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"In an unforgettable novel that traces a centuries-old curse to its source, beloved author Alice Hoffman unveils the story of Maria Owens, accused of witchcraft in Salem, and matriarch of a line of the amazing Owens women and men featured in Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic"--Tags
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I'm losing the will to live: another three star bloater. Practical Magic is one of my favourite films, but the books are romance novels with literary pretensions. The author rhapsodises on the meaning of love so often that she sounds like the Love Is ... cartoons by Kim Casali from the 1960s. Why have a prequel about a strong woman like Maria Owens, the female ancestor who escapes hanging when the rope breaks, and make her a blithering idiot who falls for the first charmer she meets? Why make her story about men at all? Maria is the daughter of a witch who is raised by another woman also skilled in the 'Nameless Art', and her daughter Faith is even more powerful, yet half of the overblown and repetitive story is wasted on wall art show more philosophy like 'love someone who will love you back'. The author's only saving grace is her historical research and wry take on the hypocritical 'Puritans' of New England and the men - of course - who labelled as witches and then murdered women for not following the rules. So much for the New World! show less
She was found on a January day in a field where the junipers grew, wound in a blue blanket with her name carefully stitched along the border with silk thread. This is how the prequel to Hoffman's [book:Practical Magic|22896] and the story of the Owens women begins. It transpires over a forty year period in the latter half of the 17th century, a period in which some women were accused of witchcraft when others experienced misfortunes.
The protagonist and linchpin of the novel's three generations of Owens women is Maria, who was found by Hannah Owens, a cunning woman or folk healer who lived deep in the forest south of London. Hannah's healing services were sought by a number of women, especially potions for love. Maria grew up watching show more her adopted mother mixing potions for a variety of ailments and life conditions and learning from Hannah's grimoire, a personal textbook of magic. On the first page of the grimoire is the rules of magic, including the following:
Do as you will, but harm no one.
What you give will be returned to you threefold.
This admonition applies for good or bad.
When the persecution of witches begin in England, Hannah gives Maria pays for transport to the new world in America, which is where her adventures continue.
I continue to love how Alice Hoffman writes. Her prose is so descriptive that the reader is immediately transported to whatever place or time she is writing about. The three generations of women, Hannah, Maria, and, eventually, Maria's daughter, Faith are also well described to the point that I was able to understand their motivations. It is a story of love between mother and daughter, betrayal, and temptation to the "dark side." Although I love her writing, she did become long-winded at times and found myself skipping lines. However, if you enjoy historical fiction and reading about the persecution of witches in Western hemisphere history, you should include this book on your list. show less
The protagonist and linchpin of the novel's three generations of Owens women is Maria, who was found by Hannah Owens, a cunning woman or folk healer who lived deep in the forest south of London. Hannah's healing services were sought by a number of women, especially potions for love. Maria grew up watching show more her adopted mother mixing potions for a variety of ailments and life conditions and learning from Hannah's grimoire, a personal textbook of magic. On the first page of the grimoire is the rules of magic, including the following:
Do as you will, but harm no one.
What you give will be returned to you threefold.
This admonition applies for good or bad.
When the persecution of witches begin in England, Hannah gives Maria pays for transport to the new world in America, which is where her adventures continue.
I continue to love how Alice Hoffman writes. Her prose is so descriptive that the reader is immediately transported to whatever place or time she is writing about. The three generations of women, Hannah, Maria, and, eventually, Maria's daughter, Faith are also well described to the point that I was able to understand their motivations. It is a story of love between mother and daughter, betrayal, and temptation to the "dark side." Although I love her writing, she did become long-winded at times and found myself skipping lines. However, if you enjoy historical fiction and reading about the persecution of witches in Western hemisphere history, you should include this book on your list. show less
I came to the Owens family story through Rules of Magic, published years after the first Owens family novel, the immensely popular Practical Magic. I had liked the characters in Rules and realized their story was rooted in the very real struggles of young adulthood. Afterward, I finally read Practical.
The prequel to Practical Magic, Magic Lessons, which begins in 1664 in Essex, England. It is the story of the first Owens witch who cursed all the Owens women's loves.
The teenage witch Maria tragically loses her mentor and adopted mother. Her biological parents send her to the New World as an indentured servant. On St. Kitts, she honed her craft as a healer. Maria falls in love with the New England merchant John Hathorne, who abandons her show more without knowing she is pregnant. Maria travels to New England to find John.
She finds passage in exchange for nursing and healing the pirate Samuel Dias, whose Jewish family had fled Portugal. He falls in love with Maria.
Her troubles increase when she does find John. Her very life is threatened by the witch hunters of Salem, her daughter stolen from her.
John Hathorne in the novel is based on the actual magistrate who condemned women accused of being witches to death. (Nathaniel Hawthorne, our great early novelist, added that 'w' to his name to disassociate himself with his ancestor.)
Oh! the ways women have been controlled and punished for overstepping the narrow lives men ordained for them. If a woman reads, she must be a witch. If a woman stands up for herself, she must be punished. If a man is attracted to a woman, she has bewitched him and is evil. Bind them in iron and drown them! Nail their feet to the ground and burn them!
And women are still fighting this battle.
Maria understood that a woman with her own beliefs who refuses to bow to those she believes to be wrong can be considered dangerous.~from Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
The heart of the novel is, of course, love. How women love the wrong men and suffer for it. "Love someone who will love you back," Hannah advises. But how do we know love when we find it? Young people confuse lust with love, always have. We ignore the signs that later seem obvious. Maria rejects her true love, first because of her passion for John, and later because she vows never to love again.
Love was risky, for marriage required women to abdicate all self-determination and choice. Maria's magic helps women from men who abuse them.
I had a neighbor who said, "What goes around, comes around." Hoffman's rule of magic is similar: you get back threefold whatever you do. Best to do good! What magic you bring into the world becomes your responsibility.
Hoffman weaves her stories with flawed characters whose struggles we recognize, for even if they have magic at their command, they are very human. It is no wonder these books are so popular with readers. They offer romance, challenges, strong female characters, life lessons, and in this book a heavy dose of history.
I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased. show less
The prequel to Practical Magic, Magic Lessons, which begins in 1664 in Essex, England. It is the story of the first Owens witch who cursed all the Owens women's loves.
The teenage witch Maria tragically loses her mentor and adopted mother. Her biological parents send her to the New World as an indentured servant. On St. Kitts, she honed her craft as a healer. Maria falls in love with the New England merchant John Hathorne, who abandons her show more without knowing she is pregnant. Maria travels to New England to find John.
She finds passage in exchange for nursing and healing the pirate Samuel Dias, whose Jewish family had fled Portugal. He falls in love with Maria.
Her troubles increase when she does find John. Her very life is threatened by the witch hunters of Salem, her daughter stolen from her.
John Hathorne in the novel is based on the actual magistrate who condemned women accused of being witches to death. (Nathaniel Hawthorne, our great early novelist, added that 'w' to his name to disassociate himself with his ancestor.)
Oh! the ways women have been controlled and punished for overstepping the narrow lives men ordained for them. If a woman reads, she must be a witch. If a woman stands up for herself, she must be punished. If a man is attracted to a woman, she has bewitched him and is evil. Bind them in iron and drown them! Nail their feet to the ground and burn them!
And women are still fighting this battle.
Maria understood that a woman with her own beliefs who refuses to bow to those she believes to be wrong can be considered dangerous.~from Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
The heart of the novel is, of course, love. How women love the wrong men and suffer for it. "Love someone who will love you back," Hannah advises. But how do we know love when we find it? Young people confuse lust with love, always have. We ignore the signs that later seem obvious. Maria rejects her true love, first because of her passion for John, and later because she vows never to love again.
Love was risky, for marriage required women to abdicate all self-determination and choice. Maria's magic helps women from men who abuse them.
I had a neighbor who said, "What goes around, comes around." Hoffman's rule of magic is similar: you get back threefold whatever you do. Best to do good! What magic you bring into the world becomes your responsibility.
Hoffman weaves her stories with flawed characters whose struggles we recognize, for even if they have magic at their command, they are very human. It is no wonder these books are so popular with readers. They offer romance, challenges, strong female characters, life lessons, and in this book a heavy dose of history.
I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased. show less
Magic Lessons tells the story of the beginnings of the Owens' family, following the journey of Maria, the baby left in the snow and rescued by Hannah Owens. After tragedy forces her from her home, Maria travels from England to Curacao as an indentured servant, then to Salem, Massachusetts as the witch hunts have begun, and finally to New York. Along the way she gives birth to a daughter, Faith, who takes a different path from her mother.
Alice Hoffman has crafted a rich, complex tale that explores the darkness of human beings when confronted with the unknown. Hannah, Maria and Faith are all healers, working mostly with women providing both natural and magical remedies for ailments of the body and spirit. The scenes in Salem where Maria show more goes to find Faith's father are particularly frightening as we consider the current state of affairs when it comes to women.
I bought all three books in the series so will be starting the next one soon! show less
Alice Hoffman has crafted a rich, complex tale that explores the darkness of human beings when confronted with the unknown. Hannah, Maria and Faith are all healers, working mostly with women providing both natural and magical remedies for ailments of the body and spirit. The scenes in Salem where Maria show more goes to find Faith's father are particularly frightening as we consider the current state of affairs when it comes to women.
I bought all three books in the series so will be starting the next one soon! show less
Magic to Change your Heart
I am in love with dark forests and starry nights. I have given my heart to black crows and Indian wolves. My soul has been transported somewhere between the riotous colors of the Spice Islands and the shadowy green waters of New England.
I have read a book about baseless cruelty, undeserved prejudice and needless death. I have read of love, between mothers and daughters; of love and loyalty between lovers and of the finest of all, love "that is always the answer."
Alice Hoffman leaves me simultaneously speechless and full of images, smells and stuffed full of dreams. Magic Lessons is a smorgasbord for lovers of prose and poetry for it weaves together, words, ideas and feelings in a lyrical tome to be kept forever show more in your heart.
Read this book. Give it to your mom or your daughter or your lover. Read it out loud together. Laugh, cry, but read it. It will become a part of you. show less
I am in love with dark forests and starry nights. I have given my heart to black crows and Indian wolves. My soul has been transported somewhere between the riotous colors of the Spice Islands and the shadowy green waters of New England.
I have read a book about baseless cruelty, undeserved prejudice and needless death. I have read of love, between mothers and daughters; of love and loyalty between lovers and of the finest of all, love "that is always the answer."
Alice Hoffman leaves me simultaneously speechless and full of images, smells and stuffed full of dreams. Magic Lessons is a smorgasbord for lovers of prose and poetry for it weaves together, words, ideas and feelings in a lyrical tome to be kept forever show more in your heart.
Read this book. Give it to your mom or your daughter or your lover. Read it out loud together. Laugh, cry, but read it. It will become a part of you. show less
“Do as you will, but harm no one. What you give will be returned to you threefold. Fall in love whenever you can.”
Magic Lessons is the enchanting origin story for the curse that plagues the Owens sisters in Practical Magic from Alice Hoffman.
It begins in 1664 when Hannah Owens, a practitioner of the Nameless Arts, finds an infant wrapped in a blue blanket with her name, Maria, carefully stitched along the border with silk thread abandoned in the snow. Recognising that the child is gifted with bloodline magic, Hannah teaches Maria how to help and heal as women from the surrounding villages find their way to the Owens home deep in the forest. When Maria is ten a finely dressed, red haired witch arrives asking that Hannah break a show more powerful love spell she had foolishly cast upon herself. The woman is Maria’s mother, Rebecca, who stays barely a night, but invites tragedy in her wake, and alters Maria’s fate.
