Awards
A New York Times Notable Book for 2000.
Synopses & Reviews
People tend to stay in their place in the town of Haddan. The students at the prestigious prep school don't mix with locals; even within the school, hierarchy rules, as freshman and faculty members find out where they fit in and what is expected of them. But there are minor collisions happening everywhere: An awkward boy, the son of a teacher, is flirting with a pretty classmate, the daughter of a convenience-store cashier. A photographer in plastic flip-flops and an overflowing backpack is about to marry a staid, ambitious historian. And when a body is found in the river behind the school, a local policeman named Abel Grey will walk into this enclosed world and upset it entirely.
From the author of Practical Magic and Local Girls, this is a story of surface appearances and the truths submerged below -- confirming Alice Hoffman's place as "one of our quirkiest and most interesting novelists" (Jane Smiley, USA Today).
Review
"Graceful, beguiling, and quirky....Reading her book is like having a dream that haunts even after we awaken." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Review
"Rewarding...a novel not to be missed." St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Review
"Set in and around an exclusive private school in fictional Haddan, Mass., bestselling author Hoffmans latest novel flows as swiftly and limpidly as the Haddan River, the towns mystical waterway....As ever, Hoffman mixes myth, magic and reality, addressing issues of town and gown, enchanting her readers with a many-layered morality tale and proving herself once again an inventive author with a distinctive touch." Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Review
"Suspenseful and engrossing." Denver Rocky Mountain News
Review
"It can be hard to find an example of good old-fashioned storytelling these days, but storytelling, refreshingly, is Alice Hoffmans strength....The River King is full of wonderfully and satisfyingly odd twists and turns." The New York Times Book Review
Review
Full of wonderfully and satisfyingly odd twists and turns. (The New York Times Book Review)
Review
Rewarding...a novel not to be missed. (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Review
Graceful, beguiling, and quirky...Reading her book is like having a dream that haunts even after we awaken. (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Review
A ripping yarn and suspenseful ghost tale. (Denver Rocky Mountain News)
Review
Haunting. (The Boston Herald)
Review
A rich, layered story. (The Irish Times)
Review
“Graceful, beguiling, and quirky.”—
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution “Rewarding…a novel not to be missed.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch
“Set in and around an exclusive private school in fictional Haddan, Mass., bestselling author Hoffman’s latest novel flows as swiftly and limpidly as the Haddan River, the town’s mystical waterway…As ever, Hoffman mixes myth, magic and reality, addressing issues of town and gown, enchanting her readers with a many-layered morality tale and proving herself once again an inventive author with a distinctive touch.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Suspenseful and engrossing.”—Denver Rocky Mountain News
“It can be hard to find an example of good old-fashioned storytelling these days, but storytelling, refreshingly, is Alice Hoffman’s strength…The River King is full of wonderfully and satisfyingly odd twists and turns.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Reading her book is like having a dream that haunts even after we awaken.”—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Synopsis
From the best-selling author of The Dovekeepers, The River Kingconfirms Alice Hoffman as "one of our quirkiest and most interesting novelists" (Jane Smiley, USA Today).
People tend to stay in their place in the town of Haddan. The students at the prestigious prep school don't mix with locals; even within the school, hierarchy rules, as freshman and faculty members find out where they fit in and what is expected of them. But when a body is found in the river behind the school, a local policeman will walk into this enclosed world and upset it entirely. A story of surface appearances and the truths submerged below."
Synopsis
From the best-selling author of
The Dovekeepers,
The River King confirms Alice Hoffman as "one of our quirkiest and most interesting novelists" (Jane Smiley,
USA Today).
People tend to stay in their place in the town of Haddan. The students at the prestigious prep school don't mix with locals; even within the school, hierarchy rules, as freshman and faculty members find out where they fit in and what is expected of them. But when a body is found in the river behind the school, a local policeman will walk into this enclosed world and upset it entirely. A story of surface appearances and the truths submerged below.
About the Author
Alice Hoffman is the best-selling author of
The Dovekeepers, and several other beloved novels, including,
Blue Diary (2001),
The River King (2000),
Local Girls (1999),
Here On Earth (1997),
Practical Magic (1995),
Second Nature (1994),
Turtle Moon (1992),
Seventh Heaven (1990),
At Risk (1988),
Illumination Night (1987),
Fortune’s Daughter (1985),
White Horses (1982),
Angel Landing (1980),
The Drowning Season (1979), and
Property Of (1977). She is also the author of three children’s books:
Aquamarine (2001),
Horsefly (2000), and
Fireflies (1997).
Born in New York City, and raised on Long Island, Hoffman graduated from Adelphi University and received an M.A. from Stanford University, where she was Mirrielees Fellow. She currently lives near Boston with her family and her dogs.