I had forgotten how very much I loved this work, and everything I've read by Alice Hoffman. Thanks for the opportunity to rediscover a treasure!

The story takes place in 1959 in a suburban community of cookie cutter homes. The lives of the neighbors on one street change when a new neighbor, Nora Silk, moves into a home. Nora and her two sons are missing a man as she is divorced. This condition makes them suspect and the subject of scorn. However as Nora and her family start a chain events that forever change the lives of the neighbors. Hoffman is an excellent writer and she always injects some form of magic into her stories. Once you read and enjoy one of her books, you will become a fan and want to read everything else she has written.

Alice's writing has really drawn me in and reminded me why I love reading her work.

This is the simple telling of life in a town, but yet the product is anything but simple. I care about these people. I sped through because I wanted to keep finding out about their day; finding out as they discover themselves, and fight against what they think life has to be about.

(It's just a shame it took me this long to discover it. But it has been given a new life - another reason I love ebooks.)

One thing I can always count on in an Alice Hoffman novel is a thread of magic and Seventh Heaven doesn't disappoint. At the center of this novel is a divorced woman, Nora, and her two children. Set primarily in the 1950s Nora's appearance in this town is highly problematic for all of the married couples, living superficially perfect lives.

Nora is a wonderful character who is full of life and chutzpa and she perseveres under difficult circumstances. She lives life on her own terms and waits for the neighborhood to catch up.

After establishing Nora as the main character Hoffman begins to show us life behind the gates and closed doors. She does an excellent job with her female characters who are oft-times as dead inside from the conformity to ideals that were anything but. Husbands, for the most part, keep their lives locked inside their heads and the children are the ones who act out the angst in the families soul.

The outsiders, Nora in particular, lead the way to a new norm which cracks open as 1960 appears. Most of the characters come to challenge the stereotypes and expectations that defined 1950s suburbia and real growth takes place, turning the town on it's head.

The magic is so delightfully woven through the plot that you scarcely notice it, but the protection it offers is a perfect antidote to child-hood bullying.

There are many characters in this book - some I wish I had gotten to know better - but the book in no way suffers from this. Just like visiting a small town for a week where you meet lots of people but never see into their hearts, the characters all resonate and create a complex whole.

Hoffman's writing is sublime and carries me away like the smell of fresh lavender. The language is hypnotic and her insights into the human condition are spot-on.

Of all of Hoffman's books, this is one of my favorites.

The period between 1959 and 1960 was a pivotal time in US history. What starts with hard working men, striving to keep their lawns perfect on the weekend (lest the neighbors talk), women working within the home, cooking, cleaning and raising the children, and kids who are polite and bright, is about to shift into a decade of assassinations, war, Women's Liberation, and Flower Children. Alice Hoffman takes advantage of this period of change in her book, "Seventh Heaven."

The setting is Hemlock Street, part of a cookie cutter suburb on Long Island. For six years, the inhabitants have lived quiet, unexamined lives. Into this seemingly perfect world steps Nora Silk and she's positively scandalous. She's divorced, she works, and she feeds her children macaroni and cheese on a constant basis and doesn't mind if they get dirty. Despite her optimism that she will be accepted, she becomes the object of gossip and is shunned by the women, while men look upon her with fascination. The children call her a witch. And indeed, Nora and her children have magic in their blood. Not the type you'd find in "Harry Potter," but the very real oddness and sense of wonder that touches our lives if we're lucky.

As the novel progresses, cracks appear in the facade of perfection on Hemlock Street, the dissatisfied wives, the restless husbands, and their irresponsible offspring. And slowly, Nora becomes more and more accepted. Women are empowered by her. What begins with fashion questions leads to wives taking control of their lives, divorcing husbands or finding jobs outside the home. Bullying children learn empathy and one young man, who is literally being haunted, finds healing in Nora's arms. As for the husbands, some come to accept that change maybe isn't so bad after all.

"Seventh Heaven" is everything we've come to expect from Alice Hoffman. A diverse cast of characters whose stories converge by the end, magical realism, and an open ending that encourages the reader to imagine what happens next. If you're an Alice Hoffman fan, you'll enjoy this book. If you've never read this author, then you're in for a real treat.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

Thank You NetGalley and Open Road Media for providing me with an ARC of Seventh Heaven by Alice Hoffman.

