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Property Of, The Drowning Season, Fortune's Daughter, and At Risk: Four Novels in One Collection
Discover four acclaimed early novels by the New York Times–bestselling author of The Marriage of Opposites and The Dovekeepers.
One of today’s most beloved authors of lyrical fiction with a touch of magic, Alice Hoffman boasts a body of work that has been praised by readers and critics from the very beginning. This collection includes her first novel, plus three more of her outstanding tales.
Property Of: Hoffman’s debut about teenage girls in mascara and leather and their attraction to local toughs is “a remarkably envisioned novel, almost mythic in its cadences” (The New York Times).
The Drowning Season intertwines the stories of two women named a granddaughter, who yearns to escape the Long Island shore and the coldness of the family matriarch; and her grandmother, who fled her abusive parents in Russia decades before. This novel “casts the spell of all great fairy tales. It takes daily life and transforms it into myth as we watch” (Chicago Sun-Times).
Fortune’s Daughter: A New York Times Notable Book, this luminous novel of a restless young traveler and a fortune-teller with a secret is a tribute to the profound mysteries of motherhood and childbirth from a writer who, in the words of Amy Tan, “takes seemingly ordinary lives and lets us see and feel extraordinary things.”
At Risk is a New York Times bestseller that “will leave few dry eyes” (Library Journal). In 1980s America, a family copes with their daughter’s terrifying AIDS diagnosis.
One of today’s most beloved authors of lyrical fiction with a touch of magic, Alice Hoffman boasts a body of work that has been praised by readers and critics from the very beginning. This collection includes her first novel, plus three more of her outstanding tales.
Property Of: Hoffman’s debut about teenage girls in mascara and leather and their attraction to local toughs is “a remarkably envisioned novel, almost mythic in its cadences” (The New York Times).
The Drowning Season intertwines the stories of two women named a granddaughter, who yearns to escape the Long Island shore and the coldness of the family matriarch; and her grandmother, who fled her abusive parents in Russia decades before. This novel “casts the spell of all great fairy tales. It takes daily life and transforms it into myth as we watch” (Chicago Sun-Times).
Fortune’s Daughter: A New York Times Notable Book, this luminous novel of a restless young traveler and a fortune-teller with a secret is a tribute to the profound mysteries of motherhood and childbirth from a writer who, in the words of Amy Tan, “takes seemingly ordinary lives and lets us see and feel extraordinary things.”
At Risk is a New York Times bestseller that “will leave few dry eyes” (Library Journal). In 1980s America, a family copes with their daughter’s terrifying AIDS diagnosis.
- GenresFictionContemporary
650 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 25, 2016
637 people are currently reading
715 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 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 10, 2019
I’m a big Alice Hoffman fan, and it was a joy to read this collection of 4 of her novels. She’s a prolific writer, and I’m the first to admit that some of her books are better than others. The four included here
Property Of
The Drowning Season
Fortune’s Daughter
At Risk
are all enjoyable, but The Drowning Season is perhaps the weakest, whilst At Risk is the strongest, and had me in tears. I wouldn’t recommend coming to Hoffman for the first time with this collection – she’s written better novels – but nevertheless I found them all worth reading, and I was glad to discover this collection.
Property Of
The Drowning Season
Fortune’s Daughter
At Risk
are all enjoyable, but The Drowning Season is perhaps the weakest, whilst At Risk is the strongest, and had me in tears. I wouldn’t recommend coming to Hoffman for the first time with this collection – she’s written better novels – but nevertheless I found them all worth reading, and I was glad to discover this collection.
April 21, 2017
A wonderfully readable author and just the ticket for a long plane ride, I enjoyed these novels while I was reading them, but nothing memorable comes to mind. There are those books that remain in your psyche forever and those that help pass the time in entertaining our brains. This was one of the latter. I have read many of her other books and enjoyed them all.
August 20, 2018
I think I’ve had enough Alice Hoffman for a while. I thought this was a bundle of short stories but they are actually full length novels. Out of the four, the first, “Property Of,” I had to quit. I found out this was her very first novel. The second and third, “The Drowning Season” and “Fortune’s Daughter,” were riveting, haunting, and beautifully written, and the last, “At Risk,” was meh. Time to move onto something else!
June 9, 2018
Alice Hoffman is the consummate writer. Her stories have depth and are written to engage the readers mind and heart. I have read many of her books and have enjoyed each one. I intend on reading the the rest of her repertoire and can't wait.
June 28, 2020
Great reading, highly recommended
I don’t like to give spoilers on the books that I read. I believe the blurb on the back is enough for you to decide if you will read the book or not. If you choose to read, enjoy!
I don’t like to give spoilers on the books that I read. I believe the blurb on the back is enough for you to decide if you will read the book or not. If you choose to read, enjoy!
November 16, 2021
Hoffman brings everyday life into vivid focus. Sometimes funny, sometimes sweet, sometimes infuriating, sometimes heartbreaking.
January 20, 2023
Too choppy
Writing style is too choppy for me. I struggled to finish this book set. Will not be moving on to anymore of this authors early books.
