The Witchy Reads Challenge was a good excuse for me to finally read Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. I was looking forward to getting more insight into the actions of the aunts and the sisters Jill and Sally after having seen the movie more than a dozen times and thoroughly enjoying it. I play it ever year during Hallowe'een/Samhain and really love this ritual of renewal and hope.
Oh dear, was I disappointed with the book. There are some books that are so much better than the movie, but this one is not one of those instances. The book drones on and on with no real character development. The plot seemed to go nowhere and I was waiting for the ending so that I could put it down and check it off my list of things to do.
Sometimes it is dialogue that moves the story along and sometimes the characters drive the book. In this case, neither stood up and took charge. The aunts are musty and are not authentic or believable. They were pasty white, falling into the background, and don't add to the story line at all. The images of the settings lack color and depth. It felt grey and fuzzy.
Sally and Jill don't feel alive; they are dead and boring. I kept wondering when they would come alive and tell me their story. Gary Hallet is a wimp and again his character was superficial, with no real depth.
I had heard that Alice Hoffman was a very good writer with characters and plots, but this book floundered and gasped for the air that would breathe life into it.
Checked off the list.
Jeanette
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