Few authors possess the storytelling skills that Alice Hoffman has. She has a talent for creating characters who appear so real in their thoughts, actions and descriptions that as a reader, you swear, you know these people. As I read Seventh Heaven, a movie reel in my head slowly played as I visualized every word and detail. I completely lost myself in 1959, Long Island suburbia, as Nora Silk descends upon Hemlock Street. From the outside Hemlock Street appears peaceful and ideal but inside these seemingly perfect homes and families lies sadness, emptiness and imperfection. If you are familiar with Hoffman's writing you won't be surprised for her blending of stories and characters, her use of magical realism and her gift for taking the ordinary and creating extraordinary!

So as most people know, I am huge Alice Hoffman fan. One of the few authors I will pre-order for and encourage everyone to read.

Recently, NetGalley had two of her books on the shelf, "Property Of" and "Seventh Heaven". I hadn't read "Property Of" before, so I did, and I liked it. My review is here.

I vaguely remembered reading Seventh Heaven, and once I started it, I realized that yes, I had read it before. But that didn't prevent me from enjoying it again.

This was a great story set in the time of housewives, husbands who took care of things, and twin beds.

What They Say....Nora Silk doesn’t really fit in on Hemlock Street, where every house looks the same. She's divorced. She wears a charm bracelet and high heels and red toreador pants. And the way she raises her kids is a scandal.

But as time passes, the neighbors start having second thoughts about Nora. The women’s apprehension evolves into admiration. The men’s lust evolves into awe. The children are drawn to her in ways they can't explain. And everyone on this little street in 1959 Long Island seems to sense the possibilities and perils of a different kind of future when they look at Nora Silk.

This extraordinary novel by the author of The River King and Local Girls takes us back to a time when the exotic both terrified and intrigued us, and despite our most desperate attempts, our passions and secrets remained as stubbornly alive as the weeds in our well-trimmed lawns.

What They Say....It seems like every time you re-read a book, you can take away a different message.

What stuck out for me this time was that Nora, whose greatest wish was to fit in her neighborhood, was the greatest catalyst for the other women to decide it was okay to stand out.

One of the things I love about Hoffman's books is the magical realism, and I think this was one of the first novels she wrote where it made such a large appearance. Billy hearing other people's thoughts was just accepted by his mom, there was no great reveal there, Nora sitting down to make a voodoo doll of the neighborhood bully is written as easily as if she was painting her fingernails. These are the things that make an Alice Hoffman book for me.

I think the theme of this book is still true today, women helping other women stand up instead of shooting them down, and the pursuit of a happy life. Hopefully, with a bit of magic to help you on the way

Alice Hoffman has very quickly become one of my favorite authors! This book shows how one person who is REAL can lift the veil from those pretending to be something they aren't. I LOVE the historical perspective and I know that I'll be reading this book again - Soon!

This reprint of one of Alice Hoffman's earlier works is beautiful. She remains a high quality 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.

A wonderful insight into the 1950's suburban life! It reminded me, in some parts of The Stepford Wives. The characters were wonderfully portrayed and the story line surrounding each character was beautifully crafted and weaved.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was my first taste of Alice Hoffman, but it definitely won't be my last. Thank you to Netgalley and the published for this pre-published copy.

Many American writers have taken the American suburb as their theme, and enjoyed exploring the tension, even on occasion horror, behind the façade. Alice Hoffman’s wonderfully compelling and moving novel likewise goes behind the closed doors of a suburban street, but does so with a compassion and insight that is uniquely her own. One day divorced Nora Silk and her two children move into a dilapidated house on the significantly named Hemlock Street. All Nora wants to do is fit in with her suburban neighbours. But Nora isn’t quite like them and they are suspicious of her. For a start she is divorced, a definitely unacceptable state to be in. And then she dresses more provocatively than the other women. And her skills as a mother aren’t always as they should be. But Nora evokes strong feelings in those around her and life on Hemlock Street will never be the same again. The falseness and hollow nature of fifties suburban America is opened up here and with sensitivity Hoffman portrays ordinary people doing their best in an imperfect world, as Nora leads the way into voyages of self-discovery that couldn’t have been envisaged before her arrival.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable and absorbing novel, well plotted and expertly paced, with empathetic characters, effective social satire and commentary, and an unforgettable portrayal of one 1950s community.