, and because it was an older novel of he...more
This is a sort of cross between a collection of short stories and a novel. The stories are all about Gretel Samuelson, who lives in a small town which she can't wait to leave. The stories follow her from girlhood to womanhood, and also focus on her family - most are told in the first person, but a few in the third. This format gives a slightly disjointed feeling at times but I still think it works very well.
Some of the stories are very powerful, especially one which follows Gretel's brother on...more
Some of the stories are very powerful, especially one which follows Gretel's brother on...more
2 likes · like · see review
Beautiful and mesmerizing. It's technically a collection of short stories, but they're all about the same set of characters. Anyone who grew up in a small town or was a little white trash will really appreciate this. My only complaint is that it was a tad depressing at times, but it was ultimately hopeful. Worth reading or listening to the audiobook, which is very nice.
This was the second book I read from Alice Hoffman--the first was Practical Magic. This wasn't as well developed as PM, but it was still an entertaining read. She started out telling the story from Gretel's point of view and then switched to 3rd person narratives of different characters halfway through. She is actually a stronger writer in 3rd person, but switching the voice halfway made the novel seem less cohesive. Still, the ending scene reminded me of when my friend Amy came to visit me at m...more
May 04, 2012
Tracy
marked it as to-read
This is the only Alice Hoffman book that I had to put down because it was so boring I couldn't stand it. I think I only made it about 30 pages, but I really didn't care about the characters.
So . . . I just book this at a library book sale and figured I'd give it another shot. It was only a quarter.
So . . . I just book this at a library book sale and figured I'd give it another shot. It was only a quarter.
This is a beautifully written book. I love Hoffman's writing style and a lot of the descriptions she uses are poetic.
I loved the characters, but it is a quick read so you don't get as in-depth as you might like. The storyline itself is a tad depressing and anti-climactic. This is partially because of the format of the book. It is comprised of short stories, but they are all about the same characters and they are in chronological order. Except there are gaps in time. So really, it is more like a...more
I loved the characters, but it is a quick read so you don't get as in-depth as you might like. The storyline itself is a tad depressing and anti-climactic. This is partially because of the format of the book. It is comprised of short stories, but they are all about the same characters and they are in chronological order. Except there are gaps in time. So really, it is more like a...more
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I always remember Hoffman as a skilled writer, and this collection of linked stories reminds me of why I do! The first reader, responsible for all the stories told in first person, reads fast, so Hoffman's words come at me like a blizzard--and she's good! She's insightful! She's funny, wry, and precise. So far (I'm on side 2 of tape 2 of 3), her "practical magic" is toned down--sparks DO fly from Gretel's fingers when she finally falls in love, but nothing as overt as in many of her novels. It's...more
I'd seen on GoodReads Alice Hoffman as a recommended author to readers who enjoy Sarah Addison Allen's books. So when I saw this one at a local charity shop, I decided to give it a go!
This is actually a collection of short stories, chronologically organised and all about Gretel's Samuelson's life. She is a young girl living in Franconia, a place where summers are incredibly hot and strange things (but not that many, in my opinion :)) happen. Gretel is growing up and has to face what life brings...more
This is actually a collection of short stories, chronologically organised and all about Gretel's Samuelson's life. She is a young girl living in Franconia, a place where summers are incredibly hot and strange things (but not that many, in my opinion :)) happen. Gretel is growing up and has to face what life brings...more
I felt like the characters in this book were people who might live down the street. Gretel and Jill, Franny and Margot were all women I could relate to. They were women I think I would be friends with. Although it was not a long book, it was told with skill and you were given insights into the womens' lives and you could understand their struggles, heartbreaks and successes. I loved the ending, simple but fulfilling. As a reader, I have an on/off relationships with Alice Hoffman. Sometimes I lik...more
IT was an ok book but it was very confusing at points. It took me about less than halfway though the book to relize that she gets older every chapter. Though I did like the real life factors like her grandmother,who was my favorite,was sick but ate everything and anything she wanted.Then she reappears in the pantery later inthe book. It made me laugh. I didn't like how young she was and she was doing things like smoking. I can't relate to her life very much. It was cute at the end though a littl...more
A series of interlinking short stories about Gretel Samuelson and her family, who are falling apart, told from a few different points of view. To say more than that is to spoil the book, which should be discovered gradually, one piece of the jigsaw at a time. Hoffman writes about the absurdity and senselessness of life with a light and lyrical touch, exploring how sometimes nothing, and everything seems to be going your way. With just a dash of magic realism, this is a thought provoking, heart w...more
This one grew on me. It felt a bit lazy to start with, as though Alice was on autopilot. Ostensibly short stories, but she doesn't end them very well, and they are all linked and in chronological order anyway. So it may as well be a novel but without the bits she didn't want to write, otherwise you'd expect the stories to be self-contained gems. A couple of them are powerful, and the whole thing grew on me and made me feel warm and fuzzy and like life was really worth living. Not as good as The...more
This is a great book. Alice Hoffman, whose most recent novel is _The Dovekeepers_, an amazing ficitional account of the Isrealites' last stand against the Romans at Masada, wrote this interconnected set of short stories. To me, this book was very much like a normal novel. The stories are about the Samuelson family on Long Island. Although there may be more breaks in the storyline than you'd find in the typical novel, the book certainly progresses like a novel. It's incredibly sad, but it also do...more
I think part of what makes me such a heavy reader is the fact that I love books like I love people. Because quite frankly, books are very much like people in so many ways. They speak of lives and hold secrets. They keep you company, they become a refuge. You can love or hate them. They can have odd first impressions and feelings that you could shake off a few days later or probably they could linger a little bit longer than you think they would, and if you’re lucky, sometimes they can also chang...more
One of Ms. Hoffman's earlier works(?) from 1999, this is a lovely and moving story of Gretel Samuelson, coming of age amidst the break-up of her parent's marriage, the death of her grandmother, and her mother's battle with, and eventual demise from, cancer.
