The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
Pages: 369
Published by Simon Schuster
Publication Date October 10, 2017
Goodreads
Find your magic
For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man.
Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk.
From the start Susanna sets down rules for her children: No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle, in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens family has been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. Back in New York City each begins a risky journey as they try to escape the family curse.
The Owens children cannot escape love even if they try, just as they cannot escape the pains of the human heart. The two beautiful sisters will grow up to be the revered, and sometimes feared, aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy.
First Impression
I have tried reading Alice Hoffman’s novels before but I have always found them to be long winded and difficult to get into. However, as I am working my way through Reese Witherspoon’s Book Club list I decided to give Alice Hoffman a second chance.
Second Impression
The Rules of Magic is aptly named as it is magical. I instantly fell for Vincent, Franny and Jet and my heart broke for them each time an attempt at love failed. Hoffman’s writing is lyrical and sends the reader on a journey as the story was so vivid by her use of words.
At the heart of the novel is the Owens’ need to belong, a theme that is carried throughout and made the characters relatable. Thus, the reader takes an immediate interest in the sibling’s well being and a need to see the novel to the end.
Final Impression
The Rules of Magic warms the heart without being Chicken Soup for the Soul. Alice Hoffman puts her readers through all the feels with love, loss and becoming comfortable in one’s own skin. The Rules of Magic is a wonderful read and I can see myself reading Practical Magic in the near future.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
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