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A review by morgob
Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
5.0
This book was a nice surprise! It was an emotional rollercoaster for sure, but I would definitely read it again. I suppose the thing that surprised me the most was the adult themes. I heard that the movie was supposed to be a cute, lighthearted movie, so I expected the book to be similar, but that is not the case. There are lighthearted bits, but most of it is about love. Deep, devoted, full-of-grief love. It was a really great story about three generations of women sort of working together to end a conflict. Honestly, though, some of the women were not great. Like, I could not stand Antonia or Gillian for most of the book. Gillian was the worst. Yes, she had bad things happen to her, but she was also just mostly a horrible person. Poor Sally, is what I kept saying. Actually, honestly there were times I couldn't stand any of the characters. They all had parts when they were annoying. The characters had high points and low points for sure.
The good part of the story was any time they mentioned their quirky little magic. The aunts and their eccentricities were definitely a plus. Any time something off was explained, little remedies for things, and strange things that happened, I loved the book a little bit more. I actually loved the part where the young girl was being chased by drunk men across the field, not because I enjoyed it or anything, but that is just a really accurate telling of something that happens to women and girls anywhere. I have experienced similar things. I liked how surprisingly real this book was, if that makes sense. And, of course, I loved the cutesy magic bits, like the ending. I already recommended this book to one of my older students. It's a sort of feel-good book that focuses on love, but--more importantly--the bond between sisters. And that is something I can fully relate to.
The good part of the story was any time they mentioned their quirky little magic. The aunts and their eccentricities were definitely a plus. Any time something off was explained, little remedies for things, and strange things that happened, I loved the book a little bit more. I actually loved the part where the young girl was being chased by drunk men across the field, not because I enjoyed it or anything, but that is just a really accurate telling of something that happens to women and girls anywhere. I have experienced similar things. I liked how surprisingly real this book was, if that makes sense. And, of course, I loved the cutesy magic bits, like the ending. I already recommended this book to one of my older students. It's a sort of feel-good book that focuses on love, but--more importantly--the bond between sisters. And that is something I can fully relate to.