Status
Available
Call number
Series
Genres
Collections
Publication
Ace (2004), c2002, Paperback, 353 pages
Description
Gypsum LaZelle had nearly given up. She'd already watched her two older siblings experience the transition--the sudden, debilitating process that turned them from ordinary children into mages, gifted spellcasters like their beautiful mother. Perhaps she was a late bloomer, she thought until her younger siblings came into their powers as well. Now, at twenty, Gypsum fears that she must accept her fate: a mundane life without magic. She can live with being ordinary, an outsider. After all, someone in the family had to take after her father...But one day, alone at home wither family away, Gypsum falls terribly ill. And when the symptoms pass, something has changed. Something she's dreamed of for such a long time--and suddenly, isn't ready for at all. "One of the most original and important writers of fantasy working in America today."--The New York Review of Science Fiction… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
Weird and wonderful. Like the other stories of hers I like, it dances on the edge of horror and never quite tips over. It's a fascinating family - like and unlike the Binders, in that it's a family with magic, and an inclination to hurt those who can't fight back - but it's also a loving family, as
Show More
most of the Binders weren't. Gyp's powers are interesting, and the ways she figures out to deal with them are fascinating. We never do get full knowledge of what Altria is, though by the end we - and Gyp - know a lot more about her. I like this story - it's not quite as good as The Thread That Binds the Bones, mostly because it ends with a whole new set of question marks rather than resolving anywhere. But I think it's my second favorite of all her books. Want to read more. Show Less
LibraryThing member MrsLee
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
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.
Show More
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.
Show Less
LibraryThing member NineLarks
Weird little book.
Initially picked up the book because I was intrigued by the premise. A family with wish magic and the odd girl out.
But it's just really weird. We don't get a sense of the personalities of any of the characters, not even Gypsum. You can't really get a good picture of them or their
The whole book is essentially just Gyp trying to figure out her powers. But not even in a systematic fashion. It's just her trying out ideas randomly and hoping for the best.
The ending was just poor. The resolution for Gyp's control was too easy and also not borne of her own powers. Also, you cannot convince me of that kind of love when there has been no interactions that move in the direction. Weird relationship.
One star because I really can't recommend this to anyone. I vaguely regret reading it.
Initially picked up the book because I was intrigued by the premise. A family with wish magic and the odd girl out.
But it's just really weird. We don't get a sense of the personalities of any of the characters, not even Gypsum. You can't really get a good picture of them or their
Show More
motivations. Case in point, we don't really get to know Ian, the supposed love interest. We don't know anything about Altria except she just happens to help once in a while.The whole book is essentially just Gyp trying to figure out her powers. But not even in a systematic fashion. It's just her trying out ideas randomly and hoping for the best.
The ending was just poor. The resolution for Gyp's control was too easy and also not borne of her own powers. Also, you cannot convince me of that kind of love when there has been no interactions that move in the direction. Weird relationship.
One star because I really can't recommend this to anyone. I vaguely regret reading it.
Show Less
LibraryThing member egb
I had high hopes for this book, both from the blurb and from the fact that Nina Kiriki Hoffman has written som good books earlier.
Unfortunately this book fell short of my expectations, but I give it a 3 stars to put it in line with other books I have given the same rating to.
My main problem with
So far, so good, but as far as I can see she doesn't really change for the better or the worse at all. She just gets some powers and this doesn't really change all that much, except that she can now cause a lot of trouble for her surroundings. But she doesn't, even if her surroundings really beg for it.
No, there is definitely something lacking in this book, but it is hard to describe what it is.
Unfortunately this book fell short of my expectations, but I give it a 3 stars to put it in line with other books I have given the same rating to.
My main problem with
Show More
the book is probably that the characters in it annoy me, and although it seems to be a coming-of-age story I cannot really see that this happens. The main character gets some difficult and dangerous magic powers and has problems learning to live with them. So far, so good, but as far as I can see she doesn't really change for the better or the worse at all. She just gets some powers and this doesn't really change all that much, except that she can now cause a lot of trouble for her surroundings. But she doesn't, even if her surroundings really beg for it.
No, there is definitely something lacking in this book, but it is hard to describe what it is.
Show Less
LibraryThing member elurie
This book had a mission- to find the good in people, and wouldn't it be nice if we could ease their bad memories, give back with kindness and compassion the hurt that each had received.
plot- all family members have magic powers. One child comes into her magic power at the late age of 20. she has
by the way, i did love it. all the while cringing at main character's self effacing personality.
plot- all family members have magic powers. One child comes into her magic power at the late age of 20. she has
Show More
been the step daughter character, but responds with more power and better used than any of the others.by the way, i did love it. all the while cringing at main character's self effacing personality.
