Book Club: The Rules of Magic
Hello hello, I’m so excited to kick off my monthly book club! Quarantine has really got me back into reading, so I’m going to be reading a book each month, and sharing all the deets and my thoughts on them in this new column. The other month I shared a list of book recommendations some of you sent in on Instagram here, and I’ll be rolling through a different book each month. I’d love for you to join me in reading some so that we can chat about them!
Kicking off the first month is a book that I fell in love with right off the bat: The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman. If you’ve ever seen the movie Practical Magic (a favorite of mine!) this book is actually supposed to be a prequel to the novel that movie was based on. It’s such an interesting, heartbreaking story that I fell for right away. And if you’re worried about it being all about magic and witches, don’t skip over on this one. It’s such a wonderful world with rich characters, dreamy locations and major heartbreaks.
So what’s this story about? Hundreds of years after being charged with witchery in Massachusetts the Owens family has a centuries long curse of love. We find the Owens three children living in New York in the sixties–a strange time for these very odd, misunderstood children: Jet, Franny and Vincent. Though they don’t know what yet, they know something is different about them. Their mother places inexplicable rules on them: no walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love.They can’t escape the curse of love and the pain it brings them. The two sisters grow up to be those two eccentric aunts in Practical Magic, which is a fun way to learn the backstory of them.
The story is an enchanting reflection of the times in the 1960s, and it’s full of magical imagery that you can feel and smell. Wildflowers, herbs, and patchouli. It even takes you to the flower-filled Summer of Love festival, and the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967–three days of music, love, and peace with The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, and Otis Redding. It’s a story of family, self-discovery, finding your identity, embracing your fears, love, loss, and, of course, magic.
The siblings are so affecting and fascinating I honestly could have read a book about each of them. The mix of real magic, heartbreak, and the 60’s era made this so captivating. The magical realism and utter whimsy made me devour this story SO quickly. Page after page the writing is gorgeous, it’s full of wisdom, and reminds you of the everyday magic in our lives. I started missing these characters before I even finished the book.
Have you read the book? Comment below with your thoughts! xoxo Erika
Looking for book recommendations? Check this list here.
