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The Red Garden  By  cover art

The Red Garden

By: Alice Hoffman
Narrated by: Nancy Travis
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Editorial reviews

The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman, read by Nancy Travis, evokes comparisons to Thornton Wilder’s classic Our Town. The book meanders through time, allowing the lives and deaths of the inhabitants of Blackwell, Massachusetts, to tell the story of time’s passage, of loves requited, of the inexplicable in life, and of the stamina of good, plain folk.

Nancy Travis performs the chapters - each one denoting a forward progression in time - in a straightforward manner. Deftly moving between Hoffman’s storytelling of fact and fantasy, Travis has the opportunity to be a narrator, an actor, and a teller of ghostly tales. Whether characterizing the first inklings of lovesick yearning from a teen-aged girl in the 18th century or portraying a young widow, two centuries later, who has lost her Blackwell childhood sweetheart across the world in Vietnam, Travis deftly moves from character to character, time period to time period.

Nature also becomes a character in The Red Garden, and Travis’ reading imbues palpable emotion as generation after generation of Blackwell residents brave the roiling Eel River and venture recklessly into the bear-infested woods of Hightop Mountain. They never learn as we, the listeners, do. Early in the story there is the depiction of the young stranger with an oddly strong sense of purpose who strays in the area long enough to plant some apple trees and bewitch the local women. The apple orchard, then, becomes the scene of trysts and confrontations for centuries onward. Finally, there is the Red Garden itself, so named because, decade after decade, anything planted within its fenced confines comes up red. There’s a story there, buried centuries ago.

In The Red Garden the life of a small town lived over hundreds of years by long-time residents, itinerant wanderers, and that mysterious fisherman’s wife will captivate all who move towards that ultimate audio book commitment: “Add to Cart”. --Carole Chouinard

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)

What listeners say about The Red Garden

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

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.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This was highly entertaining. The sound quality was poor at the beginning, but after the first half-hour, it was great. (This may have also been my speakers).

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

No Plot

This is the first Alice Hoffman book I didn’t care for. I understand how everyone is connected but felt there wasn’t much of a plot.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Magical History of a Town

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, I really enjoyed both the story and performance of this book. I think that the stories were really each very interesting and well told. I loved the magical realism, and I loved how the stories moved in time to cover the history of the town and some of its families. It was really interesting to trace an evolution of place names and folk lore. I though that Hoffman's use of the idea of tracing the evolution of town lore was so interesting, and I thought it really worked in this book. I think it was also a perfect type of audio book because it could be listened to very easily in parts.

What about Nancy Travis’s performance did you like?

I greatly enjoyed her ability to convincingly narrate as a character in the 1600s and as a character in the 1970s.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Great story - hard to follow

the narrator blended characters and chapters, which made it hard to flow the story line. I had to rewind a few times to realize thdre was a new chapter and the characters changed.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Needed some improvement

Alice Hoffman delivers another fine tale, as expected. However, the narrator was less than stellar. The thing that bothered me more than anything about her reading was the fact that there was never a definitive end to a story before starting another story.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Alice Hoffman in her best!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Absolutely! If my friends does'nt know Alice Hoffman they ought to. Best writer ever!

Which scene was your favorite?

The bears in the cave scene

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great take of a town !

I loved this book, Alice Hoffman joins humans , nature and animals into a fascinating story.
Descendants of this town founded in the early 1700 to current . Nancy Travis is great narrating warmth and excitement.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good, off story

Loved that it was a different kind of story. If you take too low on between listening it is hard to keep track of all the characters.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this book

Wonderful book that left me wishing for more. Each character could’ve had their own book.

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