Show Less
LibraryThing member shelley582
excellent novel about a girl growing up in a magical family who does not have any powers of her own. When she finally does come into her gift it is a fearsome one that requires the heroine and her family to reevaluate their relationships.
LibraryThing member emitnick
A woman from a magically endowed family finally comes into her powers but discovers she has inherited "unkind"magic - the power (and actually the need) to curse. Because Gypsum must use her powers on a regular basis or literally go mad, she must figure out how to use and control them without doing
Show More
too much harm. Like Hoffman's other books, this takes a quirky and creative approach to magic. Less characters (and more depth to them) would have helped me to become more immersed in the story, which left me a bit cold - there seemed to be an emotional detachment that didn't go with the themes of intimacy and control. But still an interesting read for fans of contemporary magical fantasy. Show Less
LibraryThing member plappen
The LaZelles are your typical Southern California family, except for the fact that all, except the father, are witches. At approximately age 16, each of the five children are supposed to go through Transition. It’s characterized by being really sick for a few days; when it’s over, the
One weekend, while everyone else is away, Gypsum gets really sick, not realizing it’s her very delayed Transition. Unfortunately, her power is the dark power of cursing. She has to curse or damn something every few hours, or the power will eat her up from inside. She curses a rock, and it turns into a box of magic chalk. Gypsum and her siblings draw on some cement stairs with the chalk, and the drawings come to life. An easy way to release some energy is to cause the trash in the trash cans to disappear. But, do it too often, and people will become suspicious.
Gypsum tries to filter her power through one of her brothers. The subject of making brownies comes up, and the two fill most of their back yard with very edible brownies. Later, they create an equal quantity of fresh-baked bread and muffins. One time, Gypsum turns her younger sister into an old woman. Another time, she causes the mouths of her two brothers to disappear. It’s a good thing her “human” curses come with built-in time limits. On a date with her boyfriend, Ian, Gypsum tries turning her curse power back on herself, to turn herself back to “normal,” and comes very close to killing herself.
This retelling of the Ugly Duckling story is humorous, heartfelt and very, very good. Hoffman’s writing comes very close to poetry. It works as an adult novel, and as a young adult novel, and it is well worth reading.
Show More
person’s magical powers, whatever they may be, are born. For whatever reason, Gypsum, the middle child, doesn’t go through Transition. Perhaps she is destined to be “normal,” like her father. When everyone else becomes an official witch or warlock, Gypsum usually ends up being the magical “guinea pig.”One weekend, while everyone else is away, Gypsum gets really sick, not realizing it’s her very delayed Transition. Unfortunately, her power is the dark power of cursing. She has to curse or damn something every few hours, or the power will eat her up from inside. She curses a rock, and it turns into a box of magic chalk. Gypsum and her siblings draw on some cement stairs with the chalk, and the drawings come to life. An easy way to release some energy is to cause the trash in the trash cans to disappear. But, do it too often, and people will become suspicious.
Gypsum tries to filter her power through one of her brothers. The subject of making brownies comes up, and the two fill most of their back yard with very edible brownies. Later, they create an equal quantity of fresh-baked bread and muffins. One time, Gypsum turns her younger sister into an old woman. Another time, she causes the mouths of her two brothers to disappear. It’s a good thing her “human” curses come with built-in time limits. On a date with her boyfriend, Ian, Gypsum tries turning her curse power back on herself, to turn herself back to “normal,” and comes very close to killing herself.
This retelling of the Ugly Duckling story is humorous, heartfelt and very, very good. Hoffman’s writing comes very close to poetry. It works as an adult novel, and as a young adult novel, and it is well worth reading.
Show Less
LibraryThing member dalmador95
This is a literally magical book. It was one of the best recreations of what it is like to different as a teenager and then as Gypsum comes in to her powers and her adulthood those crucial lessons of responsbility will take you back to the point where you started to realize that you are responsible
Show More
for who you will be. Loved it. Show Less
LibraryThing member turbojenn
this is a beautiful fantastic coming of age story.
