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Green Angel #1
Green Angel
The startling, universally acclaimed breakthrough YA novel from master bestselling author Alice Hoffman, now in paperback.
Left on her own when her family dies in a terrible disaster, fifteen-year-old Green is haunted by loss and by the past. Struggling to survive physically and emotionally in a place where nothing seems to grow and ashes are everywhere, Green retreats into the ruined realm of her garden. But in destroying her feelings, she also begins to destroy herself, erasing the girl she'd once been as she inks darkness into her skin. It is only through a series of mysterious encounters that Green can relearn the lessons of love and begin to heal enough to tell her story.
Left on her own when her family dies in a terrible disaster, fifteen-year-old Green is haunted by loss and by the past. Struggling to survive physically and emotionally in a place where nothing seems to grow and ashes are everywhere, Green retreats into the ruined realm of her garden. But in destroying her feelings, she also begins to destroy herself, erasing the girl she'd once been as she inks darkness into her skin. It is only through a series of mysterious encounters that Green can relearn the lessons of love and begin to heal enough to tell her story.
128 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 2003
About the author
Alice Hoffman
120 books23.6k followersAlice Hoffman is the author of more than thirty works of fiction, including The World That We Knew; The Marriage of Opposites; The Red Garden; The Museum of Extraordinary Things; The Dovekeepers; Here on Earth, an Oprah’s Book Club selection; and the Practical Magic series, including Practical
Magic; Magic Lessons; The Rules of Magic, a selection of Reese’s Book Club; and The Book of Magic. She lives near Boston.
Magic; Magic Lessons; The Rules of Magic, a selection of Reese’s Book Club; and The Book of Magic. She lives near Boston.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,304 reviews
June 13, 2024
Alice Hoffman by way of Cormac McCarthy. Fifteen-year-old, raven-haired, and green-thumbed Green would love to go to the market with her parents and her practically moon-glowing sister, but someone needs to stay behind and take care of things. The three most important things after location, location, location are timing, timing, and timing. The family picked the wrong day to bring produce to the city. A fire. Think London, 1666, with a dash of 9/11. Green not only loses her family but is affected physically as well, as ash from the event damages her eyes, reducing her vision severely, but not entirely. Cormac-like events beset poor Green. Nothing will grow in her precious garden. She survives, inking her skin with dark images reflective of the new reality, writing over who she was with who she needs to be to survive.
Hoffman uses the hellscape, a very Road-evocative environment as the foil, the struggle Green must take on. How Green grows, changes, redefines herself as someone outside her parents, her family, and redefines herself again to cope with changing circumstances, how she finds ways to survive, how she copes with other survivors, human and animal, and struggles with connection and loss makes for a compelling and moving story.
This being Alice Hoffman there is a fairy tale feel to the tale. Grimm indeed. She tosses in some bits of magical realism, or maybe just plain magic, and a lot of feeling.
This is a YA title and is a very fast read, 116 small pages, and I so wish it had been much longer, as it is satisfying beyond its length, even for a geezer like me.
Other Hoffman books I have reviewed:
-----1999 - Local Girls
-----2004 - Blackbird House
-----2005 - The Ice Queen
-----2011 - The Red Garden
-----2011 - The Dovekeepers
-----2017 - Faithful
-----2017 - The Rules of Magic
-----2019 - The World That We Knew
-----2023 - The Invisible Hour
Hoffman uses the hellscape, a very Road-evocative environment as the foil, the struggle Green must take on. How Green grows, changes, redefines herself as someone outside her parents, her family, and redefines herself again to cope with changing circumstances, how she finds ways to survive, how she copes with other survivors, human and animal, and struggles with connection and loss makes for a compelling and moving story.
This being Alice Hoffman there is a fairy tale feel to the tale. Grimm indeed. She tosses in some bits of magical realism, or maybe just plain magic, and a lot of feeling.
This is a YA title and is a very fast read, 116 small pages, and I so wish it had been much longer, as it is satisfying beyond its length, even for a geezer like me.
Other Hoffman books I have reviewed:
-----1999 - Local Girls
-----2004 - Blackbird House
-----2005 - The Ice Queen
-----2011 - The Red Garden
-----2011 - The Dovekeepers
-----2017 - Faithful
-----2017 - The Rules of Magic
-----2019 - The World That We Knew
-----2023 - The Invisible Hour
August 31, 2021
4.5 Stars ⭐️
This book was magical and the cover and the few illustrations are beautiful!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
This book was magical and the cover and the few illustrations are beautiful!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
June 2, 2008
Well, I only made it to page nine of this overwrought, strained book. Soon after learning that the protaganist's younger sister was so precious that "bees would drink the sweat of her skin," and that she was in fact made of "laughter and moonlight" and that "white moths would rather circle around her than fly into the sky up above" I abandoned her to whatever wretched, flute-music-infused fate awaited her.
January 25, 2009
Amazing book. I can see why it's on a favorite's list. It's one of those things where I just want to hand it to people. Hoping maybe even if they never read it, somehow the message would be understood. The magic would just come through. That's what I had to say after finishing this book Friday, not all that long after having picked it up. I'm not sure I could do it much justice by adding to the original impression. This is one of those stories you just know you could read again and again. It's Life, it's Hope. And what can you ever say about those without sounding little?