Writing style is too choppy for me. I struggled to finish this book set. Will not be moving on to anymore of this authors early books.
June 19, 2021
Not really finished with entire collection,but do not like “Property of”
January 26, 2017
Property Of: 1/2/2017 - 1/5/2017
3 out of 5*
Was somewhat chaotic and rambling. Seemed as if in places parts were missing. Having never READ Alice Hoffman before, only seen adaptations, I didn't know what to expect. I'm really hoping that the writing style for this was because of the subject matter.
The Drowning Season: 1/6/2017 - 1/14/2017
4 out of 5*
While this was better than PROPERTY OF, it still felt like it jumped over things. Pretty much each of the main "cast of characters" were very self-centered, including the fishermen.
Though the stories aren't exactly what I was expecting, I am finding them enjoyable. They have indeed tweaked my emotions.
Fortune's Daughter: 1/14/2017 - 1/22/2017
3 out of 5*
Lila is a bit loony, Rae is a doormat for Jessup, but I like that she does find her back bone eventually. I felt there was no resolve. Does Rae have a boy or a girl? What happened with Jessup? Were Richard and Lila like surrogate grandparents?
At Risk: 1/23/2017 - 1/25/2017
5 out of 5*
Brings back memories of Ryan White and what his family went through.
Have tissues nearby, such a sad tale and very telling especially for publication in 1988. I was not much older than Amanda then, so I can imagine things from her side. But being the parents age now, I cannot even begin to fathom that devastation.
I'm so glad that diagnosis is no longer an automatic death sentence, and we've learned and are much more knowledgeable now. It's sad to think that the way the "supporting" characters reacted is not a stretch of how it actually was.
3 out of 5*
Was somewhat chaotic and rambling. Seemed as if in places parts were missing. Having never READ Alice Hoffman before, only seen adaptations, I didn't know what to expect. I'm really hoping that the writing style for this was because of the subject matter.
The Drowning Season: 1/6/2017 - 1/14/2017
4 out of 5*
While this was better than PROPERTY OF, it still felt like it jumped over things. Pretty much each of the main "cast of characters" were very self-centered, including the fishermen.
Though the stories aren't exactly what I was expecting, I am finding them enjoyable. They have indeed tweaked my emotions.
Fortune's Daughter: 1/14/2017 - 1/22/2017
3 out of 5*
Lila is a bit loony, Rae is a doormat for Jessup, but I like that she does find her back bone eventually. I felt there was no resolve. Does Rae have a boy or a girl? What happened with Jessup? Were Richard and Lila like surrogate grandparents?
At Risk: 1/23/2017 - 1/25/2017
5 out of 5*
Brings back memories of Ryan White and what his family went through.
Have tissues nearby, such a sad tale and very telling especially for publication in 1988. I was not much older than Amanda then, so I can imagine things from her side. But being the parents age now, I cannot even begin to fathom that devastation.
I'm so glad that diagnosis is no longer an automatic death sentence, and we've learned and are much more knowledgeable now. It's sad to think that the way the "supporting" characters reacted is not a stretch of how it actually was.
May 17, 2017
A special thank you to NetGalley and Open Road Integrated Media for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Those of you that actually read this blog, my online reviews, or follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Pintrest would know that Alice Hoffman is my favourite author, so to be asked to review this collection was an absolute pleasure.
This eBook features four of Hoffman's early works: her first two novels (Property Of and The Drowning Season) as well as two from almost a decade later (Fortune's Daughter, and At Risk). It is a wonderful compilation of her stunning writing.
I would give this collection a 5/5. It is a must-read for any fan, and would be a brilliant introduction to Alice Hoffman for those who haven't yet lost themselves in the pages of one of her literary masterpieces.
Review of each book is on the blog. www.girlwellread.blogspot.com.
Those of you that actually read this blog, my online reviews, or follow me on Instagram, Twitter, or Pintrest would know that Alice Hoffman is my favourite author, so to be asked to review this collection was an absolute pleasure.
This eBook features four of Hoffman's early works: her first two novels (Property Of and The Drowning Season) as well as two from almost a decade later (Fortune's Daughter, and At Risk). It is a wonderful compilation of her stunning writing.
I would give this collection a 5/5. It is a must-read for any fan, and would be a brilliant introduction to Alice Hoffman for those who haven't yet lost themselves in the pages of one of her literary masterpieces.
Review of each book is on the blog. www.girlwellread.blogspot.com.
February 6, 2017
Annoyed that I finished the book
At Risk was decent, the other books were a combination of odd and unreadable. I am annoyed that I wasted so much time trying to get through these. Most of them had thoroughly unlikeable characters that I wish I had never met. Definitely not recommend.
At Risk was decent, the other books were a combination of odd and unreadable. I am annoyed that I wasted so much time trying to get through these. Most of them had thoroughly unlikeable characters that I wish I had never met. Definitely not recommend.
May 31, 2019
Burned out on Hoffman
December 9, 2021
I always find it interesting to read the earlier works of an author I'm interested in.
June 30, 2022
I think I’ve now read all of Alice Hoffman’s books and she does not disappoint!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews