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Practical Magic [Paperback]

Alice Hoffman
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
RRP: £8.99
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Book Description

4 April 2002

Sisters Gillian and Sally Owens were brought up by their two elderly guardian aunts in a world of spells and exotica. As the magical charm of their childhood wears away, they escape from this mystical mayhem - one by running away, the other by marrying.

Many years go by before strange circumstances thrust them together again, and once more they are in a place that blends the mundane and mysterious, the familiar and fantastic. Three generations of Owens women are brought together in an experience of unexpected insight and revelation, teaching all of them that such perceptions are rare and wonderful and - to be sure - practical.

(2002-02-20)

Frequently Bought Together

Practical Magic + Practical Magic [DVD] [1998]
Price For Both: £9.79

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Product details

  • Paperback: 288 pages
  • Publisher: Vintage; New Ed edition (4 April 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0099429179
  • ISBN-13: 978-0099429173
  • Product Dimensions: 13 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 63,542 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

"A great atmospheric storyteller... Her books are a real pleasure" (Kate Atkinson Independent)

"Like her contemporaries, Carol Shields and Alice Munro, Hoffman has an acute eye for detail... [she] writes with heartbreaking clarity" (The Times)

"Alice Hoffman is simply brilliant" (Daily Mail)

Book Description

'Alice Hoffman is a daring and able writer; she plots conjunctions of mundane and magical events with such ease that the reader never doubts her word' New Yorker (2002-02-20)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Magical 15 Oct 2005
By Lucy Reynolds VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Before you pick up this book forget the movie adaptation, Sandra Bullock, and Nicole Kidman.
The film is great, but it's been given the Hollywood treatment.
The book is wonderful.
Like most readers, I expected the quirky tale of two witchy sisters and their crazy old witchy Aunts. I didn't expect the amount of character exploration, the wit, the darkness, and the way that the magic is subtly referred to throughout, but not over-stated. I guess that's the meaning of "Practical" Magic though!
It's a really great read, and well worth the money.
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic, one to keep and read again... 29 Oct 2006
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I accidently watched the film adaptation one evening when there was nothing else on t.v, the film was quite good considering that it had been given the Hollywood treatment so I thought I'd give the book a go, Im so glad I did its one of the best books I have ever read, the author has the ability to make you really visualise the wisteria, roses etc.. and to feel the weather and moods of all the people in the story, some "witchy, magical" books for adults are written in a very childish manner leaving you feeling a little patronised but this one is a big exception !!.

Highly recommend this book its really a feelgood story which is quite different from Hoffmans other tales which are a little on the depressive side to say the least.... 10 out of 10 for this one though..
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42 of 45 people found the following review helpful
By Mary Chrapliwy VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
The movie version of this story is one of the most fun, exhilerating movies - a favorite in this household. This book bears very little relation to the movie. The only similarities are that the main characters exist as they do in the movie, but they don't live with the aunts and magic is not quite the focus as it was in the movie.

Now, that said ...

This is one of the best books I've had the opportunity to read. Written in the beautiful prose Alice Hoffman is so well known for, it follows the life of Gillian and Sally as they go on their diverse paths. Sally is the stable widow with two girls in tow. She leaves the aunts in New England, leaving her sad life behind, and moves to a Long Island suburb with her two girls where tries to live a normal life. Meanwhile, Gillian is a bad girl who is in and out of relationships and in and out of trouble. She finds the awful, abusive Jimmy and eventually kills him accidentally while enroute to visit her sister. Unsure of what to do, she brings him to her sister's house dead in the passenger seat of the car - she thinks stable Sally would know what to do to keep her out of jail. Sally meets the situation with borderline hysteria at first, then the two decide to bury him in Sally's backyard. Gillian moves in with Sally and her girls and tries to forget the body in the back yard. Sally's boring, stable life changes dramatically while Gillian's naughty life changes to a more stable one. Meanwhile they are haunted by the evil spirit of Jimmy, threatening to destroy the tenuous stability they try to build.

