Practical Magic

By: Alice Hoffman

Narrated by: Christina Moore

Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

Alice Hoffman's enchanting witch's brew of suspense, romance and magic - now a major motion picture from Warner Bros.

When the beautiful and precocious sisters Sally and Gillian Owens are orphaned at a young age, they are taken to a small Massachusetts town to be raised by their eccentric aunts, who happen to dwell in the darkest, eeriest house in town. As they become more aware of their aunts' mysterious and sometimes frightening powers - and as their own powers begin to surface - the sisters grow determined to escape their strange upbringing by blending into "normal" society.

But both find that they cannot elude their magic-filled past. And when trouble strikes - in the form of a menacing backyard ghost - the sisters must not only reunite three generations of Owens women but embrace their magic as a gift - and their key to a future of love and passion.

Funny, haunting, and shamelessly romantic, Practical Magic is bewitching entertainment - Alice Hoffman at her spectacular best.

©2012 Alice Hoffman (P)2012 Simon & Schuster, Inc

Critic reviews

"Huffman's best since Illumination Night. ( Publishers Weekly)

Somethings are just practical.

I've adored this story for a long time; I have an ancient paperback version that has traveled with me on every plane ride I've ever taken (which is a lot). As someone who was picked on, horribly through childhood, for being different, this was the first cast of characters I vividly remember relating with. This is certainly a story I suggest as part of my preferred treatment for sad, rainy days, or a broken heart. By the time you finish it, you'll be ready for face the world again.

bad performance

the performance was just bad...made it a bit tough to get through the story at times

The wonderful magic in life

This was not the same story as the movie, well, kind of. I thought this was better than the movie! The story is about generations of Owens women, their life, loves and intertwines the history of how practical magic comes in to play throughout their lives. After the sudden death of their parents, two yon iris go to live with their elderly aunts. The aunts practice a magic that might be what most people call superstition and folk remedies, but also have a back donor business selling love potions and the like. The aunts as well as the girls possess a type of sixth sense and ability to be connected to life and nature in a special. When one of the sisters runs afoul of an evil boyfriend complications ensue and the story revolves around the sisters lives and this consequences of a family curse which affects their decks s concerning love. Good story, would recommend this book as well as the prequel.

Don't expect the movie, expect more!

They took liberties with the movie. But I love the Owens more now. I want more.

Better than the movie

The movie was great, but the book was so much better. It’s amazing how much the movie varies from the book. Had I been the author, I might have been a bit miffed at the extreme changes. But like I said in the beginning, both are great.

Alice is amazing!

she makes the story blend, keeps you on the edge of your seat, tears, laughter, joy, love, and strong female bonds!

Just Ok

I need to admit right off the bat, I was a fan of the movie, and I feel this may have colored my review a bit. The book and the movie are entirely different, they have similar underlying themes, but they are different enough you can easily separate them as two different stories. I think this may be a first for me, but I wasn’t a big fan of the book.
The magic is still fun, and I enjoy the Owen’s family history, but it was just ok. The Jimmy storyline is dark, intriguing, and the only thing that keeps the narrative moving. First of all, it was hard to relate the Owen’s women. Apparently, they are all drop-dead gorgeous, and each one more beautiful than the last and yet are so insecure they are intensely jealous of each other. Also, almost everyone in this book is crazy beautiful. I want to know where all the average and ugly people are? Sally and the aunts had some depth, but I found most of the characters shallow. It seems all of their problems are caused by men and fixed by them.
The writing isn’t bad; I’m just not a fan.

I love this book!

This book is a good remedy for a broken heart, it will make you believe in love again.

A new favorite!

I just Finished listening to this audible book and literally I was so sad to have it in that I had tears in my eyes. How has it taken me so many years to read this book. I’m going to add it to my top five favorite books.

Anticlimactic and not very magical

I found this story to lack the whimsy and magical qualities that I expected. The narration was also a bit bland. I definitely prefer the movie adaptation to the book.