A Fistful of Sky

LaZelle #1

by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

Gypsum LaZelle had nearly given up. She’d already watched her two older siblings experience the transition—the sudden, debilitating process that turned them from ordinary children into mages, gifted spellcasters like their beautiful mother. Perhaps she was a late bloomer, she thought until her younger siblings came into their powers as well. Now, at twenty, Gypsum fears that she must accept her a mundane life without magic.   She can live with being ordinary, an outsider. After all, someone in the family had to take after her father…But one day, alone at home wither family away, Gypsum falls terribly ill. And when the symptoms pass, something has changed. Something she’s dreamed of for such a long time—and suddenly, isn’t ready for at all.   “One of the most original and important writers of fantasy working in America today.”—The New York Review of Science Fiction

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Magic, Paranormal, Romance

372 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 5, 2002

About the author

Nina Kiriki Hoffman’s first solo novel, The Thread That Binds the Bones (1993), won the Bram Stoker Award for first novel; her second novel, The Silent Strength of Stones (1995) was a finalist for the Nebula and World Fantasy Awards. A Red Heart of Memories (1999, part of her “Matt Black” series), nominated for a World Fantasy Award, was followed by sequel Past the Size of Dreaming in 2001. Much of her work to date is short fiction, including “Matt Black” novella “Unmasking” (1992), nominated for a World Fantasy Award; and “Matt Black” novelette “Home for Christmas” (1995), nominated for the Nebula, World Fantasy, and Sturgeon awards. In addition to writing, Hoffman has taught, worked part-time at a B. Dalton bookstore, and done production work on The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. An accomplished fiddle player, she has played regularly at various granges near her home in Eugene, Oregon.

Reviews

[Emma Deplores Goodreads Censorship · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, a cozy fantasy novel set in modern California. It reminded me a bit of Elfland, with its real-world though non-urban* setting and its focus on a close-knit and eccentric family with hidden magical powers – though A Fistful of Sky lacks the romance and melodrama of Elfland, as well as Elfland’s ethereal qualities. There’s lots of magic in this book, but it’s grounded in mundane reality.

Gypsum LaZelle is 20, but she still lives in her parents’ mansion, along with three of her four siblings. She’s accustomed herself to being the only “normal” member of her family, when she suddenly discovers a powerful and potentially sinister magical talent. Most of the book is about Gyp’s struggles to understand her new powers, her changing family relationships and her search for her own identity. Coming-of-age stories are common in fantasy, but this one is handled well, in particular the positive message about body image. Gyp is chubby, and perfectly comfortable with that, a state of affairs even her image-conscious mother is forced to accept. (Too bad the cover artists couldn’t accept it too; that’s a beautiful design, but the slender silhouette does not fit this character.)

This is a quick read, often humorous, with lots of dialogue. Gyp has a good first-person voice and is endearing, though it’s hard to tell what we’re meant to make of her family; she loves them very much and yet they have a nasty tendency to use coercive magic against each other, and her, at every opportunity. In many ways the book reads as if it were Gyp’s diary, sometimes bogging down a bit in the record of her every spell and the mechanics of her magic, sometimes with an eye to insignificant details such as seating arrangements. And the phrasing often sounds more like the way a young person would speak than polished prose. But it managed to pull me into Gyp’s life, and the uses to which she puts her magic are funny and entertaining. She and her siblings are liable to run amok experimenting with their powers, and no one gets too worked up about the results, which sort themselves out one way or another; for a fantasy novel, this is remarkably chill.

So, I would recommend this book, when you’re in the mood for fantasy without dire happenings or much in the way of plot, just growing up and having fun with magic. The fantasy genre can be dark and violent, so this is a nice change of pace. The story is set around Christmastime and would make an enjoyable Christmas read.


* I'm classifying this as "urban fantasy" anyway, because I'm not sure how else to label a fantasy novel with a modern, real-world setting.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love just about everything I've read by Nina (and I've read all but her very earliest stories). This visit with the LaZelle family was really wanted. Having encountered the family a few times in short stories, the LaZelle clan is a nice change from the folks at Chapel Hollow and their extended clans.