February 5, 2024
There were those who swore that anyone who touched my hand would be visited by bad fortune. I didn't disagree. (PG 43)
If we are going to compare magical realism authors, I'd vouch for Sarah Addison Clark over Alice Hoffman. Hoffman is sometimes a hit or miss but I do enjoy her storytelling.
This novel was super short @ 116 pages, so it was not a waste of time for me.
I didn't see the sadness coming. A wonderful family unit, close loving family of four.... then people die. I wasn't sure if everyone in the area died and some survived or it was a rebellion or was it a New World, dystopian? If anyone can clarify this, thank you in advance.
A lost girl that becomes strong and sure of herself through circumstances.
I would recommend.
If we are going to compare magical realism authors, I'd vouch for Sarah Addison Clark over Alice Hoffman. Hoffman is sometimes a hit or miss but I do enjoy her storytelling.
This novel was super short @ 116 pages, so it was not a waste of time for me.
I didn't see the sadness coming. A wonderful family unit, close loving family of four.... then people die. I wasn't sure if everyone in the area died and some survived or it was a rebellion or was it a New World, dystopian? If anyone can clarify this, thank you in advance.
A lost girl that becomes strong and sure of herself through circumstances.
I would recommend.
March 21, 2008
Author: Alice Hoffman
Title: Green Angel
Genre: magical realism, tale of survival
Publication Info: Scholastic. New York. 2003.
Recommended Age: 13 and older
Plot Summary: Green, a moody, introspective 15-year-old, stays at home while her parents and younger sister travel to the city to sell their vegetable produce. Being intentionally left behind to tend the garden causes her to not say goodbye to her family. From across the river, Green watches in horror as the city explodes into flames. Even at her distance, she is not kept safe from embers entering her eyes. She becomes partially blinded. She waits for her family for days, but they never return. Green feels guilty for her previous behavior. She punishes herself by carving dark tattoos all over her body. The outside world is in anarchy and even Green—having a supernatural talent for gardening—refuses to help the suffering plants from the ash that blankets them. By putting on a tough front, she protects herself from looters and others who try to cheat her. She even sews thorns and pounds nails into her clothing so that no one can get close to her. Several surviving animals and people come into Green’s life and somehow restore her love of nature and life. One boy shows up long enough to help replant the garden and instill in Green a reason for living again. At the end of the book, her vision is restored and she sets out to tell her story of heartache and survival.
Personal Notes: I found the book hard to grasp at times. This may have been because of the magical realism. There were times the story seemed hauntingly real, and other times where things just did not make sense. For example, why were so many youth who had lost their families allowed to live on the streets and on their own? Where was the police? Child Protective Services? Extended family members? I had a hard time imagining her needing to sell off all the family belongings for food and making bread out of ground chestnuts for so long. I wouldn’t really know how to go about teaching this book in the classroom, so I would recommend it for individual reading only.
Evaluation: This book is somewhat difficult to read. It delves into some deep issues of survival, solitude, and hope. While written for a younger audience, the story also calls for sophisticated readers. I think that students with a taste for the gothic would particularly enjoy this story.
Other Comments: I wonder if this book was written with the intent to help youth cope with the horrors of 9/11. The actual disaster in the story was not explained well at all. It was quite confusing, really. What would cause the whole city to shake and burn down? Why would people have felt the need to jump from the buildings? These are some of the questions I had while reading the novel.
Title: Green Angel
Genre: magical realism, tale of survival
Publication Info: Scholastic. New York. 2003.
Recommended Age: 13 and older
Plot Summary: Green, a moody, introspective 15-year-old, stays at home while her parents and younger sister travel to the city to sell their vegetable produce. Being intentionally left behind to tend the garden causes her to not say goodbye to her family. From across the river, Green watches in horror as the city explodes into flames. Even at her distance, she is not kept safe from embers entering her eyes. She becomes partially blinded. She waits for her family for days, but they never return. Green feels guilty for her previous behavior. She punishes herself by carving dark tattoos all over her body. The outside world is in anarchy and even Green—having a supernatural talent for gardening—refuses to help the suffering plants from the ash that blankets them. By putting on a tough front, she protects herself from looters and others who try to cheat her. She even sews thorns and pounds nails into her clothing so that no one can get close to her. Several surviving animals and people come into Green’s life and somehow restore her love of nature and life. One boy shows up long enough to help replant the garden and instill in Green a reason for living again. At the end of the book, her vision is restored and she sets out to tell her story of heartache and survival.
Personal Notes: I found the book hard to grasp at times. This may have been because of the magical realism. There were times the story seemed hauntingly real, and other times where things just did not make sense. For example, why were so many youth who had lost their families allowed to live on the streets and on their own? Where was the police? Child Protective Services? Extended family members? I had a hard time imagining her needing to sell off all the family belongings for food and making bread out of ground chestnuts for so long. I wouldn’t really know how to go about teaching this book in the classroom, so I would recommend it for individual reading only.
Evaluation: This book is somewhat difficult to read. It delves into some deep issues of survival, solitude, and hope. While written for a younger audience, the story also calls for sophisticated readers. I think that students with a taste for the gothic would particularly enjoy this story.
Other Comments: I wonder if this book was written with the intent to help youth cope with the horrors of 9/11. The actual disaster in the story was not explained well at all. It was quite confusing, really. What would cause the whole city to shake and burn down? Why would people have felt the need to jump from the buildings? These are some of the questions I had while reading the novel.
