Title:
The Rules of Magic
Author:
Alice Hoffman
Read
by: Marin Ireland
Publisher:
Simon & Schuster
Length:
Approximately 10 hours and 58 minutes
Source:
Review Copy from Simon & Schuster.
Thank-you!
I
love Alice Hoffman’s magical realism and have been a fan of her fiction since
the 1990’s. The Rules of Magic is a prequel to one of my favorite Hoffman
novels, Practical Magic. In Practical
Magic, Gillian and Sally Owens are raised by their Aunts Frances and Jet Owens.
The
Owens family are different from everyone else.
They are descended from one 17th century woman, Maria Owens,
who was thwarted in love and has cursed her family to never find love. As the years pass by, the Owens name passes
from woman to woman, but each woman may find a one true love, but their love
always disappears or dies in a terrible way.
The family also happens to be witches and passes down their apt for
magic through the line.
Into
this family is born a trio of siblings, Frances, Bridget (Jet), and
Vincent. The three grow up in New York
City with their mother and father and are raised away from magic. As they reach their teenage years they start
to wonder why they are so different than everyone else and start to explore
their magic. They visit their Aunt
Isabelle in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens originate.
This
novel is probably classified as magical realism, but I feel it should also be
classified as historical fiction as our main characters live through the turbulent
1960s and 1970s. I loved reading about
the history as much as I did the story of the Owens. I thought the story tied up perfectly with
the start of Practical Magic. Although
this novel does stand on its own and you do not need to read Practical Magic
before you read this.
For
Frances, Jet, and Vincent, this novel is a coming of age story as each three
comes into their own. It is a very interesting coming of age story as their
mother has so many rules to keep them away from magic such as no walking in
moonlight and no falling in love. She is
trying to protect them, but like all teenagers, the forbidden becomes
intriguing. It is also a tragic love
story for each member of the family. I
was intrigued by the entire story and loved how each character was
developed. I also loved how the story
ended perfectly with young Gillian and Sally coming to stay with their
Aunts. I really need to read Practical
Magic again!
Marin
Ireland was a wonderful narrator.
Ireland’s narration combined with the great characters and wonderful
story made this a joy to listen to. This
is a perfect book for the fall and Halloween season.
Overall,
The Rules of Magic is a wonderful, magical, compelling story with captivating
characters. My only regret was that this
audiobook ended. Alice Hoffman’s writing
is spellbinding.
Great review! :)
ReplyDeleteVery nice review, but I'm not really into magical books, in general.
ReplyDeleteI am the opposite- I have a great love for magical books!
ReplyDelete