Customer Reviews

Indigo

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Title: Indigo

Author: Alice Hoffman

Main Characters:

Trevor, nicknamed Trout, and Eli, nicknamed Eel, are brothers. They received their nicknames because they have webbed hands and feet. They were adopted when their mother, a mermaid, drowned. Trout is thirteen and Eli is eleven. Their dream is to go swimming.

Martha is the thirteen-year-old girl who lives next door to Trout and Eel. She hates her size, age, and Oak Grove. She hates how it never rains and how the grass is so dry. She is also very sad because her mother died last year and Hildy Swoon, a neighbor, has taken over. Hildy has made it clear that she isn't interested in Martha's company.

Plot:

This is a story about three friends who hated their town. All of the buildings were white, it never rained, and the grass was dry. They longed to find the ocean. They decided to run away during the night. Martha brought some snacks but only enough for a day. They made it to the woods the first night but a bad storm came in the morning. A branch fell and broke Martha's arm. They decided to turn back so that Martha could go to Dr. Marsh, but the town began to flood. The brothers realized that the dam needed to be taken down to let the water flow out and allow the town to emerge from the water. The brothers swam to the dam and pushed down the big stone. The brothers felt at home in the water. The boy's parents always feared that if the boys found water that they would not want to come back. Martha's dad had become so sad that he had lost sight of anything fun. The flood was actually a good thing. The boy's parents realized that their boys would indeed return. It also gave Martha's dad a new perspective. It had made Oak Grove seem brand new, as if the floodwaters had washed everything clean.

Setting:

Town of Oak Grove, which is far away from water. The story takes place in the month of July

Theme: The Ocean

Rating:

I liked the story because it has a lot of imagination and description. It paints a great picture for the reader.

This particular story has some very intriguing characters. Such as:
Trout and Eel-- the two adopted young men with startling qualities such as webbed fingers. And an affinity for the water, in a town where that love for water is not accepted at all.
Martha-- a young lady struggling with a search for idenity and the loss of her mother. She is filled with longing to be somewhere else.
Various Townspeople-- scarred with a paralyzing fear of the water. Which directly impacts the water loving young men in the story.

The only problem with this story is that it doesn't go to the depth an inquisitive reader would like. I find this especially vexing because the characters are so likeable and you just want to know more!
I do however reccomend this book. It is a fast paced read and is enjoyable if brief. Pick it up and get attached to a quirky bunch of characters, only to find yourself wanting more!

"Indigo," by Alice Hoffman, tells the story of Martha Glimmer, a 13-year old girl who lives in the inland town of Oak Grove. Her best friends are Trevor "Trout" McGill, age 13, and his brother Eli (known as "Eel"), age 11. The boys are odd outsiders with curious webbed toes and fingers.

Ultimately, the three kids go on a journey of self-discovery. These are three likeable, interesting characters and Hoffman tells their story with a simple, clean prose style that is very effective. Straddling a line between fantasy and science fiction, "Indigo" ultimately remains grounded in the very real theme of young people discovering themselves and their places in the larger world.

This is another of the (three?) young adult novels written by Alice Hoffman, who is a favourite of mine (she wrote "Practical Magic," which is hands down one of my favourite books, ever). This is an even shorter tale than the first young adult Hoffman I read, "Green Angel."

Basically, the tale of "Indigo," is the tale of a young girl, Martha Glimmer, who is coming of age in a painful environment - her father is currently quite numb after the death of her mother nearly a year earlier, and her thirteenth year of life seems as unlucky as the reputation of the number. She disdains her town - it is a plain, dry place where floods in the past have left the whole town wary of water in any form. They have blocked off the creek, dried up the town, and it rarely rains. This is Hoffman at her slightly-magical best.

Martha's best friends, nicknamed Trout and Eel, are two water-loving boys who have never seen the ocean. Their fingers and toes are webbed, and their dreams are of the endless waters. Together, the three decide to run to something else, and in leaving learn about who they are, and what home really is.

A soft and touching (and very very short) tale, this is happily recommended to those who enjoy their young adult reading with a dash of magic, and a depth of emotions.

'Nathan

If your looking for a book for summer about the lake or ocean, Indigo is the perfect book to read. Indigo I think is a four star book. It's good for ages 6-66. It's not too hard to read. The characters are Martha, Trout(Trevor) and Eel(Eli). Martha is caring, a good friend, willing and nice. Trout is caring, willing, helpful, a good friend and cares for his brother Eel. Eel is quiet, willing and cares for his brother Trout. This story is imaginative, mystical, discriptive, enchanting and sad at times. Oak Grove is a hot, hot dry place and all the people dread the water because of a giant flood, but Martha, Trout and Eel love the water. So one day they set out on a quest to find water. But then Marthas arm breaks so they have to go back. Oak Grove has another huge flood and it fills up the creek. Will they drain up the water or keep it? You'll find out if you read Indigo.