April 28, 2013
Um, was I supposed to love this highly acclaimed crap?
This is probably the smallest book I've read but it sure as felt like a billion pages long. I am not joking, by the end of it I fell flat out asleep. Really.
This book's outline is kind of like If I Stay but rest of the story is very different and equally boring. I am telling you, I love these depressive, sad kind of books but Green Angel wasn't even close to it.
I have got to stop reading these waste-of-time books!
This is probably the smallest book I've read but it sure as felt like a billion pages long. I am not joking, by the end of it I fell flat out asleep. Really.
This book's outline is kind of like If I Stay but rest of the story is very different and equally boring. I am telling you, I love these depressive, sad kind of books but Green Angel wasn't even close to it.
I have got to stop reading these waste-of-time books!
February 27, 2012
When reading another Alice Hoffman book, I'm reminded that she is one of my favorite authors. She consistently weaves magic into characters that have a mystical, yet down to earth, quality about them.
The setting of this haunting book is a town and countryside destroyed by a terrible conflagration.
Using metaphorical symbolism, Hoffman tells the tale of Green who stayed behind on the day her mother, father and sister went to town to sell their vegetables. Resentful, Green does not say goodbye. Thus, when her family perishes in the fire, she bears tremendous guilt.
As the sky is gray, blocking the sun, the land is unproductive and societal rules seem to fall apart. What remains is a band of people who eek out a living, some of whom cannot overcome their grief and live sad apathetic lives.
Green remains cut off and lives alone, hardened and thorny. As slowly she reaches out to a neighbor, a dog, a few birds and a forsaken emotionally distraught young woman, Ash begins the process of healing.
In her usual style, Hoffman transforms the character in a fairytale fashion. Thorns and nettles are replaced with new growth of food as the ash is pushed aside to allow earth that produces and inner strength that rejuvenates.
The setting of this haunting book is a town and countryside destroyed by a terrible conflagration.
Using metaphorical symbolism, Hoffman tells the tale of Green who stayed behind on the day her mother, father and sister went to town to sell their vegetables. Resentful, Green does not say goodbye. Thus, when her family perishes in the fire, she bears tremendous guilt.
As the sky is gray, blocking the sun, the land is unproductive and societal rules seem to fall apart. What remains is a band of people who eek out a living, some of whom cannot overcome their grief and live sad apathetic lives.
Green remains cut off and lives alone, hardened and thorny. As slowly she reaches out to a neighbor, a dog, a few birds and a forsaken emotionally distraught young woman, Ash begins the process of healing.
In her usual style, Hoffman transforms the character in a fairytale fashion. Thorns and nettles are replaced with new growth of food as the ash is pushed aside to allow earth that produces and inner strength that rejuvenates.
October 14, 2019
This lyrical and lushly descriptive novella captures a young woman’s grieving process with razor-sharp precision. When Green’s family leave for the city one day, she has no way of knowing that she will never see them again, as a terrible disaster destroys much of the city and surrounding country. Green retreats into herself, building walls both mental and physical, tattooing herself with black roses and ravens in an attempt to transform herself into Ash, a girl who cannot be hurt by loss:
”I was making a different sort of heart, one that was black, one that was protected by thorns, by bats, by raven’s wings, by sorrow, by my aloneness, my armor.” The gradual healing of the blasted landscape around her mirrors the process by which Green learns to feel and love again, rediscovering herself.
After my indifference to her two earlier children's books, Aquamarine and Indigo , I almost gave Hoffman's Green Angel a miss, which would have been a shame. She seems finally to have hit her stride in this third novel for younger readers, which I found beautifully written, and quite moving.
”I was making a different sort of heart, one that was black, one that was protected by thorns, by bats, by raven’s wings, by sorrow, by my aloneness, my armor.” The gradual healing of the blasted landscape around her mirrors the process by which Green learns to feel and love again, rediscovering herself.
After my indifference to her two earlier children's books, Aquamarine and Indigo , I almost gave Hoffman's Green Angel a miss, which would have been a shame. She seems finally to have hit her stride in this third novel for younger readers, which I found beautifully written, and quite moving.
October 17, 2017
I was captivated. Lured into this fantasy of wisdom, pain, and love. The authors way with words made me actually cry while reading. If you're not into books that are poetic, this is not for you. Truly lovely to read.
October 25, 2012
This story was beautifully written. Each and every phrase evocative of a deeper meaning, that i honestly find myself lacking the proper words to describe how much i liked it. Liked it, is just too insignicant... i guess it becamed part of me, as only the greatest stories; the ones that truly touch our hearts, are capable of doing it. If we let them...
For me, this author is outstanding in this gender. She weaves the most sad, heartbreaking stories, in perfect tapestries, made of memories and ghosts, tears and love.
This is the story of fifteen year old Green. The older daughter, the quiet daughter...
I was the least among them, nothing special, just a girl. I was a moody, dark weed; still, they
called me Green because of my talents in the garden
When her sister and parents are killed, Green's starts to disappear beneath the cover of thorns
One night when the sky was ash-coloured, I went into the ruined garden and clipped the thorns from the bare rosebushes, then sewed them to my clothes, one by one, until my fingers bled. Now I was ready to feel nothing. I was protected from feeling anything at all.
and tattoos....
