top of page

The Rules of Magic

In this sparkling prequel we meet the Aunts from Practical Magic, sisters Frances and Jet and Vincent, their brother. From the beginning their mother Susanna knew they were unique: Franny with her skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, who could commune with birds; Jet as shy as she is beautiful, who knows what others are thinking, and Vincent so charismatic that he was built for trouble. Susanna needed to set some rules of magic: no walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles and certainly, absolutely, no books about magic. But the Owens siblings are desperate to uncover who they really are. Each heads down a life-altering course, filled with secrets and truths, devastation and joy, and magic and love. Despite the warning handed down through the family for centuries – Know that for our family, love is a curse – they will all strive to break the rules and find true love.

Author
Author
Imprint
Scribner UK
ISBN
Publishing date
RRP (paperback)
Pages
978-1471157707
6/9/ 2018
£8.25
384
An intriguing combination of magic, family saga and tortured romance, set in the beautifully rendered word of Manhattan in the 1960s.
I found it hard to suspend my disbelief regarding the magic, but enjoyed Hoffman's vivid imagery.
6/10

Review of The Rules of Magic bt Alice Hoffman: Definitely not my usual genre of reading ,but I really enjoyed this whimsical family saga based around the lives and loves of 3 siblings trying to navigate life with their own individual magical skills, resulting in joy, jeopardy and often heartbreak. For me, Hoffman excelled with a rich descriptive prose of chararacter, history and location. Recommended 8 /10
bottom of page