Seventh Heaven

An entirely satisfying story from a master storyteller. Like many authors Alice Hoffman details the minutiae of her characters' lives, but unlike most she does it for good reason: things connect. Details weave together & become much more than the sum of their parts. Seventh Heaven is set on Long Island in 1959/1960, in a 6 year old housing development near the Southern State. It was written long before Mad Men was born or thought of, but fans of Mad Men should love this story, though it is much more life-affirming than that often bitter tv show. Hemlock Street is cozily living out the suburban social contract when a chink appears: a homeowner dies, the widow moves away too distraught to deal tidily with the house, and it decays until it is cheap enough for divorced single mother Nora Silk to buy her way in to the American Dream. Having a divorcee in residence cracks the conformity of Hemlock Street still further and all sort of ripple effects emerge. We get to know and care about so many different denizens of the neighborhood, from the kids in school to the parents in the houses and Hoffman manages all their stories with aplomb. Of course, since this is Hoffman, there is magic afoot, witchery, mind reading and ghosts all abound in Hemlock Street, but its more magic realism than fantasy. For some reason I don't read as much Alice Hoffman as perhaps I ought. Every time I read a book of hers I love it, but I've never sat down & read several of hers in a row. Even this one I bought ages ago & then passed over for shinier baubles until this afternoon when I was at the beach with nothing else to read. Then of course I loved the book so much I sat down & finished it the same day. Yes, it is middlebrow, but I don't mean that in a sneering way (unlike Virginia Woolf :-) It's just not interested in being high literature, it's not a self indulgent attempt at self-expression and it's not artless or crass either. It's good storytelling, written with such great care that it reads effortlessly.

Into the suburban paradise of Hemlock Street struts Nora Silk, newly divorces with two kids. She's the hot single mom that creates what can only be described as a quiet uproar among the conservative `50s families, most of whom have never met a divorcee let alone one who wears tight pants and dangly earrings. Nora naively assumes that she will make friends and be accepted with the other women on the block, but all they can see is her failures as a mother and the way their husbands have taken notice of her. Predictably, the adults and children alike react by judging and alienating Nora and her awkward son Billy. The premise and feel of this book reminded me heavily of the movie version of The Witches of Eastwick. You have a community of straight-laced people who present every appearance of the fulfillment of the American Dream to the outside world, living blissfully uneventful lives as far as anyone can tell. Then some unconventional outsider comes in and stirs things up, introducing just a bit of the supernatural into their close-minded little world, and suddenly the carefully woven facades unravel all over the place as everybody tries to deal with the chaos. Alice Hoffman is hardly the first author to examine the theme of conformity vs. free spirit, but she did so with a nice attention to detail and a sympathetic eye to those judgmental characters who might have been portrayed as Bad Guys by a more simplistic mind. The most redeeming aspect of Seventh Heaven (which I gather is sort of a trademark of Hoffman novels) is the element of magic that seems to infuse the natural world which surrounds and crosses through the artificial human culture. At times the magical is almost an undercurrent, barely expressed; at others, it is revealed as a surreal encounter. At its best, Hoffman's use of observation in place of descriptive similies is poignant enough on its own merit. The author knows how and when to peel back layers from her characters' minds; she elevates these surprises to insights, then a spell of sorts. There is a flavor of genius in this writing. However, it is hard to forgive the flaws of this book. The concept of the Fifties as a false utopian ideal of our middle class imaginations is well-worn by now -too obvious to be worthy of the talents of this writer. Then, the magical connection between Mr. Olivera's sudden demise before the start of the story and the curse on his house thereafter is never explained. Nora Silk, despite being introduced as the main character, remains the biggest mystery. Her character cries out for more development. More frustratingly, we glimpse hints about Nora's mystical talents that we never get to explore (without giving too much away, some major plot points hinge on this). Sometimes Hoffman is too subtle for her own good. Seventh Heaven was a nice, light page-turner. It introduced me to Alice Hoffman, and I will probably follow up by reading one or two more of her works sooner or later. You could say it has done its job competently. -Andrea, aka Merribelle

I had heard great things about this book and this author. It started strong then just, sort of fizzled. I kept waiting for something fantastic to happen, but was left disappointed. The people on Hemlock were used to their little lives on their little street. They all portrayed themselves as content and happy, but behind closed doors it seemed that no one was fulfilled. And those who were fulfilled was blinded to the misery their parents and children felt. But, each family lived the lives expected of them. The husbands went to work each day, the children to school, and the wives stayed home to care for their families. Each house looked the same from the outside. However, a newcomer entered their quiet little world and was not like the rest of them. She was divorced with children, she wore different clothing, wore more make up and jewelry, except for the one piece which seemed to define a woman: a wedding band. As the months went by she began to touch more and more lives. She, succeeding as a single mother made other women question their roles as a wife. Her vulnerability made her an object of desire for men on Hemlock. Her unusual habits made her an individual for children yo shy from and spread rumors of being a witch, and thusly, ostracize her oldest son. As her desire to be accepted free, the desire of her neoghbors' lives to change in conjunction. Theo families on Hemlock experienced changes, joys, and tragedies. Life went on, people adapted.... ...and then it was over. No huge revelation. No big scene of true acceptance or otherwise. It just stopped. The story, all in all, was decent. I had a connection for some characters. I had sympathy for some, but mostly I was indifferent toward them. Perhaps that was the point: just a snapshot of a year in the life of a street that could be anywhere. Just to be introduced and move on. Because the book didn't drag on and on, I gave it a 3 star rating; it was a fast read. Had there been more drama, a twist of some sort - something! - which would have been entertaining, I would have given it 4. So, if you're in the mood for a shallow, quick story without much substance, this is your weekend read. If you're looking for something to take your breath away and keep you turning pages, you'd be better served to look elsewhere.