I didn't deserve anything, not food to ease my hunger or water to
ease my thirst.(..) That was when I took a pin and some black ink. I began to mark my arm. I outlined a raven, and then a bat, then a rose that looked like a flower found at the end of the world. That's who I was now without my mother and my father and my moonlit sister. Blood and ink.
Darkness where before there had been patience, black where there'd once been green.
...that she starts using as armor against the world, even against herself.
After a while, Green starts to give place to Ash. A girl that lives among ashes and pain...a girl whose own sight becomes cloudy...
This is a story about surviving grief.
A evocative, quirky, sad little story, sprinkled with bits of wisdom as just Alice Hoffman is capable of doing. I'm looking forward to read the next one Green Witch.
For me, this author is outstanding in this gender. She weaves the most sad, heartbreaking stories, in perfect tapestries, made of memories and ghosts, tears and love.
This is the story of fifteen year old Green. The older daughter, the quiet daughter...
I was the least among them, nothing special, just a girl. I was a moody, dark weed; still, they
called me Green because of my talents in the garden
When her sister and parents are killed, Green's starts to disappear beneath the cover of thorns
One night when the sky was ash-coloured, I went into the ruined garden and clipped the thorns from the bare rosebushes, then sewed them to my clothes, one by one, until my fingers bled. Now I was ready to feel nothing. I was protected from feeling anything at all.
and tattoos....
I didn't deserve anything, not food to ease my hunger or water to
ease my thirst.(..) That was when I took a pin and some black ink. I began to mark my arm. I outlined a raven, and then a bat, then a rose that looked like a flower found at the end of the world. That's who I was now without my mother and my father and my moonlit sister. Blood and ink.
Darkness where before there had been patience, black where there'd once been green.
...that she starts using as armor against the world, even against herself.
After a while, Green starts to give place to Ash. A girl that lives among ashes and pain...a girl whose own sight becomes cloudy...
This is a story about surviving grief.
A evocative, quirky, sad little story, sprinkled with bits of wisdom as just Alice Hoffman is capable of doing. I'm looking forward to read the next one Green Witch.
August 3, 2016
I found this a beautiful and deceptively simple book.
February 16, 2022
5 starts
Oh, this was an extremally exquisite work of art.
If you like literary fiction, character-centered, philosophical somber, dreamy and lyrical dystopian stories like The Road or Piranesi , you'd probably love this book!
his is a tale of introspection, death, and rebirth; about what happens when your outer world, as you knew it, is over and all is left is your inner world; when everything your treasured disappears and and all is left is which you have always overlooked. You are injured, starving and alone, all your loved ones are gone and just a handful of people are left: your enemies, the neighbor you didn't used to talk to and gang of looters. What do you do?
Hoffman's timeless and poetic voice makes this a one of a kind young adult dystopian. The plot moves slow and there is almost no dialogues in this work of literary fiction, but there is so much wonderful exploration, content and theme carried through beautiful symbolism!
Hoffman brings to life this otherworldly imagery, characters and situations straight from the real of dreams and delivers them with such enthralling storytelling!
And to make this experience even better, the illustrations! So ethereal and whimsical!
This is the perfect quick read for a summer night, by starlight.
Oh, this was an extremally exquisite work of art.
If you like literary fiction, character-centered, philosophical somber, dreamy and lyrical dystopian stories like The Road or Piranesi , you'd probably love this book!
his is a tale of introspection, death, and rebirth; about what happens when your outer world, as you knew it, is over and all is left is your inner world; when everything your treasured disappears and and all is left is which you have always overlooked. You are injured, starving and alone, all your loved ones are gone and just a handful of people are left: your enemies, the neighbor you didn't used to talk to and gang of looters. What do you do?
Hoffman's timeless and poetic voice makes this a one of a kind young adult dystopian. The plot moves slow and there is almost no dialogues in this work of literary fiction, but there is so much wonderful exploration, content and theme carried through beautiful symbolism!
Hoffman brings to life this otherworldly imagery, characters and situations straight from the real of dreams and delivers them with such enthralling storytelling!
And to make this experience even better, the illustrations! So ethereal and whimsical!
This is the perfect quick read for a summer night, by starlight.
November 2, 2022
Green Angel is short and sweet but packs a punch of emotion and metaphor. I can't believe I didn't read this when I was younger. I would have loved it but as an adult who has experienced more loss I probably appreciate it more now that I would have. This is the story about what it feels like deep in your soul to grieve the loss of loved ones and the loss of your own self, although anyone grieving the loss of anything could find meaning in this story. I thought this was a stunning book! Other reviewers scoffed at the flowery writing but I'm a big fan of flowery writing. It adds depth and emotion and atmosphere to a story, and Alice Hoffman does it so well. I highly recommend this book for teens and adults alke.
August 17, 2011
A story like this will never grow old. It is timeless as the sun, the moon, and the stars in the sky. As ageless as the trees and the grasses in all their richness in summer, and all their love in fall. It is the story of rebirth and, most of all, of Hope... and how that hope will grow from the darkest depths of anyone's prisons. Horrors, pain unimaginable, loneliness, sorrow unending--all these ashes that cover our souls, and darken our days.... This is the story we live through. Through the softest, gentlest, most profound of ways, this is the story we read in Green Angel, and it is the story we are born again through.
