Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

4 reviews

haileyhardcover's review

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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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

uranaishi's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

kaylashauntedlibrary's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

Really loved this one! Alice Hoffman writes so beautifully and has a way of making books really stick with you. 

I love that the magic is more subtle and real and there is a focus on sisterhood and family. 

I went into this book not really knowing what to expect and it wasn’t at all what I would have thought (and I’m glad!). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

claudiamacpherson's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

I was immediately enchanted by this funny, sweet, magical story of sisterhood. The sisters of the Owens family are far from perfect, but so charming that you can’t help but love them. The magic is subtle and satisfying, because everyone gets what’s coming to them (good and bad). I loved how Hoffman wove superstitions and folklore through the story, some common and some I’d never heard of.

I hit a bit of a reading slump mid-read, so it took me a while to finish, but definitely not because I didn’t enjoy the book. I’ve noticed that, for some reason, books with super long chapters (like this one, which is divided into 4 sections rather than traditional chapters) take me a lot longer to finish than books with shorter chapters.

Happy ending meter (no specific spoilers, just the vibe of the ending):

It’s satisfyingly happy.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol