Description
Everyone needs a little magic in their lives... The Rules of Magic is the long-awaited prequel to Practical Magic, and a New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon's Book Club pick!
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.
***A perfect read for crisp autumn nights!***
Praise for The Rules of Magic:
'The combination of magic with the universal themes of romantic love and the bond between siblings allows the reader to have one foot in a magical world and another in the realities of family life. Much like the bewitching heroines in this book.' - The Lady
'Utterly spellbinding' - Heat
'Shows the author at their best... She neatly intertwines their lives with a backdrop that brims with periodic detail. Gnomic maxims add to a wise, seductive, fabular tone... Thrilling and transportive' - Sunday Times
'Enchanting... Spellbinding and entertaining' - Sunday Express
'Hoffman explores Aunt Frances and Aunt Bridget's (known here as Jet) awakening to the craft in the 1960s. Franny and Jet, along with their brother Vincent, stay with their Aunt Isabelle. Each of their gifts grow, but can they use them to break the family curse? The Rules of Magic is a gentle tale, perfect as the nights draw in' - Press Association
'As efficient a slice of escapism as you would expect from Hoffman... Hoffman's skill is to ground her light-as-a-feather tale in a very specific time and place: Manhattan in the Sixties. Wisely, she doesn't rely on the momentous times to do too much work, but the heady atmospherics are expertly interwoven' - Daily Mail
'A bewitching, hard to put down tale of the consequences of magic, love and family' - Bookbag
About the Author
Alice Hoffman is the author of thirty works of fiction, including Practical Magic, The Red Garden, The Dovekeepers and, most recently,The Museum of Extraordinary Things. She lives in Boston. Visit her website: www.alicehoffman.com
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
Book Information
ISBN 9781398515505
Author Alice Hoffman
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Simon & Schuster Ltd
Publisher Simon & Schuster Ltd
Series The Practical Magic Series
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 130mm * 23mm
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.
***A perfect read for crisp autumn nights!***
Praise for The Rules of Magic:
'The combination of magic with the universal themes of romantic love and the bond between siblings allows the reader to have one foot in a magical world and another in the realities of family life. Much like the bewitching heroines in this book.' - The Lady
'Utterly spellbinding' - Heat
'Shows the author at their best... She neatly intertwines their lives with a backdrop that brims with periodic detail. Gnomic maxims add to a wise, seductive, fabular tone... Thrilling and transportive' - Sunday Times
'Enchanting... Spellbinding and entertaining' - Sunday Express
'Hoffman explores Aunt Frances and Aunt Bridget's (known here as Jet) awakening to the craft in the 1960s. Franny and Jet, along with their brother Vincent, stay with their Aunt Isabelle. Each of their gifts grow, but can they use them to break the family curse? The Rules of Magic is a gentle tale, perfect as the nights draw in' - Press Association
'As efficient a slice of escapism as you would expect from Hoffman... Hoffman's skill is to ground her light-as-a-feather tale in a very specific time and place: Manhattan in the Sixties. Wisely, she doesn't rely on the momentous times to do too much work, but the heady atmospherics are expertly interwoven' - Daily Mail
'A bewitching, hard to put down tale of the consequences of magic, love and family' - Bookbag
About the Author
Alice Hoffman is the author of thirty works of fiction, including Practical Magic, The Red Garden, The Dovekeepers and, most recently,The Museum of Extraordinary Things. She lives in Boston. Visit her website: www.alicehoffman.com
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
Book Information
ISBN 9781398515505
Author Alice Hoffman
Format Paperback
Page Count 384
Imprint Simon & Schuster Ltd
Publisher Simon & Schuster Ltd
Series The Practical Magic Series
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 130mm * 23mm
