What They Say....On the Night of the Wolf, the Orphans drive south on the Avenue, hunting their rival gang, the Pack. In the lead is McKay, their brooding, courageous President. Left waiting at the clubhouse is the Property of the Orphans, tough girls in mascara and leather who have declared their allegiance to the crew. Tonight, a new girl has joined their ranks. She waits only for McKay.

Drag races, dope, knife fights in the street. To the seventeen-year-old heroine of Alice Hoffman’s stunning first novel, the gritty world of the Avenue is beautiful and enthralling. But her love for McKay is an addiction—one that is never satisfied and is impossible to kick. Deeper and deeper she falls, until the winter’s day when she decides to break the spell once and for all.

A strikingly original story about the razor-thin line between love and loss, Property Of showcases the vivid imagery, lyricism, and emotional complexity that are the hallmarks of Alice Hoffman’s extraordinary career.

What I Say.... This is one of the few Alice Hoffman books that I had not read. She is hands down one of my favorite authors. I don't think anyone can write magical realism, addiction or life derailing love/obsession like Hoffman does. So when I saw an Alice Hoffman book on NetGalley as an ARC for review - I jumped!

This book was first published in 1977, and the book is definitely dated, but the story is timeless. A young girl hungering for a bad boy, a bad boy who looks to drugs to escape his life, all while chasing his belief of what honor means, way past a time where he has any honor left.

Hoffman's books are often uncomfortable to read, they cause a visceral tightening in your stomach as you watch people make the wrong choices, take the wrong path, fall into ruin. But the hallmark of

her writing is making you passionately care, even when it causes you discomfort.

This book only had a bit of magic written into it, in the form of a locket, but it was still there. Her focus on magical realism became more apparent in her later work, but this book was no less powerful without it.

You could hand me a book with no cover and within a few pages, I would know it was an Alice Hoffman book. Her voice is that strong, and her style is that sure. Love her.

As a long time fan of Alice Hoffman I do not know why I never read this, her first novel. It is stunning and at the end I felt devastated, emotionally exhausted and I didn't want to start any new books because I wanted to be back in the world of Property Of. My initial reaction to the book was, well it's about young people and I am not sure I am going to find this story one I can related to. Before I had barely finished that thought I was on to page three, then four and then there was no stopping until the end. At the end I wanted to stop my feet because I wanted MORE. That rarely happens to me and I have to say that this book is now one of my all-time favorites.

Set in a world of youth, where the tough kids aren't old enough to know they really aren't invincible, the themes in this novel reach far beyond this starting premise. The theme of cyclical behavior, the choices that we make that lead us right back where we started, and the barriers to change are something people of all ages can relate to. The insanity of loving the wrong person who seems oh-so-right and the ramifications of their behavior as an individual and part of a community is brilliantly displayed in Hoffman's eloquent prose. What happens when you are the property of......and what happens when you aren't? What happens when honor codes turn to dust and the ugly realities of life grow in the cracks of the sidewalk and skew all perspectives? When addiction becomes the bloodline that binds two as one? When the desire to save you both becomes the necessity to save yourself? These are all questions that Hoffman asks her readers to wrestle with.

While a story of alienation from the mainstream, this novel is so much more. I find it appealing on a universal level and it is a mistake to think that because the characters are young that this book is meant only for the young. In fact, I think that Hoffman's work speaks to the universality of the questions I have raised. Personal insight and a few trips to the rodeo actually provide more insight into this world than may be experienced by younger folks. It is deeply profound and brilliantly written.

I leave you with this line from the book that I found particularly poignant. "Many remedies are suggested for brutality; some recommend jasmine tea with honey, others suggest lobotomy." These words are so very true, and the brutality of the world doesn't stop at 19 or 25 or 50 and we all make our way, doing whatever works best to get us through. Alice Hoffman says it better than I ever could. Thank you, Ms. Hoffman!

This is a quick read with great characters and the book very much reminded me of "The Outsiders" by SE Hinton. If the thought of reading about teens in a gang (and that includes the violence and the language that comes with those teens) offends you, you may want to pass on this book. Overall, I enjoyed it very much!

This reprint of one of Alice Hoffman's earlier works is beautiful. She remains an author who has a solid and dedicated following of readers and I know plenty who'll want to get their hands on these new editions. They'll be a pleasure to sell.

