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A review by waytoomanybooks
Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It's been a while since I've been so gripped by a book! It has all of my favorite tropes: magical realism, female empowerment, deep personal connections, female joy, women supporting women, and strong mother-daughter relationships. I love that the core theme of the book is love of all kinds: familial, romantic, friendship, pets, and even neighbors.
A recurring line is that what you put out into the world will come back threefold. And I love that it really makes you reflect on your own choices, on your own energy. The book also repeats the line that what has been done cannot be undone. How are you living your life? What can you change?
I love that it made me think and hit me right in the chest with insights and self-reflection right along with the characters. I constantly had a highlighter handy because there was so much that stood out to me that I wanted to go back to. I went back a few times throughout the novel and saw deliciously perfect morsels of foreshadowing, which makes it perfect book to reread and get something new out of it or notice something that you missed the first time.
I highly recommend this book!
A recurring line is that what you put out into the world will come back threefold. And I love that it really makes you reflect on your own choices, on your own energy. The book also repeats the line that what has been done cannot be undone. How are you living your life? What can you change?
I love that it made me think and hit me right in the chest with insights and self-reflection right along with the characters. I constantly had a highlighter handy because there was so much that stood out to me that I wanted to go back to. I went back a few times throughout the novel and saw deliciously perfect morsels of foreshadowing, which makes it perfect book to reread and get something new out of it or notice something that you missed the first time.
I highly recommend this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Animal death, Sexual assault, Slavery, Kidnapping, Antisemitism, Violence, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Death, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Confinement, Death of parent, and Murder