This lovely novella is emotionally satisfying with just the right balance of magical adventure and thoughtful human drama. It is a tale of three friends, 13 year old Martha and two brothers who are nicknamed Trout and Eel because of some peculiar attributes they posess. The story takes place at a time when Martha is mourning the death of her mother, growing into young adulthood, and coping with her father's grief-related emotional distance. Her best friends are going through some changes of their own and are outcasts in the small community due to unusual physical characteristics. Due to a flood disaster that hit Oak Grove before the kids were even born, pretty much everyone around is fearful of water and the local river is blocked off from town by a wall of stone. Nobody goes swimming even on hot summer days. Trout and Eel are drawn intensely to water and have unusual and astonishing aquatic abilities, all of which make their loving adoptive parents very frightened and exposes mysterious questions about the boys' past. How the three choose to deal with their problems makes for an interesting and moving magical tale of discovery. This is a fantasy allegory of finding one's true self and of love, committment,and true friendship. The characters are sensitively drawn and the story weaves an evocative tapestry of emotional complexity, satisfyingly resolved. Young adults will certainly enjoy this book and can't help but benefit from its thoughtful message of self-actualization. This is a well-crafted book with a beautiful smooth indigo colored dust jacket. It is small, short and sweet and would make a wonderful gift for someone going through the nebulous world of a young teen.

Once again as she did in her first novel for younger readers, Aquamarine, Alice Hoffman delights readers of all ages with her book Indigo. Focusing on the magical nature of the sea, the author introduces us to memorable characters we won't soon forget.

Oak Grove is a town which fears water. Years before there was a devestating flood and now there is little water anywhere - pools are covered over, showers are taken with a minimum amount of time and few if any even think about a vacation at the sea. In this dry town live three children linked by the parched land who do dream about seeing an ocean, river or even a stream. Martha is best friends with Eel and Trout, adopted twins. For this young woman the loss of her mother and her father's unremitting grief and loneliness fill her with a need for the friendship of these brothers. Martha is also beginning to think that life away from Oak Grove, near water would be much better for her as well as the twins. For it is the the twins who have always had dreams about living near the ocean although why remains a mystery to them. And then one day Martha decides its time for them to find the ocean but shortly into their journey, the town of Oak Grove is threatened by a flood and the outcome of the flood and their adventure will forever change these young peoples lives.

In this slim volume, Hoffman has written volumes about the forces of love, friendships and following ones own paths and desires. This is a book well suited for adolescents and adults alike. It is always a joy to read anything by Alice Hoffman, particularly when it is a moral tale. And Nobody does realtionships and love better than Hoffman. I hope that she will continue to write books for younger adults and adults as well with these wonderful themes and I will surely continue to read all of her books. In case you couldn't tell Alice Hoffman is one of my very favorite writers.

This short young adult novel...
dear lovers of magical realism,
... by Alice Hoffman is quite charming. This is the story of two young brothers who have webbed feet and hands who long to see the sea in a town that because of past floods does all it can to avoid water, and their friend, a young girl, whose mother has died and is plagued by a local woman eager to be her wicked step mother. It is a quick and sweet read and we very much enjoyed it, which is why we are recommending it to you.
kyela,
the silver elves

What an odd little tale this one was. It is written almost in the mode of one of the many Irish folk tale of Selkies; the same mater of fact and whimsical tone you find in so many of those old tales is present which takes on an almost rhythmic beat as you read along. I absolutely relished the author's syntax in this work.

This is the story of three friends in a small, could be anywhere kind of place, but in this case Texas town. It is dry there and the people of the village do no like water since their town was washed away by a flood in the past. The three friends, Martha Glimmer, a motherless young girl and two brothers, Trout and Ell McGill long to leave this dry boring place; to seek something more, to experience something that will fill the obvious void in their lives. They know beyond a doubt that there is something else out there, another world' a world they know they should be a part of in an instinctive way. Something is missing in their lives and they want answers.

There is of course a mystical quality about this book, this short book, but that is only right as it deals with the mystical part of the inner heart. There are several things going on throughout this work; the importance of friendship, trust, family relationships and most important the message of acceptance.

Not to throw in any spoilers, but there is something definitely fishlike about the two young boys. Their parents, a childless couple went on a vacation a number of years ago, and apparently "adopted" these two young men and have raised them in a loving home since. The boys are "different," in that they have webbed feet and hands and there is a look in their eye that is not all together of this world.

I would have liked to have seen this work fleshed out somewhat as the author has used some fascinating personalities to tell her story...she just does not supply enough information which could leave some readers a bit frustrated I fear. I personally did not mind as I read the work more for the story telling rhythm the author uses more than anything else.

This is a likable book with several good messages. It is a very fast read, but a read that you will want to ponder a bit to glean full value from it. I do very much recommend it and certainly suggest you add it to your reading list. I am giving this one five stars because for me it was a perfect fit and for me it was an extremely enjoyable read.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

This would be a great book for a quick pre-teen/early-teen reading group. If read too quickly, some may miss the puns, names or the life lessons. It does end quickly but gets the point across. So glad I happened across it.