LibraryThing member MelindaLibrary
Overall, an interesting read. The ending left me feeling as though I had missed something important - as in the resolution was out of left field and puzzling. I did not like that the abusive, neglectful mother suffered no consequences for her actions. It felt like Hoffman deliberately left many
Show More
loose ends so that she could write a sequel. Show Less
LibraryThing member Evalangui
One of my favourites books in the whole world. It's about a girl who lives in a family with magical powers, she grows up expecting to get them too but instead "The Change" never arrives for her and she is normal within people who aren't and at the same time is pretty different from other normal
AFoS was love at first sight for me, the overweight and bookish protagonist with an appreciation for good food who's the ugly duckling of a magical family and has to made to with being "normal", that's it, with something that is, for her with her upbringing, basically a disability (even if her father and other people outside the family are also that way it does not feel that way to them, who never expected to go through transition and get a gift). This is my favourite novel ever, there's fanfic I love more but literature wise? I don't think anything can compete, not necessarily because it's better than "The Time Traveller's Wife" or "Hallucinating Foucault" but because it fits *me*.
Show More
people... Only, after years of wishing for magic of her own, The Change comes, in a way, only it's way too late to be a normal Change... AFoS was love at first sight for me, the overweight and bookish protagonist with an appreciation for good food who's the ugly duckling of a magical family and has to made to with being "normal", that's it, with something that is, for her with her upbringing, basically a disability (even if her father and other people outside the family are also that way it does not feel that way to them, who never expected to go through transition and get a gift). This is my favourite novel ever, there's fanfic I love more but literature wise? I don't think anything can compete, not necessarily because it's better than "The Time Traveller's Wife" or "Hallucinating Foucault" but because it fits *me*.
Show Less
LibraryThing member phoebesmum
Notable, if for nothing else, for being one of the few books I’ve ever read to have a fat protagonist. It's also unusual in the fantasy genre for the characters being, by and large, pretty unpleasant. This doesn’t make for a particularly relaxing read but, in a family saga, it does lend a
Show More
certain element of reality. Show Less
LibraryThing member SystemicPlural
A beautiful book to read. Set in an alternative modern day reality about a girl growing up in a family whose children develop special powers during adolescence. It's one of those rare books that slides through the mind like a knife through butter, yet at the same time develops an interesting plot
Show More
and complex characters that really come to life. Show Less
LibraryThing member rocalisa
This is the first book by Hoffman that I've read. I saw it in my book catalogue and thought the blurb looked interesting. I checked with my helpful bookseller (sure to be often referred to in these reviews as my "dealer") who assured me it is was good, so I took the risk and ordered it. I'm very
A Fistful of Sky introduces the reader to the LaZelle family, most especially Gypsum LaZelle, the middle of five siblings (the others named Opal, Jasper, Beryl and Flint) who is the narrator of the story. Around the time of puberty LaZelle's go through something called "transition", a nasty illness after which they have gained their share of power.
At the time the story opens, Gypsum is twenty and the "normal" member of the family. She has never transitioned and is trying to reconcile herself to a life without power. Then, while alone for the weekend she finally undergoes transition and survives to find herself a person of power after all.
But there's a catch. Late transitions tend to produce stronger, but darker powers. Gypsum finds herself with the power of curses. If she doesn't use it, it will canker inside her and slowly kill her, but who wants to curse people or things - especially when there tends to always be unfortunate side effects.
This is the story of Gypsum learning to use her power, and learn just who she is at the same time. She makes some mistakes along the way, including calling a creature who names herself Altria and whose own agendas are unknown. By the end of the book Altria is unmasked and Gypsum has found a solution (and a possible romance).
My primary complaint is that I didn't "get" the last chapter. I'm not sure if that was my fault or the fault of the author. I'm going to need to read that final chapter again after I've had a bit of a break away from the book. Since this is the explanation of how Gypsum finally tames her power, it is kind of important.
All the same, I happily recommend this book. The characters are well drawn, and the investigation of how one manages something so potentially dangerous as the need to regularly curse things is very interesting. Try it out; see what you think.
Show More
glad I did.A Fistful of Sky introduces the reader to the LaZelle family, most especially Gypsum LaZelle, the middle of five siblings (the others named Opal, Jasper, Beryl and Flint) who is the narrator of the story. Around the time of puberty LaZelle's go through something called "transition", a nasty illness after which they have gained their share of power.
At the time the story opens, Gypsum is twenty and the "normal" member of the family. She has never transitioned and is trying to reconcile herself to a life without power. Then, while alone for the weekend she finally undergoes transition and survives to find herself a person of power after all.