I conned... er convinced my boss to read the book -- he didn't get the ending. I sent a copy to my sister in Texas and Mary, Shirley and Tyler all loved it-- in revenge for making fun of me for years, I've converted Mary to fantasy and paranormal romances! Shirley, I converted with Mercedes Lackey's Vanyel books and Mary tried to blame me for Tyler's love of fantasy -- but I'm in a whole other STATE! :-)

If anyone's interested I am also keeper of the !!official!! site for Nina's bibliography at http://books.ofearna.us/hoffman.html

Susan

RE-READ 10/14/2005

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Literary, lovely, and entertaining, too. I'll have to look into the sequel and others by the author, though it's not normally, on the face of it, the kind of thing I like. Meanwhile, it's a good thing I'm heading out and don't have time to bake right now. ;)

I do like how we may not always sympathize with, or agree with, Gypsum's choices, but Hoffman makes us believe that they're the right ones at the current time for the character.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a three month dry spell, I finally blew through this great modern day fantasy. Both funny and complicated, it was a wonderful tale of a family coming into “transitions” and understanding and controlling their given talents.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've spent a good deal of time trying to come to terms with the feelings I have for this book. On the one hand, I find the characterizations intriguing and off-putting by turns and the entire idea of the story to be very, very interesting. But that's all I enjoy from this book. The idea and the concept.

A Fistful of Sky is about a young woman long resigned to her fate as the "normal" child of a magical family (aside from her normal father), but this is all turned upside down after her twentieth birthday, where after one harrowing weekend, Gypsum "Gyp" LaZelle undergoes the "Transition" and finally comes in to her powers.

Annnnd that's it. Honestly. Where the story could have become a beautiful coming-of-age, alternative lifestyle, accepting your family however they are and what they choose to be story, instead it makes a good show of family dynamics and putters out by about halfway through. The story in its entirety accomplishes nothing other than to introduce the concept of the LaZelle universe.

Do Gypsum and her family have to realize that family is more important than magical abilities and manipulating each other to get their way? Do they discuss and resolve the numerous and overwhelming sibling rivalry and familial issues that make up the core of this family dynamic? Do they ever have to deal with the fact that each of them did serious and unacceptable actions to each other and apologize for them? The answer is a resounding "ehhh not really, no".

Gypsum tells the author how badly she was treated by her family, but she never really reveals her feelings to her family. She never actually tells them how hurt by their actions she was, no matter how appalling they were. She gives little tidbits to them, but they never actually go anywhere and none of the siblings or her mother ever really apologize for what they've done in the past, which I find to be a grave failing on the author's part. What's the point of introducing all of those memories and scenes if not to discuss and alleviate those issues? Why add them in? For added mental distress to the reader?

And don't get me started on the actually plot arc. Hint: there isn't a cohesive, definitive one. Sure, Gypsum learns to accept herself and her power, but that's only after Altria, the mischievous spirit she summoned by accident, shows her how to lock away her power--easily and anticlimactically. This might as well have been done in the beginning for all the effort it did to get to that point in the book. There's little to no rising action--sure Gyp has to deal with the constant pressure of magic-build up unless she releases it, but she always finds a way to do so and the suspense just isn't there. It's like watching someone learn how to juggle; just because they drop the ball, there's no real damage to anything.

Ultimately, I'm disappointed in A Fistful of Sky. I feel jipped, really. There's nothing here for me that I can definitively say I liked in the book. The characters? No, each other them had more qualities I disliked than liked and some were just completely one-dimensional with no actual development. The execution? No, it had no definitive qualities to a story--like actual conflict, rising action and resolution. You cannot look me in the eye and tell me that any of the characters experienced consequences for their actions and learned any sort of definitive lesson. They simply never acknowledged their faults. There's just no---no real effort put in here by the characters and the story lacks so much of what it could be as a result. Everything is simple, easily resolved or pushed aside and because of that, I feel my time was wasted. I wanted a story about family and acceptance. I got a shoddy diary entry by what felt like a twenty-something girl who hadn't yet grown up. And what I got just doesn't work for me.

[Rachel Neumeier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only discovered Hoffman this year -- this book was the first of hers that I read. It was so good I immediately bought everything else by Hoffman I could find! One of Hoffman's strengths is her writing, which is often beautiful.

