The New York Times Book Review has noted, "Alice Hoffman writes quite wonderfully about the magic in our lives," and now she casts her spell over a Long Island neighborhood filled with dreamers and dreams. In a dazzling series of family portraits, Hoffman evokes the world of the Samuelsons, a family torn apart by tragedy and divorce in a world of bad judgment and fierce attachments, disappointments, and devotion.
With rich, pure prose Hoffman charts the always unexpected progress of Gretel Samuelson from the time Gretel is a young girl already acquainted with betrayal and grief, until she finally leaves home. Gretel's sly, funny, knowing perspective is at the heart of this collection as she navigates through loyalty and loss with the help of an unforgettable trio of women: her best friend, Jill, her romance-addicted cousin Margot, and her mother, Franny, whose spiritual journey affects them all. Told in alternating voices, these stories work wonders. Funny and lyrical, disturbing and healing, each is a lesson of survival, a reminder of the ties of blood and the power of friendship. Jane Smiley has said that "a reader is in good hands with Alice Hoffman," and once again in her expert hands, everyday life has been transformed into magic.
The New York TImes Book Review - Sarah Ferguson
Told in alternating voices, the stories form a scapbook of pivotal moments in the lives of Gretel and...her best friend, Jill...[at] 12, that unpredictable and dangerous age when sampling shades of lipstick and playing with dolls seem equally interesting.
New York Times Book Review
Alice Hoffman writes quite wonderfully about the magic in our lives," and now she casts her spell over a Long Island neighborhood filled with dreamers and dreams. In a dazzling series of family portraits, Hoffman evokes the world of the Samuelsons, a family torn apart by tragedy and divorce in a world of bad judgment and fierce attachments, disappointments, and devotion.
Kirkus Reviews
Hoffman's trademark there's-magic-beneath-the-surface-of-our-daily-lives stance feels pretty tired here, as do the characters. The central theme--"Fate could twist you around and around, if you weren't careful"--is reiterated so often it ceases to have any impact. Hoffman remains a major talent, but she's marking time here.
School Library Journal - Jackie Gropman
What raises all of this above the mediocre is the intimacy and immediacy of the narrative voice.....The language is wisecracking, scintillating, descriptive, and honest. Female readers will recognize and respond to the themes of relationships: those with men who all too often disappoint and those between friends and mothers and daughters that nourish and endure.
Library Journal
This series of vignettes about Gretel Samuelson's teenage years is told with wisecracking humor and poignant honesty. A book that's sure to strike an empathetic chord with readers.
Publishers Weekly
Though dysfunctional family fiction seems standard fare these days, Hoffman's highly individual knack for creating a sense of specific atmosphere is uncanny and unique, a quality that translates especially well in spoken form.
Recent Reader Reviews
Rated of 5
by Shira Love.... I LOVE this book. It's my favorite book ever. My dad brought it home one day for when I was 13 years old and told me the writing was done really well. Of course I did not want to read it at first because usually the books my dad brings home for me... Read More
Rated of 5
by FinnishGirl
I'm 16 years old Finnish girl and this was the first book I read in English. I think it was pretty good. At least it was short, readable and easy-to-understand.
Rated of 5
by Clare Bachman
I think that the book "Local Girls" is very good. I am 13 and this book really relates to my life. My cousin, was reading it on the plane we were riding on and she fell asleep. I picked the book up and started reading it. I got addicted... Read More
Rated of 5
by Will M.
I think that the book Local Girls is a fantastic entrance into the world of Alice Hoffman. Whether one is reading her again or for the first time Local Girls like the other books written by Alice Hoffman is a triumph. Hoffman spins the tales on... Read More
Rated of 5
by kelli
I think that this book is amazing . I am 14 and I totally related to this book , I think every teen should read it.
Rated of 5
by Micky Secco
Local Girls by Alice Hoffman sets a guideline for healing and recovery for those girls and boys ranging from teenage to early adulthood who have been deeply affected as a result of parental divorce.
Amy Goodrow, a shy high school student in a small mill town, falls in love with her math teacher, and together they cross the line between understandable fantasy and disturbing reality.
An evocative debut novel about life in a small town and of two women testing their own limits. A moving and deftly told portrait of the hard-scrabble life.
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Fearless, gripping, at once darkly funny and tender, spanning three continents and numerous lives, Americanah is a richly told story set in today's globalized world.
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First time novelist Vaddey Ratner captured my heart and senses in this novel based on her childhood in Cambodia. Her story transcends any news story...
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From the first page, I was drawn in by the lyrical writing of the author and mesmerized as the narrator, eight year old Raami, remembered the years...
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Trite but true, all good things must come to an end. I so wanted to keep reading the wonderful prose, the settings that let one think they are part...
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Kenn Nesbitt is new Children's Poet Laureate(Jun 12 2013) Kenn Nesbitt has been named the new Children's Poet Laureate: Consultant in Children's Poetry to the Poetry Foundation, which noted that the two-year position...
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