Yet another I read years ago and re-read (listened to) recently. The reader is very good. Her voice fits the story well.

Actual story: follows a family of women named Sparrow and tells some of their family history. It specifically centers on elderly Elinor Sparrow, her estranged grown daughter Jenny, who’s returned home, and Jenny’s 13 year old daughter, Stella. Sparrow women all receive a “gift” on their 13th birthday. Elinor can tell if anyone’s telling a lie. Jenny dreams the dreams of others. Stella can see how certain people will die.

And each gift in a way, puts each woman on a course that will greatly alter their life. Jenny runs off with her childhood sweetheart because she thinks he dreams beautiful dreams. He’s a liar and lazy and they end up divorced and it turns out the dreams were his brother’s all along – who’s been in love with Jenny for years. Elinor thinks her husband never lied to her but she knows he had an affair which he never lied about – he just didn’t tell her. So she shuts down after he’s killed in a car wreck and doesn’t trust anyone, even when someone grows to love her, even  as she’s dieing of pancreatic cancer. Stella has her dad warn a woman and the police she’s seen murder in the woman’s future. When it comes true, her father is the only suspect, putting Stella and her parents in a very bad spot.

I love pretty much every character in this story still. Except Stella. I hated her years ago and I still can’t stand her. There’s a fine line between teen angst and just being a little twat and Stella often titers over the line. Her mother left home and can’t along with her own mother Elinor because Elinor was literally emotionally unavailable to her. In fact, in one flashback we’re shown that even when Jenny was suffering a fever of over a hundred degrees, Eli was out in her garden ignoring her because she couldn’t face other people. Jenny had to call the doctor herself. However, Stella seems to think that not only should Jenny just get along with her mother but they should be all lovey and stuff. But when Jenny tries to take care of Stella, and she does seem to be a very good mother, every time Stella acts like her mother’s a horrid person. And it rubs me the wrong way.

Other than Stella being a disgusting little wretch, I enjoy this. Alice Hoffman has a beautiful, colorful way with words without delving off into purple prose. And this is a very good story to listen to at work too.