The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman

My most recent read is by Alice Hoffman, whom I've read before (The Third Angel) and really liked.  If you've ever seen or heard of the movie "Practical Magic", she wrote that too.  Usually her books have some sort of mystical feeling to it and this one is no different.

The Red Garden is different in that its main character isn't a person but rather the small Berkshire town of Blackwell, Massachusetts.  Blackwell was settled in the 1700s and the stories start there.  Every chapter takes the reader to a different time period in the town's history and gives a glimpse of a few of the townspeople.  From the Civil War to the Great Depression to Vietnam and the 60s, the reader witnesses love, death, heartbreak, loyalty, murder, mystery and so much more.  The overall theme is one of survival, not only in the characters you get a small taste of but also in the town itself.  Not every story makes you feel good; every character isn't redeeming but each story is so well-written and enchanting.

I read this book in about 2 days.  I haven't done that in a while. I highly recommend this book for a quick, easy read with lots of mmph within.  So good!

By the way - I'm on to another really, really good one (Left Neglected by Lisa Genova) and I can't wait to finish it and review...so far a must read!