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The Book of Magic

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The Book of Magic

By: Alice Hoffman
Narrated by: Jennifer Ehle
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About this listen

 A Simon & Schuster audiobook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every listener. Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Magic Magical Realism Paranormal Paranormal Romance Renaissance Romance Witchcraft

Critic Reviews

Praise for the Practical Magic series

‘Her books are a real pleasure – practical magic’ Kate Atkinson

‘[A] delicious fantasy of witchcraft and love in a world where gardens smell of lemon verbena and happy endings are possible’ Cosmopolitan

‘Dripping with pathos and otherworldly possibility’ Vogue

‘Dark comedy and a light touch carry the story along to a truly Gothic climax, complete with heaving skies and witchery on the lawn’ New York Times

‘A master of magical realism, draws us back into the spellbinding universe of the Owens family with gorgeous prose set against a backdrop of vivid imagery’ Marie Claire

‘A delightful confection – witty, imaginative, unexpectedly touching’ The Times

‘Reading an Alice Hoffman book is like falling into a deep dream where senses are heightened and love reigns supreme… I never wanted to awaken’ Jodi Picoult

‘Hoffman’s classy prose imbues this modern fairy tale with bite as well as beauty’ Mail on Sunday

‘Storytelling is in Hoffman’s bones’ New York Times Book Review

‘Vivid and enchanting… another sublime entry in an arresting series’ Esquire

‘I got so swept up in this enchanting story’ Reese Witherspoon

‘A vivid and evocative tale – prepare to be spellbound’ Woman

‘Full of Hoffman’s bewitching and lucid prose and vivid characters, The Book of Magic is ultimately about the very human magic of family and love and actions that echo through generations… it casts a spell’ Matt Haig
All stars
Most relevant
This is amazingly well written and thought out, i started reading because of the movie, now I like the book way better!

Amazing

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I enjoyed the story but found these things annoying: too much detail about too many characters, and a frustrating style of writing.

The story world be moving along and then there’d be a glob of uncompelling detail about a recipe or a tree or a piece of history. Normally I love these details, but somehow they seemed like blocks of concrete that interrupted the flow.

It also needed to be cut by maybe a quarter.

A good story, but…

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so often people who write about magic 1) don’t understand it – or 2) don’t understand human beings
it was lovely to see this story woven in a way that didn't stretched reality and distorted the truth but in a way it was gentle, believable and restored your faith in humanity and magic- well done!

Technical knowledge of the craft blended with human understanding

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A nice conclusion to the Owens family tale. I think the book about Maria Owens ('Magic Lessons') set the bar higher and I was expecting this to be of similar calibre. In the end this final instalment had a rambling storyline, a little messy and with a few too many characters. If you're a fan of the Owens family book series this is naturally a must read/listen.

3.5 stars

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