I remember seeing the film version of this when it came out, but I never read the book. And, as usual, the book is better than the movie, so I’m glad Vicki recommended it. The characters in the book are so much more vivid than those in the film. Each one has her own motivations and her own nature.

While magic is definitely a theme here, the larger theme is human interaction. I like that we are introduced to multiple generations of sisters, each of which is interesting and distinct (though the aunts aren’t really given their own characters until the very end). I don’t really believe in the idea that one can fall in love at first sight, so the love stories in the book weren’t very interesting to me, although I suppose they’re why most people like the book.

I really like the language in this book. It’s simple and clear, yet very elegant at the time. Each sentence is so crisp and beautifully structured. Words were used well and very descriptively to set the scenes and tell the story, without veering off into the realm of excess poeticness. I think that if you’re going to write a book about magic, using this kind of practical, spare language is definitely the way to go.

Demographics:

Practical Magic, by Alice Hoffman. Published 1995, 244 pages. Fiction.