Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

44 reviews

gabrieldorian's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad 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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matcha_cat's review against another edition

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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


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gen_wolfhailstorm's review

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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.


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bxnnny's review against another edition

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dark hopeful reflective sad 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

3.0

of course, i have always loved the practical magic movie ever since i was a kid, but i'd never gotten around to reading the book it was based off of until now. i kept my expectations low as i had heard from others that the book doesn't quite compare, and i tried to still go into it with an open mind. i will say that the movie is leagues better, but i still have an appreciation for the book. i enjoyed the writing style and the way the story was told. the characters were complicated and complex as well as their relationships to one another. that being said, i wish the aunts were more likeable, fun, and wise like their movie counterparts and i wish both sets of sisters had a closer bond as shown in the movie as well... but i can appreciate that the book version of their relationships was a little more complex than that. overall, i appreciate this book for what it is and will continue to cherish the movie separately.

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passionatereader78's review against another edition

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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. 

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thesonnetsilence's review against another edition

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I tried to get into it, but I just couldn't. It started off very slow and just meh for me. I kept finding excuses to not pick this book back up. When I finally mustered up the energy to try it again, I couldn't get past the triggering content. I was not in the right headspace for this one and I'm happy I didn't torture myself to the end. 

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internationalreads's review against another edition

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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!

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ce_read's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I was raised on the movie so it's hard not to compare the two. The writing could be a bit hoakey and ham-fisted for me at times, but ultimately compelling and entertaining. I second some other reviews that said some characters were introduced abruptly or not well-enough developed, and of there were themes or plot devices, I didn't pick up on them. Not my usual fare 

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chasingpages1's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad slow-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

3.0


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euphemiajo's review against another edition

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adventurous

2.0


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