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annakinsky's review against another edition
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Listened to it while driving as I didn't have the physical book.
**Practical Magic** by Alice Hoffman is a story about two sisters, Gillian and Sally Owens, who are raised by their aunts, who are witches. The sisters have experienced the good and bad sides of magic since they were young.
As they grow up, Sally tries to live a normal life, while Gillian becomes a free spirit who moves from place to place. However, they cannot escape their magical background. When Gillian's boyfriend dies under strange circumstances, the sisters have to face their past and the magic that connects them.
The book is about the strong bond between the sisters, the mix of magic and everyday life, and themes of love and loss. Hoffman's writing is descriptive and engaging, making "Practical Magic" a charming and heartfelt read about family, magic, and finding one's place in the world.
**Practical Magic** by Alice Hoffman is a story about two sisters, Gillian and Sally Owens, who are raised by their aunts, who are witches. The sisters have experienced the good and bad sides of magic since they were young.
As they grow up, Sally tries to live a normal life, while Gillian becomes a free spirit who moves from place to place. However, they cannot escape their magical background. When Gillian's boyfriend dies under strange circumstances, the sisters have to face their past and the magic that connects them.
The book is about the strong bond between the sisters, the mix of magic and everyday life, and themes of love and loss. Hoffman's writing is descriptive and engaging, making "Practical Magic" a charming and heartfelt read about family, magic, and finding one's place in the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Alcohol
rainandroses's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This book just wasn't for me, I read it without having watched the movie and maybe it just left a different impact to those that experienced either the book or the movie in the 90s. I wanted to know more about the mysterious magic even through small ways and really didn't care for any of the romance story lines, and I usually love a romantic subplot. It also felt very privileged and white to me, and I found myself unable to relate to those parts of the book. And just a little too much praise of the suburbia, even though it was important to one of the characters. Overall, it feels like a book very much of it's time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
matcha_cat's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Sexual violence, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
katelandd's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Death and Murder
allapaz's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of those books that I will accept no notes on and I fully believe that anyone who has any notes just didn’t get it like I did
Yes the movie is great but this is great too, I read this in 1 day and it was so simple yet beautiful yet real and strong and scary in places with how briefly Hoffman could sum up some really sacred parts of sisterhood and woman/girlhood
Very pleased to start my 2024 reads with a banger
Yes the movie is great but this is great too, I read this in 1 day and it was so simple yet beautiful yet real and strong and scary in places with how briefly Hoffman could sum up some really sacred parts of sisterhood and woman/girlhood
Very pleased to start my 2024 reads with a banger
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual violence
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Blended reading (audiobook + physical)
The Details:
Narrated by Laurence Bouvard
Unabridged
Mild spoilers will be in this review as I talk about different parts of the book.
I was initally apprehensive about the lack of chapters, but I needn't worry about that because everything just flowed in such a gentle storytelling way. It was also helpful that it was broken into parts.
I wasn't expecting such a generational saga, but I loved growing up with the sisters Sally and Gillian as they went to live with their peculiar aunts in Superstition. It was interesting to see little bits of witch craft, and from the little snippets of the movie I've seen (only very small scenes out of context), I was surprised that there was a lot of hexing and manipulation of love. It was fascinating to see how both of the very opposite sisters felt about it and also how everyone around them changed their views in different ways as they grew up. I felt like Sally was always getting the short straw of life, rather unfairly, just for being kind and not as bold and carefree as her little sister, so when she finally got a chance at love later on in this part and had a family I was so happy.
In Premonitions I'm happy that Sally was still a main character but the focus shifted on her two children growing up and mirroring the experience her and her sister had with school. I also loved seeing the OG sisters, who had become more and more estranged, reconciled at last.... but not over wholesome circumstances.
The lilacs haunting the sisters, suddenly reminded me of a scene from Weep, Woman, Weep and I wonder if that was inspired by Practical Magic. A pivotal development in this part was Kylie's 13th birthday and that did not go anyway I was expecting it to!
With the way that part ended, I was super interested to see how Clairvoyance would progress the story futher, now that Kylie was coming into her own. The story really developed here as powers were further unearthed and consequences began to come to a head for the run up to the conclusion.
It's weird how fond of the aunts I was, despite them feeling more like off page characters. I missed them and the cats so much when we were following everyone else living their lives.
The whole feel of this story was very whimsical and cosy and felt as if you were being narrated through this odd life, that wasn't super out of the ordinary, but enough to make you second glance. I absolutely adored it and am looking forward to reading the sequel and two prequels.
The Details:
Narrated by Laurence Bouvard
Unabridged
Mild spoilers will be in this review as I talk about different parts of the book.
I was initally apprehensive about the lack of chapters, but I needn't worry about that because everything just flowed in such a gentle storytelling way. It was also helpful that it was broken into parts.
I wasn't expecting such a generational saga, but I loved growing up with the sisters Sally and Gillian as they went to live with their peculiar aunts in Superstition. It was interesting to see little bits of witch craft, and from the little snippets of the movie I've seen (only very small scenes out of context), I was surprised that there was a lot of hexing and manipulation of love. It was fascinating to see how both of the very opposite sisters felt about it and also how everyone around them changed their views in different ways as they grew up. I felt like Sally was always getting the short straw of life, rather unfairly, just for being kind and not as bold and carefree as her little sister, so when she finally got a chance at love later on in this part and had a family I was so happy.
In Premonitions I'm happy that Sally was still a main character but the focus shifted on her two children growing up and mirroring the experience her and her sister had with school. I also loved seeing the OG sisters, who had become more and more estranged, reconciled at last.... but not over wholesome circumstances.
The lilacs haunting the sisters, suddenly reminded me of a scene from Weep, Woman, Weep and I wonder if that was inspired by Practical Magic. A pivotal development in this part was Kylie's 13th birthday and that did not go anyway I was expecting it to!
With the way that part ended, I was super interested to see how Clairvoyance would progress the story futher, now that Kylie was coming into her own. The story really developed here as powers were further unearthed and consequences began to come to a head for the run up to the conclusion.
It's weird how fond of the aunts I was, despite them feeling more like off page characters. I missed them and the cats so much when we were following everyone else living their lives.
The whole feel of this story was very whimsical and cosy and felt as if you were being narrated through this odd life, that wasn't super out of the ordinary, but enough to make you second glance. I absolutely adored it and am looking forward to reading the sequel and two prequels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Car accident
soph_mills's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
passionatereader78's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was an enjoyable read. I loved the movie and wanted to read the book. I liked plot, but the pace was slower than I thought it should be. I didn't like the profanity used in the story. I loved the ending. Sally and Gillian were raised by their aunts who were called Witches. When they grew up Gillian looked for love in all the wrong places and Sally just gave up on it. When tragedy strikes the sisters have to face the lifestyle they left behind and decide if love is worth fighting for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Death
Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Minor: Drug abuse and Drug use
Family drama, ghost, spirit, sisters, daughters, potionsinternationalreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Unique writing style; I liked it but it may not be for everyone. The pacing was pretty weird, a lot got packed in to the last 15% or so of the book. And I’m not sure how I felt about how casually the author wrote about domestic violence. This may be the rare case where the movie is better than the book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
bookdawg's review against another edition
4.0
The same cozy ethereal vibe I love from the movie, with enough differences to keep it interesting. Notably, there was much less overt magic (spell casting) and more of a magical environment that reminded me a lot of Like Water for Chocolate, that leaned this more toward magical realism than fantasy.
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual violence