The Ice Queen

One of my all time favoites......poetry to the hungry soul

Excellent!!

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Nameless Narrator

From the get-go I was hooked. Hoffman has the knack for creating a narrative that is compelling. The main character, who remains nameless through the whole book, is a woman obsessed with death. As a young girl, she gets mad at her mom as she is driving away. In a moment of fury, she wishes her mom dead. It is the dead of winter and the next day, the young girl wakes up to find that her mom was killed in a car accident. Her wish had come true.

Later in the story, the girl moves to Florida with her brother. Florida is the lightning capital of the world. The woman is fascinated by lightning. So fascinated she wonders what it would be like to be struck by it. So she wishes, out loud, that she would be struck by lightning.

It happens.

Hoffman describes the effects of lightning strikes on people. The narrator, for instance, can no longer see red after she is struck. She is also constantly cold and she begins to refer to herself as an ice queen because she can no longer feel.

Then she meets Lazarus. A man who was struck by lightning, died, and then came back to life. She is fascinated by him because he could be someone that would not be affected by her death wishes. An odd romance ensues between the narrator and Lazarus.

There is more but I will not spoil it for you. Go find it and read it. It is really a story about the redemptive power of love.

I loved how Hoffman made the surreal and the real entwine. It felt like a magical book but there really was no magic in it. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading Jodi Picoult or other authors like her.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved it, besides.......

I love Alice Hoffman & I really did love this book! Besides the nameless narrator. It had a good story behind it though.

Horrid. Indeniably boring.

This author starts at point a jumps to point f jumps back to point b and so forth. I am an avid reader but i would not recommend it to anyone that was even minutely sane. I wouldnt even let a insane person read it. I am so glad i borrowed it from the library instead of buying it. Take my advice do not read this book.

Kritters Ramblings

A book that flowed like a stream consciousness - which unfortunately I wasn't a fan of. The story overall was intriguing, but because of the writing style, it wasn't my favorite.

The use of strong adverbs made me fall in love with her descriptions of the "effects" of lightning strike survivors. I adored the relationship between the brother and sister and how the early death of their mother affected the both of them in two totally different ways. But through these likes, I still had a hard time reading and enjoying this one.

I would only recommend this book to those who love things that are artsy. Imagery and visualization would be key when reading this book.

Disappointing- Don't let the Overview fool you!!!

I have read many of Alice Hoffman's novels and enjoyed every single one of them but I was very disappointed in this book. When reading the overview I thought it seemed interesting. Boy was I wrong! It was slow and very depressing and a HUGE waste of my time. To me, it didn't seem as if there was much of a plot or climax and it was just plain boring. The book is only 138 pages but it took me 2 weeks to read because I had to force myself to pick it up. Also paying $9.99 for 138 pages?!?!?!? I was really upset about that too.

The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman, good read

Well written, by an incredible author, this story is imaginative and deep. Deals with loss and acceptance, and takes you on a journey of personal insight as the main character, a librarian from New Jersey deals with abandonment and death obsessions and moves on to a lighter place

Self Introspect

Alice definitely knows her stuff when it comes to Lightning! The story line was a bit sad as the main character was so determined to self-destruct until she realized the gifts she was endowed with. I felt my own history come through the character on several occasions and also knew that I had discovered my own talents and gifts over the years as well.

Left Me Cold

I wanted to love this book; unfortunately, that was not the case. The story's main character was overy tragic. The backstory concerning her mother's death lacked depth, and, her brother, who seems absent through most of the story, I cared very little about even as he deals with some devistating news. The relationship between her and Lazerus Jones seemed doomed from the beginning so the outcome was no surprise. Though it is a relatively short novel, it took me several weeks to get through it. If I had to judge this book based on not having read any Alice Hoffman novels, I would give it an average grade. But, having read two others I enjoyed much more, I found this one very disappointing.

Depressing

To me the book was very depressing. Even though the characters were finding ways to cope with what life had dealt them, there was always an underlying feeling of heaviness and darkness the whole way through.

Fast read, but gripping!

This was an interesting story, and even left me a bit confused at the end, but that will only spur me to read it again! The plot unraveled slowly, and never gave itself away. I read it in one night, since it isn't a very long book - I would definitely recommend it!

The best!

This is the best of alice hoffmans work. I love this book. I have read it four times and it still takes my breath away.

fast and entertaining!

I found this book to be easy to follow and very relaxing to read. The only downside is i feel like she didnt finish some of the short problems i think some of the ideas got cut short it would have been better if this book was a little longer! but still it was a good book!

Disapointing

It was not one of the best books I have read. I thought there were to many story lines and none of them seemed to be the main plot. The ending only made me angry and left me feeling like there should me more to the 'stories'

A little strange...

The book has a great premise, and it was interesting to learn about lightening strikes. However, it was written in an odd way, with a lot of superfluous musings and no real central plot and therefore, no closing/climax. I finished it, but wasn't impressed.

