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grannywitch's review against another edition
5.0
Everything was Alice Hoffman and nothing (everything) hurt.
I feel the same way about Alice Hoffman’s books as I do about fictional romance films & shows set in the regency era, I just want to wrap myself if the beautiful coziness and never come out again.
This book feel like a fuzzy blanket and a perfect cup of tea + weeping and I love it.
I feel the same way about Alice Hoffman’s books as I do about fictional romance films & shows set in the regency era, I just want to wrap myself if the beautiful coziness and never come out again.
This book feel like a fuzzy blanket and a perfect cup of tea + weeping and I love it.
booksarebetter's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 ⭐ rounded up. Beautiful, lyrical, and one of my favorite reads of the year!
jgtruesdell's review against another edition
1.0
Looks like I'm going to be one of the few to not like this book. It was really a series of short stories centered around the house at different time periods. Not one of them was happy. The house was not a place of joy, but sadness and tragedy. I was depressed by the end of the end.
gemgem18's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
sunflowerjess's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Finally, my first book by Alice Hoffman. I really loved her writing style and am excited to read more.
katiegilley's review against another edition
This was a wonderful story about a house and the people who lived in it over what seems to be a couple of hundred years. The house is a farm in Cape Cod, MA that is inhabited by white blackbirds, sweet peas, turnips, and the ghosts of residents-past. The stories really focus on the people involved, with the house as a cozy, homey backdrop. Definitely moving and definitely enjoyable.
graciesmom's review against another edition
5.0
Ten years later, I still remember how this book made me feel. Adding a star.
Heart-wrenching stories revolving around the different inhabitants of Blackbird House. I had to put the book down between chapters. Beautifully told.
Heart-wrenching stories revolving around the different inhabitants of Blackbird House. I had to put the book down between chapters. Beautifully told.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
This is a collection of vignettes, spanning two-plus centuries, all set in the same house / farm on the tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. beginning when the area was still a British colony and ending in the early 21st century.
There is something magical about the property, starting with the snow-white blackbird whose appearance frequently portends disaster. Still, couples make it a home, start their families, till the soil, pick the fruit, make pies, and jam. And each family is changed by their time at Blackbird House.
I found these stories enchanting and mesmerizing, though I’m hard pressed to say what exactly it was about them that so charmed me. Maybe that is the magic of Hoffman’s storytelling.
There is something magical about the property, starting with the snow-white blackbird whose appearance frequently portends disaster. Still, couples make it a home, start their families, till the soil, pick the fruit, make pies, and jam. And each family is changed by their time at Blackbird House.
I found these stories enchanting and mesmerizing, though I’m hard pressed to say what exactly it was about them that so charmed me. Maybe that is the magic of Hoffman’s storytelling.
foraging_pages's review against another edition
4.0
Fate.
Lovely prose interconnects narratives about the land, the home, and the people of Blackbird House. This book is about magic and humanity and grief and the wilds of nature. Though it has changed hands many times over the two hundred years, Blackbird House has always been a refuge and a dream. A safe haven and a place of sacrifice. Many of the stories had intriguing premises and some a little mystery.
So many beautiful quotes!
Lovely prose interconnects narratives about the land, the home, and the people of Blackbird House. This book is about magic and humanity and grief and the wilds of nature. Though it has changed hands many times over the two hundred years, Blackbird House has always been a refuge and a dream. A safe haven and a place of sacrifice. Many of the stories had intriguing premises and some a little mystery.
So many beautiful quotes!