Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Il giardino delle magie by Alice Hoffman

56 reviews

jasmine256's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, and Sexual content

Moderate: Bullying, Death, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Death of parent

thewoodlandbookshelf'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? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Sexual content

kmayatte's review against another edition

dark emotional slow-paced

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

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content

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

mhari's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-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

Review

Genre: Fantasy fiction, paranormal fiction, speculative fiction. 
Age Range: 16+ 

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Setting: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Relationships: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing Style: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Enjoyment: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Notes

This is one of those rare occasions where the movie is better than the book. I delved into Practical Magic expecting a fast paced paranormal novel with plenty of action and spookiness. But, to my dismay, I got instead a novel following the journey of two sisters with only a hint     of the paranormal. However, I did enjoy the book, although it is one of those books that you read once and only once. In the end, it turned out to be a novel symbolising the beauty and danger of falling in love. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Grief, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Death, Bullying, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, and Death of parent

lldavey's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Car accident, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Bullying, Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Child death, Suicide, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Murder

atlanticgiantpumpkin's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring mysterious 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

As an autistic woman, I spent a lot of the book thinking “Is this actually how people think?” Because everything was very exaggerated.  I do feel like it went on a bit at times giving unnecessary details, but it was wonderful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Death, Murder, Stalking, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual content, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

Minor: Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Pedophilia, Bullying, and Alcohol

At one point, one of the girls is chased down in a field by men trying to rape her.

thesalalmon's review against another edition

Oof. I was recommended this when looking for books that were lighthearted with strong female leading characters. It was a ruse. The story is not at all centred on the women it is about, but on their impact or influence on the men around them. It’s also rapey and I got too uncomfortable to continue. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Death of parent

jude7's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

A great book and I'm super excited for the prequels and sequel!! It's a bit different from the movie but I don't think I would say I like one more than the other - the ways the movie is different actually add to the story and simplify some of it. I really enjoyed more of the backstory of Sally and Gillian that is in the book vs barely any in the movie!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Death of parent, Death, and Bullying

happyreadings's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

I find it funny to say that Practical Magic was my least favorite out of the whole Practical Magic series. And I'm not saying I didn't like this book, I love this whole series, I just felt that it had less magic than the other 2. I am rereading this series because The Book of Magic just got released and I wanted get back into the setting of the Owen's family. One thing I haven't done yet was watch the movie, so I think I will do that next. 

Overall, I love the continuation of the Owen's family and their story of magic.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Toxic relationship

Minor: Death of parent