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At Risk
The Farrells are a middle-class family living in a small New England town. Ivan Farrell is an astronomer, wife Polly a photographer, eight-year-old Charlie a budding biologist and 11-year-old Amanda a talented gymnast. And then one day, unimaginable tragedy strikes.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
1358 people are currently reading
5302 people want to read
About the author
Alice Hoffman
117 books25.1k 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 527 reviews
January 15, 2010
Some readers have complained that this book--written about a family coping with an AIDS diagnosis at the height of the AIDS panic of the late 1980s/early 1990s--feels dated. While I recognize that it is no longer the "current events" novel it was originally conceived and written as, I feel that this book serves a very different purpose now--as a reminder of the very real concerns and struggles that people faced during that time when almost nothing was known about AIDS, and thereby everything was feared.
The book immerses you in the 1980s--down to the music of Madonna and Duran Duran, and the poster of Bruce Springsteen on the wall--in order to show you what this time, now distant, was like for a small-town family who was on the frontlines of this crisis. The details are very realistic because they were current at the time. I think that we might forget, looking back from a vantage point of twenty years later, that in the early days of AIDS, people were in fact irrationally frightened. People did things that now seem ridiculous, because they worried that they might get it, that their children could also be infected. The sad truth is reflected in the book--some people's children were in fact infected. Some people discovered that they had developed AIDS by completely random chance, and then had to deal with the consequences that came with it.
I loved the characters in this book, even the supporting characters of doctor and principal. They felt real, even if their actions didn't always make sense to me, and I was invested in them. The only part I disliked was the ending, which seemed to lose focus on the last page. At Risk is a fast read, and there is no doubt that the subject matter is sad, but there is definitely something to be gained by spending the time with it.
The book immerses you in the 1980s--down to the music of Madonna and Duran Duran, and the poster of Bruce Springsteen on the wall--in order to show you what this time, now distant, was like for a small-town family who was on the frontlines of this crisis. The details are very realistic because they were current at the time. I think that we might forget, looking back from a vantage point of twenty years later, that in the early days of AIDS, people were in fact irrationally frightened. People did things that now seem ridiculous, because they worried that they might get it, that their children could also be infected. The sad truth is reflected in the book--some people's children were in fact infected. Some people discovered that they had developed AIDS by completely random chance, and then had to deal with the consequences that came with it.
I loved the characters in this book, even the supporting characters of doctor and principal. They felt real, even if their actions didn't always make sense to me, and I was invested in them. The only part I disliked was the ending, which seemed to lose focus on the last page. At Risk is a fast read, and there is no doubt that the subject matter is sad, but there is definitely something to be gained by spending the time with it.
October 15, 2012
This is one of my favourite books of all time. I don't say that lightly as my other favourite books of all time are Lord of the Flies, Pride and Prejudice and Little Women.
When I found this book in a bookshop back in the early 1990s I had never heard of its author Alice Hoffman before. I read the book in one sitting and then I immediately read it again.
To date I have read it more than 100 times and recommended it to so many people.
I cried for most of the book the first time I read it. I still cry now each time I read it.
The characters are beautiful. They are not perfect - they are an ordinary family.
Amanda is an extraordinary girl and some of my favourite lines and scenes ever in a book, are written with her in them. The part when she has her braces taken off and suddenly realises that she would have grown up to be beautiful. That is a sublime piece of writing.
Her little brother is a wonder and I adore their relationship.
If you have never heard of Alice Hoffman I urge you to buy this book and then every other book she has ever written.
You have a real treat in store and sometimes I wish that I was finding this book At Risk and her other books for the first time.
When I found this book in a bookshop back in the early 1990s I had never heard of its author Alice Hoffman before. I read the book in one sitting and then I immediately read it again.
To date I have read it more than 100 times and recommended it to so many people.
I cried for most of the book the first time I read it. I still cry now each time I read it.
The characters are beautiful. They are not perfect - they are an ordinary family.
Amanda is an extraordinary girl and some of my favourite lines and scenes ever in a book, are written with her in them. The part when she has her braces taken off and suddenly realises that she would have grown up to be beautiful. That is a sublime piece of writing.
Her little brother is a wonder and I adore their relationship.
If you have never heard of Alice Hoffman I urge you to buy this book and then every other book she has ever written.
You have a real treat in store and sometimes I wish that I was finding this book At Risk and her other books for the first time.
July 16, 2011
I'm pretty much appalled by people who give this book a low grade because it is "too sad." It's heart wrenching for sure, but not melodramatic or over the top. And this book is not dated in the slightest. Sure, it's about AIDS ... which, in case people don't know, is still with us, and still gets transferred unwittingly among people at times. What the book also deals with is prejudice and love, and how fear of loss can cause us to ignore logic and what we know is right. And that type of action--which happens as much now as it ever has--is as heartbreaking as anything else in this wonderful book.
May 27, 2022
I did not know when I began reading what this novel was about. I trusted it would be well written and end on a positive note. I was not disappointed. It's Hoffman, after all.
