Book: Practical Magic

Alice Hoffman
Paranormal Romance
Berkley Trade / 1995
Hard Back / 286 Pages

The bestselling author of Second Nature, Illumination Night and Turtle Moon now offers her most fascinating and tantalizingly accomplished novel yet -- a winning tale that amply confirms Alice Hoffman's reputation not only as a genius of the vivid scene and unforgettable character but as one of America's most captivating storytellers.

When the beautiful and precocious sisters Sally and Gillian Owens are orphaned at a young age, they are taken to a small Massachusetts town to be raised by their eccentric aunts, who happen to dwell in the darkest, eeriest house in town. As they become more aware of their aunts' mysterious and sometimes frightening powers -- and as their own powers begin to surface -- the sisters grow determined to escape their strange upbringing by blending into "normal" society.

But both find that they cannot elude their magic-filled past. And when trouble strikes -- in the form of a menacing backyard ghost -- the sisters must not only reunite three generations of Owens women but embrace their magic as a gift -- and their key to a future of love and passion. Funny, haunting, and shamelessly romantic, Practical Magic is bewitching entertainment -- Alice Hoffman at her spectacular best.

I picked this book up because I loved the movie

What I liked the Most? Everything

What I liked the Least? Jimmy (but you are supposed to hate him)

Review:This is a most excellent book. I can't put it down – no matter how many times I’ve read it. It works as a coming of age novel, a romance, a fantasy tale, and most definitely family drama. It's so well-written and the language is beautiful and affecting. The words bring to life such wonderful imagery - vivid and alive in my mind.

I love the twists and turns that this story takes. I enjoy the additional romances that the story has that the movie doesn’t. It makes me glad that I read the book. And in this case, the two stories are so similar yet so different it almost feels like two different stories.

Recommended to: Everyone – I love this story

Best Quote: “It doesn't matter what people tell you. It doesn't matter what they might say. Sometimes you have to leave home. Sometimes, running away means you're headed in the exact right direction.”