Green Angel (Green Angel, Book 1)
Green Witch (Green Angel, Book 2)
By: Alice Hoffman
My Rating: Four out of Five Stars
Best for: 14 and up
Pain and whimsy
Clearly, Alice Hoffman knows pain. She writes sadness like it’s an old, unwelcome friend. But like any sad story, it’s not the pain that makes it great. It’s how we rise above, and over come, and emerge stronger.
These two little books, Green Angel and Green Witch, are about a 15-year-old’s journey through grief. It’s a whimsical allegory in the form of a dystopian YA fantasy and is full of flowy, lovely metaphors. Some readers might be turned off by the fliting and floating prose. I found the books beautifully written, and appropriately short (120-ish pages each) for the style.
Through the story, we meet Green, her mother and father and younger sister, learn of her family’s death, and experience the depth of her grief. Her emotional journey teaches Green discovers who she truly is, and she learns she’s not alone in her suffering. One of my favorite elements of her healing was the way serving others was integral to the discovery of her self.
There are no tradition content concerns, but the message of the book is nuanced and abstract which will likely put it out of reach for casual readers.
Best for whimsy-loving 14-year-olds and up.
Happy Reading!
One Man Book Club 