Aside from the obvious, this novel addresses how families respond during crisis, how we forgive or fail to forgive the weaknesses or perceived weaknesses of the people we love and rely upon. It takes a hard look at the fallout suffered by the "other" child when all the attention of parents focuses on their saving the one who needs them most. It is, like much of Hoffman's work, profoundly reaffirming of life and family.
Hoffman's novels concern real people with jobs and pets and siblings and lovers and children and worries about work and about doing the right thing and how to face troubles that test their abilities to cope, whether that trouble is magic or lightning strike or disease or having been raised by wolves in the forest.
We are all of us lost sometimes in the forest, in the damp and dark and with no obvious pathway through. Hoffman is a writer who acknowledges the risks and loses and still sees hope.
This book was left to me by my mother who first introduced me to Alice Hoffman long ago. I hope it's not a spoiler to admit that I did not know I had any tears left for HIV. By the time this book came out (1988), my husband and I had left Seattle behind years before and had children. The HIV epidemic took a lot of people away, including people I'd worked with and for and alongside. I was never afraid of catching AIDS. I understand fear but also how disease is spread and wasn't having sex with them or sharing needles. Men I knew from Seattle had begun dying, people who were out to me, and I would get the news too late to say goodbye. A few years later when I completed plans for a major home remodel for a local man, I hugged David. No one had touched him in a long time, he said. I hadn't even considered that. He was a sweet person, easy to work with. People do not consider AIDS so much of a death sentence these days and I know men who have managed to keep going with AIDS for decades now. David was not so fortunate.
This is a wise book. Perhaps it is outdated in terms of medical care for AIDS but it was hopeful for the advances that have actually come about since then. There is much here of value for anyone who must face the darkness of the forest. We all do.
Aside from the obvious, this novel addresses how families respond during crisis, how we forgive or fail to forgive the weaknesses or perceived weaknesses of the people we love and rely upon. It takes a hard look at the fallout suffered by the "other" child when all the attention of parents focuses on their saving the one who needs them most. It is, like much of Hoffman's work, profoundly reaffirming of life and family.
Hoffman's novels concern real people with jobs and pets and siblings and lovers and children and worries about work and about doing the right thing and how to face troubles that test their abilities to cope, whether that trouble is magic or lightning strike or disease or having been raised by wolves in the forest.
We are all of us lost sometimes in the forest, in the damp and dark and with no obvious pathway through. Hoffman is a writer who acknowledges the risks and loses and still sees hope.
This book was left to me by my mother who first introduced me to Alice Hoffman long ago. I hope it's not a spoiler to admit that I did not know I had any tears left for HIV. By the time this book came out (1988), my husband and I had left Seattle behind years before and had children. The HIV epidemic took a lot of people away, including people I'd worked with and for and alongside. I was never afraid of catching AIDS. I understand fear but also how disease is spread and wasn't having sex with them or sharing needles. Men I knew from Seattle had begun dying, people who were out to me, and I would get the news too late to say goodbye. A few years later when I completed plans for a major home remodel for a local man, I hugged David. No one had touched him in a long time, he said. I hadn't even considered that. He was a sweet person, easy to work with. People do not consider AIDS so much of a death sentence these days and I know men who have managed to keep going with AIDS for decades now. David was not so fortunate.
This is a wise book. Perhaps it is outdated in terms of medical care for AIDS but it was hopeful for the advances that have actually come about since then. There is much here of value for anyone who must face the darkness of the forest. We all do.
August 5, 2018
Heartbreaking and beautiful
Amanda is only eleven years old and has been diagnosed with AIDS. At Risk was written at a time when little was understood about the HIV virus, and before there were effective treatments to slow the escalation of this terrible disease. Ignorance and fear played a big role in the way people treated Amanda and her family. But more than just a novel about AIDS and death, At Risk is the story of a beautiful little girl whose life was cut short and the loved ones who would keep her alive in their hearts. It made me smile and broke my heart, all at the same time. Alice Hoffman's writing is beautiful and haunting and her characters so real that you feel their loss as your own
Amanda is only eleven years old and has been diagnosed with AIDS. At Risk was written at a time when little was understood about the HIV virus, and before there were effective treatments to slow the escalation of this terrible disease. Ignorance and fear played a big role in the way people treated Amanda and her family. But more than just a novel about AIDS and death, At Risk is the story of a beautiful little girl whose life was cut short and the loved ones who would keep her alive in their hearts. It made me smile and broke my heart, all at the same time. Alice Hoffman's writing is beautiful and haunting and her characters so real that you feel their loss as your own
December 17, 2007
I read this book as a sophmore in HS and was rivited by the story. It has stuck with me all these years. An amazing yet difficult to read book, given the subject matter. I might try to track down a copy and re-read it, given how the times have changed.
I just re-read it, and wow. Even better than I remembered. Hoffman's writing is beautiful, aching and right on track. I had forgotten some of the great characters, and even how the book ended. I'm glad I took the time to look it over again.
