Everyone needs a little magic in their lives... The Rules of Magic is the long-awaited prequel to Practical Magic. The Rules of Magic is a New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon's Book Club pick!

In this sparkling prequel we meet the Aunts from Practical Magic, sisters Frances and Jet and Vincent, their brother. From the beginning their mother Susanna knew they were unique: Franny with her skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, who could commune with birds; Jet as shy as she is beautiful, who knows what others are thinking, and Vincent so charismatic that he was built for trouble. Susanna needed to set some rules of magic: no walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles and certainly, absolutely, no books about magic…

But the Owens siblings are desperate to uncover who they really are. Each heads down a life-altering course, filled with secrets and truths, devastation and joy, and magic and love. Despite the warning handed down through the family for centuries – Know that for our family, love is a curse – they will all strive to break the rules and find true love.

***A perfect read for crisp autumn nights!***

Praise for The Rules of Magic:

‘The combination of magic with the universal themes of romantic love and the bond between siblings allows the reader to have one foot in a magical world and another in the realities of family life. Much like the bewitching heroines in this book.’ – The Lady

‘Utterly spellbinding’ - Heat

‘Shows the author at their best… She neatly intertwines their lives with a backdrop that brims with periodic detail. Gnomic maxims add to a wise, seductive, fabular tone… Thrilling and transportive’ – Sunday Times

‘Enchanting… Spellbinding and entertaining’ – Sunday Express

‘Hoffman explores Aunt Frances and Aunt Bridget’s (known here as Jet) awakening to the craft in the 1960s. Franny and Jet, along with their brother Vincent, stay with their Aunt Isabelle. Each of their gifts grow, but can they use them to break the family curse? The Rules of Magic is a gentle tale, perfect as the nights draw in' – Press Association

‘As efficient a slice of escapism as you would expect from Hoffman… Hoffman’s skill is to ground her light-as-a-feather tale in a very specific time and place: Manhattan in the Sixties. Wisely, she doesn’t rely on the momentous times to do too much work, but the heady atmospherics are expertly interwoven’ – Daily Mail

‘A bewitching, hard to put down tale of the consequences of magic, love and family’ - Bookbag

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Scribner UK
Publication date

2 Nov. 2017
Dimensions

15.9 x 2.9 x 24 cm
ISBN-10

1471157679
ISBN-13

978-1471157677
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Product details

Publisher : Scribner UK (2 Nov. 2017)
Language : English
Hardcover : 384 pages
ISBN-10 : 1471157679
ISBN-13 : 978-1471157677
Dimensions : 15.9 x 2.9 x 24 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 407,222 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 36,692 in Literary Fiction (Books)
- 45,993 in Contemporary Fiction (Books)

Customer reviews:
4,111 ratings

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Review

‘What is it that makes American authors excel at depicting marriage? Alice Hoffman’s The Marriage of Opposites is one of the best novels on the subject . . . not least because the opposites of its title embrace not just gender but race, class and religion . . . Hoffman’s sensuous prose is ideally suited to describing the landscape . . . As intoxicating as the finest island rum’ ― Independent on The Marriage of Opposites

‘Hoffman is a master of evocatively described places . . . This captivating novel transports the reader to a sensual world of lush tropical landscapes, colonial opulence and conflicted passions’ ― The Lady on The Marriage of Opposites

‘Alice Hoffman’s fictionalised biography of Rachel Pizzarro’s life is an evocative, sensitive and historically rich portrayal of a woman living ahead of her time’ ― The Observer on The Marriage of Opposites

About the Author

Alice Hoffman is the author of thirty works of fiction, including Practical Magic, The Red Garden, The Dovekeepers and, most recently,The Museum of Extraordinary Things. She lives in Boston. Visit her website: www.alicehoffman.com

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2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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J Kinsey

Anti-Feminist clap trap!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 October 2019

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Anti-Feminist clap trap! If you want to read about 2 women whose only value is in loving a man then this is the book for you! Drivel, nicely written drivel!

