Behind Green Glass [Perfect Paperback]

Amanda Von Hoffmann (Author), Angelita Ramos (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2010

Isolde is a shy and artistic sixteen-year-old who moves into a house rumored to be haunted. When she discovers a shard of green glass, a new world opens for her. Through the glass she sees Lyric, who mistakenly believes that he is a ghost, and other ethereally beautiful creatures. As their mystery unfolds, Isolde learns that they are not ghosts, but The Forgotten Ones, fairies cast out of their realm, labeled imperfect for their physical and mental differences. Isoldes friendship with Lyric and The Forgotten Ones teaches her that sometimes our imperfections can also be our greatest strengths.

Editorial Reviews

Review

YAreads.com

Behind Green Glass is debut novel from Amanda Von Hoffmann and is a light and easy read with an engaging and captivating story... The story provided something different in the YA genre - fairies. Apart from Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series, you don't often see many fairy tales in the young adult section, and with Behind Green Glass, Von Hoffmann has made a notable contribution to this category... I enjoyed!

--yaReads.com

Midwest Book Review

Nobody's perfect, and the closest to perfection one can be is to deal with those imperfections. "Behind Green Glass" is the tale of Isolde and her strange new friend Lyric. In a realm of fairies, the two learn much about themselves and the world around them as author Amanda Von Hoffmann gives young readers an encouraging novel about facing one's imperfections. "Behind Green Glass" is uplifting and highly recommended.

--Midwest Book Review

The Paperback Princess

I picked up Behind Green Glass meaning to read for a short while. Three hours later I closed the book and thought, "I really enjoyed that". It is a wonderful fairy story with an underlying message that we should all be aware of...All-in-all a quick, enjoyable fantasy story for fans of the genre. I just wish it had been a little longer. I look forward to seeing more from Ms Von Hoffman in the hopefully not too distant future.

--The Paperback Princess

I really enjoyed reading Behind Green Glass. I thought the writing was spot-on, the characters had interesting personalities, and the entire take on the faerie world was refreshing, new and innovative. The storyline itself was fast-paced and original. If you want a light and easy read, but a well-written one with a more original take on faeries, then Behind Green Glass is definitely an excellent option. --I<3 Reading

Behind Green Glass is a book that will forever keep you on your toes; there was never a moment when I wanted to put it down. Even though other YA books have used faeries in their stories, Von Hoffman has added a twist to the basics of fay lore, the Forgotten Ones. This book has definitely made it to the top of my list for fantasy novels. --Flamingnet.com teen reviewer (Age 13) Fresno, California

About the Author

Amanda Von Hoffmann, author of Behind Green Glass, never outgrew her love of fairy lore. She studied writing at SUNY Potsdam, graduating with a M.A. in English and Communications. Currently, she works at a public library where she keeps up with the latest in young adult and fantasy fiction. She lives in upstate New York with her husband and daughter.

Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Soto Publishing Company; 1st edition (May 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982534515
• ISBN-13: 978-0982534519
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,228,749 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in San Bernardino, California. When I was four years old, my family and I moved to a tiny town in New York so far north that Canada was practically in my backyard. I spent much of my childhood reading, playing Nintendo and making up stories. I went to a local college knowing that I wanted to further my education, but without a clear plan for my life. In 2004 I graduated from SUNY Potsdam with a M.A. in English and Communications. Currently I work at a public library where I am happily surrounded by books and people that love books as much as I do. I am a mother, daydreamer, gamer geek and coffee addict. Behind Green Glass is my first published novel.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Behind Green Glass January 10, 2011

By Judith

Format:Kindle Edition

A fascinating book to be enjoyed by adults as well as teens.
Excellent writing; memorable characters; a mesmerizing story.
Best if read in one sitting!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars More Than Meets The Eye April 3, 2011

By Michael Araujo

Format:Kindle Edition

Whenever you see a Fairy novel and read the synopsis, there always seems to be one thing in common. A human girl meets a fairy boy and falls in love for his beauty and his perfection and something happens where they can not be together and they meet the fairy world and they live happily ever after in the end. You never hear about fairies that are not perfect and the girls who do not fall in love with them. Until one novel came along.

