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Reviews tagging 'Infertility'
Magic Lessons: The Prequel to Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
3 reviews
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Toxic friendship, Animal death, Genocide, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Sexual content, Infidelity, Infertility, Death, Dementia, Child abuse, Grief, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Confinement, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Animal cruelty, Sexism, Stalking, Torture, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Pedophilia, Blood, Medical content, and Violence
chasingpages1's review
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Kidnapping, and Death
Moderate: Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Stalking, Confinement, and Infidelity
Minor: Chronic illness, Colonisation, Medical trauma, Infertility, Slavery, Sexual content, and Dementia
jedore's review
- 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
3.75
“Tell a witch to go, and she’ll plant her feet on the ground and stay exactly where she is. Instead of doing as she’s told, she’ll take a knife to her arm and let her blood drip onto the ground, and in that way she will claim the earth for herself and for her daughters and for all the daughters who follow her. It is the future she’s claiming, the right to be a woman who can do as she pleases.“
With every book I read about witches, I feel more and more connected to a tribe. Definitely not a typical one. This tribe isn’t restricted by the boundaries of time and place. It’s filled with countless generations of strong women who were/are deeply connected to nature and use its gifts to heal. They refused to follow the herd and be stifled by the patriarchy. They are my sisters.
This book is the prequel to Practical Magic…I have the full series and chose to read them in chronological order. It is the story of the matriarch of the Owen witches that takes place in the late 1600s in England, Curaçao, Salem, and New York.
Although it’s magical realism, you learn a lot about history…of each place and the plight of those women who chose to live on the edges.
The plot was formulaic, thus predictable…it was the characters that kept me turning the pages. Alice Hoffman has a gift for character development.
The two biggest detractions for me were the magical realism and Hoffman’s diversions into Jewish history. My personal preference is for more realistic fiction, so that’s totally on me. I think more readers would agree with me that the breaks from the story to educate us on the plight and contributions of Jews were overindulgent, wholly unnecessary and mild to moderately irritating.
Looking forward to reading Practical Magic, which I’ve heard is very different than the movie.
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Forced institutionalization, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, and Infertility
Minor: Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Abortion, Antisemitism, Colonisation, Torture, and Slavery