The Book of Magic

I am Alice Hoffman's biggest fan, so any thoughts that this will be an impartial review can be left at the door.

For this fourth and last in the Practical Magic series, it's a solid read. The other three in the series can be read in any order. They weren't written in chronological order. However, THE BOOK OF MAGIC makes more sense if you've read the other three first.

This storybook tale of witches and spells travels from Massachusetts to France to England and back again. It's has all the lyricism of most of Alice Hoffman's books. Reading it is a dream, from the opening sentence: “Some stories begin at the beginning and others begin at the end, but all the best stories begin in the library.” to near the end: “Some people vow that a book contains the soul of the writer, and often the best ones are written by those who have no voice, yet still have a story to tell.”

I don't know if it was the story or the fact that it was the last in the series, but I almost cried at the end, which I won't reveal. It hit me hard, because I never cry while reading, so saying I almost cried says a lot.

If you want to read a book about true love, read this!