Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman is a fantasy-fiction novel published in 1995 by Penguin. The story centres around a family of love witches situated in smalltown Massachussetts. Interestingly, this book has a movie adaptation that is more well-known and well-loved (which is not how it usually goes!) There’s also a series of sequels, one of which just came out in 2021: Magic Lessons, The Rules of Magic and The Book of Magic.
Premise
Practical Magic centres around the Owens women, particularly the sisters Sally and Gillian. Though raised by their aunts in smalltown Massachussetts (and in the most suspicious house in the neighbourhood), both sisters find themselves on opposite sides of the country eventually. The aunts in Practical Magic are love witches who accept work from the neighbouring women. Generally this work is in the form of love spells, though this can also work to deter someone’s interest.
Though it is not explicitly stated in the book the way it is in the movie, there is a sense that the Owens women are cursed to lose their lovers, or never quite be able to keep them in the first place. But they come from a long line of love witches and so they attract people like flies to ripe fruit. Sally and Gillian thus end up going about their love lives in two distinct ways: While Gillian can never quite keep her interest in one man as they come to her in flocks, Sally refrains from love until it suits her. The sisters are also quite opposite in personality traits, with Gillian written as the more flighty, unintelligent, erratic sister and Sally as the more detached, professional and headstrong one.
Differences to the Movie
I think the film offers a bit more of a cohesive story with some more glimpses into what the magic of this family really does. The book version is quite light on the level of power the sisters wield. In fact the sisters themselves rarely ever use it, and when they do it’s only in emergencies.
Another obvious difference is the way Sally and Gillian are often at odds with one another. This dynamic repeats itself later on with both Kylie and Antonia, Sally’s daughters. In fact, it seems that the Owens line is like this: Two women born of one family who lose their father in some way, are opposite in nature and who birth two girls who are opposite in nature.
Review
Here’s the thing: I wanted something that gave me magic with a tinge of horror for my first read this Halloween season. That is not what Practical Magic necessarily gave me. I like the writing style, because it brings me back to a kind of Cinderella fairytale way of telling stories (description, but a lot more exposition than usual). It does this simultaneously without shying away from the occasional sexual scene, cussing, drug use or mention of abuse. In that way this story feels realistic – it’s about a family of women and what women often go through in their lives. The magic is really more of a background rather than an active ingredient in the lives of any of the Owens women.
I did like the story and I did like the choice by Hoffman to cut out excess use of fantasy elements, but at the same time I wanted their witchcraft to show in more ways than extensive plant knowledge or an alluring and irresistible nature. I suppose I just didn’t like it as much as I wanted to. Maybe you’ll feel differently about it!
Rating: ☆☆☆
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