Illumination Night

By: Alice Hoffman

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Length: 7 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

Beginning on the night of the Grand Illumination, a festival of lanterns held each summer on Martha's Vineyard, this novel is a modern chronicle of a marriage and a bittersweet exploration of an extraordinary passion. Illumination Night follows the lives of a young blond giant who is as beautiful as he is frightening; an old woman at the end of her life whose last mission is to save her granddaughter's soul; a family torn apart by a wife's fears and a husband's unrealized desires; and the high school girl who comes to Martha's Vineyard against her will, who steals husbands and cars, and who will bring everyone together in a web of yearning, sin, and ultimate redemption. Both riveting and reflective, this is a story that brings to light the talent that has made Alice Hoffman an acclaimed bestselling author.

©2002 Alice Hoffman (P)2014 Blackstone Audio

Not magical

I missed the element of magic that Alice Hoffman's books are usually have. I really just liked Vonnie and the girl. My urge to parent her was overwhelming. I found it amusing that there was a giant in the story and that there was also a character named Andre. I found that distracting. It's the kind of book that I think I would re-read because my expectations Will be different now that I have read it, so I won't be as disappointed. It's more of a "slice of life" book than otherwise.

Interesting

everyone has thier own story, good read. I just felt so blah after. Not sad just blah....like what was the point to this book. Like I was waiting for something that never came.

Disappointed

I think Alice Hoffman will have to break up for a while. I’ve read almost everything and consider myself a big fan. But this one really disappointed me. I found it very depressing. Sorry Alice. But I’m going to need to take a break.

It was interesting... I think

If you are looking to get into the minds of people with various social dysfunctions, then this is the book for you. The story itself seems somewhat secondary and circumstantial. The narrator did a good job on most of it, but I couldn't get past how much she made the teenage girl sound like a 5-year-old. Anyway it did keep me interested enough to finish, and it wasn't hard to get through.

Not a happy story

story was good, but sad. performance voice had an overall sad tone to it which probably lent to the feeling of sadness.

Too much.......

There were too many disconnected mini-stories, all which seemed to have their own conflicts. Though a reader should interpret meaning to some extent, I had difficulty seeing reasons for all of them. Though some of the minor conflicts seemed to have theit

Just couldn't get into it

Struggled to finish. Actually just quit listening to it. Couldn't get into it. Didn't really care for the narration. Sorry, it just limped along for me.

Didn't enjoy

This was a tough book for me to like. The characters are well-drawn and did feel connected to them at various times. But the story's many themes and events (childhood, adolescent rebellion, guilt, shame, agoraphobia, aging, death of young and old, being different - too short or too tall - marriage, parenthood, infidelity) were too much and I stopped caring about the outcomes toward the end of the book.

I think the book was written wraith much too much narration and not enough dialog. I was TOLD what people said, did, thought, bit felt like I didn't experience it.

And... I really didn't like the narrator. She added unnecessary emphasis to some words and phrases, making it hard for me to judge anything for myself.

FIRST ALICE HOFFMAN BOOK

This was my first Alice Hoffman book, and I thought it was pretty good. I would describe her as an author of a higher grade with somewhat of a very serious and haunting feel to her writing. A lot of deeper emotional landscaping and psychological repercussions with the characters within themselves and with each other. The ambivalence and switching of alliances that occurs within all close relationships is skillfully portrayed. I will definitely seek out more of this author's work. I enjoyed the narration as well.

Good read

Held my interest. Like the way the characters were expressed. Made it appears as though there was more than one reader. Story line was slow, but wirth it