I have to say, Hoffman is uneven. I found some of her books mediocre, and at least one pushed all the wrong buttons for me and I barely finished it. But this one is wonderful!

Although the main character, Gypsum, is in her 20s, A FISTFUL OF SKY reads like a YA novel. It's definitely a coming of age story, very much about finding your place in your family and in the world. Gypsum is thought to be too old ever to grow into her magical birthright, but (of course) she suddenly finds that her magical gift is awakening after all. Unfortunately, hers is a gift for cursing, so whatever she tries to do tends, no matter how good her intentions, to come out in disquieting ways. The cookie curse is hilarious!

This book is quite suitable for rather young readers and very enjoyable for adults. If you've found Hoffman not quite your thing with other books, you might give this one a try.

Other Hoffman books I loved: The Silent Strength of Stones; The Thread That Binds The Bones; Spirits That Walk In Shadow. Others that I enjoyed: A Stir of Bones, Red Heart of Memory, Past the Size of Dreaming (this set is a trilogy; the first doesn't really resolve the problem, the second has (for me) a major plot problem, and the third had quite a few loose ends that just dissolved into nothing plus an ending that didn't work for me. One that I really disliked all the way through: Catalyst.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gypsum LaZelle was born into a family of magic users living in Southern California; her brothers and sisters came into their powers during what the family calls a "transition" in their teens, but Gyp is in her twenties, hasn't transitioned yet, and thinks she never will. When she comes down with a mysterious illness, though, she comes into her magic...but it's not what she or her family expected. Hoffman examines issues of identity, family, and the responsibilities of power, with a sympathetic portrait of an unusual family group, an intelligent, resourceful heroine, and an intriguing magical system, with great powers offset by sometimes great costs.

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

If her other books are anything like this one, I think I may have found a new favorite author. This deals with the coming of age of late bloomer Gypsum, then add in that hers is a family of mages and the complications double. A really lovely story about finding and accepting yourself without having to change who you are.

[Althea Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although she makes no overt connection (that I noticed), the LaZelle family in 'A Fistful of Sky' is extremely similar to the magical family in her other novel, 'The Thread the Binds the Bones,' and I'd assume that Hoffman intends them to be cousins, of a sort.
However, I think that 'Fistful of Sky' is the more successful novel. It deals with the plight of Gyp, a young woman who, in addition to dealing with the issues of a loving yet controlling family and the 'normal' traumas of dating, self-image, and thinking about a career, has much more to worry about as well. As I mentioned, she comes from a magical family, and when she goes through 'transition' and gains her power, it turns out to be the rare power of curses. For Gyp, who is essentially a friendly, non-vindictive type who loves baking cookies and curling up with a good book, this is truly a curse. If she doesn't use her power, she will die. Her travails as she attempts, blunderingly, to cast her nasty spells where they'll do the least harm, are charming and amusing - but also insightful, as Hoffman deals subtly with the ways in which we tie ourselves to and interact with others, the dynamics of family, relationships and society...

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throughout this entire book, I felt compelled to keep reading, continuously waiting for that big "thing" to happen. It never did. And yet I still enjoyed the read. The ending was a little flat. But it wasn't so bad that I regretted the time spent reading the book. A very interesting writer. I may have to read more by her just to see if all of her books are the same.

[Kirsten · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE Hoffman! Gypsum LaZelle is a magicless daughter in a very powerful magical family. She believes she will never Transition -- that is, gain her powers -- until one weekend when the rest of her family is away, she falls ill... and awakens with the very powerful ability to curse other people and objects.

[Jackie "the Librarian" · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in contemporary California, Gypsum comes into the magical heritage of her family very late, and it comes with a real wallup. She must use the magic, or it will kill her, but it's "curse" magic, so she must find a way to channel it safely.
Gypsy is a very appealing heroine, and her solution to her situation is unusual. Anyone who's struggled with becoming themselves will relate to Gypsy.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just re-read this book and I was again struck by Hoffman's description and character building. I love all of her books, but this one is one of my favorites.

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started off promising but at 38% there is no throughline, no goal, no sign of any point, and I'm tired of the meandering.

