Review: Magic Lessons - A Prequel to Practical Magic

Title: Magic Lessons - A Prequel to Practical Magic

Author: Alice Hoffman

Publisher: 7th October 2020 by Simon & Schuster (Australia)

Pages: 400 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction,  magical realism, fantasy, witches

My Rating: 4 cups

Synopsis:

From New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman comes the origin story of her beloved novel and basis for the cult classic film Practical Magic—taking us on a captivating journey to the Salem witch trials, featuring the indomitable matriarch of the Owens family, Maria.

It’s no secret that love has plagued the Owens family for centuries. But when did the curse begin, and why? It all began with Maria Owens, who arrived in America in 1680, with a baby in tow…

Born with pitch-black hair and pale green eyes, Maria was abandoned in the English countryside by her birth mother and raised by Hannah Owens who warned her, “Always love someone who will love you back.” She inherits Hannah’s Grimoire—a magical book of enchantments that include instructions to heal illnesses, ingredients for soaps that restore youth, and spells that make a person burn with love for another. When Hannah dies in an attack, Maria leaves for Curacao, where she meets John Hathorne, a magistrate from Salem living freely for the first time in his life as he falls in love with Maria. But Hathorne soon abandons her, before Maria realizes she’s pregnant. When she gives birth to a red-headed baby girl, Faith, who possesses immense magical talent, Maria embarks on a voyage to Salem to face her destiny, with or without magic.

But aboard the ship bringing her to America, fate intervenes and she meets a man who will change her life, if she’ll only let him. Her journey, laced with secrets and truths, devastation and joy, magic and curses, will show her that love is the only answer, always.

My Thoughts

‘For some, witchery was a choice, but not for them. It was in their very nature, and they must do their best with it, but how did a woman survive when she would surely be judged again and again?’

I am a fan of Alice Hoffman over the years, but you are never sure what you are going to get. Magic Lessons is a prequel to the Practical Magic series with Maria Owens, the original witch in the Owens bloodline. It would be fair to say that Alice’s writing is in itself magical in this 17th century historical fiction story. She certainly has a gift. 

‘It was a time of evil, when people were owned and women were treated no better than they had been across the sea.’

This book tells the story of Maria Owens (and later on her daughter Faith) from her start in England, then onto Curaçao, Salem and finally New York. I will admit to being a bit nervous in the beginning as it was somewhat slow to get going. It begins with Maria abandoned as a baby and raised by a witch. It then progresses to her being a servant in Dutch Curaçao and finally to Salem and New York. 

‘A woman alone who could read and write was suspect. Words were magic. Books were not to be trusted. What men could not understand, they wished to burn.’

As ever, Alice Hoffman’s writing is the real attraction - it is beautiful. Her capacity to portray not only a sense of place and time but also authentic and real people and stories. This book required finesse given it covers historical events such as the plague, life in a Dutch colony and the Salem witch trials. Her attention to detail is exceptional and I love how she gave voice to a period when women had no power. Then to bring in all things magic - everything from listed ingredients for curing ailments to evoking black magic and spells. Tying it all together is a tale of love and loss, betrayal and revenge. It is dark at times and sad,  yet you cannot help but get swept along with Maria and Faith on their journey.

If you have not read (or seen the movie) fear not, for this can certainly be read as a standalone. The attraction of an Alice Hoffman book always brings an element of surprise - what will be on offer this time? Magic Lessons is a beautifully written tale that I would recommend. 

‘Fate is what you make of it. You can make the best of it, or you can let it make the best of you.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

Review: The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman

Title:  The Museum of Extraordinary Things

Author: Alice Hoffman
Publisher:  Published February 18th 2014 by Scribner

ISBN: 1451693583 (ISBN13: 9781451693584)

Pages: 384 pages 
How I Read It: eARC copy 

Genre: historical – fiction, mystery and romance

Find it at Goodreads

Synopsis:

Coney Island, 1911: Coralie Sardie is the daughter of a self-proclaimed scientist and professor who acts as the impresario of The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a boardwalk freak show offering amazement and entertainment to the masses. An extraordinary swimmer, Coralie appears as the Mermaid alongside performers like the Wolfman, the Butterfly Girl,and a 100 year old turtle, in her father's "museum". She swims regularly in New York's Hudson River, and one night stumbles upon a striking young man alone in the woods photographing moon-lit trees. From that moment, Coralie knows her life will never be the same.
 
The dashing photographer Coralie spies is Eddie Cohen, a Russian immigrant who has run away from his father's Lower East Side Orthodox community. As Eddie photographs the devastation on the streets of New York following the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, he becomes embroiled in the mystery behind a young woman's disappearance and the dispute between factory owners and labourers. In the tumultuous times that characterized life in New York between the world wars, Coralie and Eddie's lives come crashing together in Alice Hoffman's mesmerizing, imaginative, and romantic new novel.

Our thoughts:

Set in 1911 New York City, the author frames her tale between two massive fires which effected the area at that time: the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, which claimed the lives of many young garment workers, and the Dreamland Fire, which devastated Coney Island. Over the handful of months separating these two fires, the story follows the lives of two young people, Coralie Sardie and Ezekiel (Eddie) Cohen.

Coralie’s strange and domineering father owns the museum featured in the title of the book and uses it to showcase his “living wonders.” “My father called them wonders but to the world they were freaks – they were unique and fascinating and terribly brave in the ways they revealed their most secret selves.” Coralie herself “was her father’s daughter, a living wonder, an oddity no common man could ever understand” - or so she thought. Her father keeps her under strict control and has been secretly training her from a young age to take her place as the Mermaid in his display of wonders. She eventually does just that, and is forced by her father to perform in ways she never imagined, making her long to escape to another life.

Eddie, who came to this country from Russia along with his father, ends up disowning his religion and his father and sets out to find his own way as a photographer: “He yearned for the ability to see into the world of shadows…he saw only the light, darkness, black or while and all that lay in between was invisible to his eyes…Eddie’s purpose was to pursue the light and find what was lost….to see true beauty of the world and…to capture a single moment of that beauty”. As he strives to do so, he also struggles to determine “Was the future set or could a man change his destiny and make his own decisions as to what came next?”

Their tales are told alternately, with glimpses into each of their pasts as well as their internal dialogues, until the two of them are eventually brought together while uncovering the mystery behind the disappearance of a young woman. They immediately fall in love, and both learn that all is not as it has seemed in either of their lives.

This novel was interesting and beautifully told. Hoffman’s evocative descriptions of the horrific fires are truly remarkable. She captures the scenes so perfectly you feel as if you are standing next to the characters and experiencing the events right along with them. It was fascinating to read about the aspects of life in Coney Island at that time, as well as the rivalries between the parks and attractions.

We did have some issues with the evolution of the relationship between the two leads (the ‘love at first sight’ aspect rang a bit hollow for us), and the lack of a true reconciliation between Eddie and his father was bothersome, even though such a reunion was implied. The ending also seemed somewhat rushed, with all loose ends tied up a little too quickly and neatly in one all-encompassing letter. In spite of this, however, we liked this book overall and feel it should more than satisfy the reader interested in this period of history and also those who are looking for some romance mixed with mystery. And we found it very rewarding to watch the main characters learn the important underlying lesson:

“You are who you are, whatever you’re called.”

Our Rating