I just re-read it, and wow. Even better than I remembered. Hoffman's writing is beautiful, aching and right on track. I had forgotten some of the great characters, and even how the book ended. I'm glad I took the time to look it over again.
April 19, 2020
Voi miten herkkätunteinen ja liikuttava kirja! Ihminen saa olla aika paatunut, jos tämä tunnelmakuvauksen taidonnäyte ei kosketa.
Varoitan kuitenkin, että Päivän korento alkoi latteasti. Että taas yksi sympaattinen perhe ja idyllinen pikkukaupunki. Nyt kun olen lukenut useita Hoffmaneita tiedän, että heikot alut saattavat olla tavaramerkki ja että alkuvaisuus ei tarkoita, etteikö tarina sen jälkeen voisi olla loistava.
Päivän korento on nuori Amanda, joka saa verensiirrosta aidsin. Sen, millaisia tunnemyrskyjä perhe kokee ja miten sairauden kulku muuttaa yhteisöä, Alice Hoffman kertoo erityisellä herkänrajulla tavalla.
Mitä pidemmälle tarina eteni, sitä enemmän unohdin lukevani kirjaa. Tunnelmat vain veivät mukanaan.
Että sellaiselta voi tuntua lapsen, parhaan ystävän, ehkä avioliiton ja jopa yhteisön menettäminen. Hyvin kamalalta tietysti.
Ja ihan muu huomio: Tämän kirjan kansidesign on yksinkertaisesta ruma, tylsä ja huomionarvoton. Outo toteutus!
Varoitan kuitenkin, että Päivän korento alkoi latteasti. Että taas yksi sympaattinen perhe ja idyllinen pikkukaupunki. Nyt kun olen lukenut useita Hoffmaneita tiedän, että heikot alut saattavat olla tavaramerkki ja että alkuvaisuus ei tarkoita, etteikö tarina sen jälkeen voisi olla loistava.
Päivän korento on nuori Amanda, joka saa verensiirrosta aidsin. Sen, millaisia tunnemyrskyjä perhe kokee ja miten sairauden kulku muuttaa yhteisöä, Alice Hoffman kertoo erityisellä herkänrajulla tavalla.
Mitä pidemmälle tarina eteni, sitä enemmän unohdin lukevani kirjaa. Tunnelmat vain veivät mukanaan.
Että sellaiselta voi tuntua lapsen, parhaan ystävän, ehkä avioliiton ja jopa yhteisön menettäminen. Hyvin kamalalta tietysti.
Ja ihan muu huomio: Tämän kirjan kansidesign on yksinkertaisesta ruma, tylsä ja huomionarvoton. Outo toteutus!
August 25, 2013
Needless to say, I'm a huge fan of Alice Hoffman. I like her style, especially the way she eases you into the quicksand before you are aware. This book, however, fell short of my expectations. It went into the kitchen, a very hot and volatile cooking environment, opened up all the cabinets, but never really pulled anything out. The fire was blazing, but nothing ever cooked. In the end, I was left on a pond in the woods looking for big turtles.
July 4, 2022
Heartbreaking story from the late 1980s about a normal everyday middle class family who one day learn their beautiful gifted 11 year old daughter, Amanda, has AIDS from a tainted blood transfusion given 5 years earlier. It is the story of the devastation the diagnosis wrecks in its wake on not just Amanda, but on her family, friends, and community. It leads us to the beginning of healing. Amanda's own brave acceptance infuses those closest to her with the ability to move forward with their lives, closing some of the fissures that her diagnosis created.
This is beautifully, tautly written. It is a really good thing I had restocked my tissue supply.
This is beautifully, tautly written. It is a really good thing I had restocked my tissue supply.
February 16, 2018
This was my second Adult Fiction title by Hoffman. I did not connect to this book characterwise like I did Faithful because there were too many basically flat characters who had been partially fleshed out, and I was hemming and hawng about giving it 3.5 stars on my blog; which would have meant I would not be reviewing it there.
These side character's stories could have easily been given in the narratives of essential characters. Hoffman is skilled at weaving storylines together; showing how lives touch and react to other lives, and I felt this was muddied by two or three of the character inclusions. However, the message in this story is deep and profound, so I will leave it at four stars.
I also want to touch base on some of the reviews saying the story felt "dated" because of the subject matter. I am scratching my head at this because since when are books about periods of history not read as historical fiction, no matter how recent that history might be?
There will be a substantial semi-spoilery review of this title on my blog because I connected with the story on a gut level. I had two close friends and one in-law die at young ages due to the disease portrayed in the book, and I also connected as a mother who at one time had a seriously ill child. It will take a while for this review to happen because right now I am emotionally shredded. I had to wait nearly 24 hours before I could bear to read the last few pages, and I am crying again just writing this short review.
