Play Book Tag discussion

Practical Magic - Alice Hoffman

4 stars

Practical Magic is the story of sisters. Two sisters that grew up with their aunts who where the local witches. The Aunties would provide spells such as love potions to the locals. The two sisters, Sally and Gillian, were treated as outcasts and were often bullied. When they grew up, beautiful Gillian flitted from man to man escaping from their small Massachusetts town for good. Sally, always the practical sister, fell in love and had two daughters. When her husband passed away, Sally and her daughters also moved away so that the girls wouldn't suffer for their family's reputation. When Gillian shows up on Sally's doorstep she brings the instability of her life with her.

I liked this story. It was a great story about two sets of sisters (Sally and Gillian and Sally's daughters) that are struggling to grow up and be happy. While the magical elements were important in the context of the story, they were not overwhelming. Overall this is a story of family relationships and the desire to live a happy life on your own terms.

Nice review. I really enjoyed it too. I agree that it's more about relationships.