Very evocative and atmospheric but with a sense of hopelessness for the lead character who won my sympathy and frustration for her inability to escape her situation. This is the first Alice Hoffman I have read but in this book she recreated an unfamiliar environment in a very convincing way and I would look to read more of her work.

Gangs. Gang warfare. Violence. Cruelty. Drugs. Addiction. Rape. Not a book that would normally attract me, but the author always does, and Alice Hoffman has managed to make out of a brutal tale of New York low-life, where the girls are simply “property of” the gang members, a wonderfully compelling and human story of characters on the edge, and somehow she makes the reader engage with them. A lonely 17 year old girl falls for McKay, the charismatic leader of the Orphans, who are locked into warfare with a rival gang. She does anything she can to save him from this life – and we want her to succeed. But can there ever be an escape from this world of gangs and drugs? Can love be enough?
This was Alice Hoffman’s first novel, written when she was just 21 and a graduate student at Stanford University. None of her later trademark magical realism touches are in evidence, but her strong writing, clever plotting and pacing, and most of all her vivid characterisation most certainly are. A remarkable debut novel and one that will stay with me.

Alice Hoffman is perhaps best known for her novel Practical Magic, which was turned into an highly entertaining movie. This year also saw her publishing The Museum of Extraordinary Things which I myself immensely enjoyed. However, Hoffman has been writing for years and it is her first novel that is up for discussion now. And what a way to make an entrance into the literary world!

This would be one hell of an introduction to Hoffman. Having seen or read Practical Magic, you might think you know what she is all about, but Property Of is unlike any book I have read and I have to be quite honest and say that I am slightly in love with it the way out protagonist is in love with McKay. It wasn't enough and yet it was just right. 'Mesmerizing', 'original' and 'vivid' are all words that fit this novel to the tee. When I read the synopsis I was intrigued and then worried. Was I going to be reading another 'I can fix him with my love'-story? Would it be as cliche as I know a lot of novels to be? And yet from the very first page Hoffman cast all of my doubts aside and had me following her trail. In Property Of she manages to show things that would otherwise have enraged me. Women aren't property and shouldn't ever be thought of as such, and yet Hoffman nails it when she describes the feeling of longing to belong, may it be to a group or to one other person. Humans are pack-animals and we crave to be close to others. We also crave excitement, danger, honour and other things that aren't good for us. Hoffman describes many of these things without judgement, without a morality-lesson and thereby allows her reader an insight into a life most of us won't know. It makes excellent food for thought, something every book should strive to be.

Hoffman has an incredible authorial presence that is never too intrusive. She herself doesn't "enter" the narrative but the protagonist often takes a moment out to address the reader. Although this usually breaks up the narrative for me, leading to frustration, here it really helps. Not once do you find out what her name is or where she actually comes from but because the book is so closely entwined with the main character those details would feel unnecessary. You will know her better than you know yourself at the end of the book. I found myself in love when she was, disgusted, terrified when she was and sometimes even angry at her, without ever thinking of putting the book down. Through her use of language, which makes the base and banal lyrical, the novel lures you into this world of gangs and violence, where the concept of honour among thieves still seem to exist and yet reality never fails to intervene, and makes you want to be a part of it. Will I be joining a gang tomorrow? No, Property Of has definitely convinced me it's not my kind of place, but that doesn't mean that the images drawn by Hoffman aren't enticing and spectacular. In many ways, Hoffman has done exactly what I wish all books did. She has taken me on a journey, shown me places I would otherwise never have seen, all from my own room.

This novel is one that exists almost solely for itself. It sounds very abstract or pretentious maybe, but Property Of feels like a book that wasn't written to top the best-seller lists and bring in money, but to allow the author to stretch her abilities to the brink and over it. Originally published in 1977, it is was released as e-book in September of this year and although this may be me growing sentimental over a time in which I never lived, Property Of smacks of a time when "literature" was a lot freer, less constrained by the need to make profit or to fit in with a trend. Being a debut novel, it is naturally also meant to showcase Hoffman's abilities at their best but nothing in this book feels manufactured or fake. She writes matter-of-factly about violence, love, drugs and many more things

I don't hand out 5 star ratings quickly because I keep them for books that really resonate with me or touch something that other books don't. Property Of is that kind of book. Hoffman creates a story that is addictive, that you don't want to let go. The thought of picking up another book straight after this one was out of the question. I recommend this not only to Hoffman fans but also to readers looking for a book that will suck you in and not let go.

Nobody can match Alice Hoffman for atmosphere and for phrasing. I loved this!