These side character's stories could have easily been given in the narratives of essential characters. Hoffman is skilled at weaving storylines together; showing how lives touch and react to other lives, and I felt this was muddied by two or three of the character inclusions. However, the message in this story is deep and profound, so I will leave it at four stars.
I also want to touch base on some of the reviews saying the story felt "dated" because of the subject matter. I am scratching my head at this because since when are books about periods of history not read as historical fiction, no matter how recent that history might be?
There will be a substantial semi-spoilery review of this title on my blog because I connected with the story on a gut level. I had two close friends and one in-law die at young ages due to the disease portrayed in the book, and I also connected as a mother who at one time had a seriously ill child. It will take a while for this review to happen because right now I am emotionally shredded. I had to wait nearly 24 hours before I could bear to read the last few pages, and I am crying again just writing this short review.
September 11, 2020
Gut wrenching. Took me back to a time when AIDS was a death sentence and I lost so many close to me. Hoffman's narrative, though, of a child succumbing to the virus is almost beyond bearable. In her capable hands, though, the book is a powerful meditation on the strength of love and family during a crisis. Not an easy read, but certainly a worthwhile one.
June 28, 2020
I have never read a book by Alice Hoffman that I didn't like and this was no exception. I read it in one sitting. The Farrell's are an average family. Mom Polly, dad Ivan and children Charlie and Amanda. Then unspeakable tragedy strikes and their world is upended. This book was beautifully written. The characters were three dimensional and I felt like I really knew them. If I had one quibble, it would be that I felt the story ended abruptly. It didn't feel finished to me. But perhaps the author meant for it to be that way. Another gem from Alice Hoffman.
July 10, 2019
Beautiful story of an 11 year old girl who gets AIDS from a blood transfusion, and it’s impact on everyone in her family, and town.
February 19, 2025
As a mother, wife, and nurse, I could so empathize with Polly. This was such an emotional story. The author did a fantastic job showing how each character was uniquely affected by Amanda’s disease. We are so fortunate that much progress has been made in the research, treatment, and prevention of HIV and AIDS since its discovery in the 1980’s.
August 20, 2012
I'm kind of hit or miss with this author. Of her books that I've read so far, I'd say I really liked about half of them, and of the others, I've had one or two that I haven't even wanted to finish, and others that were just ok.
This one sort of fits into all those categories. I didn't actually read much of the description before jumping into it; I just knew it was one of the author's that I hadn't gotten to yet. Obviously, the other reviewers have given the details of the plot, so without going into it again, I can just say that I found it sad, but only finished it because it was fairly short. The characters just didn't do enough for me, and seemed pretty predictable. The over-caring father, the serious, overly protective mother who almost drifts into an affair during a family crisis, the sweet, neglected little brother, the principle, the coach, the best friend, and on and on. I felt like I'd heard it all before, like in a made-for-tv movie. The one character who I kind of liked best was the one who seemed most typical of an Alice Hoffman book. This was Laurel, the woman who had been a sort of psychic and who everyone thinks is a little kooky, but who kind of pulls everyone together.
Anyway, having said all that, I do admit that the very ending of the book did bring tears to my eyes. It was fairly predictable, but still, as written, was the best part of the book for me.
Will I read any more Alice Hoffman books? Probably. Especially if I can keep finding them at library sales for a good price. Those few books of hers I really liked still give me hope for more like them.
This one sort of fits into all those categories. I didn't actually read much of the description before jumping into it; I just knew it was one of the author's that I hadn't gotten to yet. Obviously, the other reviewers have given the details of the plot, so without going into it again, I can just say that I found it sad, but only finished it because it was fairly short. The characters just didn't do enough for me, and seemed pretty predictable. The over-caring father, the serious, overly protective mother who almost drifts into an affair during a family crisis, the sweet, neglected little brother, the principle, the coach, the best friend, and on and on. I felt like I'd heard it all before, like in a made-for-tv movie. The one character who I kind of liked best was the one who seemed most typical of an Alice Hoffman book. This was Laurel, the woman who had been a sort of psychic and who everyone thinks is a little kooky, but who kind of pulls everyone together.
Anyway, having said all that, I do admit that the very ending of the book did bring tears to my eyes. It was fairly predictable, but still, as written, was the best part of the book for me.
Will I read any more Alice Hoffman books? Probably. Especially if I can keep finding them at library sales for a good price. Those few books of hers I really liked still give me hope for more like them.
April 15, 2020
I am a fan of Alice Hoffman, so I decided to read this book despite not being terribly enthusiastic about it after reading the blurb. I'm not a big fan of terminal illness stories, but since I admire Hoffman's work, I gave it a try.
For the most part, the characters were interesting. I especially liked the protaganist, Amanda. Being a former gymnast in my much, much younger days, I related to her love of and dedication to the sport. I really enjoyed the gymnastics related scenes. They took me back to my own gymnastics days. In fact, they were so spot on, it made me wonder if Hoffman had also been a gymnast at one time.
