Product Description

A fairy tale for grown ups, which brings together, as only Hoffman can, the fabulous and the real, chaos theory and the irrational everyday moment, in a compelling, haunting and sexy novel, with a sharp edge. The story begins with a little girl who makes a wish one snowy night and ruins her life. She grows up with a splinter of ice in her heart until one day, standing by her kitchen window, she is struck by lightning. Instead of killing her, this cataclysmic event sparks off a new beginning. She seeks out Lazarus Jones, a fellow lightning survivor. He is her opposite, a burning man whose breath can boil water and whose touch scorches. As an obsessive love affair begins between them, both are forced to hide their most dangerous secrets - what turned one to ice and the other to fire. The "Ice Queen" is a haunting story of passion, loss, second chances and the secrets that come to define us, if we're not careful.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26865 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

The Independent
"Hypnotic, and extremely touching."

From the Publisher
Alice Hoffman at her electrifying best, in a dark, compelling and magical novel about grief, addictive passion and second chances

About the Author
Alice Hoffman is the bestselling author of many successful novels and screenplays, including Here on Earth (Oprah Book Club Choice in 1998), Illumination Nights, Turtle Moon, Practical Magic (made into a major film starring Sandra Bullock, Aidan Quinn and Nicole Kidman), Local Girls, The River King (also filming now), Blue Diary, The Probable Future and Blackbird House. She lives in Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Adult fairy Tale
An electrifying novel about a woman struck by lightning, who meets a man who died and was resurrected. The butterfly effect - or the chaos theory - forms the basis of this electrifying novel. This is a gothic modern day fairy tale told in a bewitching style that is poetic and compelling. As in all great fairy tales we learn that what we wish for isn't necessarily what we really want. This is a dark tale of love, secrets, second chances, loss and obsession, with a heart-wrenching ending. An outstanding piece of writing by Hoffman, which I could not put down.

Wonderful
I agree totally with the first review. Funnily enough I too picked this up whilst travelling and I read it, cover to cover, incredibly quickly.

It's a magical book. Wonderful. Heartwarming. Readable.

It was my first Alice Hoffman, but I may well be searching her out again.

A 'fairy tale' for our times
This is the first Alice Hoffman novel I have read, having chosen it at random at the Airport. It gripped me from the first page. It describes a journey from childhood thoughtlessness to extreme loneliness and isolation as an adult. It creates a character we can believe (and sometimes empathise with). To survive, she denies all feelings towards both her fellow man and animals. But in the end she is 'rescued' through helping another - and through learning that love "changed your whole world. Even when you didn't want it to." This book is great. Read it.