Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

Hoffman weaves a wonderful story in her bestseller Practical Magic. For 200 years, The Owen women have been blamed for everything that goes wrong, whether it be a common cold or an unexplained mishap. Gillian and Sally are the two youngest of the Owens line, who have inherited this ill-fate as well. When their parents die in a fire, the two sisters come to live with their two aunts. Instead of teaching the girls manners and good habits (like brushing their teeth), the aunts focus on developing the girls' magic abilities. However, the girls desperately desire a life outside of magic. For Gillian, that means a life of love and lust. As soon as she reaches the age of eighteen, she runs away to marry the first of many husbands, and live a life of self-gratification. For Sally, that means marriage, children, and a neighborhood that accepts her, rather than fear her. When Sally's husband dies and Gillian accidentally kills her latest boyfriend, the sister's (who haven't seen each other in eighteen years), come together to find support and resolution. When things don't quite go as planned, the sister's must call upon the aunt's to deliver them from disaster and ultimately bring the scattered family closer together.

When I first watched the movie in '98, I had no idea that the film was based on a novel. However, after reading the book, I can honestly say that besides the character's names, there is little the two share in common. The book gives a greater background on the characters, including Sally's two girls; Antonia and Kylie. Once Sally's husband dies, the rest of the book takes place at a house that Sally and her daughter's move to, rather than the aunt's house. The aunt's have much less involvement in the book than they do in the movie, and so on... I still hold the movie as one of my all time favorites, it's just quite different from the book, which is also very good. :) Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a modern-day fairytale.

The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman

Alice Hoffman spins a wonderful tale told in three segments. Each segment is told in a different time period. Though the story is told in different time periods through the eyes of different women, there are several common threads that weave these women together, though unknowingly at times. Pay close attention. Something that seems minuscule through the eyes of one character, may be the key to another character's story. I almost wish I hadn't read this book so rapidly, as I may have been able to pick up on things better at a slower pace. I know that I am not giving out much information, but it's Alice Hoffman. Either you like her writing or you don't. I found this to be a fabulous read and essential to my Hoffman collection. I might go as far as to say it is my favorite Hoffman book to date. I devoured this book in three days, while working 12 hour shifts. If you are looking for a story of love, loss, and life, with a touch of the supernatural, then this is definitely a book you don't want to miss.

The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman

Hoffman outdoes herself yet again in The Ice Queen. It's story about a girl, whose name is never revealed. She loses her mother in a fatal car crash when she is barely 8 years old. Said girl grows up to be a narcissistic, invisible librarian who physically and emotionally detaches herself from everyone as punishment for wishing her mother dead. Upon her grandmother's death, our narrator is moved from New Jersey to Florida via her brother Ned. Though Ned's intentions are good, his sister again makes a disastrous wish, this one for herself. She wishes to get struck by lightening, and does so. From here on out, things start to get interesting. Our narrator sets out on a quest to meet "Lazarus Jones," best known to have been fatally struck by lightening, only to rise from the dead 45 minutes later. Her mission is to find the one person that she can not destroy.

I will be honest, the beginning of this story is downright depressing. Hoffman's theme is "it can't get any worse," and then it does. The appropriately self-titled "ice queen" makes a remarkable journey from one end of the spectrum to the other. The majority of the novel is centered around death, but the story is anything but morbid. I highly enjoyed reading this book, and look forward to reading many more of Hoffman's novels. I loved this book just as much as The Probable Future, though they were very different. It is rare to find an author that is versatile, while drawing in the same audience into each and every novel.

The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman

My head is stiiiill spinning from this book! The story is about the Sparrow family. Each girl in the family awakens on her thirteenth birthday with a gift. Such gifts include the ability to dream other people's dreams, detect lies, feel no pain... For Stella Sparrow, her gift is the ability to see how people are going to die. The story starts out with Stella and her mother Jenny, who have a typical mother-rebellious teenager relationship. Over the past thirteen years, Jenny has worked extremely hard to keep her daughter safe from the secrets and past of the Sparrow family. However, Stella receives her gift non-the-less and turns to father for help. During this revelation to her father, Stella reveals that a woman is going to be brutally murdered and wants her father to help. Instead, her father becomes the lead suspect and puts both of Stella's and Jenny's lives at risk. Therefore, Jenny has no where else to turn and ends up relocating Stella and herself back to life she desperately tried to leave behind.

This book is amazing! I was so sad to see it end! There are various elements besides the plot. There is the love-hate relationship of mother and daughter. There is a magical element. There is death and there is life. It's about first loves and true love. About the struggle to find your place in life. Hoffman definitely writes for an audience of women, but goes above and beyond your general chick lit. I would highly recommend this book to any woman looking to fall into a magical world, that is not unlike the world we live in everyday. I look forward to reading more of Hoffman's novels. Some of her other works include, but are not limited too Practical Magic, Turtle Moon, and The River King.