This may not be the subtlest of literary devices, but Hoffman's lyrical prose weaves an undeniable spell. Fire, water, milk, pears, halibut-these, too, play important symbolic and sometimes almost magical roles. Hoffman's symbols are lovingly presented and polished: the 10-year-old boy who drowned with his father in the first story sets free a pet blackbird, who returns, now all white, to live with the boy's mother in the last two stories, a 10-year-old boy blames a white crow for his mischief, and, a generation later, that boy's grown-up sister meets a 10-year-old boy who makes her reconsider selling Blackbird House. Lion's orphaned son, Lion West Jr., serves in World War II and meets a German-Jewish woman spirited enough to stand up to his possessive grandmother Violet. In the late 19th century, Blackbird inhabitant Violet Cross has a brief affair with a Harvard scholar who inevitably betrays her in the story that follows, she pushes her son, Lion West, to Harvard in 1908, which in turn launches him to life-and early death-in England. Built during British colonial days by a man who dies tragically on a final fishing trip, Blackbird House is home, in the following generation, to a man who lost his leg to a giant halibut. Books Blackbird House : A Novel by Alice Hoffman (2005, Trade Paperback) 3 product ratings About this product Brand new 16.98 New (other) 7.25 Pre-owned 3.67 Make an offer: Pre-owned Stock photo Brand new: Lowest price 16. ) offers 12 lush and lilting interconnected stories, all taking place in the same Cape Cod farmhouse over the course of generations. Prolific novelist Hoffman ( The Probable Future
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