[Kara Babcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I shouldn’t like A Fistful of Sky as much as I did. It’s a weird book. Nina Kiriki Hoffman is able to bend all the tropes of fantasy novels set in the contemporary world ever so slightly. The end result is something odd, strange, but no less wonderful. Gypsum LaZelle and her family are an interesting group of people for whom magic is supposed to be a gift—except when it’s not.

The idea of a magical family reminds me somewhat of Tanya Huff’s Gale women. It’s not the same in practice, but the ways in which the two families use their magic are similar. The LaZelles don’t fight crime or battle supernatural entities. They use their magic to bake, travel, do make-up, breed plants, and festoon their house with Christmas lights. A Fistful of Sky is decidedly small-scale fantasy in this respect: the fate of the world makes nary a cameo here.

The point where I explicitly recognized I was loving the book, despite or because of its oddness, came when Beryl invites Gyp to curse her. Unbeknownst to Gyp, Beryl is mad enough at her sister to throw up a shield, and Gyp’s hasty utterance of “Ultimate Fashion Sense!” reflects back to herself. What ensues is hilarity, coupled with a certain amount of cultural awareness. Juxtaposed with the seriousness of Gyp’s situation—trying to control a curse power that has to be used and almost always turns sour—the scene is so light-hearted it should be awkward. But Hoffman makes it work. Go figure.

Every time I expected this book to do one thing, or go in one direction, it would go in another, better direction. I love it when books surprise me like that. For example, I kept waiting for Altria to become a Big Bad, for Gypsum and her family to somehow have to combine powers and work together to expel Altria from their lives. Instead, Hoffman takes an entirely different tack—one which results in a resolution somewhat bizarre and very postmodern in its open-endedness but is no more bizarre than the rest of the book.

There are several elements that didn’t do much for me. As much as I appreciated that Gyp had a supportive boyfriend, Ian took the whole “I have magical powers” revelation unrealistically well. And he has about as much personality as a wet rag. The “subdued, supportive boyfriend” is just as much of a boring stereotype as the “douchebag boyfriend” even if he is a hell of a lot more palatable. Similarly, Gyp supposedly has this friend named Claire, but we really only see her once. For the rest of the novel, Gyp is (perhaps understandably) confined to interacting with her large immediate family. While this makes sense, it limits how we see Gyp in relation to the rest of the world. She has some awkward conversations with her boss and a weird stalky rapist guy, and that’s about it.

Seriously, this book is almost-down-the-rabbithole-weird. And yet it works.

I’m not sure to whom I’d recommend A Fistful of Sky. Well, that’s not true—I’m going to recommend it to my landlady, because it reminds me a little of Charles de Lint—not in its adherence or allusions to myths and legends, but in the way Hoffman writes people doing magic as if they are perfectly ordinary. There is nothing witchy about these witches. But there is plenty of delicious subtext—Gypsum has a very complicated relationship with her mother, who herself has baggage from her own youth that has resulted in an overbearing, over-possessive streak the extent to which we only realize towards the climax. At the same time though, it’s clear Gyp still loves her mother (and vice versa). Hoffman perfectly captures the complexity of family life, that ability to both love and hate one’s siblings and parents simultaneously.

If you are looking for a straightforward save-the-cheerleader-save-the-world type narrative, then this book is not for you. It meanders through a plot more lackadaisically than Tony Stark approaches running a multi-billion—dollar company. On the other hand, if you want a restful yet also stimulating story about a family with magic and a girl who doesn’t quite fit, then A Fistful of Sky might work for you.

[Debbie is on Storygraph · Rating 1 out of 5]

After putting this down, I was really conflicted over whether I really liked the book or not. On the one hand, as I was reading it, I got swept up in the story, had trouble putting it down, and really wanted to keep reading. But, once I finished the book, I was left unsatisfied and a bit disappointed. It took a shower to help me realize just what made me so unwilling to like the book. (God bless showers. I get some of my best thinking done while standing under a steady stream of hot water.)

