Fantasy
Practical Magic
Alice Hoffman is back at Book of the Month – other BOTMs include Magic Lessons and The Book of Magic and The Invisible Hour and The Marriage of Opposites and The Rules of Magic.
Get your first book for $5 with code PASTEL at checkout.
Join today!Alice Hoffman is back at Book of the Month – other BOTMs include Magic Lessons and The Book of Magic and The Invisible Hour and The Marriage of Opposites and The Rules of Magic.
It's the cult classic that started it all. Enter the lives of two witchy women attempting to escape their cursed fates.
Feminist
Family drama
Now a movie
Third in series
For more than two hundred years, the Owens women have been blamed for everything that has gone wrong in their Massachusetts town. Gillian and Sally have endured that fate as well: as children, the sisters were forever outsiders, taunted, talked about, pointed at. Their elderly aunts almost seemed to encourage the whispers of witchery, with their musty house and their exotic concoctions and their crowd of black cats. But all Gillian and Sally wanted was to escape.
One will do so by marrying, the other by running away. But the bonds they share will bring them back—almost as if by magic...
Growing up, I read everything I could get my hands on, the more magical the better. Yet on the weekends I spent with my dad, finding a quiet space to read could be tricky. When I couldn’t read, I gravitated to my second favorite love—the Practical Magic movie. For years, every time I visited my dad, I hid myself away and played my recorded VHS, disappearing into a world of magic and loss and sisterhood.
The story follows Sally and Gillian Owens, descendants of powerful women. Women the town blamed when anything went wrong. Orphaned as children, the sisters move in with their elderly aunts, who soothe neighborhood accusations of witchcraft with brownies for breakfast. Fear of the family curse sends the sisters down very different paths as adults, but when things go wrong, their sisterly bond is the only thing that can save them.
Or at least... that’s what happens in the movie. Having watched the film at least 100 times over the past twenty years, it’s overridden my memory of Alice Hoffman’s 1995 novel. I remember Teen Me being shocked at some of the differences between the two, but enough years have passed that I think it’s time to revisit the novel that launched a cult classic. If you’re ready to bask in the spooky season this October, I can think of no better read than Practical Magic. I’ll be picking up a copy to read again, too, and I hope you’ll join me.
Alyssa B.
Springfield, MA
This is probably my favorite book ever… at least top 3! I went and bought a signed copy immediately after reading it. The entire Practical Magic series is magical. Wouldn’t change a thing! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jen S.
Hayden, ID
I love this author! It’s a hit every time. The characters are loveable and interesting. There’s enough magic in the story to remain true to the title but it’s really about family. Love, love, love ❤️
Ashley H.
Schertz, TX
“Fall in love whenever you can.” Don’t expect this book to be the same as the movie, but do expect to love it just as much. It’s just as magical and you won’t regret reading this spell-binding book.
Reyia M.
Salem, OR
❤️I am so in love with this book. I had never read anything by Alice Hoffman before but after finishing this book, I immediately bought the 2 prequels. The story is just so good and the writing is ⭐️
Adrienne H.
Fort Leonard Wood, MO
Absolutely in love with this book ???? In this case, the cliche “the book is better than the movie” is most certainly accurate!! Alice Hoffman has such a gift for making you feel wrapped up in it all.