Green Heart

The Good Stuff

The writing is absolutely beautiful and lyrical as with most of Hoffman's works
Descriptions of grief are so honest and realistic
Fabulous character development especially for Green
A nice message of hope and being able to make it through the grief of losing so much
Hauntingly beautiful
Unique take on the whole dystopian / post apocolyptic (people please simply explain the difference to me) genre - honestly I was imagining a 9/11 sort of devestation had happened
Thinly veiled disgust for those that commit devestating acts of terrorism in the name of religion
So many beautifully written life lessons weaved throughout the two stories
Has a sort of dreamy fairy tale feel to it
The Not So Good Stuff

Second story was a little uneven in show more terms of style - it didn't mesh as well with the first story
A wee bit repetitive for my pace (but I find that with Hoffman -- still love her work though)
Still not sure what the disaster was as it is very vague
Favorite Quotes/Passages

"There were good people in town who were helping out their neighbors and others who saw an opportunity for greed. Some people were busy cleaning the ashes out of the schoolhouse, while others were selling overpriced lanterns and oil and counting their profits."

"If it were nothing more than mist I could neither touch nor hold, formed into the shapes of those I loved, so be it. As long as I could see my sister, my mother, my father, I would pay any price. Accept any answer."

"But my sister, Aurora, was there in the city that day, selling vegetables from our truck, and I know she hadn't sinned. She was a globe of light, a white dove. Heaven would have never burned her alive."

"We hear the Horde speaking in a language we don't understand, just as we never understood how they could be so certain that heaven is on their side, that they alone have the right to chart what is a sin. For them, the past is the only marker. The future is nothing but dangerous territory. The death of innocent people is a price they're willing to pay in order to build their vision of heaven on earth.

There is no language that can give a reasonable voice to that."

Who Should/Shouldn't Read

Not for those who need a fast paced violent story
I would recommend for the more sophisticated YA reader as it is very introspective and thoughtful
Anyone who has suffered the tragedy of losing someone especially to a violent act will understand the story - The stories have a 9/11 feeling to them
4 Dewey's

I received this from Scholastic in exchange for an honest review show less

Green Angel is a beautiful, tender and heartfelt story of a girl who lost everything and everyone she loved, and then she lost herself. This is the story of the dreams of the past that haunted her, the lives of those touched by her and all that she gave up and found once again.

Green Witch is an enchanting story of magic, love and witches. When so much of the past was lost all that was left were the memories of what had been. Learning to live again, to love again, was the only hope for a future, but that future would never be unless someone could be found to share that future, unless something could be found to believe in.

Green Heart combines the two stories of Green Angel and Green Witch into one brilliantly composed book. When so many show more were lost in the disaster, when so much was taken, there were none left behind who had not suffered a loss. Filled with grief, witches, kidnapping and a greedy horde, in the end it will be a self belief that saves her. Out of the devastation and tragedy of the past will grow a new and bright future, where one girl ventures further then ever before to save her heart and discover a new kind of family. show less

Poetic, vivid, and timely -- this volume is a 2-book anthology of Hoffman's books about Green (Green Angel and Green Witch), a young girl who finds herself all alone after a devastating tragedy rocks the world, and her journey of self-discovery in the midst of disaster.

It's a quick read, but moving --Green Angel more than the second -- and while at times the narrative seemed to become mildly soapbox-y, there is some truth behind the fiction (think terrorism, oppressive regimes, and women's rights) and to that end I was still able to enjoy the story.

Alice Hoffman, to her credit, has a beautiful way with words throughout the stories, and presents a tale of hope & self-discovery and the human heart's ability to live and thrive even in show more darkest moments of life. show less

Such an enjoyable, entertaining, & charming post-apocalypic fairytale.