Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman
(Format used for this read: Audiobook)
Already on book review #3 and the first week of January ain’t even done yet 😱
Please do not expect this pace to continue thru the entirety of 2022. 😁
I’ve just started reading a couple other longer books PLUS I am about to start doing some home learning in prep for a professional certification test….
So I’m fairly certain my pace will slow down a GREAT deal.
But…here I am with thoughts on the third book I have completed this year.
After my last few intense reads, I was ready for some escapism.
And what do I turn to the most when I need some escapism?
MAGIC books, yall.
My friend Alicia has been telling me to read these for awhile now…and I figured NOW is the time to finally indulge in them.
(Sometimes it takes me a bit to get to all my fellow bookworm’s recs…my bad, friends. I promise I love and value every single thing you send my way! I just have a VERY long TBR list to get to LOL Please keep the recs coming…I cherish them!)
I am feeling a slight void in my literary life now that I have completed the Outlander series…it was such a part of me for an entire year…I wasn’t sure I could be on board jumping into another series just yet….was I ready to invest in other characters right now? Will I love them as much as I loved my Outlander peeps? Will this series be able to whisk me away like that one did?
I trust Alicia’s judgements…she never steers me wrong!…and so I jumped right into this first book.
Twas TIME.
Here is the official summary of what it was about:
“In this “ bewitching” (The New York Times Book Review) 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.
Where does the story of the Owens bloodline begin? With Maria Owens, in the 1600s, when she’s abandoned in a snowy field in rural England as a baby. Under the care of Hannah Owens, Maria learns about the “Nameless Arts.” Hannah recognizes that Maria has a gift and she teaches the girl all she knows. It is here that she learns her first important lesson: Always love someone who will love you back.
When Maria is abandoned by the man who has declared his love for her, she follows him to Salem, Massachusetts. Here she invokes the curse that will haunt her family. And it’s here that she learns the rules of magic and the lesson that she will carry with her for the rest of her life. Love is the only thing that matters.”
There are two ways to read this series….one is the order in which they were written and one is chronological order of the entire story as a whole.
Since I haven’t read ANY of the books in this series (and I haven’t even seen the movie “Practical Magic” based on first written book), it was recommended to me by a couple people to read them chronologically.
So that is what I am doing.
Same way I watched all the Avengers movies in the Marvel-verse. (highly recommend that BTW…everything made SO MUCH MORE SENSE!)
I am telling yall this because I want you to know I have ZERO knowledge of any of the “Practical Magic” storyline…so I am literally learning this story as it “happened” for the Owens family in history.
This book is a prequel to “Practical Magic”, so this is the origin story. I have no idea how any of it relates going forward, which is cool because I feel like I am learning their story from the foundation.
This book takes place during the height of the witch-hunt hysteria of the 1600s, during a time when ALL women were fearful of being considered a witch. Men tried to dictate every little thing they did…and ANYTHING that veered from their strict restrictions was considered “witchery” and could cost them their lives. Things as simple as learning to read, using nature for healing, or just speaking your mind could have you accused.
Basically…witch hunts were just extreme ways for the patriarchy (and for religion) to control and oppress women.
The real fear was that women were just as smart, valuable, worthy and powerful as men…and an even bigger fear that they could be BETTER.
🤬😑🤬😑🤬😑
I could say a whole LOT about all this…but I will move on….
There were lots of real history tidbits in the story. Some of the characters (such as the magistrate John Hathrone) were real life notorious figures during this time.
This is the story of a family and of magic….but mostly it is a story about love. Complicated, messy, powerful, amazing love—between mother and child, ancestors, friends and also romantic partners.
We learn that some people are born with magic, as natural witches, but some are “self taught” witches per se, learning how to use nature to perform magic. In both senses, the witch has to train and mold her magic, and figure out how to utilize it for good or evil purposes.
The story follows Maria Owens and her daughter, Faith…both who are witches by blood and not choice.
It is interesting to see how one witch spent most of her childhood raised with kindness and taught that her magic should be used only for good…and how the other spent most of hers raised as a captive and without tenderness…and how that affected how they viewed and used their powers.
The whole question of “nature vs nuture” comes into play…and how what happens to you can influence the actions you take.
This story also shows the extreme actions people will take for those they love…on all sorts of levels. Can love TRULY change things…in circumstances, in relationships and within yourself?
This story is also about fate…how a person can change it, IF they can change it, and how they can also be led by assuming they KNOW it.
This was a really enjoyable story and I began the next one in the series–“Magic Lessons”—immediately after I was done.
Also…one other interesting bit of this book….
In this story, witches have animals that are called their “Familiars”. This is an animal that attaches to a witch and becomes their protective and loving companion…kind of a furry, magical best friend you would say.
Maria’s Familiar was a crow (birds and felines are typical Familiars for witches) and his name was Caiden. Which totally threw me every time I heard his name because that is the same name as my oldest kiddo. (It IS spelled differently BUT since I listened to this in audiobook form, they sound exactly the same…so I pictured it as I spell it anyways LOL)
So I had this weird, maternal connection every time that crow was mentioned 🤣
Anyway…
I am looking forward to see how this family’s story continues to progress and unfold.
Magic really is the BEST.