Behind Green Glass changed that all. The story centers around a girl by the name of Isolde who moved into a new house with her mother. The house, which is in fact very old, is rumored to be haunted. And finding fingerprint smudges on one of your paintings just does not help that rumor go away. But when Isolde finds a green glass, suddenly her perspective of the house is different. Literally.

Through the said green glass, Isolde see's a figure of a boy who she believes is a ghost. She learns of his story, how he fell in love with a human girl who lived a miserable life and ended up killing herself to be with this boy, who she also believed was a ghost and saw through the same green glass. It is not until this boy, Lyric, shows Isolde his family that she discovers that he is not a ghost but a fairy. Isolde wonders why there are only four and why they all look so different. And that is when she discovers the truth.

These fairies were cast out of their realm because of their imperfections. What we find common troubles, they find something vile and so cruel and an abomination to their perfection. We are talking about stutters, bipolar disorders, deceased wings and even no wings. It is not a surprise when Isolde wants to help these fairies in any way possible. And so their adventure begins....

Behind Green Glass is not just about the adventure though. It is about lessons. Amanda Vonn Hoffmann does an amazing job at making these two different creatures learn from each other. Isolde who is shy and non-risk taking soon learns that she must live for herself when she meets a boy in her new town. And Lyric who lived life full of sadness and loneliness must learn that he can make everything around him alive including himself.

The novel is not a huge monster of a novel. It's close to 200 pages which makes displaying your story perfectly a challenge. In just those 200 pages, Amanda Vonn Hoffmann gave us exactly what we wanted. Forget about the fairy world this is about the fairies themselves. She gives enough insight to all the characters to make us want to dig deeper into their story. She gives the characters life by giving them troubles that many people experience ever day. No, I'm not talking about dating troubles, although that is in the novel, but real troubles. Troubles that people suffer from and can not escape at all. Another example of why her writing is spectacular is that she is giving us a novel of fairies. But how do we know that it is not about something else.

By now we know this is a book about mental illness'. About a girl who just moved to a new house and is starting to see these mythical creatures. At times I was thinking about how if Isolde herself was mentally ill and if all this was just in her head. How she couldn't see anything except if she had the green glass. How the previous owner of the green glass was always kept in the home because her father was "horrible" to her and she later killed herself. When I clearly think about it, I do see that these two girls, the only owners of the glass and the only ones who we know saw the creatures, were in fact mentally ill. Yet, Amanda Von Hoffman did a wonderful job at adding a thick layer of fantasy on top and beautifully written words that we have to dig deep for them.

It is like a dollar bill. In our hands we have a piece of paper that is green with some stuff on it. But when we think about it, that dollar bill is much more than a piece of paper. That dollar bill brings us a whole new world to our fingertips.

All in all, Behind Green Glass is an amazing novel that makes one think and think again. The ending leaves us at a bit of a cliffhanger that makes us create our own in our head. Whether you go with the outer layer of fairies or if you go with the inner layer of Isolde's supposable mental illness, this novel will not disappoint you. Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars In a genre notoriously saturated with carbon copies... January 5, 2011

By Krista

Format:Kindle Edition

...this book was brilliantly different. If I had to pick an absolute favorite quality about it, I would say that it felt cozy and close to home. I felt, as I read this book, that the events taking place could unfold in my own backyard if I just looked out the window. There was a realism to the fantasy that allowed you to put yourself in the story more comfortably than in the majority of fantasy novels. Absolutely refreshing and highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Perfect Blend of Classic and Contemporary YA November 29, 2010

By Kirk Jones

Format:Perfect Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Behind Green Glass is a wonderful blending of classic young adult fiction in the vein of authors like Judy Blume and contemporary fantasy young adult fiction which now holds the spotlight. This is only one of the reasons that Behind Green Glass offers the reader something new. The book also offers engaging characters and envy-inspiring description for the writer camping out inside all of us. After reading I wanted more, especially more on the fairies, who are portrayed in a unique way when compared to other depictions of fairies in fiction, Their flaws make them enjoyable and easy to relate to.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Sweet and Charming Fantasy June 10, 2011

By NebraskaIcebergs

Format:Perfect Paperback

Today's teenager market is so saturated with fantasy that paranormal offerings are featuring less common creatures such as angels, fae, familiars, mermaids, and selkies. Into this bloated market comes a novel that is not just another fantasy. Behind Green Glass by newcomer Amanda von Hoffman possesses such an innocent and sweet quality that, despite its uneven quality, I ended up really liking it.

