She preferred cats to human beings and turned down every offer from the men who fell in love with her. Real After All: The reality of the Owenses' magical powers is never in doubt, but those powers are relatively subtle. The town rumor that the Owens Women fly from the roof of their house every Halloween seems like a ridiculous exaggeration by stupidly superstitious people. Nope.

Practical Magic (Film) - TV Tropes Practical Magic (Film) - TV Tropes

Devil in Plain Sight: Jimmy Angelov, whom, in Gillian's own words, "has this Dracula cowboy thing" going for him. Young Sally Owens: That's the point. The guy I dreamed of doesn't exist. And if he doesn't exist I'll never die of a broken heart.” The Big Damn Kiss: After recording some of her confessional and showing her the letter she had written weeks ago (which he confessed to reading over and over), Gary and Sally end up sharing a kiss after rounds of Belligerent Sexual Tension building up between them. Not the First Victim: A downplayed example. After discovering the girls have Jimmy Angelov's car, Gary reveals to Sally and Gilly that he's looking for Jimmy because another girl was found strangled on the side of a road, with the same brand that Jimmy tried to give Gilly.Asshole Victim: If anyone needed to die, it was Jimmy. Abusive: he hit Gillian for correcting him in front of a kid that a jelly donut isn't a cream donut. Violent: aside from branding his women with his ring (Gillian would not have been the first), he had a tendency to strangle women when he thought they were trying to escape him. And controlling: to the point of not being willing to let Gillian go to the restroom by herself, and to the point where she felt the need to drug him to have the occasional bit of rest from his constant attentions. 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. Leit Motif: Jimmy sings "You Were Always On My Mind" during his drunken, murderous behavior before his death. It shows up again to foreshadow future troubles with him. Do you ever just put your arms out and just spin and spin and spin? Well, that's what love is like; everything inside of you tells you to stop before you fall, but for some reason you just keep going.” She is not worth his devotion. She wishes he would evaporate into thin air. Maybe then she wouldn’t have this feeling deep inside, a feeling she can deny all she wants, but that won’t stop it from being desire.

Magic (Volume 4) (The Practical Magic Series) The Book of Magic (Volume 4) (The Practical Magic Series)

Toni Morrison calls The Dovekeepers “... a major contribution to twenty-first century literature.” The story of the survivors of Masada is considered by many to be Hoffman’s masterpiece. The New York Times bestselling novel was adapted for television in a 2015 miniseries starring Rachel Brosnahan and Cote de Pablo. Alice Hoffman was born in New York City on March 16, 1952, and grew up on Long Island. After graduating from high school in 1969, she attended Adelphi University, from which she received a BA, and then received a Mirrellees Fellowship to the Stanford University Creative Writing Center, which she attended in 1973 and 74, receiving an MA in creative writing. She currently lives in Boston. Without a search warrant, any evidence Gary collected would be deemed inadmissible in a court of law and thus could not be used against them. Not to mention that by repeatedly stealing Sally's mail, he is in fact committing a felony himself. Also, Sally and Gillian slice their palms and clasp hands to cure Gillian's Demonic Possession. Their joined hands and shared blood cures Gillian and breaks the family curse.Strong Family Resemblance: Sally's eldest daughter looks almost exactly like an aged-down version of Gilly. Turn Undead: Hallet manages to do this with his police badge. Apparently, it's all about what you really believe in. A woman could want a man so much she might vomit in the kitchen sink or cry so fiercly blood would form in the corners of her eyes. Superpowerful Genetics: Witchcraft follows bloodlines. During the climax however, other women in the town help them perform a spell so magic doesn't seem to be 100% genetic.

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman | Waterstones Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman | Waterstones

Internalized Categorism: Sally against magic in the movie, though especially after her husband dies. Cute Witch: Sally and Gilly as little girls. You just want to cuddle them both. Sally's daughters are adorable, too. 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.You watch teenage girls and feel shivers up and down your arms -- those poor creatures don't know the first thing about time or agony or the price they're going to have to pay for just about everything.”