There were a number of things that were flawed:

The characterizations were very weak and vague. While the family antics amused me (Oh boy, talk about dysfunctional!), none of the characters, not even the narrator was fleshed out enough for me to feel an emotional attachment. Of the siblings, if Hoffman hadn't used their names I probably wouldn't have been able to tell them apart. Nor did we fully get to meet anyone outside the family. Claire and July were supposedly large and important parts of Gyp's life, but they were barely there and personality-less. We didn't even learn much about Ian other than he was a nice guy.

The rushed ending. Gyp figured out how to control her magic, and book ended. The end. What? Wait. It's only been a week, if that! Really needed more for me to feel real resolution.

Magic was too casually acceptance by those outside the family. After Gyp outs herself with Ian, and later with Claire, neither of them freaked out, asked a billion questions, or did anything but accept that she can curse things. Completely unrealistic, even with both's experiences with the occult, given that neither of them were particularly gifted themselves or had knowingly seen real magic before.

But what really bothered me throughout the book and made me not like it was the implication that if you had power, you could do whatever you wanted to anyone who had less power or no power -- with little or no consequence. The old adage that power corrupts is shown throughout the book. The LaZelles manipulated those around them, their surroundings, and even themselves however they saw fit, and did not question their right. As the normal sibling, Gyp was subjected to magical manipulation of her thoughts, feelings, wants, desires, actions, and even her own shape -- all without a second thought by the rest of her family. It was considered their right to spell her... because they could. Why else would her (horrible, horrible) mother never step in to police her children's use of power? Or try and protect Gyp from being made into a guinea pig? And her mother was the worst of the lot, creating compulsions for her children to never leave home, spelling her daughter so she would exercise and diet relentlessly, structuring their life to fit her idea of how it should be. She was abusive without ever having to lift a hand towards her children.

And when Gyp comes into her own power, she proves herself above this unthinkingly cruel way of being. She doesn't want to hurt people and tries desperately to try and harness her power benignly. So what does being this goodhearted persona get her? The role of walking doormat. She accommodates everyone automatically. She was so nice and sweet, she put up with everyone spelling her, manipulating her, and using her. And she STILL cheerfully cooks dinner half the week and spends an entire day making them cookies. But I have to wonder how much of that is her true personality and how much of that is having lived for two decades under the subtle control of her more powerful family members? She hated not being herself when she's cursed with Ultimate Fashion Sense - yet does she even know who she really is? She never stood up for herself; she let herself be talked into working on a day she had called in sick, she lets herself be pulled along by Altria, though she tries and controls the outcomes. THAT was the reason why I didn't connect with Gyp - I could never see myself acting so passively.

Though all the descriptions of food made me really want to make cookies and brownies.

[Penn Hackney · Rating 4 out of 5]

2002. Bought for $8 on 10/6/22 to read for the Rivendell Discussion Group of the Mythopoeic Society on October 22, 2022.

First person (Gypsum - a meaning there? Note all the siblings have mineral names), looking back, e.g. “Opal used to …” but from WHEN?

A sweet tale. Inconsequential, except to the characters within. A domestic comedy that grew on me until I came to love them all! All the characters are, or become, likable:

Gypsum (12, then 14, then 20) is not the “nice one” of so many youthful protagonists. She’s spunky, curious, brave, and smart, but can be mean like Jasper, whom she admires and joins. She’s plump, overly so in her beautiful mother’s estimation, but she accepts her body and even defends it. She also accepts and defends her failure to “transition” to the extent that when it comes, she does not recognize it at first.

She struggles to understand and control her newly-given “gift” of dark power, curse energy, unkind power,

Opal (16, then 18, then 24) is vain and self-absorbed as a teen, but turns them into strengths when she grows into a competent professional.

Jasper (14, 16, then 22) is self-centered and a bit mean as a teen, but he grows out of the worst and he cares for Gyp throughout.

Flint

Beryl

Tobias, the wise and experienced uncle

Anise LaZelle, mom, TV personality, loving but abusive and controlling, tho’ willing to be schooled. The closest to an unlikable character.

Miles Bendixen LaZelle, dad (anyone marrying a LaZelle has to take their last name), a normie, and the only one who can get Anise to reflect before acting

Claire and July, Gyp’s best friend and her mom

Gyp has a GREAT sense of humor, and the whole story bristles with fun and haha.