These beautifully realized characters are so human, and their struggles to come to terms with the events impacting their lives are universal and terribly familiar.
And yet, it is an ultimately a very positive novel, although we agonize, along w...more
These beautifully realized characters are so human, and their struggles to come to terms with the events impacting their lives are universal and terribly familiar.
And yet, it is an ultimately a very positive novel, although we agonize, along w...more
This was a really quick read for me on a hot summer day. The story centers around Gretel and Jill, local Long Island girls as they grow up together, come of age and realize adulthood. It is every bit as much about friendship, family and the choices we make along the way in life that shape our realities. Alice Hoffman always writes with beautiful, flowing descriptive language that possesses a magic of its own. While this is not my favorite book she's written, it is still totally worth checking ou...more
Coming of age novels are a dime a dozen and unfortunately they rarely resonate with me. This book is a small little gem that opened up all kinds of memories for me. For the first time, I encountered a fictional character that I related to.
Local Girls is a collection of basically short stories that follow a family as it grows, changes and encounters difficulties and successes. It's hard to convey things so succinctly and still pack such a powerful punch. But Alice Hoffman does it beautifully.
Local Girls was a great book. I really enjoy Alice Hoffman, but this book didn't make much sense to me. I don't know if it is the way the book ended but I enjoyed the Green Angel and Green Witch more. On the other hand, Local Girls was a good book but also very sad. The main character, Gretel, went through many obstacles and that is what made it sad, but to show she did get through them is what makes this book happy. I would recommend this book, but I would stress to read Green Angel and Green W...more
For some reason this dark book fit the mood ... it is about a young girl growing up and along the way, she loses her mother to cancer and her brilliant brother to drug abuse. It all started when her father left the family.
You would think that I would not like this book ... but I do. It was written lyrically and beautifully ... one could not help but turn the pages. It wasn't macrabre as much as it is sad and tender. And hopeful.
I will be reading Hoffman's books sooner than later ...
You would think that I would not like this book ... but I do. It was written lyrically and beautifully ... one could not help but turn the pages. It wasn't macrabre as much as it is sad and tender. And hopeful.
I will be reading Hoffman's books sooner than later ...
This was my first introduction to Alice Hoffman, and I have to say she is very talented, but I found myself wishing this were a novel instead of a series of short stories. She reminds me a great deal of an older, wiser, more serious Jennifer Weiner, and perhaps that's why I wanted a novel here too (see review for The Guy Not Taken). However, I do think it is a good introduction to her, and it definitely led me to read other books that I loved very much.
Can I just say, again, how much I love Alice Hoffman? Her books are a joy to read. I just finished Local Girls and it brought me back to my own high school days and the summers I spent with girlfriends. It isn't just about Gretel and Jill; it's also about their parents and the hard road marriage can be. Everything about the book is totally relatable and Hoffman's prose is such a pleasure to read. Example: "She couldn't find herself past the black despair that wraps around those who love a person...more
I read this in one sitting, and it was a mildly moving piece of fiction that felt a lot more like a collection of first chapters from a series of books. I enjoyed the format, but it meant that you didn't really get much depth of character, though you did get a surprising amount of implied depth. I think, however, this was a carefully constructed pool of shallow depth - I think it took a lot of restraint on the author's part to do this.
I actually took every free moment I had to read this one. Alice Hoffman has a way of swirling you into a world, a life, a place you might never think you could relate to. There is always a common grace between people through life and experience and she has a way of touching, even if ever so slightly, those little bits of common threads we all share. And she does it with magic, food, air, bits of humor. I decided to give it three stars only because I really wanted to learn more about the characte...more
I love how characters go through such horrible circumstances and realize that these events do not define them, but help them to be the person they are....do people in the real world obtain such clarity of mind??? I'd like to think there are some out there who do learn from life's difficulties and come out on the other side a better person. Such is the case for Gretel in this sad, yet hopeful story of her growing up.
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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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“...he had a way of taking your hand which made it clear he'd have to be the one to let go."
From Alice Hoffman's "Local Girls", pg.102.”
—
140 people liked it
From Alice Hoffman's "Local Girls", pg.102.”
“Here's the thing about luck...you don't know if it's good or bad until you have some perspective.”
—
71 people liked it
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