The Red Garden

By: Alice Hoffman

Narrated by: Nancy Travis

Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

The Red Garden introduces us to the luminous and haunting world of Blackwell, Massachusetts. Hoffman offers a transforming glimpse of small-town America, presenting us with some three hundred years of passion, dark secrets, loyalty, and redemption in a web of tales.

From the town’s founder, a brave young woman from England who has no fear of blizzards or bears, to the young man who runs away to New York City, the characters in The Red Garden are extraordinary and vivid: a young wounded Civil War soldier who is saved by a neighbor, a woman who meets a fiercely human historical character, a poet who falls in love with a blind man, a mysterious traveler who comes to town in the year when summer never arrives. At the center of everyone’s life is a garden where only red plants can grow, and where the truth can be found by those who dare to look. The Red Garden is as unforgettable as it is moving.

©2011 Alice Hoffman (P)2010 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"In gloriously sensuous, suspenseful, mystical, tragic, and redemptive episodes, Hoffman subtly alters her language, from an almost biblical voice to increasingly nuanced and intricate prose reflecting the burgeoning social and psychological complexities her passionate and searching characters face in an ever-changing world." (Booklist)

"Hoffman has done it again, crafting a poignant, compelling collection of fairy tales suffused with pathos and brightened by flashes of magic. Her fans, as well as those of magical realism in general, will be enchanted." (Library Journal)

"Fans of Hoffman’s brand of mystical whimsy will find this paean to New England one of her most satisfying." (Kirkus Review)

Lovely

Beautiful writing.
Heartful story-- following the town over the years, its stories and residents, their children and ancestors, the trees, land, animals.
Lovely performance.
Loved it.

The magic and mystery of love

As always, Alice Hoffman demonstrates the best and worst of humanity while showing us the magic of love.

Good but lost significance of red garden

Perhaps I need to read this again but I feel the significance or impact of the red garden was a bit lost on me. I feel it wasn’t always threaded through each story and didn’t really have any grave or amazing impact that warranted the book title. I get the significance of its origin and how it came about but that’s it. The rest just felt like connected stories with no real central theme. I’ve enjoyed Alice Hoffman’s other books much more like the Practical Magic series and Blackbird House, which is similar to Red Garden based on generations of people connected in each chapter in some way.

Classic Alice Hoffman

This book reflects the qualities that makes Hoffman one of my favorite authors. It has nuances of Blackbird House which marks the unique signature of Hoffman's writing. The characters are strong, and insightful, with human frailties that make them both unique and relatable. The worlds she creates are as if the stories are told by the form of a mountain with omnipresent qualities that watches our worlds come and go with the passage of time. She incorporates the everyday with a subtle hint of the mistical that opens ones heart to the wonders and unknown possibilities of the world around us.

A good read, very entertaining, true Hoffman prose

Stories artfully tied together by the history of a small town. Mystical/realistic trademark blended beautifully.

Not up to snuff for Hoffman fans

Didn’t engage me much at all, sorry to say. All of the women characters were the same—aloof, capable, beautiful, uncaring of how others perceived her (which was far more important 160 years ago)... just wasn’t very interesting to me.

Interesting

The story, as a whole, was interesting. The way all the family members were tied together from the beginning. It was a bit hard to follow, at times. All the names ran together and it was hard to keep their respective stories straight.

Solution for delayed Covid funerals

This book is a depressing view of rural life. About the time you like a character, the story is over. A good book to somber someone for a delayed funerals after the death had long been accepted.

Perfect read for a late winter day

Totally enjoyed this book! I love the way the author goes from century to century keeping the family going.

Nice Family History Story

Those of you who love gardening or live on family land will enjoy this! one garden followed thru generations. The writing is simple and concise. Some of the stories I wish were longer and had more explanation but then that would be a whole new novel.