Book Recommendation: Incantation, by Alice Hoffman
Dec 26th, 2006 by Lynne
Today, I realized how long it has been since I read a book I admired so much that I could unreservedly recommend it to anyone. The last such book was Marilynne Robinson's Gilead. Right after Gilead came out, we bought two copies for ourselves (one paper, another electronic) and one each for my mother and John's mother. Incantation is not in the same league, of course — there are only a few books like Gilead in every generation, IMO — but when I finished reading Incantation earlier today, I had that same feeling of wanting to buy several copies and give them away to friends and family.
I've been in such a bad reading slump for the last six to twelve months that I had begun to wonder if I'd broken something in my brain, to the point that I just couldn't enjoy fiction anymore. I have read books this last year that I could tell on an intellectual level were adequately written, but rarely did I find one that held my attention from beginning to end. I started to worry that maybe I'd come down with some kind of adult onset ADD or whatever.
I think it's just that I've gotten pickier. I don't enjoy clumsily written books and probably never will, but that's nothing new. More recently, I've found myself annoyed by books that don't contain any egregious errors — they may even be competently written — but are so full of the author's ego that it's difficult to stay immersed in the story. You've read this kind of book, I'm sure. The author is so busy showing off and trying to convince us how clever she/he is that the story takes a distant second place. For a long time, I didn't understand what bugged me about those books. I thought there was something wrong with me, but now I've decided they're just not to my taste.
So why am I saying all of this in a recommendation of Incantation? This book was so beautifully and deftly written, with no attempt on the author's part to wow me with vocabulary or elaborately constructed prose, that I was just blown away. I haven't provided any links to online bookstores, because they'll probably give away some plot details that might affect your enjoyment of the book. Most of the synopses I've seen reveal a secret that, in my opinion, is best experienced as part of the story.
Basically, the book is about a teenage girl in post-Moorish Spain. If you put yourself in Ms. Hoffman's capable hands and let her tell you about Estrella, I don't believe you'll be disappointed.
And that's all I'm sayin'. :-)
Ooooh, thanks for the recommendations. I love Alice Hoffman anyway, so I’ll definitely get it. I have two favorites for the last year, (and Lynne I can’t tell you how exactly your reading experience mirrors my own recent inability to read anything I like very much). The first, Shades by Marguerite Poland, you won’t get very easily in the States, and the reprint is only due out in Febuary 2007 in South Africa (I’m down on pre-order for a few copies for friends). The second is the Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. I loved both, although Shades wins because it is closer to my heart.
Hi, Michelle! And thank YOU for the recommendations. :-)
This was my first Alice Hoffman, and it certainly won’t be my last.
Lynne, I’m with Michelle too! Your experience mirrors mine. Maybe writers do get picky in a way. I’ve read Alice before, and will most certainly nab this one. I love recommended books by writer friends. It saves mulling through several okay books, and finding the heartsong I’ve been searching for. Thanks for the heads up! Also, I’m reading Anita Shreve’s LIGHT ON SNOW now. Kath said it was a great read also. Next, I have a Susan Wiggs, HOME BEFORE DARK. I’ll keep ya posted.
I bought Incantation yesterday, Lynne :).
Hi, LaDonna! I have heard good things about Light On Snow and will have to check it out.
You’ll have to let me know what you think of it, Michelle!