I do not know where to even begin to describe the profound impact this story had on me. It has settled in my heart like the heaviest of stones, but one that I know is not only a mere stone. It is a seed. A seed, or perhaps an egg--there settled in my chest, awaiting the chance to softly break, to steadily expand, to spread itself from the depths of me, throughout every muscle, every strand of nerve and thought--to become actions, to be born of dreams and turn into reality. It is like a magic spell, that captures the mind's attention so surely that you are swept away in this river, and are not aware you've been swallowed whole until in a sudden blink, you awaken to find yourself drenched and heavy with the tale. It brings a hand over one's heart, or a bittersweet tear and smile to our faces; it echoes like sorrow so close, and like laughter in the midst of pain. It is a book of memories. A creation so deeply endowed with emotions and the murmurings of the heart that our own hearts wrench in its presence, are torn from within us, beg to be close--because they know those feelings; they have each been there. We are all a witness to that pain. We have all ached and lost so deeply. We can all walk in the ashes. Sometimes, we still remember or know what it is to be lost in them--nothing but ash yourself.
*Smiles gently* ...and then... throughout the midst of our sorrows, our loss... in this shadowed world we have come walking into... like pale beauty, a sun we cannot see, a moon we long greeted only with cries, the stars we shed tears to--softly the warmth of color shades this world. A faint spot: in the earth, on the shelf, or suddenly looking up and noticing: the sky is blue~ ...how blessed that first recognition is of what we forgot: that this is, and forever will be--ours and ours undeniably!--life. ...how great! How the depth rushes around us, and suddenly we realize like the very earth and its offspring, the saplings that push up from the pallid dirt, that we are moving again--moving forward--and that we cannot stop ourselves. Our hearts, our souls--they will not let us.
...this is the story of life again. Of going through the darkness, and finding the light. Of learning that to live is not impossible, even when silence and loneliness and the veil of apathy have claimed us. It is written elusively, and yet persuades the heart to listen and respond. All we have to do... is give it the chance to speak, and it will unfold worlds for us. Without words, without complications of language, or situation, or happenstance. Like fairy tales and magic, it will give us a meaning deeper than what words can weave. It takes only a willing heart--an open mind--to understand it.
Though my review is cryptic for some, and too elusive for others, the book is one that speaks and is written from the heart. You have only to read the first few pages to realize why I have written in a manner so unfitting the everyday language of honest critique. *Smiles* I feel that this book deserved an emotive response, because for me, it is my memories, my present, my heart, and my soul it touched.
Readers, give this book a shot. It is beauty without the need to describe itself as such. And it is a miracle of life that no one should turn away, even if you end up not enjoying some aspects of it. Look beyond that. Give it a chance. It can be liberating.
I do not know where to even begin to describe the profound impact this story had on me. It has settled in my heart like the heaviest of stones, but one that I know is not only a mere stone. It is a seed. A seed, or perhaps an egg--there settled in my chest, awaiting the chance to softly break, to steadily expand, to spread itself from the depths of me, throughout every muscle, every strand of nerve and thought--to become actions, to be born of dreams and turn into reality. It is like a magic spell, that captures the mind's attention so surely that you are swept away in this river, and are not aware you've been swallowed whole until in a sudden blink, you awaken to find yourself drenched and heavy with the tale. It brings a hand over one's heart, or a bittersweet tear and smile to our faces; it echoes like sorrow so close, and like laughter in the midst of pain. It is a book of memories. A creation so deeply endowed with emotions and the murmurings of the heart that our own hearts wrench in its presence, are torn from within us, beg to be close--because they know those feelings; they have each been there. We are all a witness to that pain. We have all ached and lost so deeply. We can all walk in the ashes. Sometimes, we still remember or know what it is to be lost in them--nothing but ash yourself.
*Smiles gently* ...and then... throughout the midst of our sorrows, our loss... in this shadowed world we have come walking into... like pale beauty, a sun we cannot see, a moon we long greeted only with cries, the stars we shed tears to--softly the warmth of color shades this world. A faint spot: in the earth, on the shelf, or suddenly looking up and noticing: the sky is blue~ ...how blessed that first recognition is of what we forgot: that this is, and forever will be--ours and ours undeniably!--life. ...how great! How the depth rushes around us, and suddenly we realize like the very earth and its offspring, the saplings that push up from the pallid dirt, that we are moving again--moving forward--and that we cannot stop ourselves. Our hearts, our souls--they will not let us.
...this is the story of life again. Of going through the darkness, and finding the light. Of learning that to live is not impossible, even when silence and loneliness and the veil of apathy have claimed us. It is written elusively, and yet persuades the heart to listen and respond. All we have to do... is give it the chance to speak, and it will unfold worlds for us. Without words, without complications of language, or situation, or happenstance. Like fairy tales and magic, it will give us a meaning deeper than what words can weave. It takes only a willing heart--an open mind--to understand it.
Though my review is cryptic for some, and too elusive for others, the book is one that speaks and is written from the heart. You have only to read the first few pages to realize why I have written in a manner so unfitting the everyday language of honest critique. *Smiles* I feel that this book deserved an emotive response, because for me, it is my memories, my present, my heart, and my soul it touched.
Readers, give this book a shot. It is beauty without the need to describe itself as such. And it is a miracle of life that no one should turn away, even if you end up not enjoying some aspects of it. Look beyond that. Give it a chance. It can be liberating.