Not at all what I expected but oh so rewarding of a read. Of course being raised in the suburbs in the 1950's helped me to identify each of the characters. I was raised in the south. But I have friends raised in Long Island so I know. But my goodness. The development of the characters, the stories of the characters, the inclusion of the popular themes was so relevant to the novel. I felt as if I was there. I wept with them. I cheered with them. I have loved Hoffman's novels before but did not expect this deeply of a reality piece of fiction from her. Usually her novels are magical in the very real sense of the word. This one was magical in a more meaningful sense. It makes you think outside your tiny little box you have defined for yourself. Excellent writing. Excellent character development. This one should be read more than once.

Alice Hoffman is a good writer, and Seventh Heaven is an intriguing story. Nora Silk, the quirky female protagonist, effects change in the cookie cutter 1950's neighborhood she moves into with her two little boys. First, she's a divorcé, and second, she's unconventional, at least according to the other women. Still, Nora tries to be a good mother, and a good neighbor. The story relates some unusual, but interesting events in Nora's life and neighborhood. Throughout, we learn about the other families, their kids, their comings and goings, and in many ways what they think about each other. The author subtly helps us understand that although 'everyone' thinks Nora is the out of kilter person, every other family has cracks and problems, too. Indeed, each person is shown as human, capable of charm or harm. Some parts of this novel almost seemed unreal, surreal. Yet, I believe it is just Hoffman's way of showing us life and how different people deal with everyday problems. I liked this story; I also like Hoffman. I'm reminded I should find more of her work.

Very interesting characters in this book. I felt like I could have lived in that neighborhood. Kids have problems that seem trivial but they are so real and then they grow up. Then intertwined with the adults - so interesting. You can put yourself in their place (both young and older). The 50s - an odd time. Now here we are and with some of those leftover attitudes in life wondering where they came from. Good depiction of that era. Leaves a bit of melancholy with a touch of victory. As well as a little unnatural flair. Good read!!

In the beginning of the book, I did not expect to enjoy the story as much as I did. It turned into a beautiful snapshot of a year in the life of a group of families in 1959/1960. I loved learning about all of the characters and the pacing of the story overall ended up being perfect. The intertwining of their lives and the effects they all have on one another was so intriguing and the ending left me feeling fulfilled which is all one can ask for these days. My one critique was the random "mystical" elements within the book such as Billy's intuition and the candle melting voodoo doll scene. I felt as they were anachronistic and didn't serve the beauty of the otherwise great story.I I wish we could almost keep learning more about what the future holds for all of the characters but am happy with the snapshot the author provided.

Alice Hoffman knows how to string together a beautiful sentence, let me tell you! Seventh Heaven is an interesting exploration of the 1950s from a feminist perspective, and I almost wish I were back in school because writing an essay on all these women would be pretty stimulating. I'm also partial to all things magical and fantastical, so those touches in this book delighted me. My criticism of the book is that it lacked an emotional impact, and I was always aware that I was reading about these characters instead of being fully absorbed in their lives. I think this is due to the fact that there are many characters and we never stay with any of their stories long enough or go deeply enough into their inner worlds to experience any lasting emotional connection with them. The surface exploration of each character, coupled with the large number of characters, gives the book a slightly disjointed feeling, which works on an intellectual level for the main themes, but doesn't hit home on an emotional level which is what I enjoy most.

I loved this book, couldn't put it down from the very first sentence. Alice Hoffman is such a talented writer, she builds really believable characters. This was the first of her books that I had read, and it made me rush out to find others.

what can ii say about a book that had me reading it non stop. the idea of the book was very clever. i like that it took place on one street. all the people in the book were fun. this is my favorite book of 2023.

This is an easy read. It’s like listening to the gossip of a small culdesac ….kind of juicy and often surprising. It’s set on the cusp of 1960 and you can see the beginning of women’s liberation starting. I would recommend.

This was my first book by Alice Hoffman and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. She writes in a seemingly effortless style with great character depth and development - great book. Read it on Kindle. Will definitely read more from her.

I do like Alice Hoffman but this was just an okay read for me. Set in 1959/1960, the book follows the lives of different people living on a street. Trigger Warnings for infidelity and death of a teenager.