This book is not written in standard chapters - instead it is written in four large sections. Fortunately there are enough scene breaks in each section that you can put it down and read it in separate sittings.... Read more ›

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Not what I was expecting...better 9 May 2002
Format:Paperback
I brought this book because I am a fan of the chick-flick movie. Although I was surprised at how much the film varied from the book. I really enjoyed the story more in the book, but this is not a surprise as it is usually the case. I found myself glued to this new story, it was funny and exciting because I was unaware of the how the story would develop. It is a great story about living your life no matter where it might lead, and knowing you always have people who loves you. But most of all this is a story about the everlasting bond of sisterhood.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Feel good magic to leave you smiling 3 Aug 2006
Format:Paperback
I came to this book after wearing out the DVD I've got of the movie. As with many adaptations, the book is the superior, even if as a result of loving the movie so much, my images of the characters are firmly entrenched. This is a book to make you want to hug yourself at the end, I certainly found myself grinning like a loon when I finished it up on the bus to work. For those who dont know the story, its a tale of two sisters and how they learn to love themselves and each other, and of course their men! To spice it up there is death and curses, mad aunts and magic. The magic is subtle but present throught the book, a bit like the gardens and the weather that also feature. It's just another facet of the character's lives. I'll definetly be reading another Alice Hoffmann book and am looking forward to passing Practical Magic - the book - on to my fellow DVD addicts!
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The film, although enjoyable became a truly 'Hollywood' version of what is essentially an excellent novel from this seasoned writer.

As always happens, the characters were used out of context and the film abridged much of the real story within the story. The same can be said of many novels adapted for film and TV and should always be seen at face value. Always read the book before you watch the film

The novel, however is a triumph for the females of the species once again. Balancing the bewitching and the bewildering, the harsh and the downy.

The first Alice Hoffman novel I read and a real epiphany, I haven't read another author since.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Very different from the movie, but a good read.
If you - like me - have first watched the film - try to not expect the same style of story-telling! This book is not as sexual, darker, not as funny as the film. Read more
Published 2 months ago by A Bach
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my all-time favourites
I love all Alice Hoffman's books, but I think Practical Magic is my favourite - great concept and characters - loved it
Published 2 months ago by RachelH
3.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the film.
This is slightly different to the film and is good but not what I was expecting. Worth a read but won't be re-reading it.
Published 4 months ago by bob
4.0 out of 5 stars Practical(?) Magic.
Not quite sure how the author arrived at this title, but one might easily rename it as "Unostentatious Magic". Read more
Published 4 months ago by flamfacts
5.0 out of 5 stars practical magic
practical magic is my favourite film and is now my favourite book i just couldn't put it down, it captured my attention the whole way through
Published 13 months ago by nicole
4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Hoffman - magic, romance and unbreakable family bonds
I'm afraid I ruined this book for myself somewhat by having already seen the film a fair few times. Back before I'd even heard of Alice Hoffman, Practical Magic [DVD] [1999] was... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Miss E. Potten
4.0 out of 5 stars pleasantly surprised...
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I've seen the film and really enjoyed it even though it is just hollywood fluff, but the book has a bit more depth than the film. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Lauren_3
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Arrived very fast and in perfect condition. Started to enjoy the book straight away, perhaps enjoyed it too much as I had finished it within 2 days!
Published 22 months ago by 4my101
5.0 out of 5 stars Magical novel
I stumbled apon the movie whilst flicking through the channels. Loved it. I looked it up and discovered it was a book first! I had to get it. I've just finished it. Read more
Published 23 months ago by H
5.0 out of 5 stars Who is Alice Hoffman
I was recently introduced to the works of Alice Hoffman by a friend who was quite a fan. I really enjoyed that book and decided to read another by the same author. Read more
Published 23 months ago by kirbygrip
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