January 16, 2016
Well this is nothing short of a truly AMAZING book! I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read "Green Witch" the sequel.
This book got real mixed reviews. In my opinion, the people who gave it a low rating just didn't "get it". There are books that are read purely for entertainment and those that have a deeper meaning. This is one of those books. Every single paragraph in this book is dripping with meaning. You don't have to read between the lines, you read into the lines. This book is "Magical Realism" it is not meant to be real! So you have to read it with an open mind, knowing that this would not happen in real life, or would it?
There are so many lines in this book that just grabbed me. One of them being - "I wanted silence, peace, blue skies, yesterday." When we are struck by tragedy, a death in the family, a fire, even a break-up, what do we wish for most? For it to have never have happened. We wish to go back in time. We wish for... yesterday.
At the end of the book She says - "Every page white like a garden, in which anything might grow." again, what a beautiful line. Writing words on paper, forming a story is a lot like planting seeds in a garden. Words are seeds for our mind and how they grow is up to you, how you nurture, cultivate and harvest them.A garden is what you make of it, and a story is how you feel it, how you interpret it, and what you take away.
This book is all about giving and receiving. Its more than just pay back, or paying a debt. It is just simply returning the favor, taking care of others that took care of you, maybe even a little of "Do unto others..." Heather hushed the others and told them to leave Green alone, in return Green left food and clothes for her. Green saved a couple baby birds, they in turn knitted a fishing net of her own hair. She nursed a dogs burned feet back to health, he in return shook the trees till all the chestnuts fell for her to gather. He also led her to her neighbor's house so she could find out it was the neighbor who threw the stones saving her from the looters. In return Green took her food. Green took in a boy who lost his mother, she shared her home and all her food with him. In return he cooked and re-started the burned garden.
This book is about Re-birth and renewal. After a forest fire the forest renews itself. New shoots of green plants start growing. After a loved one dies, after all the sadness, you go through a re-birth, acceptance and living your life again. A town goes through a re-birth after a disaster (tornado, flood etc.) when they start rebuilding. This happens in so many ways in the book. Even Green herself goes through a huge re-birth, not only her appearance, her name, the house and garden, but also her spirit! Her soul and her heard is renewed.
There is so much more to this book than just an amusing story. Allow yourself to dig deeper, allow yourself to feel, allow yourself into Green's world, only then will you truly "Get it".
This book got real mixed reviews. In my opinion, the people who gave it a low rating just didn't "get it". There are books that are read purely for entertainment and those that have a deeper meaning. This is one of those books. Every single paragraph in this book is dripping with meaning. You don't have to read between the lines, you read into the lines. This book is "Magical Realism" it is not meant to be real! So you have to read it with an open mind, knowing that this would not happen in real life, or would it?
There are so many lines in this book that just grabbed me. One of them being - "I wanted silence, peace, blue skies, yesterday." When we are struck by tragedy, a death in the family, a fire, even a break-up, what do we wish for most? For it to have never have happened. We wish to go back in time. We wish for... yesterday.
At the end of the book She says - "Every page white like a garden, in which anything might grow." again, what a beautiful line. Writing words on paper, forming a story is a lot like planting seeds in a garden. Words are seeds for our mind and how they grow is up to you, how you nurture, cultivate and harvest them.A garden is what you make of it, and a story is how you feel it, how you interpret it, and what you take away.
This book is all about giving and receiving. Its more than just pay back, or paying a debt. It is just simply returning the favor, taking care of others that took care of you, maybe even a little of "Do unto others..." Heather hushed the others and told them to leave Green alone, in return Green left food and clothes for her. Green saved a couple baby birds, they in turn knitted a fishing net of her own hair. She nursed a dogs burned feet back to health, he in return shook the trees till all the chestnuts fell for her to gather. He also led her to her neighbor's house so she could find out it was the neighbor who threw the stones saving her from the looters. In return Green took her food. Green took in a boy who lost his mother, she shared her home and all her food with him. In return he cooked and re-started the burned garden.
This book is about Re-birth and renewal. After a forest fire the forest renews itself. New shoots of green plants start growing. After a loved one dies, after all the sadness, you go through a re-birth, acceptance and living your life again. A town goes through a re-birth after a disaster (tornado, flood etc.) when they start rebuilding. This happens in so many ways in the book. Even Green herself goes through a huge re-birth, not only her appearance, her name, the house and garden, but also her spirit! Her soul and her heard is renewed.
There is so much more to this book than just an amusing story. Allow yourself to dig deeper, allow yourself to feel, allow yourself into Green's world, only then will you truly "Get it".
March 31, 2011
Green Angel / 0-439-65878-0
This story of a young girl's loss of her entire family and her own identity, and the subsequent struggle to regain herself in the aftermath of the loss, will no doubt make an impression on anyone. The deep themes of loss and survivor guilt are explored thoroughly, against a backdrop of magical realism.
Somehow, "Green Angel" puts me in mind of "Island of the Blue Dolphins", for the titular character "Green" often seems just as isolated and alone, despite her interactions with her neighbors and village people, largely due to the almost complete lack of dialogue throughout the book. And, like "Island of the Blue Dolphins", Green's survival and grasp on humanity is aided by numerous animals, each of which she gently nurses to health, cherishes, and finally frees, recognizing that being wild is an intrinsic part of *their* characters.