A reviewer

Remember childhood superstitions? 'Step on a crack, you'll break your mother's back.' So, as youngsters we did all we could do to avoid those sidewalk cracks. How about wishing upon a star? Many of us once believed that if you wished upon the first star you saw at night and wished hard enough that wish just might come true. Fortunately, most of us do not have the ability of Alice Hoffman's narrator who begins her story by saying, 'Be careful what you wish for. I know that for a fact. Wishes are brutal, unforgiving things, they burn your tongue the moment they're spoken and you can never take them back. They bruise and bake and come back to haunt you. I've made far too many wishes in my lifetime, the first when I was eight years old.' Her wish was that she would never see her mother again, and that proved to be true. A fatal automobile accident on an icy road takes her mother's life and forever changes our heroine who grows up to become a librarian, an ice queen if you will, remaining apart, aloof and trying to convince herself that she does not care. Ned, her older brother by four years, takes a different route. He becomes a meteorologist, studying adverse weather conditions. In adulthood he invites her to join him in Florida. Once there, she is struck by lightning which serves to melt her long nurtured reserve. There are many other survivors of lightning strikes, one in particular - Lazarus Jones, who was supposedly dead for forty minutes after being struck. Once she begins to thaw the ice queen realizes all that she has been missing and seeks out Lazarus. The love affair that develops between them is pure Hoffman - a bit of magic as fire meets ice. Written in impeccable prose, The Ice Queen is superbly crafted, the work of a master wordsmith. This all too brief story is an affirmation of life and all that it offers it is one we will not soon forget. Enjoy! - Gail Cooke

AN AFFIRMATION OF LIFE AND ALL THAT IT OFFERS

Remember childhood superstitions? 'Step on a crack, you'll break your mother's back.' So, as youngsters we did all we could do to avoid those sidewalk cracks. How about wishing upon a star? Many of us once believed that if you wished upon the first star you saw at night and wished hard enough that wish just might come true. Fortunately, most of us do not have the ability of Alice Hoffman's narrator who begins her story by saying, 'Be careful what you wish for. I know that for a fact. Wishes are brutal, unforgiving things, they burn your tongue the moment they're spoken and you can never take them back. They bruise and bake and come back to haunt you. I've made far too many wishes in my lifetime, the first when I was eight years old.' Her wish was that she would never see her mother again, and that proves to be true. A fatal automobile accident on an icy road takes her mother's life and forever changes our heroine who grows up to become a librarian, an ice queen if you will, remaining apart, aloof and trying to convince herself that she does not care. Ned, her older brother by four years, takes a different route. He becomes a meteorologist, studying adverse weather conditions. In adulthood he invites her to join him in Florida. Once there, she is struck by lightning which serves to melt her long nurtured reserve. There are many other survivors of lightning strikes, one in particular - Lazarus Jones, who was supposedly dead for forty minutes after being struck. Once she begins to thaw the ice queen realizes all that she has been missing and seeks out Lazarus. The love affair that develops between them is pure Hoffman - a bit of magic as fire meets ice. Written in impeccable prose, The Ice Queen is superbly crafted, the work of a master wordsmith. This all too brief story is an affirmation of life and all that it offers. it is one we will not soon forget. Stage, film and television actress Nancy Travis gives a superb voice performance, appropriately reflecting first the pain and then the recovery of a human spirit. - Gail Cooke

A thrilling story from begining to end

The story starts off about a girl and all the traumatic things that happen in her life. Throughout the book it seems as though the seasons change from winter to spring. It shows another side of a person¿s life, that you wouldn¿t expect. Throughout the book, it seems like you could feel some sort of sympathy for her. Her transformation being a quite mysterious person to an open joyous woman compels the reader to want more. Keeping her name anonymous throughout the books questions the reader the whole time. Getting struck by lightening is just a beginning to this mystical story of desire, hope and love. Ice Queen is one of the best books that Alice Hoffman has ever written. I liked the book because it had a mysterious tone to it. Her name being anonymous and how you can feel some sort of compassion for her brings more interest to the story. To see her transformation throughout the book from a delicate bud to a blooming rose showed an original idea for this book. It seems like you are the bird eyes view of this person. I liked how it dealt with certain topics that was part of the story. The story flow had a nice theme of a girl with a frozen heart and slowly thawing out in the end.

be careful what you wish for

¿The Ice Queen¿ has a simple but meaningful theme, be careful what you wish for. A simple wish can turn your life upside down in a matter of seconds. An anonymous narrator tells the story. She made one idle wish as a young little girl that her mother would disappear. Her mother¿s death is what made her a cold and careless person. She not longer believed in love and was afraid of being too emotionally attached to anyone. After getting struck by lightning she meets another lightning strike survivor, Lazarus. He is her opposite. She is a cold person and he is fire. Her cold heart begins to melt with the arrival of Lazarus. She lets down her guard and begins to feel the one emotion she feared the most. But will their love be enough to surpass all of her fears and allow her to climb the mountain over to reach true happiness? The biggest conflict of the book is this girl trying to overcome her fears and making an attempt to feel love. ¿The Ice Queen¿ is the story of this girls inner most fears and trying to over come them. She is a cold person unable to care for anyone but by letting this man come into her life and allow her to love she is able to just get up and walk away from her fears that otherwise hold her back. The most ironic part of the book is her meeting her exact opposite. Lazarus is everything she was afraid of having. He is fire and she is ice. She allows herself to meet someone she would never associate with. These two people are brought together by fate. Both struck by lightning and drawn to each other. There relationship is the perfect example of opposites attracting. ¿The best way to die is while you are still living¿ I think this quote summarizes the whole book. It means living your life to the fullest. Taking in all of the good and bad things that life has to give and make the most out of it. This girl has been emotionally scarred and was ready to give up but by allowing herself to care for someone else she can get over the other fears that hold her back. Maybe loving someone will help her stop feeling responsible for her mother¿s death. This whole book teaches a very valuable lesson words are like treasure be careful how you use it.

Quite Interesting

A story of opposites, and of the journey through this girl's life as she progresses through life. The story slowly unfolds and before you realize what's going on, the story has changed from icy cold to gentle warmth. A gripping story.