Alice Hoffman

"I think we are bound to, and by, nature.  We may want to deny this connection and try to believe we control the external world, but every time there’s a snowstorm or drought, we know our fate is tied to the world around us."
Alice Hoffman, Bookreporter.com

Alice Hoffman’s fascination with the nuances of the natural world began with her childhood love of fairy tales, which is only fitting when one considers the fairy tale quality of both Hoffman’s work as well as the charmed way she launched her literary career:  Hoffman published her first novel, Property Of, at the tender age of twenty-one when she was still a student at Stanford University.

With a penchant for interpreting the intricacies of daily life and common objects through mystical happenings and quirky characters, the multi-talented Hoffman has published novels, as well as children’s books, young adult fiction, screenplays, and short stories.  Her work has appeared in magazines as diverse as Ms. and Playgirl, and many of her novels have been successfully adapted to the big screen, including Practical Magicand Aquamarine.

Based on Emily Bronte’s classic, Wuthering Heights, Hoffman’s 1997 novel, Here on Earth, was an Oprah Book Club selection, and numerous other works have received critical attention as notable "books of the year" by The New York Times, Library Journal, and Entertainment Weekly.

A breast cancer survivor, Hoffman donated the proceeds of her short story collection, Local Girls, to help create the Hoffman Women’s Cancer Center at Mt. Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Born in 1952 in New York City, Hoffman grew up on Long Island and attended Adelphi University, where she earned a B. A.  The recipient of a Mirrellees Fellowship to the Stanford University Creative Writing Center, Hoffman was awarded a M.A. in creative writing in 1974. A wife and mother of two children, Hoffman currently lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.

Works Held in St. Charles Public Library’s Collection

The Third Angel (2008) – ***
Skylight Confessions (2007) – eAudiobook; LP
The Ice Queen (2005) – ***; LP
The River King (2005) – eAudiobook; **
The Probable Future (2004) – eAudiobook; LP
Blackbird House (2004) – LP
Blue Diary (2001) –**; LP
Local Girls (1999)
Here on Earth (1998)
Practical Magic (1995) – **; ***; LP
Second Nature (1994)
Turtle Moon (1992) – **; LP
Seventh Heaven (1990)
At Risk (1988)
Illumination Night (1987)
Fortune’s Daughter (1985)
Angel Landing (1980)
The Drowning Season (1979)

** - Audiobook Cassette
*** - Audiobook CD
JH – Youth Services Fiction
LP – Large Print
YA – Young Adult Fiction

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