Despite its deep themes and achingly lovely narrative, "Green Angel" will not please all audiences. The novel is extremely short - a little more than 100 pages - and the frequent repetition will enable quick readers to whip through in an hour or so. The novel relies heavily on magical realism, with Green often surviving on little more than a few nuts a day, and with health issues largely determined by the demands of the plot. Characters and themes drift in and out of the story, creating an aching, detached narrative to match Green's dissociation from her pain, but in such a way that may frustrate more literal-minded readers.
"Green Angel" is worth trying, if only for the beauty of the prose and the painful themes contained within, and with such a short time investment to the novel, any reader owes it to themselves to check it out, and approach the novel with an open heart. And if you do read and enjoy "Green Angel", make certain to also read the even better sequel, "Green Witch".
~ Ana Mardoll
This story of a young girl's loss of her entire family and her own identity, and the subsequent struggle to regain herself in the aftermath of the loss, will no doubt make an impression on anyone. The deep themes of loss and survivor guilt are explored thoroughly, against a backdrop of magical realism.
Somehow, "Green Angel" puts me in mind of "Island of the Blue Dolphins", for the titular character "Green" often seems just as isolated and alone, despite her interactions with her neighbors and village people, largely due to the almost complete lack of dialogue throughout the book. And, like "Island of the Blue Dolphins", Green's survival and grasp on humanity is aided by numerous animals, each of which she gently nurses to health, cherishes, and finally frees, recognizing that being wild is an intrinsic part of *their* characters.
Despite its deep themes and achingly lovely narrative, "Green Angel" will not please all audiences. The novel is extremely short - a little more than 100 pages - and the frequent repetition will enable quick readers to whip through in an hour or so. The novel relies heavily on magical realism, with Green often surviving on little more than a few nuts a day, and with health issues largely determined by the demands of the plot. Characters and themes drift in and out of the story, creating an aching, detached narrative to match Green's dissociation from her pain, but in such a way that may frustrate more literal-minded readers.
"Green Angel" is worth trying, if only for the beauty of the prose and the painful themes contained within, and with such a short time investment to the novel, any reader owes it to themselves to check it out, and approach the novel with an open heart. And if you do read and enjoy "Green Angel", make certain to also read the even better sequel, "Green Witch".
~ Ana Mardoll
February 3, 2016
This gorgeous little book (116 pages) was recommended to me by one of my tumblr friends, 3partsfool after we quizzed each other one night over what characters or books really touched us years later after reading the last page.
I could not thank her enough for sharing this book with me. Alice Hoffman is a wonderful author that has crossed many genres and age levels. Her stories are always well written and thought provoking, which is all I want when I read a piece of work.
This little novel is no exception. This story has a character that is unique in her own way but as well realistic and relatable. After facing the most devastating moment in her life, you watch Green (the main character) go from almost losing herself, to working her way back out in the world and trying to bring life back into her now hallow life. This novelette will really pull at your heart strings. When all seems lost, light and love always find their way even if it means you need to let go of certain loved ones in that journey. I will not say anything more about this novel for fear of revealing too much especially if you would like to read this on your own.
I will promise that this character will stay with you long after you have read the last page and have placed this book back on the shelf.
I could not thank her enough for sharing this book with me. Alice Hoffman is a wonderful author that has crossed many genres and age levels. Her stories are always well written and thought provoking, which is all I want when I read a piece of work.
This little novel is no exception. This story has a character that is unique in her own way but as well realistic and relatable. After facing the most devastating moment in her life, you watch Green (the main character) go from almost losing herself, to working her way back out in the world and trying to bring life back into her now hallow life. This novelette will really pull at your heart strings. When all seems lost, light and love always find their way even if it means you need to let go of certain loved ones in that journey. I will not say anything more about this novel for fear of revealing too much especially if you would like to read this on your own.
I will promise that this character will stay with you long after you have read the last page and have placed this book back on the shelf.
September 12, 2014
I recently read The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman, and absolutely loved it. Based on this I decided to try this YA title by her, and although it wasn't in the same league as The Dovekeepers, it was still beautifully written. I think I'll try The Museum of Extraordinary Things soon.
The Story: Green Angel is a post-apocalyptic young adult novel, it tells the story of a girl's isolation, suffering and gradual recovery after her family dies in a catastrophic fire.
The Story: Green Angel is a post-apocalyptic young adult novel, it tells the story of a girl's isolation, suffering and gradual recovery after her family dies in a catastrophic fire.
November 27, 2008
Nothing spectacular--it's almost like a trial size sample of Alice Hoffman's writing. There's the usual fairytale like quality and hints of magical realism; standard Hoffman stuff. What's strange is the approach it takes. There's been some type of disaster (perhaps the result of some form of terrorism in this unnamed seeting), but we never get the back story as to what happened or why. Instead, the novella focuses on how the loss of her family and way of life affect the main character, Green. It's a quick and easy read, but not as gripping as perhaps a more fleshed out story would have been.
December 15, 2019
Good, but definitely not the "startling" story the blurb promises. I imagine that this was written post-9/11. It's written in Hoffman's signature style, with beautiful imagery, but I didn't think it was magical or life-changing. I agree that you need to be in the right mood to read it, get it, and appreciate it, and maybe I was not.
