Reviews tagging 'Sexual harassment'

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

46 reviews

lenorayoder's review against another edition

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  • 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. 

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izzy_v's review against another edition

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dark lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Very different from the movie (read this before seeing the movie for the first time), but still enjoyed the book! Much less magical and witchy than the movie, which was a bummer for an October read but still was sweet and good fall vibes. 

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sycamore22's review against another edition

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Stopped when the two guys were chasing Kylie through the field in attempt to assault her. I watched the movie first and loved it… the book is VERY different. There were just too many descriptions of sex or sexual thoughts that felt violating for me. Like most of the sex scenes lacked consent, and Gillian’s memories of sex before Ben Fry are abusive and difficult to read. Once you’ve lived through something like that, you don’t feel any desire to read about it, in my experience. This is NOT the charming, warm-hearted, witchy story of sisterhood depicted in the movie. 

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haileyhardcover's review against another edition

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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!

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williamabookworm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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louiepotterbook's review against another edition

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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


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sonlight21's review against another edition

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

2.0

I liked the first half I guess the second one not as much and the last quarter not much at all. I don't think I've read a book before that used the F word so many times.

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itsheyfay's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.25


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aleksanderaleksander's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-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


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stephaniealysse's review against another edition

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dark 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

3.0


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