“Love could ruin your life or set you free; it could happen by chance or be a well-planned decision.”
From England, to Curaçao, to Massachusetts and New York, Maria’s fate twists and turns driven by love, betrayal, fear and vengeance. An unwise romance blesses her with a daughter, Faith, but also places her on the gallows in Salem, and a curse spoken in anger becomes a legacy that will affect the Owens women for generations.
The characters are well-drawn, and believable, marked by joy and tragedy. Maria and her daughter are complex and appealing - bright, headstrong, and courageous, but they each make mistakes.
Hoffman weaves interesting historical detail into her story, including connecting her characters with the Salem witch trials, and one of its most prominent actors. She explores the lack of agency women had over their lives in the period, and the way women like Hannah, Maria and Faith were equally revered, and feared.
The writing is lyrical yet not pretentious, with a mesmerising cadence. Descriptions of people and places are evocative, with spell recipes a charming addition.
It’s not necessary to be familiar with Practical Magic, or The Rules of Magic to enjoy this novel, a spellbinding story, Magic Lessons is a captivating read in its own right.
“These are the lessons to be learned. Drink chamomile tea to calm the spirit. Feed a cold and starve a fever. Read as many books as you can. Always choose courage. Never watch another woman burn. Know that love is the only answer.” show less
Magic Lessons is the enchanting origin story for the curse that plagues the Owens sisters in Practical Magic from Alice Hoffman.
It begins in 1664 when Hannah Owens, a practitioner of the Nameless Arts, finds an infant wrapped in a blue blanket with her name, Maria, carefully stitched along the border with silk thread abandoned in the snow. Recognising that the child is gifted with bloodline magic, Hannah teaches Maria how to help and heal as women from the surrounding villages find their way to the Owens home deep in the forest. When Maria is ten a finely dressed, red haired witch arrives asking that Hannah break a show more powerful love spell she had foolishly cast upon herself. The woman is Maria’s mother, Rebecca, who stays barely a night, but invites tragedy in her wake, and alters Maria’s fate.
“Love could ruin your life or set you free; it could happen by chance or be a well-planned decision.”
From England, to Curaçao, to Massachusetts and New York, Maria’s fate twists and turns driven by love, betrayal, fear and vengeance. An unwise romance blesses her with a daughter, Faith, but also places her on the gallows in Salem, and a curse spoken in anger becomes a legacy that will affect the Owens women for generations.
The characters are well-drawn, and believable, marked by joy and tragedy. Maria and her daughter are complex and appealing - bright, headstrong, and courageous, but they each make mistakes.
Hoffman weaves interesting historical detail into her story, including connecting her characters with the Salem witch trials, and one of its most prominent actors. She explores the lack of agency women had over their lives in the period, and the way women like Hannah, Maria and Faith were equally revered, and feared.
The writing is lyrical yet not pretentious, with a mesmerising cadence. Descriptions of people and places are evocative, with spell recipes a charming addition.
It’s not necessary to be familiar with Practical Magic, or The Rules of Magic to enjoy this novel, a spellbinding story, Magic Lessons is a captivating read in its own right.
“These are the lessons to be learned. Drink chamomile tea to calm the spirit. Feed a cold and starve a fever. Read as many books as you can. Always choose courage. Never watch another woman burn. Know that love is the only answer.” show less
Over the years I have read all of Alice Hoffman’s books dealing with “practical Magic” and the descendants of Maria Owens and enjoyed them. This book was a standout for me. Maybe it is because this is where it all begins and her treatment of her characters is so complete.
Acknowledging that there is “no magic as coveted or as effective as that which used words” Ms. Hoffman has bested herself. The magic on the pages is real. She is a gifted and skillful writer who kept me entranced for over 400 pages. Whether describing the murder of a loved one which a small child is forced to watch or fighting with her heart and her love of an ordinary man, her grasp of the basic emotions is mesmerizing.