My biggest problem with this book was that there seemed to be a lot of loose ends that were never resolved. Also, I could not understand why the character Laurel Smith, a woman who was a medium and held seances, really went nowhere in the story. Yes, she became a real friend to Amanda, but making her character a medium seemed to promise there would be some paranormal or magical realism aspect to the book, yet with the exception of minor snippets that could have easily been left out, that promise was not fulfilled.
I was especially disappointed by the books ending. It was as though rather than brining it to a real conclusion, the author just decided to stop writing. When I got to the last sentence, I literally said out loud, in a stunned tone of voice, "That's it? That's the end?" It felt unfinished.
Alice Hoffman is a wonderful author. I've greatly enjoyed many of her novels and will continue to read them. This particular one just wasn't my cup of tea, I guess.
For the most part, the characters were interesting. I especially liked the protaganist, Amanda. Being a former gymnast in my much, much younger days, I related to her love of and dedication to the sport. I really enjoyed the gymnastics related scenes. They took me back to my own gymnastics days. In fact, they were so spot on, it made me wonder if Hoffman had also been a gymnast at one time.
My biggest problem with this book was that there seemed to be a lot of loose ends that were never resolved. Also, I could not understand why the character Laurel Smith, a woman who was a medium and held seances, really went nowhere in the story. Yes, she became a real friend to Amanda, but making her character a medium seemed to promise there would be some paranormal or magical realism aspect to the book, yet with the exception of minor snippets that could have easily been left out, that promise was not fulfilled.
I was especially disappointed by the books ending. It was as though rather than brining it to a real conclusion, the author just decided to stop writing. When I got to the last sentence, I literally said out loud, in a stunned tone of voice, "That's it? That's the end?" It felt unfinished.
Alice Hoffman is a wonderful author. I've greatly enjoyed many of her novels and will continue to read them. This particular one just wasn't my cup of tea, I guess.
October 23, 2021
Did not finish. It was for the most part well written (except the frequent shift of POV which was disorienting) but I just couldn't be bothered to finish it even though I made it more than halfway through.
January 11, 2024
I've never cried harder over a book.
This could easily be read in one sitting, but make sure you keep a box of tissues next to you from the 75% mark on.
Genuinely one of the best books of all time. 11/10 stars. This should be a mandatory read for everyone.
This could easily be read in one sitting, but make sure you keep a box of tissues next to you from the 75% mark on.
Genuinely one of the best books of all time. 11/10 stars. This should be a mandatory read for everyone.
November 30, 2022
Growing up in the 90s,I remember a short film on television which was more of a public service message meant to educate viewers about HIV and AIDS. It showed a famous actor cradling a child in hospital and telling us that there is no need to be afraid of those who are HIV positive because it does not spread by touch or via hugs. She then said that only love spreads that way. That call for empathy has stuck with me years after I first saw it; time in which the virus has been demystified and people are aware of the facts. This story, set at a time when the AIDS epidemic was just beginning, serves as a reminder of how much we have to thank advances in medicine and doctors and the fact that we now have access to facts and knowledge.
It's a very difficult tearjerker of a read because it involves a child who becomes terminally ill and centres around her shell shocked family as they grapple with the reality that there is nothing they can do, no one they can blame and no cure available. The Farrels are a happy family - Ivan is an astronomer, his wife Polly is a photographer who muses about feeding her kids more zucchini, their son Charlie is a budding biologist who is always doing scientific experiments with his best friend and their daughter Amanda is a budding gymnast who at 11, has big dreams.
All of which are shattered when a summer cold that doesn't go away turns out to be a diagnosis of AIDS.
Ivan and Polly cannot believe that their 11 yo is suffering from this sickness that they have not been able to protect her from. They can't turn to each other for comfort because they see the same despair that they feel in each other. Not only are they in a desperate fight to keep their child with them but they have to face protests and petitions from other parents about Amanda going to school, continuing her gymnastics and even interacting with other kids. All of which is a result of blind fear due to lack of knowledge of AIDS and the rumours associated with it. For Charlie, the situation is unbearable because he is afraid for his sister, abandoned by his best friend and cannot talk to his parents who seem to have forgotten him in their panic over Amanda.
The feelings of each of the people affected, be it the parents, Charlie and Amanda or even those on the outside like the empathetic school principal, the doctor who cares too much and the neighbour who offers comfort are so beautifully written.
Ivan and Polly cannot help but think of the times they should have bought Amanda everything she asked for or taken her to places she wanted to see even though they are ironically unable to give any time to Charlie. The 8 yo Charlie is definitely the most poignant other than Amanda herself because he imagines so much and understands even more and feels everything he should be shielded from at his age.
Amanda herself is fierce, insisting on living a normal life as long as she can even through her pain and fear, thinking of everyone around her. The fact that this is something so unfair that happened to her is constantly in her mind but she doesn't give in to it and that's the most heartbreaking part.
