Alice Hoffman - Blue Diary: Library Edition

Pros: Beautifully written, wonderful characters, plenty of food for thought

Cons: Develops slowly, readers looking for a fast or light read may be disappointed

The Bottom Line: I highly recommend "Blue Diary". It is a good, character driven novel with plenty of things to think about and discuss.

Review: What do you do when your life is turned upside down and inside out? How do you go on when your world is shattered? These questions are at the heart of "Blue Diary", the latest novel by Alice Hoffman.

"Blue Diary" centers around Jorie Ford, a...

Pros: The first half of the book is pretty good

Cons: Depressing, weak climax, weak ending

The Bottom Line: Someone get Alice Hoffman a boyfriend so she can start writing books that don't ruin the idea of love forever.

Review: I've read other books by Alice Hoffman and really enjoyed them (like "The Ice Queen) which is why I decided to pick this book up. "Blue Diary" is one of those books, where about half way through it, you're thinking, 'hey, this is pretty good,' but about ...

Pros: nothing much

Cons: pointless story, characters not developed

The Bottom Line: One book to totally avoid.

Review: Blue Diary was given to me as a gift from one of my friend’s and I have to say that I have come to seriously question her taste in books because this is the second one that she has given to me that I did not enjoy. I was bored, straight up...

Pros: Thought-provoking story concept.

Cons: Plot fails to grab attention - poetic writing style poorly disguises slow narration.

The Bottom Line: I don't recommend 'Blue Diary'. It is a slow-paced and fundamentally boring attempt at a crime novel, which tries to reach deeper and dismally fails.

Review: They say never to judge a book by its cover, and in this case, they are right. I was initially attracted to this book by its cover, which in my case is the British paperback edition. When I flipped the book over to ascertain what the story was about, I...