“Part American Graffiti , part early Updike, Seventh Heaven simultaneously chronicles the coming of age of a group of teenagers in a Long Island town, and the gradual dissolution of their parents’ repressed, middle-class world...A parable about changing times and changing values”( The New York Times ) from the bestselling author of The Rules of Magic . Nora Silk doesn’t really fit in on Hemlock Street, where every house looks the same. She's divorced. She wears a charm bracelet and high heels and red toreador pants. And the way she raises her kids is a scandal. But as time passes, the neighbors start having second thoughts about Nora. The women’s apprehension evolves into admiration. The men’s lust evolves into awe. The children are drawn to her in ways they can't explain. And everyone on this little street in 1959 Long Island seems to sense the possibilities and perils of a different kind of future when they look at Nora Silk. An extraordinary novel, Seventh Heaven takes us back to a time when the exotic both terrified and intrigued us, and despite our most desperate attempts, our passions and secrets remained as stubbornly alive as the weeds in our well-trimmed lawns.

A two-fold tale of grief and hope, loss and love, beautifully, heartbreakingly rendered as only bestselling author Alice Hoffman can. When her family is lost in a terrible disaster, fifteen-year-old Green is haunted by loss and the past. Struggling to survive in a place where nothing seems to grow, Green retreats into the ruined realm of her garden. But in destroying her feelings, she also begins to destroy herself. It is only through a series of mysterious encounters that Green relearns the most important lessons of love and begins to heal as she tells her own story. In the magical sequel, Green Witch , Green continues to heal but still lives every day with feelings of loss. Her family is gone, the boy she loves is missing, and the world she once knew has been transformed by tragedy. In order to rediscover the truth about love, hope, and magic, she must venture away from her home, collecting the stories of a group of women who have been branded witches for their mysterious powers. Only through their stories will Green finally find her own heart's desire. Master storyteller and New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman weaves together two beautiful and heartbreaking tales of love and loss, healing and magic.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Rules of Magic comes a “memorable...striking”( Village Voice ) novel that vividly portrays an American family shattered by tragedy. Ivan and Polly Farrell have two bright and talented children. Eight-year-old Charlie has his father's scientific mind. Amanda, eleven, possesses the unusual strength and determination that has made her a promising gymnast. But her strength runs out as she becomes ill—and when she is diagnosed with AIDS, her family must draw on their own strengths as they come face-to-face with their deepest fears. “Brilliant...explosive...heart-rending.”— Chicago Tribune “Compelling power...tenderness and perceptiveness.”— The New York Times

Jackie can't run and skate and throw as well as the other children, but his clumsiness eventually saves the villagers from a winter that would not end.