Alice Hoffman works I have so far read:
The Marriage of Opposites- 2015
"Everything My Mother Taught Me" - 2016
"The Book Store Sisters" -2022
The Foretelling - 2006
"Conjure" - 2014
Aquamarine- 2001
The Ice Queen - 2006
Property Of -1977
Skylight- 2007
The Invisible Hour 2023
Rules of Magic- 2017
It is my hope to read all of her works available as Kindles
As a personal observation relating to my life situation, today's work and several of Hoffmann's others, deal with the ways people try to cope with the loss of a deeply loved one, a loss they never saw coming. Perhaps when you have had few intimate contacts with whom you bonded in your life, as do the principal characters in Practical Magic, it makes it all the worse. This is what happened in my life when my beloved wife passed away, far before her time. Like those in Practical Magic I did not just loss my future plans but my past as well.
"For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man.
Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk.
From the start Susanna sets down rules for her children: No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle, in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens family has been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. Yet, the children cannot escape love even if they try, just as they cannot escape the pains of the human heart. The two beautiful sisters will grow up to be the memorable aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy." From the publisher
Some of the characters are deeply into the reading life, they are viewed as strange by most, red hair is a frequent factor. The sex scenes are powerful. The placement of the novel is marvelous. I greatly enjoyed the extended visit to Paris.
Alice Hoffman is the author of more than thirty works of fiction, including The Book of Magic, Magic Lessons, The World That We Knew, Practical Magic, The Rules of Magic (a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick), the Oprahs Book Club Selection Here on Earth, The Red Garden, The Dovekeepers, The Museum of Extraordinary Things, The Marriage of Opposites, and Faithful. She lives near Boston.
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4 comments:
Prolific author. I’ve read two only.
The Dovekeepers is a real standout in her work, meaning it seems to be a departure for her, but I think you will love it. It reminds me a little, maybe, of Kate Grenville mixed with Hoffman's usual style. I'm glad to hear that you've found a connection to her work while you are trying to navigate this deep sorrow and soul-loneliness. You and the girls are in my thoughts.
Mystica- thanks as always for your comments and visits
Buried in Print- I am guardely optimistic I will complete my read through. I am prioritising her books on sale as Kindles for now
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