Rating: 
Summary: A Great Book
Review: Gripping, can't put the book down, detailed, exciting. I like how the book keeps adding new adventures, and held my interest to the very end. A great page turner.
Rating:
Summary: Absolute magic! An incredible book
Review: I picked up Practical magic because I wanted to see the movie and figured I may as well read the book for comparison. What ended up happening was within the next twenty four hours i had finished the book, to my dissapointment. What's a girl to do? I read it again. And again. And again. Hoffamn is at her best with this book, her voice light and compelling as she draws you into the story of Sally and Gillian. This book is absolutely one of my favourites, ever. People who say otherwise watch too much TV and play too much golf, and have had their imaginations long since rotted away.
Rating:
Summary: MOST ENJOYABLE READ I'VE CROSSED LATELY--A MUST READ!
Review: This is the first novel by Alice Hoffman that I have read, and let me tell you, I have put an order for the rest of her books. The novel is an easy read, fast paced, enchanting, with beautiful descriptive powers and very believable characters-unlike others who characters are far from a real person's reality. The only regret I have is the book ended too soon-I wanted to stay with the Owens LONGER! Looking forward to the movie to see if it's possible to come close to the beauty of the book. If the star rating went higher than five stars, she would definitely deserve at least ten!
Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing, as are all of her books!
Review: Alice Hoffman has a way with words that is truly unique. I've read all of her books and each one is better than the last. I went out and planted lilac bushes after reading this one. Fabulous! Don't believe any negative reviews of her writing. Her words are enchanted and she seductively draws you into her world and her stories.
Rating:
Summary: couldn't get enough!
Review: I really felt like I was back in high school or junior high. Trying to read the book in one day or sneak back whenever i had a chance
Rating:
Summary: Can't-Put-It-Down MAGIC
Review: This is my favorite book by Alice Hoffman. Sure, it's a fairy tale, but the characters are so interesting it makes you wish you really knew people like that. I got this book from the library, read it straight through, and went out and bought a copy for myself. I have no idea what the movie version will be like, but the book is just pure magic, there are no other words to describe it!
Rating: 
Summary: Practically a story.
Review: This book covers a lot of ground in a very short time. Within the first 50 pages, Sally and Gillian, the two protagonist sisters of this tome, grow through adolescence and into young adulthood. Sally falls in love with a hardware store clerk, gets married, has two children who also grow into their teen years and then lose their, by now hardware store manager, father in a tragic automobile accident, and then they all move to another state. Meanwhile, Gillian rebels and leaves the roost, marrying three times, divorcing twice, committing apparent homicide against the third, and returning to Sally with a corpse in the back of her car.To say that Hoffman is in a hurry to get somewhere is to say everything. Unfortunately, where she is going is anyone's guess, but dinner would be a good bet. If Magic were indexed, one could probably find over two hundred and fifty references to food (more than one for every page) including twenty references for coke, eighteen for ice cream, and three for butter. Sadly, there would be only three references to witchcraft or magic. Why Hoffman decided to write about four generations of witches without including more than an occasional episode of witchcraft is the real mystery here. The answer may be that she wanted to ration the spells lest she really need them for conjuring something serious, like finding a plot. This practical side of Hoffman belies the unlikely title of Magic. There are conflicts, of course, but every problem along the way is solved with equal dispatch and economy: stuck in a bad marriage? Get a divorce. Stuck in a really bad marriage? Poison your husband. The house is haunted? Cut down the lilac bush. The kids are at each other's throats? Have the youngest confide to no one but the eldest a truly traumatic event and poof, best of friends. Feeling lonely? Meet a private investigator who just happens to intercept a letter meant for your sister. Need an ending for a book? Break out that ration card and cast a spell. The only significant problem in the book that doesn't get resolved is Hoffman's apparent obsession with food. Hoffman has difficulty describing anything without relating it, in some way, to eating. Gillian's emotional attachment to her suitor is so intense, that the butter in Sally's house kept melting, "the way it does whenever love is under a roof. Even the sticks of butter in the refrigerator would melt, and anyone who wanted some would have to pour it on a piece of toast or measure it out with a tablespoon." Sally is so nice and kind that "she'll pick your kids up at the high school or lend you sugar or eggs." When Kylie turns thirteen, instead of eating the special breakfast of pancakes that Sally makes for her, Kylie "scoops two measly spoonfuls of fruit into a bowl and takes teeny, tiny bites, even though she's nearly six feet tall and weighs only a hundred and eighteen pounds." It is entirely possible that the five pounds that I gained while reading this book came as a direct result of reading this book. With all this emphasis on food, every page makes you hungry for something, anything. Anything, that is, except for the next page. Or anything else written by Hoffman.
Rating:
Summary: Still a kick!
Review: I have this book in hardback. Loved it then and love it now. The only reason I can think of for someone not getting a kick out of the story is that their imagination has gone south with their sense of humor. Hoffman is at her quirkiest best...I can't wait for the movie to open next week. I'll be first in line!
Rating:
Summary: *!MAGICAL PAGE TURNER!*
Review: I am in ninth grade english, and I have read this book in less than three days. Lemme just say, this is one heck of a book and one heck of a page turner! I really liked this book, because it told parts from all characters views. It's nice to follow Sally and Gillian from the time they lived with Aunt Frances and Aunt Jet to when Gillian falls head over heels with a science teacher and Sally has two daughters, Antonia and Kylie. This book is magnificent except for some bad words. GOOD BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: The First Time a Movie May Be Better Than A Book
Review: I did not like this book. Not one bit. I study the occult and the occult references in the book were hazy at best, but that is acceptable since it is meant for mainstream consumption. What got to me most about this book is that there is almost no dialog, there are periods where there are three pages without dialog, without vaugely meaninful description (like say Moby Dick), but just pure nariation. The book is written from an omni-scentiant point of view, so it is hard to care very much about any one of the characters as a main character. Now perhaps it is acceptable for Clancy to have five main characters, when he writes a 900 page book, but this book being around 250, can't support the lack of focus.
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