But there's a catch. Late transitions tend to produce stronger, but darker powers. Gypsum finds herself with the power of curses. If she doesn't use it, it will canker inside her and slowly kill her, but who wants to curse people or things - especially when there tends to always be unfortunate side effects.
This is the story of Gypsum learning to use her power, and learn just who she is at the same time. She makes some mistakes along the way, including calling a creature who names herself Altria and whose own agendas are unknown. By the end of the book Altria is unmasked and Gypsum has found a solution (and a possible romance).
My primary complaint is that I didn't "get" the last chapter. I'm not sure if that was my fault or the fault of the author. I'm going to need to read that final chapter again after I've had a bit of a break away from the book. Since this is the explanation of how Gypsum finally tames her power, it is kind of important.
All the same, I happily recommend this book. The characters are well drawn, and the investigation of how one manages something so potentially dangerous as the need to regularly curse things is very interesting. Try it out; see what you think.
Show Less
LibraryThing member sciezka
I love Hoffman's other books. This one was excellent as usual, up until the end. The end kind of fizzles. It really isn't clear what happens to Gyp and Altria or how Gyp gains control of her powers. I'd like to see some of these characters again in another Chapel Hollow book. (Although these
Show More
characters are not directly connected to Chapel Hollow, they are an offshoot of the family). Show Less
LibraryThing member Krumbs
I'm on the fence about this book. I really like the writing style and I just flew through the book, but the story itself was a bit disappointing. The author presented such rich characters and interesting potential plot lines, but I was left feeling as though she had to rush at the end to get it all
Show More
finished. Show Less
LibraryThing member Herenya
The narrator of A Fistful of Sky is Gypsum, the middle LaZelle sibling and the only one who didn't "transition" and come into her magical powers as a teenager. At nearly 21, she's resigned to her normal, mundane life - living at home, and working as an English tutor and taking classes at City
As Gyp learns about and explores her new power, she is forced to re-evaluate who she is and her relationships with her family. (It also challenges her family to do the same.) Much of the story takes place at home and revolves around Gyp's interactions with her family.
I'd seen the LaZelles as a "dysfunctional magical family" so I was surprised by how much I liked Gyp and her siblings (three of whom also still live at home). Her siblings have manipulated her in an unthinking, taking-her-for-granted kind of way, and have also made some "scary mistakes" but they care and they're there for her when she needs them.
It is her relationship with her mother that is the most dysfunctional - Mama LaZelle has really struggled to accept that Gyp is non-magical and overweight. In this respect, Mama is scary.
A Fistful of Sky is both familiar and unusual, occasionally uncomfortable and eerie, and evocative. It focuses on the domestic and the personal - family dynamics, baking, body-image, trying to work out who you are and what to do with your life - and shows that these things are not insignificant, they're important and can be huge. Especially magical baking.
It's a coming-of-age novel and the sort of borderline YA novel I want to read more of - with a protagonist who has finished high school, caught between adolescence and adulthood. I really like how Gyp's two friends are so accepting of her, and I loved the sibling relationships.
Also, A Fistful of Sky is a gorgeous title.
Show More
College. Her late transition is a shock, especially as Gyp is gifted with an unusual "unkind" power.As Gyp learns about and explores her new power, she is forced to re-evaluate who she is and her relationships with her family. (It also challenges her family to do the same.) Much of the story takes place at home and revolves around Gyp's interactions with her family.
I'd seen the LaZelles as a "dysfunctional magical family" so I was surprised by how much I liked Gyp and her siblings (three of whom also still live at home). Her siblings have manipulated her in an unthinking, taking-her-for-granted kind of way, and have also made some "scary mistakes" but they care and they're there for her when she needs them.
It is her relationship with her mother that is the most dysfunctional - Mama LaZelle has really struggled to accept that Gyp is non-magical and overweight. In this respect, Mama is scary.
A Fistful of Sky is both familiar and unusual, occasionally uncomfortable and eerie, and evocative. It focuses on the domestic and the personal - family dynamics, baking, body-image, trying to work out who you are and what to do with your life - and shows that these things are not insignificant, they're important and can be huge. Especially magical baking.
It's a coming-of-age novel and the sort of borderline YA novel I want to read more of - with a protagonist who has finished high school, caught between adolescence and adulthood. I really like how Gyp's two friends are so accepting of her, and I loved the sibling relationships.
Also, A Fistful of Sky is a gorgeous title.