A nice combination of the mundane and ordinary (“I wasn’t sure I was ready to learn that he had hair on his legs”), and the extraordinary and supernatural (“I don’t know what that was, Gyp. I don’t even know if it was a person.”)

The kids aren’t afraid in “this chaos of magic” despite occasions of extreme danger. That is a jarring note, but somehow ok, too.

There’s a sweetness, and a desire by everyone to do right by each other, that reminds me of the crew in the Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers.

Recipes! Like in a cozy mystery. Pp. 146-47, 152, 195-97, 278,

Mealtime grace! 154

The powerful and mysterious Altria 133, 164, 204, chs. 20-24 passim

Curses:
Chalk
Brownies
Ultimate Fashion Sense
Altria
Traffic cone
Self to normal
Banana tree

[KelceyTheLibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book of the year is part of my attempt to clear my shelves or at least try to remember why I kept certain books from long ago. I am pretty sure I read this in high school but I couldn't remember much about it or why I had liked it enough to keep it. It turned out to be a fun quick and rather interesting read. At almost 15 years old, this book is not new by any sense but it does still break a lot of general stereotypes and doesn’t fit easily into many predefined genres/subjects. For one thing, this seems to fall squarely between young adult and new adult and this was long before new adult had even started to be defined as its own genre. The protagonist is definitely out of high school but hasn’t committed to her next step and is still living at home, working and deciding what to do next. She also becomes the “chosen one” in a sense but with a twist. She is chosen to receive dark powers instead of the generally positive wish power the rest of her siblings received. While it is pointed out that she was probably the only one who could have successfully handled these powers, that doesn’t take away from her “chosen one” type status. What I really liked about this book was how real it all felt. Gyp struggles with: family issues, sibling squabbles, her weight multiple times, and the repercussions of all kinds of “transitions”, things that almost anyone and especially women can relate to. The story itself was fun and never took itself too seriously and Gyp struggles through her own powers, making mistakes and doing her best. Altria was one of the most interesting guidance type spirits I have ever encountered. She makes no secret of the fact that she is out for her own gain as well. While also acting as a teacher, she does not shield Gyp but instead takes her through the school of hard knocks. Altria’s feelings at the end were particularly startling and I would love to see how the relationship between Altria and Gyp developed as Gyp learns more about her powers and control. So why the four stars? The ending felt rushed and cut off. I also didn’t think Ian was strictly necessary. There was so much happening with Gyp that I don’t feel she needed a budding relationship thrown in the mix too. Overall, very enjoyable and easy to recommend!

[Laurie (barksbooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gypsum LaZelle is a misfit in her family. All of her siblings have come into their magical powers, inherited from their beautiful mother, and she has resigned herself to the fact that like her dad she'll have to live her life without the assistance of magic. More than a fantasy, this book delves into the dynamics of this family which is why I find it so interesting (though the magical aspect is very imaginative as well). Gypsum's mother is beautiful, perfect and very controlling. She does some unforgivable things to Gypsum, if you ask me, but much like reality you can't choose your family. Fortunately, Gypsum has a close relationship with most of her siblings and dad's a good guy.

Eventually, Gypsum falls ill and undergoes her transition and inherits a dark power which is common when transition arrives so late. Fearful of what her power may do she must use it or it will poison her (so says her uncle when she comes to him feeling sick to her stomach). I'm just at the point where she is tentatively experimenting with her newly discovered power of wishing things into existence.

Later: This book managed to hold my attention to the end even though I had to keep putting it aside because my reading time has been reduced to 5 minutes every other day. It's a good look into the family dynamics of magical household.

[Jared · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gypsum is the middle child in a family gifted with strange abilities. The story follows a plot arc that's rather similar to Savvy; the magic feels a lot like Garden Spells. Gypsum's gift comes to her quite a bit later than the rest of her siblings. When it arrives, it's a doozy, and it's not what she'd hoped for. Again, in this it's rather like Savvy, although written for a much older audience. The story centers around how she comes to terms with her gift.

A lot of reviewers bemoan the lack of character development. I actually thought the character development was pretty good, and the Gypsum was a reasonably sympathetic main character. The book is very well-written -- just the kind of warm, slightly funny voice that I like. I devoured the book in one day. The book falls down in two areas that make it less than five stars.