It may seem strange to read that people behaved in such a paranoid way on getting to know Amanda's diagnosis but the dread around AIDS was so strong at the time and everyone wanted to be safe rather than sorry. Polly thinks about how she would have had so much support from the same community if her child had had cancer or something that those around her were familiar with. Instead, she has to face their turned backs during the most difficult time of her life.
This has to be the most cruel aspect of this disease that turned into an epidemic that took so many lives. That misinformation caused the public to turn on those already suffering; especially kids who were so completely blameless.
I felt very strongly for the little kids and their parents in this book and the emotions it evoked were really powerful. I've read only one other book by the author but I think I have found a new favorite.
It's a very difficult tearjerker of a read because it involves a child who becomes terminally ill and centres around her shell shocked family as they grapple with the reality that there is nothing they can do, no one they can blame and no cure available. The Farrels are a happy family - Ivan is an astronomer, his wife Polly is a photographer who muses about feeding her kids more zucchini, their son Charlie is a budding biologist who is always doing scientific experiments with his best friend and their daughter Amanda is a budding gymnast who at 11, has big dreams.
All of which are shattered when a summer cold that doesn't go away turns out to be a diagnosis of AIDS.
Ivan and Polly cannot believe that their 11 yo is suffering from this sickness that they have not been able to protect her from. They can't turn to each other for comfort because they see the same despair that they feel in each other. Not only are they in a desperate fight to keep their child with them but they have to face protests and petitions from other parents about Amanda going to school, continuing her gymnastics and even interacting with other kids. All of which is a result of blind fear due to lack of knowledge of AIDS and the rumours associated with it. For Charlie, the situation is unbearable because he is afraid for his sister, abandoned by his best friend and cannot talk to his parents who seem to have forgotten him in their panic over Amanda.
The feelings of each of the people affected, be it the parents, Charlie and Amanda or even those on the outside like the empathetic school principal, the doctor who cares too much and the neighbour who offers comfort are so beautifully written.
Ivan and Polly cannot help but think of the times they should have bought Amanda everything she asked for or taken her to places she wanted to see even though they are ironically unable to give any time to Charlie. The 8 yo Charlie is definitely the most poignant other than Amanda herself because he imagines so much and understands even more and feels everything he should be shielded from at his age.
Amanda herself is fierce, insisting on living a normal life as long as she can even through her pain and fear, thinking of everyone around her. The fact that this is something so unfair that happened to her is constantly in her mind but she doesn't give in to it and that's the most heartbreaking part.
It may seem strange to read that people behaved in such a paranoid way on getting to know Amanda's diagnosis but the dread around AIDS was so strong at the time and everyone wanted to be safe rather than sorry. Polly thinks about how she would have had so much support from the same community if her child had had cancer or something that those around her were familiar with. Instead, she has to face their turned backs during the most difficult time of her life.
This has to be the most cruel aspect of this disease that turned into an epidemic that took so many lives. That misinformation caused the public to turn on those already suffering; especially kids who were so completely blameless.
I felt very strongly for the little kids and their parents in this book and the emotions it evoked were really powerful. I've read only one other book by the author but I think I have found a new favorite.
August 3, 2023
Only for Alice Hoffman will I willingly read a book I know will absolutely destroy me 🤣😭 And read it in one evening, one sitting no less!
This story was as beautiful as is was devastating. We follow Amanda, an 11 year old gymnast, and her family as they cope with her devastating diagnosis - she has been diagnosed with AIDS, contracted from a contaminated blood transfusion from when she had appendicitis six years ago. This was published in 1988, and the hysteria Amanda's classmates and her parents feel reflect the general misunderstanding of the disease that was prevalent at the time. No, you can't catch it from hugging someone or by sitting next to them. You can't catch it by using the same toilet as someone with AIDS has. Sadly not only Amanda faces this when she goes back to school for the brief few weeks in the fall, but so does her eight year old brother, Charlie. My heart shattered for both of these kids. For Amanda, because of everything she could have had and lost. For Charlie, for being nearly forgotten completely by their parents in their grief over Amanda, and in losing his best friend after his mother pulled him out of their school and into a private school so he wouldn't catch her disease, not to mention when she repeatedly lied when Charlie was desperately calling to hang out with the one person he didn't feel abandoned him.
Watching Polly and her parents slowly mending their fractured and stained relationship was really good to see.
Ivan and Brian's friendship was so touching and heartbreaking as well. Ivan found a hotline for friends and family with loved ones dying of AIDS, and it always happened to be Brian when he called. They formed a great friendship, but one day he wasn't there anymore and Ivan was told that Brian himself was also sick, and would no longer be able to work the hotline. Ivan was so distraught for his friend, he was able to have Brian's address given to him (with Brian's permission) and he went to visit him, bringing him lilies. They have a comforting, if kind of one sided, friendship that was really lovely.
