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A Fistful Of Sky Nina Kiriki Hoffman 9780441011773 Books

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A Fistful Of Sky Nina Kiriki Hoffman 9780441011773 Books

I have bought this book a total of three times. Each time I've given it away and thought, 'well, it's not like I'd read it again.' But then I do, or at least, I want to and I had to buy it again. I guess the draw for me is the slow and steady pace of the story. All the characters are flawed and wonderful in their way and I desperately need a shorter story to get me to sleep in these troubled times.

The story is a fairly simple one about family, loyalty and how the two combine to protect and smother a person. But it was the little reveals about each character and how they use their magical powers that really turns this story around.

I guess, if I had to sum up what I loved about this story is that the main character is the most normal of the bunch. Unlike her siblings, she doesn't have powers and when it becomes clear that she wont, she doesn't participate in the magical lessons her Uncle provides. From this point on, she is as much of an outsider as someone who didn't grow up in their house.

Gypsum might not admit it or even be able to recognize it, but because she didn't transition and gain a magical skill, her life has been more about going along with things than in actively seeking out a path. She's been in limbo for years. She has a part time job at the local college. She bakes cookies when she's home. She hangs out with her best friend, but all of this has the hallmarks of someone who didn't really get over losing the spot they thought they would have, she's accepted it but hasn't really moved on.

So when she gains powers it is super shocking to her and the rest of her family, the power she gets is even more of a shock.I don't want to spoil this for anyone, because the reveal is a big part of the story going forwards.

I was always kinda hoping that Ms. Hoffman would do a follow up novel. The family deserved more story and I wanted to see things a bit more settled. I also was a bit bothered by some of the horrid (sorta evil) things that people will do to their own family members. I also wanted to know more about everyone's powers, but, alas, that was not meant to be and the most we get is Gypsum's power.


Tags : A Fistful Of Sky [Nina Kiriki Hoffman] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A misfit in a family of spellcasters, Gypsum LaZelle possesses no magical ability whatsoever, until a mysterious and grave illness leads to the awakening of a strange and frightening power. Reissue.,Nina Kiriki Hoffman,A Fistful Of Sky,Ace,0441011772,Fantasy - General,FICTION Fantasy General,Fantasy,Fiction,Fiction - Science Fiction,Fiction Fantasy Contemporary,Fiction-Fantasy,General Adult,MASS MARKET,Science Fiction - General

A Fistful Of Sky Nina Kiriki Hoffman 9780441011773 Books Reviews

Gypsum is in a special family. At a certain age they go through a transition to receive powers. That's good. But they might die during it. That's bad. Or, they don't go through the transition at all and remain normal, which could be good, but not so great when your whole family is practicing their magical powers on you. Gypsum hasn't gone through the transition.

This is a magical story. *cough* It was fun and for the most part, lighthearted, but there were some very truth-full parts about how family members can hurt you deeply, even when they think they are loving you. The bits about family were very real. The story got a bit wobbly for me in the last five pages, where it had been straightforward the whole book, suddenly it seemed that the author had taken a psychedelic drug to finish it. The magic was a bit of a Mary Jane system (whatever you wished for you suddenly could do), but as a coming of age novel that really didn't bother me. It was heaps of fun to read, the characters and family were engaging and real.
My first experience with Nina Kiriki Hoffman ... and very positive. A very imaginative tale with lots of sensory input yet always plenty of room for ones imagination to fill in the final details. A evil self ... created? Split off? Who knows, but this alternative self helps Gypsum learn who she is and also the place for anger. It is a young girl's delayed coming of age in a family with various powers. The mother is a perfect (!) narcissist; so well described that the impact she has on Gyp's lack of confidence is so in the accurate zone. Yet, even she can grow from confrontation. End was pointed at the future, without defining the outcome. Lot's of hope and promise for Gypsum. She needs a new story!
Hoffman's novel falls more into the genre of magic realism than fantasy; grounded in the "real" world rather than some alternate reality but with fantastical elements that are accepted as normal. Gyp has grown up as normal in more ways than just being non-magical; she is unsure about her future, she is slightly body conscious, she retains some resentment over past events but is generally willing to see multiple perspectives. Overall, she's kind and family oriented, while still maintaining and developing her sense of self.
Her late entrance into her birthright magic, a malevolent version of her family's benevolent magic, gives her a unique perspective on the consequences of the choices we make, since her choices can't be written off as childish selfishness. Therein lies the central conflict of the story whether power is considered good or bad is irrelevant; what matters is how you choose to utilize it. Hoffman's delicately woven story is a pleasant and subtle read about the parts we choose to keep and the parts we choose to let go of, not just as we leave childhood but throughout life.
I have bought this book a total of three times. Each time I've given it away and thought, 'well, it's not like I'd read it again.' But then I do, or at least, I want to and I had to buy it again. I guess the draw for me is the slow and steady pace of the story. All the characters are flawed and wonderful in their way and I desperately need a shorter story to get me to sleep in these troubled times.

The story is a fairly simple one about family, loyalty and how the two combine to protect and smother a person. But it was the little reveals about each character and how they use their magical powers that really turns this story around.

I guess, if I had to sum up what I loved about this story is that the main character is the most normal of the bunch. Unlike her siblings, she doesn't have powers and when it becomes clear that she wont, she doesn't participate in the magical lessons her Uncle provides. From this point on, she is as much of an outsider as someone who didn't grow up in their house.

Gypsum might not admit it or even be able to recognize it, but because she didn't transition and gain a magical skill, her life has been more about going along with things than in actively seeking out a path. She's been in limbo for years. She has a part time job at the local college. She bakes cookies when she's home. She hangs out with her best friend, but all of this has the hallmarks of someone who didn't really get over losing the spot they thought they would have, she's accepted it but hasn't really moved on.

So when she gains powers it is super shocking to her and the rest of her family, the power she gets is even more of a shock.I don't want to spoil this for anyone, because the reveal is a big part of the story going forwards.

I was always kinda hoping that Ms. Hoffman would do a follow up novel. The family deserved more story and I wanted to see things a bit more settled. I also was a bit bothered by some of the horrid (sorta evil) things that people will do to their own family members. I also wanted to know more about everyone's powers, but, alas, that was not meant to be and the most we get is Gypsum's power.