PRACTICAL MAGIC

Rating:
Summary: Interesting and Entertaining!!
Review: Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman is an enticing and exciting book to read. It was one of those books where once I started reading it I couldn't put it down. I read the book in one night, as I was in anticipation of what would happen next. I even read it a second time, since it was so interesting and to see if I could catch anything I missed the first time around. The thing I enjoyed most about this book is its look at love. I am a total romantic at heart and I loved how the book dealt with love that was destined to be and just took over people so strongly, concerning Sally and Gillian and the two men they are destined to spend their lives with. This emotional and spiritual aspect just drew me in and kept my attention throughout the entire book. I have seen the movie version, years ago when it first came out, and I really liked the movie as well. Now that I have the book, I prefer the book to the movie, because the books gives the reader a more in-depth look into their lives and just gives overall more details. Also, the book is very different than the movie in the way they play out, so drawing a conclusion about the two is somewhat difficult. I have also read Turtle Moon by Hoffman and I enjoyed that book as well. She has a very distinct writing style, so if you enjoyed one of her other books the odds are that you will enjoy giving this book a chance and reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone to read; this book has relevance and would be enjoyable to both genders, any race, and people from all walks of life as everyone can relate to some part of the book and take that to heart. This is now one of my favorite books I have ever read and I give it my full approval and highly urge everyone to read it.

Rating:
Summary: this is magic
Review: i read this book a month ago.I couldn't put it down, and i didn't want it to end. I was really sad when it did. This is the best book I've ever read! It's so light in it's ways, so easy to understand, it is practicly Magic!! Hoffmann has given her readers a true gift in form of these characters. They are so wonderful. And you come to know and love them. And after Reading the book I started to read it again...That's how wonderful it was. I would recomend this at my strongest!!

Rating:
Summary: Magic in Life
Review: If you like fairy tales, and I'm not talking the watered-down cartoon versions that we grew up on, but classic fairy tales, then you're going to love Hoffman. I'm a fan of all of her work, but Practical Magic and Turtle Moon are my absolute favorites. Although I liked the movie, it does not even begin to compare to this amazing novel. It will transport you into a magical place, scare you a little, and make you appreciate love and family a lot. I would suggest buying this book now, that way you'll have it for the next rainy day. On that day, lock yourself in your house, light some candles, put a Danny Elfman soundtrack and an Anna Madorsky CD on random in your CD player, pour a glass of your favorite beverage, and wrap yourself up thick in a blanket. If you do so, I promise you a little slice of Heaven on Earth.

Rating:
Summary: The Book is So Much Better than the Movie
Review: I loved this book. I loved the movie as well, but it doesn't compare to the book's detail. All of the magic in the book really filled me with the feelings of my childhood again. I'm so sick of reading books that are all the same. This book is definitly out of the ordinary. It held my interest from the first page until the last. I would recommend this book to everyone who wants to feel enchanted. I loved it. It's the best book I've read in a long time!

Rating:
Summary: Good read, not the movie
Review: While I enjoyed this book for what it was, I was surprised by how it was nothing like the movie. However that was honestly my only complaint; I would heartily recommend for those long, lazy rainy days.

Rating:
Summary: Watch The Movie Instead
Review: Having watched the movie first, I was excited to read this book. Having read it, I was disappointed. The plot of the book was a lot looser and more disjointed than that of the movie. The movie adaptation was also more entertaining.

The book tended toward the depressing in many spots and I found myself skipping pages looking for some relief to the consistent gloom-and-doom.

In short, the best of the book was distilled into movie form, instead. Rent the movie. Better yet, buy it. It's so much better.

Rating:
Summary: Fall in love whenever you can
Review: I'm really starting to like Alice Hoffman's version of magical realism, where love, passion, and lust are at the forefront. However, one thing that I thought took away from this novel compared to her others is that I don't think she ever succeeded in developing Gillian, one of the two main characters, as sympathetic. Even though we find out that she is, after all, "innocent", she still seems too self-centered to be likeable. But basically this novel is like most of Hoffman's, where one cannot escape the power of love/lust. We are not in control of our lives in Hoffman's world- fate- or magic- brings people together, and the results may be either tragic, or beautiful. Nevertheless, as Practical Magic concludes, you should "fall in love whenever you can."

Rating:
Summary: Fast, easy reading
Review: I read this book long before the movie was even in production. I enjoyed the book very much. It was very easy and fast to read.

Rating:
Summary: Gray eyes scrying in the rain.
Review: As with many, I saw the movie first. This is where there is a rift as to whether the book or movie is better. I will leave that to you. (See my review of the movie)
This is the story of a family that on the surface that seems different from most families. Later we see it is anything but. The lives of several generations of the Owens family are covered from major events to those thing that seem minor at the time. This book has a dark undertone and make you think the cat is going to jump off the refrigerator at any moment. Yet if you quit trying to anticipate the story, you find it rich in beautiful pose and people interaction. Contrarily, this story is interspersed with vulgar language and repugnant images (probably necessary to portray bad guys and bad times.)
I personally do not like to read what I call "broke neck" books. The ones with some girl on the cover that has a neck bent back so she can look up the nostrils of the guy. If it weren't for the promise of magic, I would say they caught me. And I enjoyed reading it. I suppose now I will have to read something else by Alice Hoffman to see if this is her style or a radical departure.
Throughout the story you are not sure if it is luck, logic, or just practical magic

Rating:
Summary: my favorite book of all time
Review: I cannot believe that some reviewers did not like this book. I read it for the first time when I was 13, and stayed up all night reading. I couldn't finifh it in time, so I ran home after school the next day and immediately finished the book. I can reread it over and over again. Read the book before seeing the movie- it is a million times better (except without the great soundtrack). I cannot stress how much I love this book. Teenagers especially can relate to this book, and the struggles of teenagers in the book are perfect even coming from an adult. The fantasy aspect of the book, with the witchcraft, may seem on the outside to be slightly kooky and unrealistic, but Hoffman's writing is so lyrical you can taste everything she describes, you can feel what they feel. I have read and reread this book. All teenage girls should read it, and all mothers of teenage girls should read it to relate... Practical Magic makes you believe in love fairy tales, even after you've been hurt again and agian.