aayla_xiaan's review against another edition
3.0
Here's a tip: get out your handkerchiefs!
At risk has the same vibe as Schimmit's books.
The plot explores very hard topics but well executed.
I cried so hard
At risk has the same vibe as Schimmit's books.
The plot explores very hard topics but well executed.
I cried so hard
cindypager's review against another edition
4.0
Some would say this story is dated - it's back near the start of the AIDS crisis.
Still, Alice Hoffman brings us inside this family as they help their daughter navigate this illness.
Still, Alice Hoffman brings us inside this family as they help their daughter navigate this illness.
attytheresa's review against another edition
4.0
Heartbreaking story from the late 1980s about a normal everyday middle class family who one day learn their beautiful gifted 11 year old daughter, Amanda, has AIDS from a tainted blood transfusion given 5 years earlier. It is the story of the devastation the diagnosis wrecks in its wake on not just Amanda, but on her family, friends, and community. It leads us to the beginning of healing. Amanda's own brave acceptance infuses those closest to her with the ability to move forward with their lives, closing some of the fissures that her diagnosis created.
This is beautifully, tautly written. It is a really good thing I had restocked my tissue supply.
This is beautifully, tautly written. It is a really good thing I had restocked my tissue supply.
loisagrimm's review against another edition
5.0
Another book I read in high school. This story is about a little girl who has HIV - she is approximately 11 years old and an aspiring gymnast. It had a profound affect on me. Another one that I am planning to re-read.
felinity's review
4.0
In some ways this feels dated, but in others it takes me very vividly back to the paranoia and fear of the late 80s and early 90s. The strength is in the people and their very individual reactions: the way they can draw together or pull themselves apart, the sacrifices that are made, and the friendships that are changed.
Spoiler
It's not depressingly sad, nor does it dwell on all the things Amanda can't, or won't, do, instead just touching on them briefly. And I think it's more powerful for that.angie_k's review against another edition
3.0
This book was ok. Easy to read but I kept waiting for a bit of a twist or turn of events. Sweet story but it left me wanting more. I was reading it on my kindle and was quite surprised when it just ended. (I didn't have the progress turned on at the bottom). I think it ended too quickly!
jessdone's review against another edition
3.0
While I love Alice Hoffman, this book just didn't draw me in. I'm calling it quits here and closing the "now reading" tab because I'm not reading this book.
It's well constructed, and I could see how the book would become something I'd like, it just didn't pull me into it's narrative. Wrong time and wrong place. I may attempt reading this book again later.
It's well constructed, and I could see how the book would become something I'd like, it just didn't pull me into it's narrative. Wrong time and wrong place. I may attempt reading this book again later.
misslezlee's review
4.0
Another book from the bought decades ago to be read pile. The blurb on the back of the book just says there is a tragedy that overtakes a family and town. It doesn’t say what the tragedy is and I didn’t read the reviews here on Goodreads so I was bit alarmed when I discovered that it was about a virus. Not the one that’s currently running a worldwide pandemic, but one from the 1980s. I decided to continue, despite the fact that everyone in the real world is already emotionally fraught and riding their own roller coaster. I’m glad I did because it’s really an exploration of family dynamics and relationships between neighbors and colleagues. It’s beautifully written, too.
I think I must have bought this book, although I can’t remember. I’m uncertain because the characters include both a research scientist and a photographer who is working on a book about a psychic who holds seances. Coincidence? Who knows?
I think I must have bought this book, although I can’t remember. I’m uncertain because the characters include both a research scientist and a photographer who is working on a book about a psychic who holds seances. Coincidence? Who knows?
stitchandwitch's review against another edition
3.0
This book has taken me MONTHS to read. It's very sad, and a little boring... Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors so I'm very dissapointed in how I feel about this book... For what it was the book was good, but it's not at all the genre I'm interested in, or the genre I'm accustomed to from Alice Hoffman... She doesn't usually make me cry...
caterpillar's review against another edition
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25