Not once was homophobia present in this, which is fantastic. I know at the time it was VERY much present with anything to do with AIDS, and even though Brian didn't know how he contacted it - whether from unprotected sex or sharing needles in his past - he mentioned in his monologue he had male and female partners in the past but was only in love with men, and I'm sure Ivan knew this, but not only did it never come up, Ivan never treated him any differently because he was a gay man. They shake hands and Ivan brought him flowers. Yes, it would have been an intense double standard if Ivan was icky around Brian like others are icky around Amanda (and by association Charlie) and I'm SO GLAD that never happened, and that homophobia didn't come up to begin with, what with Amanda being so young.
This also really struck a chord with me as hemophilia, a blood disease that prevents your blood from clotting, runs in my family. In the 80s and 90s there were many, many men with hemophilia that died from AIDS when they received contaminated blood from what should have been life saving transfusions. I'm glad we have such stringent screenings now, but it sucks they and countless others died like Amanda did before these protocols were put in place.
ANYWAY all in all, lovely heartbreaking touching book, just what I'd expect from Alice Hoffman. Gonna go eat some ice cream and sob a little bit now, thinking of our last scene with Amanda, waving to her brother out the car window as she goes to the hospital knowing it's the end, and with Charlie desperately trying to find his mythical giant turtle in the pond by their town when Sevrin shows up beside him bc Charlie's grandma was calling around trying to find a friend to find and comfort Charlie 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
This story was as beautiful as is was devastating. We follow Amanda, an 11 year old gymnast, and her family as they cope with her devastating diagnosis - she has been diagnosed with AIDS, contracted from a contaminated blood transfusion from when she had appendicitis six years ago. This was published in 1988, and the hysteria Amanda's classmates and her parents feel reflect the general misunderstanding of the disease that was prevalent at the time. No, you can't catch it from hugging someone or by sitting next to them. You can't catch it by using the same toilet as someone with AIDS has. Sadly not only Amanda faces this when she goes back to school for the brief few weeks in the fall, but so does her eight year old brother, Charlie. My heart shattered for both of these kids. For Amanda, because of everything she could have had and lost. For Charlie, for being nearly forgotten completely by their parents in their grief over Amanda, and in losing his best friend after his mother pulled him out of their school and into a private school so he wouldn't catch her disease, not to mention when she repeatedly lied when Charlie was desperately calling to hang out with the one person he didn't feel abandoned him.
Watching Polly and her parents slowly mending their fractured and stained relationship was really good to see.
Ivan and Brian's friendship was so touching and heartbreaking as well. Ivan found a hotline for friends and family with loved ones dying of AIDS, and it always happened to be Brian when he called. They formed a great friendship, but one day he wasn't there anymore and Ivan was told that Brian himself was also sick, and would no longer be able to work the hotline. Ivan was so distraught for his friend, he was able to have Brian's address given to him (with Brian's permission) and he went to visit him, bringing him lilies. They have a comforting, if kind of one sided, friendship that was really lovely.
Not once was homophobia present in this, which is fantastic. I know at the time it was VERY much present with anything to do with AIDS, and even though Brian didn't know how he contacted it - whether from unprotected sex or sharing needles in his past - he mentioned in his monologue he had male and female partners in the past but was only in love with men, and I'm sure Ivan knew this, but not only did it never come up, Ivan never treated him any differently because he was a gay man. They shake hands and Ivan brought him flowers. Yes, it would have been an intense double standard if Ivan was icky around Brian like others are icky around Amanda (and by association Charlie) and I'm SO GLAD that never happened, and that homophobia didn't come up to begin with, what with Amanda being so young.
This also really struck a chord with me as hemophilia, a blood disease that prevents your blood from clotting, runs in my family. In the 80s and 90s there were many, many men with hemophilia that died from AIDS when they received contaminated blood from what should have been life saving transfusions. I'm glad we have such stringent screenings now, but it sucks they and countless others died like Amanda did before these protocols were put in place.
ANYWAY all in all, lovely heartbreaking touching book, just what I'd expect from Alice Hoffman. Gonna go eat some ice cream and sob a little bit now, thinking of our last scene with Amanda, waving to her brother out the car window as she goes to the hospital knowing it's the end, and with Charlie desperately trying to find his mythical giant turtle in the pond by their town when Sevrin shows up beside him bc Charlie's grandma was calling around trying to find a friend to find and comfort Charlie 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2025
Good!
This book takes place in the 1980's when Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran were the music to listen to.
Amanda is an 11 year old girl who plays gymnastics and wants to go to the Olympics one day. When she gets sick with a high fever that won't break after several days, Polly, her mom, takes her to the doctor. He runs some blood tests and is concerned because of her weight loss. When the doctor gets the results back he's shocked; she has AIDS. Amanda had her appendix taken out 5 years ago, during the surgery she was losing blood and she was given a transfusion. This is before labs tests blood before they used it.
Eventually, Amanda gets sicker and her parents almost forget about her 8 year old brother, Charlie. Meanwhile at school, both kids are ostracized by the people they thought were their friends because no one really knew how to get AIDS back then; other than sex and blood.
Amanda befriends a introvert who helps her be able to talk to someone not family related. She's in her 30's and she made Amanda feel heard.
