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Practical Magic
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 9 hrs and 12 mins
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Practical Magic
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Publisher's Summary
Alice Hoffman's enchanting witch's brew of suspense, romance and magic - now a major motion picture from Warner Bros.
When the beautiful and precocious sisters Sally and Gillian Owens are orphaned at a young age, they are taken to a small Massachusetts town to be raised by their eccentric aunts, who happen to dwell in the darkest, eeriest house in town. As they become more aware of their aunts' mysterious and sometimes frightening powers - and as their own powers begin to surface - the sisters grow determined to escape their strange upbringing by blending into "normal" society.
But both find that they cannot elude their magic-filled past. And when trouble strikes - in the form of a menacing backyard ghost - the sisters must not only reunite three generations of Owens women but embrace their magic as a gift - and their key to a future of love and passion.
Funny, haunting, and shamelessly romantic, Practical Magic is bewitching entertainment - Alice Hoffman at her spectacular best.
What the critics say
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Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Lisa-Marie
- 2020-05-04
In a rare instance, the movie was better.
It’s not the worst book I’ve ever read but in comparison to the movie I have to give it 3 stars. It lacked the unbreakable sisterly bond that I loved so much in the movie. It also lacked magic for a book with magic right there in the title. I found that I disliked the characters as well. I found Sally to be exhausting sometimes and awful towards her sister. Could have just been the narrator though I found her shrill at times.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Claudette H.
- 2020-04-13
movie was WAY better
the Narrator did an excellent job but this story is just kind of boring altogether the movie was so much better
1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Sandra
- 2019-09-20
Enjoyed it
While I really have enjoyed the book I hate to admit for the first time I may have enjoyed the movie more. However that being said I am glad I listened to the book and I do recommend it.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Theresa S.
- 2018-09-15
Magical Murder Mystery & Family Drama
I enjoyed this book & the story of two sisters whose lives have been affected by magic & mystery. This is a rare example where I enjoyed the movie more than the book! I must admit I saw the movie first though & that might have coloured my perception.
The writing is still good though as weaves the tale of very different sisters & their family along with a bit of a magical murder mystery. I did not enjoy the narration as much as I have in other books. Overall a diverting tale that kept me engaged throughout & a fun story.
#Audible1
1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Heather Lane
- 2018-05-29
Not like the Movie - not a bad thing though
Like many books Hollywood has touched, this book is no exception. I was such a fan of the movie, I wanted to read the book. Boy was I surprised. Key elements are there, but the tale is much more complex and takes place over a longer period of time. I'm not disappointed, it was great to listen to. Best not to compare it too closely to Hollywood's rendition, though or you'll be disappointed.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Ivonne Leonel de cervantes
- 2023-01-11
DEFINITELY NOT LIKE THE MOVIE
First, please read other reviews that explain this is not like the movie. The movie was a free adaptation of this book. While the movie is sweet, funny, quirky, and enjoyable, the book is not sweet, nor funny, It is dark and I didn't enjoy it. I was tempted to stop it many times but decided to finish.
This is part of a series of books/stories that start 100+yrs ago. I enjoyed Magic Lessons and The rules of magic, but this 3rd installment is disappointing for someone who loved the movie so much.
The aunts are kind of mean, the sisters love each other, yes, but have a horrible relationship and the story is dark. There is no magic in the book, in any sense. even from the The Rules of Magic, the aunts change a lot.
The narrator does a pretty good job but there are a couple of voices that sound horrible.
I will not read the 4th book of the series.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ashley Cole
- 2021-07-10
Feel-good, heartwarming with Strong Female Leads
Practical Magic evokes feelings of sunshine on a rainy day. It is a simple story about the bonds of sisterhood and family with a hint of magic. I appreciated the detailed imagery the author provided and the perfectly flawed characters.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2021-02-21
Not her best
I thoroughly enjoyed Magic Lessons (book .5). Sadly, this book read like it was written by a completely different author. A strong editor could have made some sense of the writing. But that didn’t happen.
I don’t recommend it.
And the reader didn’t do it any favours. Very poorly read.
I’ll try book 2 - but won’t stay with it if the writing is a poor as this one.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2020-04-26
Loved it!
I saw the movie years and years ago but never realized it was a book. Loved the story and enjoyed how much more detail it had versus the movie.
