Review: The Rules of Magic

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was fortunate to receive an Advance Reader's Edition of this book.

“Life is a mess but all we can do is live it.” ~ Isabelle Owens

I loved this book. The Rules of Magic is Alice Hoffman's prequel to 1995's Practical Magic, a classic. Twenty-two years later we are given the rich backstory of Aunts France and Jet Owens, their brother Vincent, cousin April, who is the mother of Regina and mother of Sally and Gillian, the curse breakers of Practical Magic. The Owens family, cursed by their ancestor Maria Owens, who was victimized by John Hathorne, the judge responsible for the Salem witch trials, has a history of many trials and tribulations, and sad losses, with loved ones, whether lovers or parents or siblings. All of the losses of loved ones have been attributed to Maria's curse, founded in Hathorne's betrayal of her, by the grieving family. The magic of the Owens' family seems to embody the lines of Edgar Eager (a favorite writer of Hoffman's) "Always remember that magic has a mind of its own and will thwart you if it can." But Isabelle Owens, in great wisdom, sees things differently. At its core, this book is about aligning yourself with your gifts instead of being afraid of them (essentially being afraid of yourself and your feelings) or trying to suppress them. By embracing your nature, you embrace life, love, the world around you. That is the true magic of the Owens family story.

I found something to love in each of the Owens family members, even Franny and Jet's cryptic mother Susanna. The Rules of Magic is a finer, deeper book than Practical Magic, in part because in 22 years Hoffman has become an even better writer, but also because she has simply lived more, therefore loved more, and has the wider perspective of Isabelle Owens to draw upon in her writing. This book is so layered, in part with the magic of other books, and is simply a lush and beautiful read. You will get lost in its pages and be annoyed with every interruption that draws you away from it. It is filled, just like life, with love and heartbreak.

Reading this prequel made me consider rereading Practical Magic but I'm not sure I need to. Gillian and Sally, who appear briefly toward the end of The Rules of Magic, are young and learning in the earlier book, just as Jet and Franny did. This book is so lovely and so fulfilling, I'm not sure I want to tamper with my visions of the Owens family by rereading the earlier novel. If you haven't read Practical Magic and want to read some classic Hoffman, I suggest you start with that book and then read this one (yes! out of order!). But whatever you do, if you enjoy "suburban magic" or, as Hoffman has dubbed it "practical magic," be sure to pick up this book. As she said about suburban magic in her 2016 introduction to Eager's Half Magic there are no enchanted woods or fairy tale castles here. There is magic in the least likely of places which, in the end, makes it all the more magical.

“When you truly love someone and they love you in return, you ruin your lives together. That is not a curse. It’s what life is, my girl. We all come to ruin, we turn to dust, but whom we love is the thing that lasts.” ~ Isabelle Owens.



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