Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

52 reviews

lenorayoder's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Loved this! I can see why people who come here from the movie have a problem - while the plot is similar, the characters, themes, and feeling of the book are pretty removed from the adaptation. I like both for what they are. 

The magical realism, somewhat non-linear storytelling, and flawed characters with distinct personalities are real strengths of this book. The style of writing is so charming and then at times startling, it drew me in immediately and enhances the story and characters. 

By the end of the book I was still irritated by Gillian, but that’s not a fault of the book - like most of the characters she’s excellently written. The characters all feel real, and if I met some of them in real life I wouldn’t like them, but that’s what makes them interesting and propels the story! 

The ending of this book doesn’t wrap everything up neatly in a bow, but that’s kind of the point. Life is messy. We grow and learn and try our best, but we are imperfect. We do what we can with what we have. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying and Grief

Minor: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Stalking, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

maite_moonchild's review against another edition

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Alcohol

hilary89's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The prose is stunningly beautiful, infused with whimsy and subtle nods to magic. But it was hard to stay engaged in the story with the ever-meandering plot and excessively long chapters. I also found it somewhat tiresome and repetitive the constant references to the Owens' beauty. Overall, though, it was an enjoyable read.

Just FYI, the movie is almost nothing like the source material, so best to approach it as a completely independent story.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death

Minor: Sexual content

mimi_gonetosleep's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death

haileyhardcover's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I think it would be impossible for me not to compare the book to the movie I’ve seen countless times. I never expect a movie to be a perfect retelling of a book, but having now read the book, I am surprised by how different they are… and even more surprised to find that this may be the one time that the movie is better than the book… 😬 Sorry, not sorry.

That’s not to say that the book isn’t great in its own right, though! I’m not normally a fan of this descriptive style of writing, but Hoffman’s writing is definitely an exception. I almost want to describe it as lyrical, though I don’t think it technically is. It’s beautiful, though, for sure. Captivating. Magical. Though different, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading the origin story of the characters I’ve loved for over a quarter century. 

I do have to say that nearly three hundred pages contained within only FOUR chapters is an absolutely horrific choice. Borderline cruel. Were this any other book, I would’ve returned it without reading a page for that fact alone. I would really like to read the other books in this series but if they have similar chapter lengths, I may have to pass. If you’ve read them, please let me know if Hoffman learned the art of reasonable chapters!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Vomit, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment

louiepotterbook's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

alexjoneswrites's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious slow-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

I grew up in love with this movie and starting the book series was magical. I loved the exploration into the relationship of Gillian and Sally through all its ups and downs and Gillian remains my favourite character. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, and Murder

Minor: Drug use

beckyhofman's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

frantically's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-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

absolutely beautiful 🥺 the prose in this is stunning, the characters vivid and enchanting. i love love love multi-generational stories and how we could see sally & gillian grow up and find their places in the world. have a soft spot for the aunts as well <3 this gives major winx club vibes as really, all the boys are just here to be boyfriends and nothing else

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Grief

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