Show Less
LibraryThing member zjakkelien
I loved this book. It has a nicely whimsical story of a young woman learning about her magic in a magical family, but also shows some much deeper themes about family relationships. The two things are blended together very well, and the family relationship issues showed both the good things (being
Show More
able to count on each other, the love) and the bad (domineering and controlling of each other). I really wish the next book would be about Gypsum and not about her sister... Show Less
LibraryThing member SylviaC
I was completely absorbed by the the story, and thought the family relationships were portrayed realistically. Gypsum's character was very well written. Until the last five pages, everything was excellent. Then the ending just left me thinking "Huh?"
I was very strongly reminded of Margaret Mahy's
I was very strongly reminded of Margaret Mahy's
Show More
books. Show Less
LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
Although she makes no overt connection (that I noticed), the LaZelle family in 'A Fistful of Sky' is extremely similar to the magical family in her other novel, 'The Thread the Binds the Bones,' and I'd assume that Hoffman intends them to be cousins, of a sort.
However, I think that 'Fistful of Sky'
However, I think that 'Fistful of Sky'
Show More
is the more successful novel. It deals with the plight of Gyp, a young woman who, in addition to dealing with the issues of a loving yet controlling family and the 'normal' traumas of dating, self-image, and thinking about a career, has much more to worry about as well. As I mentioned, she comes from a magical family, and when she goes through 'transition' and gains her power, it turns out to be the rare power of curses. For Gyp, who is essentially a friendly, non-vindictive type who loves baking cookies and curling up with a good book, this is truly a curse. If she doesn't use her power, she will die. Her travails as she attempts, blunderingly, to cast her nasty spells where they'll do the least harm, are charming and amusing - but also insightful, as Hoffman deals subtly with the ways in which we tie ourselves to and interact with others, the dynamics of family, relationships and society... Show Less
LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV
Odd cover, actually. Most of the story reads like a particularly compelling original fairy-tale or a smart paranormal YA. More fun, less mystical, than the cover implies.
At the same time it's a satisfying and rich read. I love that Gypsum (and her family) have to work very hard to figure out how to
And every character is fleshed out, too. It would be cool if there were a dozen books, one for each member of the family, and for a couple of the other friends, too. I'm not surprised to see that this is listed here on GR as LaZelle #1" even though it's perfectly satisfactory as a stand-alone. Even though I'm not a fan of series, I will be looking for more LaZelle stories, and anything else by Hoffman.
"
At the same time it's a satisfying and rich read. I love that Gypsum (and her family) have to work very hard to figure out how to
Show More
deal with her gift. It's not just 'oh, so now I can do this, but I have to be careful of that' and voila. It's complicated - as of course real magic in the real world would be.And every character is fleshed out, too. It would be cool if there were a dozen books, one for each member of the family, and for a couple of the other friends, too. I'm not surprised to see that this is listed here on GR as LaZelle #1" even though it's perfectly satisfactory as a stand-alone. Even though I'm not a fan of series, I will be looking for more LaZelle stories, and anything else by Hoffman.
"
Show Less
LibraryThing member foggidawn
In a family of magic users, Gypsum is the odd girl out -- or is she? When Gyp's powers arrive, they are different than those of her siblings -- but does that mean that her powers are evil? I found this book fun, if a little chaotic. I like stories of big, eccentric families, and fantasy books about
Show More
magic users discovering their abilities, and books set during the Christmas season that involve a lot of baking, and this was all of those things. I'm still not sure what the title or the cover has to do with the actual story, so don't judge the book by those! Show Less
LibraryThing member cindywho
This was the most engrossing creepy wish fulfillment fantasy I've read in a while. Gypsum is the one untalented sibling in a family of people capable of magic. There's no magical boarding school and kids do to each other the nasty things that kids do to each other, but even more so. It's the story
Show More
of her finding her power and trying to find herself, the usual YA stuff, but I found it hard to put down and gorged on it in only a few days. Show Less
LibraryThing member moontyger
I really enjoyed the book, to the point that I found it hard to put down. The writing is smooth and the main character is engaging and sympathetic. My one criticism is that it would have been nice if there was a little more information about this world. It isn't strictly necessary for the story, I
Show More
suppose, but I kept finding myself wondering why this family was magical and if they were the only ones. Show Less
Awards
Mythopoeic Awards (Finalist — Adult Literature — 2003)
Otherwise Award (Shortlist — 2003)
Locus Recommended Reading (2002)
Language
Original publication date
2002
Physical description
368 p.; 8.4 inches
ISBN
0441011772 / 9780441011773
Local notes
LaZelle Family, 1
DDC/MDS
| Fic SF Hoffman |