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chasingpages1's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Grief, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Car accident, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Stalking, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Rape
euphemiajo's review against another edition
2.0
Moderate: Bullying, Blood, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Animal death, Death of parent, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Drug use, Murder, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Violence
kimberg's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Death, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Animal cruelty, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Violence
cocacolor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I'd read another Hoffman before, the historical THE WORLD THAT WE KNEW, and wasn't terribly impressed by it, so I came here expecting more of the same. Here, though, Hoffman's style really does work. Though the characters are also drawn in broad brushstrokes and the romances instant, PRACTICAL MAGIC really makes it feel like more of a conscious nod to fairy tales than simply bland writing. The omniscient narrator, who sometimes switches the character being followed within the same paragraph, the doses of wisdom, and the lyricism all combine to make a great experience; Hoffman knows exactly when to dole out backstory to make the reader appreciate their increasingly more whole understanding of the Owens family and the world.
I'm of two minds, though, because the political imagination at work here isn't great. Everyone is white; everyone is heterosexual. The cure for the characters' flaws is the right man. The main characters are all neatly paired off at the end; just find your true love and you'll be fixed, Hoffman seems to say. The pre-cell phone milieu is interesting and evocative, but drives home the kind of stifling suburban whiteness that characters aspire to.
Overall, a serious and occasionally dark book about sisterhood and female family members in a magical realism milieu, where the cure for all conflict is heterosexual romance.
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Death, Rape, and Sexism
Minor: Death of parent and Panic attacks/disorders
danibailey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Moderate: Animal death and Animal cruelty
Minor: Death and Murder
erinalt90's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
To say this book was disappointing would be an understatement. You can tell this was the first book written. I'm not sure that is an excuse for how poorly the characters were developed or the story line that was hardly there. If you're reading this series you will notice that Practical Magic not only does not fit into the series but also contradicts some characters' backstory. It also lacked well established facts of the world it takes place in and there is very little magic.
The characters are not lovable and I would even go to say that I didn't care what happened to them. In fact there were main characters that if they had disappeared I wouldn't have cared.
The plot is put together like leftovers on a plate and then put in a microwave.
There are entire scenes that have nothing to do at all with the book including a scene where a child is almost SA'd.
I would not recommend this book at all. The movie was better and I will pretend like this book doesn't exist in the series. So disappointing.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
blewballoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Animal cruelty, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Bullying, Sexism, and Sexual assault
cassielaj's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death, and Animal cruelty
lenagf's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Grief and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism and Bullying
Minor: Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, and Car accident
kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Drug use, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Animal death, and Physical abuse