March 13, 2024
A sad, melancholy book of magical realism, grief, and sisterhood. Made me think vaguely of a monster calls by Patrick Ness. That same sort of grief but wildly different plot. This was captivating from beginning to end. 5 ⭐!
September 11, 2011
Nearly forty years after Hiroshima/Nagasaki, two years after the WTC attacks and two years before the Hurricane Katrina disaster, Alice Hoffman published this spare, elegant and evergreen fable about apocalyptic catastrophe, loss, grief and, ultimately, healing.
It recalls two of my favourite childhood reads, Shirley Rousseau Murphy's [long out of print] The Sand Ponies and Patricia McKillip's seminal fantasy, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld.
After losing her entire family in an unspecified (seemingly nuclear) disaster, fifteen year old Green must fend for herself in a barren and desperate world. Nearly blind, starving and paralysed with grief, she slowly heals herself by reaching out to others (including a wounded greyhound, two orphaned birds, an injured hawk and a elderly neighbor) needier than herself while clinging to fond memories of the loving relationships with her parents and beloved twin sister, Aurora.
Hoffman's skill as a novelist is apparent. Her prose is simple and dreamy, designed for maximum emotional impact. I wept several times in the story. I think that says a lot for a YA novel. This book offers a heartbreaking lesson in the importance of loving and letting go, as well as the necessity to rejoice in every moment of life.
It recalls two of my favourite childhood reads, Shirley Rousseau Murphy's [long out of print] The Sand Ponies and Patricia McKillip's seminal fantasy, The Forgotten Beasts of Eld.
After losing her entire family in an unspecified (seemingly nuclear) disaster, fifteen year old Green must fend for herself in a barren and desperate world. Nearly blind, starving and paralysed with grief, she slowly heals herself by reaching out to others (including a wounded greyhound, two orphaned birds, an injured hawk and a elderly neighbor) needier than herself while clinging to fond memories of the loving relationships with her parents and beloved twin sister, Aurora.
Hoffman's skill as a novelist is apparent. Her prose is simple and dreamy, designed for maximum emotional impact. I wept several times in the story. I think that says a lot for a YA novel. This book offers a heartbreaking lesson in the importance of loving and letting go, as well as the necessity to rejoice in every moment of life.
March 2, 2012
Despite being a very long time fan of Hoffman’s, this is the first of her young adult work I’ve read. It’s a slim book, more of a fable or fairy tale than a conventional novel. Despite its brevity, it evokes strong feelings.
Green is 15 years old and gets left to tend the farm one day while her parents and sister head into the city to sell their produce at the market. Upset at missing out on the trip, she does not say goodbye to them; no worries, things will be worked out when they get home. But tragedy strikes; the city is destroyed that day and the huge fire even destroys much of the farm across the river. Her family is not coming home. Her home is covered with ashes, the garden gone, the leaves and fruit have fallen from the trees. Green, now taking the name of Ash, is stricken with grief and survivor guilt. This is her journey through grief; those who help her, her set backs, her slow recovery. It’s a beautiful little book, and a powerful one, written in a way that even a young child can understand and an adult will be enchanted by.
Green is 15 years old and gets left to tend the farm one day while her parents and sister head into the city to sell their produce at the market. Upset at missing out on the trip, she does not say goodbye to them; no worries, things will be worked out when they get home. But tragedy strikes; the city is destroyed that day and the huge fire even destroys much of the farm across the river. Her family is not coming home. Her home is covered with ashes, the garden gone, the leaves and fruit have fallen from the trees. Green, now taking the name of Ash, is stricken with grief and survivor guilt. This is her journey through grief; those who help her, her set backs, her slow recovery. It’s a beautiful little book, and a powerful one, written in a way that even a young child can understand and an adult will be enchanted by.
December 5, 2018
I personally am not a big fan of fantasy. If you are into sprites and goats I would recommend this to you. I couldn't explain this book more than the back of the book, without giving stuff away. It wasn't a bad book, but it was a different book. It is about a fifteen-year-old girl. She does have a birthday in this but she has it with her Nabors because of the terrible disaster that killed her family. She is left confused and her life goes through a change. I can't say any more because it could give the big point away!
November 1, 2017
3.5 Stars
I needed a book I could read in a couple of hours and entertaining enough to keep my tired brain engaged. Green Angel certainly did the trick! I was unsure about the book for the first 5-10 pages, but all of a sudden I found myself absorbed in Green’s story. I ended up finding the book to be poetic and beautiful
I needed a book I could read in a couple of hours and entertaining enough to keep my tired brain engaged. Green Angel certainly did the trick! I was unsure about the book for the first 5-10 pages, but all of a sudden I found myself absorbed in Green’s story. I ended up finding the book to be poetic and beautiful
November 7, 2016
Only took me about an hour and a half to read this while waiting for an appt. A very short but lyrical book.
March 18, 2019
I loved this little book so much that I've already been to my library's website to request the sequel.
I can't wait to find out what happens next!
I can't wait to find out what happens next!
March 26, 2023
I was visiting my sister and picked this up at a little library because it was so nostalgic. I remember this book from when I was in school, but didn’t remember anything about it. Rereading this as an adult, the story holds up really well. The writing is beautiful and the characters are captivating. Highly recommend!
December 18, 2021
Pretty good!!! Super short and fun to read!!!
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