Meet Isolde Rackham, a shy and artistic sixteen year old who blushes when introduced. She and her mother have moved into the old haunted farmhouse in Thornville. Although Isolde doesn't initially know the farm's troubled history, she gets this eerie sensation of being watched. To shake off creepiness, she rummages through a drawer for matching socks where she finds a false bottom with a hidden emerald colored glass. Although I will reveal that in the glass Isolde sees the mystical Lyric who believes he is a ghost, you will need to read Behind Green Glass for yourself to discover his true identity, other secrets that she uncovers, and the dangers she encounters because of all the revelations. One of Hoffman's quiet strengths is how she builds suspense and unfolds mysteries. I will not to ruin that experience for you.

Hoffman undertook a second challenge by making Isolde an awkward and introverted teenager. Isolde is not even rebellious; she generally complies with her mother's orders. When Isolde does defy her mother, she also contritely accepts her punishment of being sent to her room. In contrast to today's novels with their confident and defiant female leads, Isolde may serve as a more realistic role model for shy teenagers who surely must still exist.... As for me, I related to Isolde's conflicted emotions: She loves her mom and understands her desire for solitude, but also fights against their sheltered life. She looks forward to a visit from her extroverted friend, but also fears Maria will outshine her. She wishes for the cute boy to notice her, but blushes and wishes to hide when he does. Other books that portray introverted teenagers often fail to truly capture shyness or create sullen characters that are about as appealing as a tooth extraction. In contrast, Isolde is painfully shy but endearingly real.

Description is another of Hoffman's strengths. Her pages are abundantly decorated with tight phrases that evoke visceral sensations: "his bare feet made little noise as he ran across the field"; "as if she were a little girl again drinking warm milk sweetened with honey"; "leaves were beginning to fall and dry like tiny discarded pages". Depending on the scene's need, Hoffman has superbly created beauty or fear with the sheer power of words.

Unfortunately, the occasional lengthy expositions between these nifty descriptions threatened the effectiveness of otherwise charming scenes. I had already understood the relationship between Isolde and her mother through their interactions; Hoffman didn't need to elaborate with two pages of explanation. Nor did I need a page of exposition to understand the divorce of Isolde's parents. Some of the character speeches also suffered from the same ailment, which is why I do not refer to them as dialog. Even if in real life we know people who bore us with monologues, this doesn't mean we will find it cute or tolerable in our fictional characters.

Its occasional overformal tone side, Behind Green Grass is a gentle book that wiggled its way into my heart. The main characters are people whom I would talk to and hang out with if they lived near me. Thornville is a pretty place. As I reached the end of each new chapter, I couldn't wait to find about more about the farm's secrets and the mystical creatures. The cover's description of the book as "a fantasy novel" belies its depths; it is also a coming of age story of friendship and romance, with an underlying theme of acceptance. Amanda Von Hoffman should have a bright writing future. Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars If you love YA/fantasy lit... May 27, 2011

By Liz

Format:Perfect Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

DON'T miss out on this amazing debut novel. I read this book in about 2 sittings, and that was with trying to pace myself! It's just such an engaging read. The characters are vividly portrayed, the scenes are perfectly detailed, and the plot gains momentum at the perfect speed. There are so few good books in the fairy genre, and this is a wonderful addition. I read this right after finishing the Twilight series, and I think I've decided that I like fairies better than vampires. :-) I'd love to see a prequel to this book, where we learn more about Lyric's past, how he became outcast, and get a better understanding of the Forgotten Ones' world.