*spoilers*

The story of two rich white women who fall in love as teenage girls with 2 different Men. One of their lovers dies young and the character spends the remainder of her life moping without him and the other spends her life running around after the other man, who somehow manages to have a successful career as a doctor, go to war, lose a leg AND become a hero surgeon all while being a stellar life partner. The women do make the odd potion though....so there's that.

15 people found this helpful

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Naomi Bowler

It's beautifully, intimately written

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 4 November 2017

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I devoured this in a couple of days whilst on honeymoon. It's beautifully, intimately written, and leaves you feeling warm and cosy – despite exploring themes of growth, pain and loss. I read this before Practical Magic, although I had seen the film as a teenager, and descriptions of the garden in Massachusetts felt wonderfully familiar. The descriptions of magic are delicate – rather than making you feel as though this is an absurd fantasy, you feel as though you're walking along a tightrope of the fantastic; are things real or imagined?

20 people found this helpful

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Wiccawoman

A Magical Read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 October 2017

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I had been eagerly awaiting the publication of this book and read it avidly whilst on holiday in Spain.
It is an excellent prequel to Practical Magic and extremely hard to put down.
Alice Hoffman writes wonderfully, poetically at times and crafts the back story of the two aunts who become the guardians of Sally and Gilly Owens.
The stories of Franny, Jet and Vincent, their brother are equally poignant and entrancing as they each seek in their own way to outwit the Owens curse.
I could not put this book down, it is as brilliant as all her other works.

13 people found this helpful

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Kay

The Aunts' back story is beautiful and poignant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 February 2018

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This is such a beautiful book. I nearly didn't buy it in case it didn't live up to Practical Magic (the film, this was my first time reading Hoffman).
I love magical realism, so this pleased me, but more than that, the characters and their journeys were real and poignant, particularly their grief and their love. I found myself quietly crying at times, but mostly entranced with their world. I now feel like a world has ended with the last page of the book, but I can explore the rest of her extensive writing.

9 people found this helpful

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billtheluteman

Completely Magical

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 January 2018

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This is the first time I’ve ever bothered with reviewing fiction in ebooks. I love the cadence of the writing, the sensitivity of the characterisations. It has a gentle quality reminiscent of the work of Margaret Mary, and deals with the everyday magic of joy and loss. For sixty years, books have been as essential to me as oxygen, but this writer is something special.

10 people found this helpful

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Marguerite

A Bit of a Meandering Story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 October 2018

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I loved Practical Magic so when I saw this as a KDD I bought it straight away. Sadly, I was a bit disappointed. The story meandered about aimlessly and it felt to me (I could be completely wrong) that a lot of political points were being made - and I don't mean about the period in which the story was set, I mean about now. This read to me like an allegory, which is absolutely fine, of course, but it meant that the story - well, as I said, it meandered. It also felt padded out with too many spells. So not great, for me, though of course wonderfully written and it won't stop me going back for more.

4 people found this helpful

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A story about Love, loss and Living but always Love

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 October 2018

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I love Practical Magic and the Movie even though the Movie is alot softer and kinder. The book will always be preferred. Having said that I will continue to review that The Rules of Magic takes you back to the raw emotions that life brings. It is a wonderful , sorrowful but beautiful read. It's extremely enriching experiencing Franny and Brighet and Vincent's journey through life. The last chapter in particular right up to the final words sets up Sally and Gillian Owens story perfectly and as we know what happens it leaves you with a wonderful feeling. Both books as I said above in the title are stories about Love, loss and Living but always Love.

2 people found this helpful

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lippy

A must read for practical magic fans!!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 January 2018

Verified Purchase

Practical Magic is one of my favourite films, in fact it's the only film i have enjoyed more than the book. So i was a little apprehensive that the prequel would not live up to expectations but i needn't have worried. This book is such a beautiful read I couldn't put it down. You become immersed in the characters from the very beginning till the end. A book I couldn't put down and never wanted it to end. If you loved the film then this book is a must read.

7 people found this helpful

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