My only complaint was the narrator. It sounded like she had something in her mouth the entire time and her expression was quite over the top most of the time. I was able to look past it and enjoy the book, but sometimes it was difficult.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Erin Hall
- 2020-01-05
nothing like the movie but just as great
makes me really question where the movie came from because this story is nothing like that. same characters but so much more info and so much different circumstances that it's shocking. loved the movie and also the book.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- JEAN9
- 2014-09-25
Don't expext the movie story!
Not sure how they got the movie from this book. Other then the names of the characters nothing else is the same. While I adored the movie and the lighthearted feeling, the book goes in another direction, but I liked it just as well, just differently! In my head I was still picturing Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as the sisters. So just be warned to expext a great story just not one like the movie.
141 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jane
- 2017-10-26
Good Book, Weird Narration
I wasn't familiar with this narrator, but may avoid performances by her in the future. Hoffman's story is lovely, I think, but the voices Ms. Moore came up with for Jillian and Sally--the two main characters--are strange indeed. Sally sounds screechy--the narrator has a naturally deep voice and tries to push Sally high beyond her range. But Jillian's voice is distractingly odd. Hoffman's text describes Jillian's voice as deep and rich, but the narrator, whose voice is already deep, does this strange, forced, "even deeper" thing that sometimes makes her sound like a mobster and sometimes makes her sound like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer from the seventies tv show.
Hoffman weaves a really nice story, though. I recommend reading this one over listening to it.
49 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Jeff
- 2016-11-10
Wow, did Alice Hoffman really write this?
This was one of the most annoying books I've ever tried on Audible. I usually love Alice Hoffman (The Red Garden is one of my all-time favorite books), but the writing in this was so cliched and just...clunky is the word that comes to mind. The characters are unsympathetic and uninteresting, and the plot predictable and plodding. I'm sad to say I can't find anything good to say about this one :(
36 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Missadventure
- 2017-04-30
Good as it gets
I have been meaning to read this book ever since I fell in love with the movie. I am glad I got this though because the narrator gave a perfect read with her perfect voice. And even though the movie makers changed a whole big bunch...they got it right.
32 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dorian
- 2017-02-02
Somethings are just practical.
I've adored this story for a long time; I have an ancient paperback version that has traveled with me on every plane ride I've ever taken (which is a lot). As someone who was picked on, horribly through childhood, for being different, this was the first cast of characters I vividly remember relating with. This is certainly a story I suggest as part of my preferred treatment for sad, rainy days, or a broken heart. By the time you finish it, you'll be ready for face the world again.
24 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Joy
- 2012-12-27
All the characters were present
Practical Magic is one of my favorite movies. I've watched it more times than I can count and no matter how many times I watch it, I'm always entertained. With that said, it's also a testament to how Hollywood will take a story and twist it for the screen and box office. I did my best to keep an open mind while listening to the book and to take the story for what it was. As a story I was engaged but mostly because I wanted to see how the story played out. Parts of the story were in line with the movie and other parts explored other aspects of the characters. Overall I found the characters lacking and unexciting. Indications of paranormal skills were mostly eluded to and very little information about those skills was ever brought forth in the story. The Aunts played only a small part in the book and the magic they performed was nominal and rather anti-climactic. I've been going back and forth between giving the book a three or four star rating by taking the movie out of the equation, but in the end because the story lacked a fair amount of excitement and magic, a three is the best i could offer.
22 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2017-09-26
review
It was good, but wish it was the full book. And wish the narrator wouldn't gulp air, click her tongue or make distracting mouth noises while she reads the story.
19 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kayla
- 2016-01-24
very good! not what expected
I really wanted to read this book bc the movie has always been one of my favorites! it's not what I thought it would be though. it's like a old spin on a new story, the way I lived through it, it has the same back bone like all those cinderella twists but they're completely different! keep an open mind and you'll love it!
13 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Meaghan Feeney
- 2015-10-27
Enjoyed during my commute
This was a great story and entertaining for my morning commute. My only complaint is that the narrators voices (especially for Sally) were annoying!
12 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Suzy
- 2017-06-02
very different from the movie!
Story very different from the movie, but still great! Riviting to the end. thoroughly enjoyed.
11 people found this helpful