The Probable Future Audiobook By Alice Hoffman cover art

The Probable Future

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The Probable Future

By: Alice Hoffman
Narrated by: Susan Ericksen
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About this listen

Women of the Sparrow family have unusual gifts. Elinor can detect falsehood. Her daughter, Jenny, can see people's dreams when they sleep. Granddaughter Stella has a mental window to the future - a future that she might not want to see.

In Alice Hoffman's tour de force, this vivid and intriguing cast of characters confronts a haunting past - and a very current murder - against the evocative backdrop of small-town New England. By turns chilling and enchanting, The Probable Future chronicles the Sparrows' legacy as young Stella struggles to cope with her disturbing clairvoyance. Her potential to ruin or redeem becomes unbearable when one of her premonitions puts her father in jail, wrongly accused of homicide. Yet this ordeal also leads Stella to the grandmother she was forbidden to meet, and to an historic family home full of talismans from her ancestors.

©2004 Alice Hoffman (P)2004 Brilliance Audio, Inc.
Fantasy Fiction Literary Fiction Magical Realism Sagas Suspense Feel-Good
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Critic reviews

"Delicious....Hoffman is an unapologetic optimist, and optimism is in short supply these days. It feels like a vacation to curl up with [The Probable Future]." ( The New York Times Book Review)
"Spellbinding....Of all the magical realists writing today, she may have the best sense of balance." ( Portland Oregonian)

What listeners say about The Probable Future

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  • Overall
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Stunning performance and book

Lovely, well written and beautifully read as we who love Alice Hoffman have come to anticipate!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Love Alice Hoffman

I enjoyed this book very much and the reader was great. I loved the magical realism interwoven into the story. Not sure why I didn't give it five stars. It was earth shattering but I bet I listen to it again one day.

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3 people found this helpful

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Wonderful story told across generations

great read. draws you in and holds your attention while wondering through generations of women in on family.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Hoffman Never Disappoints

This book is magical in its entirety. The story is magical, also the characters, also the place, and especially the language. Every page enriches the reader.

It is the story of love in its entirety. Young love, old love, lost love, found love, profound and unerring love. It is a true lesson in love's promise. If you already admire and enjoy the work of Alice Hoffman, read The Probable Future next. If you don't know her yet, get started immediately. This is a very good book.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Story went nowhere

The fact there was no plot just descriptions of landscapes
I was really disappointed in this book probably won’t read another from this author

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

not as good as practical magic and rules of magic

Not as good as some of her other titles like my faves of hers (The Rules of Magic and Practical Magic) but still a good read. Hoffman is an amazing author.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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If you like a little romance with your magic

What did you love best about The Probable Future?

Borderline romance novel, but most of Alice Hoffman's are. Nice storyline, excellent flashback scenes. Good historical and current(ish) references to the greater Boston area. You'll understand it if you're from around here. Kind of like Gilmore Girls with magic and and a family curse thrown in.

What other book might you compare The Probable Future to and why?

Practical Magic, Blackbird House, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Of Bees and Mist, The Wild Mother, etc...

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great novel

one of my favorite novels and authors. my only complaint is that I wish there were more than one narrator.

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  • Overall
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Great story

Loved the story, the imagery, the narration...will definitely listen again in the near future!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Probable Future

Beautifully written, totally original blend of supernatural and realism. The performance is thoroughly engaging. All in all entirely captivating.

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