Hoffman sums up the book perfectly in show more the last 4 sentences:
“Read as many books as you can. Always chose courage. Never watch another woman burn. Know that love is the only answer.”
Thank you Simon & Schuster & NetGalley for a copy. show less
Acknowledging that there is “no magic as coveted or as effective as that which used words” Ms. Hoffman has bested herself. The magic on the pages is real. She is a gifted and skillful writer who kept me entranced for over 400 pages. Whether describing the murder of a loved one which a small child is forced to watch or fighting with her heart and her love of an ordinary man, her grasp of the basic emotions is mesmerizing.
Hoffman sums up the book perfectly in show more the last 4 sentences:
“Read as many books as you can. Always chose courage. Never watch another woman burn. Know that love is the only answer.”
Thank you Simon & Schuster & NetGalley for a copy. show less
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Author Information
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Alice Hoffman, an American novelist and screenwriter, was born in New York City on March 16, 1952. She earned a B.A. from Adelphi University in 1973 and an M.A. in creative writing from Stanford University in 1975 before publishing her first novel, Property Of, in 1977. Known for blending realism and fantasy in her fiction, she often creates show more richly detailed characters who live on society's margins and places them in extraordinary situations as she did with At Risk, her 1988 novel about the AIDS crisis. Her other works include The Drowning Season, Seventh Heaven, The River King, Blue Diary, The Probable Future, The Ice Queen, and The Dovekeepers. Her book, The Third Angel, won the 2008 New England Booksellers' Award for fiction. Two of her novels, Practical Magic and Aquamarine, were made into films. She has also written numerous screenplays, including adaptations of her own novels and the original screenplay, Independence Day. Her title's The Museum of Exteaordinary Things, The Marriage of Opposites, Seventh Heaven, and The Rules of Magic made The New York Times Best Seller List. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Magic Lessons
- Original publication date
- 2020-10
- People/Characters
- Hannah Owens; Maria Owens; Rebecca Lockland; Thomas Lockland; Robbie; Juni (show all 24); John Hathorne; Adrie; Faith Owens; Abraham Dias; Samuel Benjamin Dias; Ruth Gardner Hathorne; Martha Chase; Anne Hatch; Lydia Colson; Elizabeth Colson; Jack Finney; Maud Cardy; Catherine Durant; Hannah Dekker; Jonas Dekker; Anneke Dekker; Joost van der Berg; Hannah Reina Dias Owens
- Important places
- Essex County, England; Devotion Field; Curaçao; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Essex County, Massachusetts, USA; Salem, Massachusetts, USA (show all 8); Maiden Lane, Manhattan, New York, New York, USA; Gravesend Brooklyn, New York, USA
- Important events
- Salem witch trials
- Epigraph
- Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.
---WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE - First words
- She was found on a January day in a field where the junipers grew, wound in a blue blanket with her name carefully stitched along the border with silk thread.
- Quotations
- This was true magic, the making and unmaking of the world with paper and ink.
"To any man who ever loves an Owens, let this curse befall you, let your fate lead to disaster, let you be broken in body and soul, and may it be that you never recover."
Fate is what you make of it. You can make the best of it, or you can let it make the best of you.
Do as you will, but harm no one.
What you give will be returned to you threefold.
Fall in love whenever you can.
For candles were dangerous at sea, just as religion is dangerous on land.
To mistrust those who saw wickedness in others, but never themselves. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Know that love is the only answer.
- Blurbers
- Picoult, Jodi
Classifications
- Genres
- General Fiction, Fiction and Literature, Historical Fiction, Fantasy
- DDC/MDS
- 813.54 — Literature & rhetoric American literature in English American fiction in English 1900-1999 1945-1999
- LCC
- PS3558 .O3447 .M34 — Language and Literature American literature American literature Individual authors 1961-
- BISAC
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- ISBNs
- 24
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