Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman
Published by: Penguin Putnam Adult on June 13, 1995
Series: Practical Magic #1
Pages: 286
Source: Purchased by me
Genre: Magical Realism, Multi-Generational, Witches

”For more than two hundred years, the Owens women have been blamed for everything that has gone wrong in their Massachusetts town. Gillian and Sally have endured that fate as well: as children, the sisters were forever outsiders, taunted, talked about, pointed at. Their elderly aunts almost seemed to encourage the whispers of witchery, with their musty house and their exotic concoctions and their crowd of black cats. But all Gillian and Sally wanted was to escape. One will do so by marrying, the other by running away. But the bonds they share will bring them back—almost as if by magic...” (Source: Goodreads)

My Thoughts: I found this novel to be a pleasant surprise, especially because I’d never heard very much information about it before reading. I vaguely remember watching the 1998 film by the same name starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, but it wasn’t vivid enough in my memory to influence my experience too heavily.

This is probably one of my only foray s into the magical realism genre and I’m not really sure how that makes me feel. The title might suggest it, but the ‘magic’ that is presented in this novel is presented in a more realistic way than outright witchcraft. To break it down, there are characters in this book that portray the stereotypical image of witches, but there are also characters that don’t really believe in the craft. In addition, whenever magic is mentioned, it is never by the moniker (i.e. ‘magic’), but more like a heavy influence. As I read, I felt myself thinking words like hex, curse, and spell, but these words are never actually used. Hoffman uses our personal experiences outside of what is directly written on the page in order to push us toward certain assumptions about the characters, especially when it comes to what magic is or who might be a witch

This novel bridges 3 different generations, giving you the opportunity to see how different women in the Owens family view magic, especially whether they believe in it or not. Due to the fiery nature of the women in their past, some characters seem to have pre-determined fates, while others run off the rails in order to create new paths that ultimately come back to the same point. I absolutely loved how Hoffman created such powerful women in this novel, sometimes powerful for their ability to withstand certain pain, and other times for their outright attitudes.

My Rating: ★★★