Scan barcode
A review by lovelykd
The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
4.0
I received an ARC of this ebook, from NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first novel I've read by [a: Alice Hoffman|3502|Alice Hoffman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1477318484p2/3502.jpg] and I was absolutely enchanted. The story, which can no doubt be considered the prequel to the well-known Practical Magic unfolds beautifully. Each character offered something to love/hate, at any given moment, but you were able to watch each one grow and contort into full-fledged adults with very real practicalities about life and love.
Having never read Practical Magic, I thought I might feel lost, or disconnected from the story, but that was not the case. This novel is every bit as good as a stand-alone, whether you ever find a reason or want to read it's predecessor. If anything, the reading of this may inspire many to seek out the other.
What I loved most about reading The Rules of Magic was the way each character developed as they blossomed from children into adulthood: in love, in loss, and in tragedy, you could see how every one of them changed. Each experience, for better or worse, marked them and changed their philosophy about how they should live and what is most important.
And while you felt their pain, with each successive emotional (and physical) challenge, as individuals, you also understood their triumphs.
Jet was by far my favorite character in the story. She endured so much and had the most reason to be made bitter by life's unfairness. Yet, she made the decision to continue to live a life based on her own terms, centered around its goodness. She remained bruised, but never broken, and her decision to do so, in light of all she went through, took an unspeakable amount of courage.
Franny and Vincent were interesting, but I liked them considerably less. That said, they offer much in the way of learning how often we all tend to pass judgment and offer intolerance, as opposed to acceptance.
Even so, in my opinion, because each appeared to be utterly self-serving in their pursuits of living a life worthy of contentment, they left much in the way of collateral damage. That was tough to watch and left me unsympathetic to their pain much of the time.
Having said all that, however, each of their journeys was fascinating because evolution-even when it is born of unexpected circumstances-is always expected. Each character evolved in his/her own way and, eventually, don't we all?
I truly enjoyed this book.
In a time when humanity seems to be lacking, in the real world, it's always lovely to escape into one where it can so skillfully exist.
Great read.
This is the first novel I've read by [a: Alice Hoffman|3502|Alice Hoffman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1477318484p2/3502.jpg] and I was absolutely enchanted. The story, which can no doubt be considered the prequel to the well-known Practical Magic unfolds beautifully. Each character offered something to love/hate, at any given moment, but you were able to watch each one grow and contort into full-fledged adults with very real practicalities about life and love.
Having never read Practical Magic, I thought I might feel lost, or disconnected from the story, but that was not the case. This novel is every bit as good as a stand-alone, whether you ever find a reason or want to read it's predecessor. If anything, the reading of this may inspire many to seek out the other.
What I loved most about reading The Rules of Magic was the way each character developed as they blossomed from children into adulthood: in love, in loss, and in tragedy, you could see how every one of them changed. Each experience, for better or worse, marked them and changed their philosophy about how they should live and what is most important.
And while you felt their pain, with each successive emotional (and physical) challenge, as individuals, you also understood their triumphs.
Jet was by far my favorite character in the story. She endured so much and had the most reason to be made bitter by life's unfairness. Yet, she made the decision to continue to live a life based on her own terms, centered around its goodness. She remained bruised, but never broken, and her decision to do so, in light of all she went through, took an unspeakable amount of courage.
Franny and Vincent were interesting, but I liked them considerably less. That said, they offer much in the way of learning how often we all tend to pass judgment and offer intolerance, as opposed to acceptance.
Even so, in my opinion, because each appeared to be utterly self-serving in their pursuits of living a life worthy of contentment, they left much in the way of collateral damage. That was tough to watch and left me unsympathetic to their pain much of the time.
Having said all that, however, each of their journeys was fascinating because evolution-even when it is born of unexpected circumstances-is always expected. Each character evolved in his/her own way and, eventually, don't we all?
I truly enjoyed this book.
In a time when humanity seems to be lacking, in the real world, it's always lovely to escape into one where it can so skillfully exist.
Great read.