Practical Magic
core novel 1995 Practical Magic
Record
| First published | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Original language |  EN |
| Work type | novel |
| Canon status | core |
| Reader rating | 3.71 (174,050 ratings, collected 2026-11-02) |
| First-edition ISBN | 9780399140556 |
| Internal chronology | 1 |
Synopsis
Sisters Gillian and Sally Owens are orphaned young and raised by their eccentric aunts Frances and Bridget in a Massachusetts town whose residents avoid the family as witches while still quietly buying their love potions and remedies. Convinced that magic and love only bring grief, the girls grow up wanting to be ordinary. Gillian leaves to chase a restless life, while Sally marries and, after her husband's death, blames the family curse and raises her daughters in careful normality. Years later Gillian returns in trouble, bringing a dangerous problem from her past. Strange events begin at the house, and the sisters must turn to the aunts and to the magic they have avoided.
Where it sits
- Universe: Practical Magic
- Series: Practical Magic core; position 1 of 4 in the series' recorded order
- Author: Alice Hoffman
Notes
- From the series record (Practical Magic): Four novels about the Owens family of witches and the curse on their line, from 1620s England to the present day.
Neighbouring works
Publication order and internal chronology are tracked as two separate orderings, but they resolve to the exact same sequence for this book, so one combined line is shown instead of two identical ones.
- Reading order, within the series Practical Magic: position 1 of 4: next The Rules of Magic (2017)
Sources
← Practical Magic dossier · All universes
Part of the Library. Fields without an identified source are omitted, never guessed.