1. The conflict is hardly climactic. Some of the scenes in the center of the book were much tenser than the "climax." It makes the reader feel detached from what's going on.

2. The last chapter is ambiguous and slightly disturbing.

[Krissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading a lot of YA lately, on recommendation usually from Shana. Fistful has this really well-integrated world of a magic-practicing family living in this reality, in California. There's our narrator who's, in Potter speak, is a squib. The story of her unexpected late blossoming into a magic wielder has some beautifully funny moments, especially how the family operates totally differently from any normal family group.

The action takes place over less than a week and in that way can feel a little cramped in this world, and I wasn't nuts about the way the end really tumbled to an almost hastily pulled together conclusion. The idea of magic or madness - perform it or lose your mind - is interesting, even though it's been done elsewhere. So I was enough impressed by the way she tells delightful vignettes of familial relations and her very visceral descriptions of magic that I'd go back for another of her novels.

Plus she's funny.

[Diane Wilkes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book...until the end, which seemed odd to me unless it was supposed to be the first of a series, and while there is another related book, it doesn't focus on Gypsum, the "muggle" of a magical family. Her four siblings (all named after different stones--Jasper, Opal, Beryl and Flint) don't start out with magical powers, but transition in their teens.

Gypsum is the middle child, and suffers from many of the typical problems associated with that familial position. She is chubby and not overly concerned with her appearance (unlike her tv-star magical mother, who frequently makes Gyp feel less-than). How Gyp becomes the hero of her own story is delightful and funny and wonderful.

However. The end is mysterious, murky, and dissatisfying. Magical, though. And not in a good way :)

That's a pun. If you want to understand it...read the book. It really is captivating until the last few pages.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I somewhat liked this book but found it disturbing too. The Mother is a sort of a monster. She uses her powers to tie her children so close to her they can't even think of leaving home. The scene where she nearly kills her daughter trying to force her to lose weight and become 'acceptably' slim is horrifying. Then the family just moves on and never addresses why the hell the Mom did it and what it says about her as a person and can she be helped.
I also found the ending sort of petered out. If it's the first of a series then they can address questions this book left hanging. If it's a one off, I find it unsatisfying.

[Eva Mitnick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A woman from a magically endowed family finally comes into her powers but discovers she has inherited "unkind"magic - the power (and actually the need) to curse. Because Gypsum must use her powers on a regular basis or literally go mad, she must figure out how to use and control them without doing too much harm. Like Hoffman's other books, this takes a quirky and creative approach to magic. Less characters (and more depth to them) would have helped me to become more immersed in the story, which left me a bit cold - there seemed to be an emotional detachment that didn't go with the themes of intimacy and control. But still an interesting read for fans of contemporary magical fantasy.

[Seth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hoffman's writen a lot of great stuff, but I feel like this the weakest I've read by her by a pretty wide margin. If you haven't read this yet, go check out one of her others instead (A Red Heart of Memories, The Thread That Binds the Bones, The Silent Strength of Stones, many of her short stories are really great too, with my personal favorite being the relatively obscure "Flotsam"). If you read this one and enjoyed it... then also go check out her other stuff, because it's even better.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nina weaves blessings/curses of magic into fantastical YA tales (and captivating book readings). I felt "girlish" again--tottering on progression then upheaval and back again; finally social and personal acceptance. Growing impatient with the disturbing and otherworldly company that Gypsum was often forced to keep, was only part of the total experience.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon rereading, the magic is great, I could continue reading her magic descriptions forever. But the ending left me feeling somewhat unsatisfied. I guess I like my magic to come with a great big magical conclusion and that was missing in this book. Still, definatley worth reading and thinking about.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t know why I gave this book 3 stars!! I absolutely loved the storyline to this book and have to say it wasn’t something I expected going into this book. But it was definitely a weird book for me as well because of how the main character turned out in the end.

[Mav · Rating 4 out of 5]

From what I can remember, this is a story about a woman coming to terms and beginning to accept her body, and herself.

[Ysabet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original review: http://fillingthewell.livejournal.com...