A good story.
This book takes place in the 1980's when Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Duran Duran were the music to listen to.
Amanda is an 11 year old girl who plays gymnastics and wants to go to the Olympics one day. When she gets sick with a high fever that won't break after several days, Polly, her mom, takes her to the doctor. He runs some blood tests and is concerned because of her weight loss. When the doctor gets the results back he's shocked; she has AIDS. Amanda had her appendix taken out 5 years ago, during the surgery she was losing blood and she was given a transfusion. This is before labs tests blood before they used it.
Eventually, Amanda gets sicker and her parents almost forget about her 8 year old brother, Charlie. Meanwhile at school, both kids are ostracized by the people they thought were their friends because no one really knew how to get AIDS back then; other than sex and blood.
Amanda befriends a introvert who helps her be able to talk to someone not family related. She's in her 30's and she made Amanda feel heard.
A good story.
December 4, 2018
although the message of this book is so important, the characters were so unlike hoffman's. they were flat and boring- i just didn't connect with them. the lack of magical realism was also a disappointment, as that is what usually draws me to her books.
aids used to be such a taboo subject, so i loved that she portrayed the hysteria that ensued at amanda's school once they found she had it. as ignorant as this makes me sound, i had no idea that blood wasn't always screened before transfusions were given! what a scary thought. for this sole reason, i think this book deserves 3 stars.
recently, i've been disappointed in hoffman's books. i'm wondering if these are just a few that aren't her best or if i've outgrown her. i'd hate to think it's the latter, but i may wait to try another.
aids used to be such a taboo subject, so i loved that she portrayed the hysteria that ensued at amanda's school once they found she had it. as ignorant as this makes me sound, i had no idea that blood wasn't always screened before transfusions were given! what a scary thought. for this sole reason, i think this book deserves 3 stars.
recently, i've been disappointed in hoffman's books. i'm wondering if these are just a few that aren't her best or if i've outgrown her. i'd hate to think it's the latter, but i may wait to try another.
March 2, 2024
There are so many authors named Alice that I've had to look up the book each time I've wanted to remember the title and author. I love GoodReads for helping me find books based on marginally retained information, even when I can't recall the author's full name or the title of their book.
Anyway, I read At Risk in the late 1980s and it has stayed with me all these years. Ryan White, of blessed memory, was in the news then. Like Amanda's family, society had a proscription on Ryan's family to send him to public school, to allow him to heal with dignity, whichever way healing would take him; or to just be a child. John Q, Public's reactions in each instance still make me boil.
We need to keep reading At Risk.
Anyway, I read At Risk in the late 1980s and it has stayed with me all these years. Ryan White, of blessed memory, was in the news then. Like Amanda's family, society had a proscription on Ryan's family to send him to public school, to allow him to heal with dignity, whichever way healing would take him; or to just be a child. John Q, Public's reactions in each instance still make me boil.
We need to keep reading At Risk.
February 18, 2023
This book is most certainly outdated and I am not sure how to rate it. As I was reading I was thinking if I read this 20 years ago it would be a 5 star. This book reminds me of simpler times when people were scared of the new virus AIDS. I believe that was the authors intent.
This is definitely different from Hoffman’s other books; so if you looking for magic and mystery and new age this isn’t the book for you.
This is definitely different from Hoffman’s other books; so if you looking for magic and mystery and new age this isn’t the book for you.
August 2, 2018
The 1980s. The horror of the AIDS epidemic and the tragedy of the fear and isolation that accompanied it leap from the pages of Alice Hoffman’s novel. That an eleven year girl should contract the disease from a blood transfusion is unthinkable, but it happened. Hoffman, in her clean, direct style captures the drama of one family and one community.
March 12, 2021
I didn't mind the dated feel of the book, as it was written in 1988. The issue for me is the disjointedness of it all, the "head hopping" and shifting POVs, especially to minor characters who add nothing particularly useful to the story. Even the main characters were somewhat shallow at times. It general, the novel was a rather unoriginal look at a heartbreaking reality of the late 1980s.
June 27, 2021
Absolutely heartbreaking. This is so real, it will pull you in and crush you. The characters are like you know them, the story is told exactly as it would play out in real life, the emotions are full on and all encompassing. Even the ending is fantastically realistic and heartwrenching. Great book if you want a good cry.
June 3, 2019
First book I have read by this author and I will be looking for more. Timely topic for those who grew up in the 80s and 90s-AIDS that is found in an 11 year-old girl. Handled nicely by the author as well as the characters and community in the novel.
Want to read
December 21, 2019Alice Hoffman The Collected Novels Volume One
July 22, 2022
This book felt too short and too long at once. It was beautiful and heartbreaking and I came close to tears when finishing it. I really liked the random, sudden perspective shifts within the chapters and each character was special in some way. I was only irritated of the constant mention of the Karmann Ghia… I gather it was to show the time period but I felt it unnecessary.
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