This book was immensely enjoyable. This is the story of two girls and their friendship and their family spanning the course of many years. Their life is not without hardship, especially Gretel's life. This story is told without being maudlin and has flashes of magical realism. Life is not all roses for Gretel and Jill but I was drawn into their story, always rooting for Gretel but realizing that no one's life is perfect and you need to make what you can with what you are dealt. I will try to read more of Alice Hoffman's books. ( )

I very much liked this book. The voice is perfect, and the swapping from first person sections to third person sections made very good sense as the narrative unfolded, and enabled the reader to get different and deeper understandings of Gretel.
I picked up this book from the pile my sister left for me, not for first choice (the cover didn't really grab me), but because I had an appointment to go to by public transport. (I prefer a physical book for the train/tram/bus scenario as it's safer - i won't miss a bell clanging while i have headphones in!). And it's a slim volume, eminently portable.
It delivered so much more than I expected. I had to put all my other books aside to finish reading it. Brilliant.
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Alice Hoffman has never really disappointed me with a book... Until now. I thought this book was lacking. Lacking the character development I'm used to from her. Lacking the magic I'm accustomed to. It wasn't the worst book I've ever read, but it didn't have the amazing quality all her other books have shared... ( )

http://www.monniblog.com/2008/08/local-girls/ ( )

I was really excited to read Local Girls because Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors. Unfortunately I didn't feel like this book was as good as the others I've read by her.

The Local Girls must be Gretel, the main character, and her best friend, Jill. They are teenage neighbors who exact revenge with vandalism on people who have wronged them. Gretel's brother is a science genius in high school, but when he graduates he becomes a drug addict. Gretel's mom and her mom's cousin Margot are best friends who open a catering business together after they have both been left by their husbands for other women. Each character was really tragic but other than divorce I didn't see the cause for everyone's dysfunction. It was a really choppy, disjointed story.

My favorite character was Margot because she made fun for herself in creative ways.

I recommend skipping Local Girls and instead reading Alice Hoffman's superior novels, The Probable Future, The River King, The Story Sisters, or Practical Magic. If you decide to read Local Girls anyway, the good thing is that, "All author profits from this edition are being donated to breast cancer research and breast cancer care centers."

I really love the cover, which was illustrated by Maggie Taylor. I am thankful I read Local Girls because it introduced me to an amazing artist! ( )