Practical Magic

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Spell Book: The Aunts have a very old book of spells that appears to have been passed down through the generations. Do you ever just put your arms out and just spin and spin and spin? Well, that's what love is like; everything inside of you tells you to stop before you fall, but for some reason you just keep going.” Asshole Victim: If anyone needed to die, it was Jimmy. Abusive: he hit Gillian for correcting him in front of a kid that a jelly donut isn't a cream donut. Violent: aside from branding his women with his ring (Gillian would not have been the first), he had a tendency to strangle women when he thought they were trying to escape him. And controlling: to the point of not being willing to let Gillian go to the restroom by herself, and to the point where she felt the need to drug him to have the occasional bit of rest from his constant attentions. Leit Motif: Jimmy sings "You Were Always On My Mind" during his drunken, murderous behavior before his death. It shows up again to foreshadow future troubles with him. Nude Nature Dance: It just isn't the Solstice if at least a pair or two of Owen women aren't dancing naked under the full moon, apparently. ( Never shown on screen, this remains a great running joke all the same.)

Magic (Volume 4) (The Practical Magic Series) The Book of Magic (Volume 4) (The Practical Magic Series)

A woman could want a man so much she might vomit in the kitchen sink or cry so fiercly blood would form in the corners of her eyes. She is not worth his devotion. She wishes he would evaporate into thin air. Maybe then she wouldn’t have this feeling deep inside, a feeling she can deny all she wants, but that won’t stop it from being desire. It doesn't matter what people tell you. It doesn't matter what they might say. Sometimes you have to leave home. Sometimes, running away means you're headed in the exact right direction.” As they were falling asleep, Gillian could have sworn she heard Ben say Fate--as if they were meant to be together from the start and every single thing they'd ever done in their lives had been leading to this moment. If you thought that way, you could fall asleep without regret. You could put your whole life in place, with all the sadness and the sorrow, and still feel that at last you had everything you ever wanted. In spite of the lousy odds and all the wrong turns, you might actually discover that you were the one who'd won.” Plot Hole: Sally uses a plane to get to Gilly after she calls requesting help; after they kill Jimmy, they somehow manage to drive from Arizona to the East Coast in a single night. Can be Hand Waved as A Wizard Did It, but still...Also, Sally and Gillian slice their palms and clasp hands to cure Gillian's Demonic Possession. Their joined hands and shared blood cures Gillian and breaks the family curse. Superpowerful Genetics: Witchcraft follows bloodlines. During the climax however, other women in the town help them perform a spell so magic doesn't seem to be 100% genetic. Internalized Categorism: Sally against magic in the movie, though especially after her husband dies.

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman | Waterstones

Turn Undead: Hallet manages to do this with his police badge. Apparently, it's all about what you really believe in. When one of the Aunts sees Gilly's bruise, she says "a little mugwort will clear that right up." Ironically, witch-hazel, which really is used for healing bruises, scrapes and wounds, would have been more appropriate. Easily Forgiven: Despite finding out that Gilly and Sally killed someone, no-one seems to bothered by this (however, it was justifiable as self defense both times. Averted in the book, where Jimmy died of alcohol poisoning.For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man.

Practical Magic Series by Alice Hoffman - Goodreads

The aunts look like they might also have fit this trope before their hair grayed. Justified, in that the family curse doesn't necessarily allow for more than a pair of daughters in a generation. Be Careful What You Wish For: Aunt Jet uses these exact words to warn a woman against wishing for a man "to love [her] so much he can't stand it".Not the First Victim: A downplayed example. After discovering the girls have Jimmy Angelov's car, Gary reveals to Sally and Gilly that he's looking for Jimmy because another girl was found strangled on the side of a road, with the same brand that Jimmy tried to give Gilly. Suddenly Sober: After Gillian smashes the bottle of tequila, everyone instantly loses their giggly drunkenness. It could be argued that their intense intoxication was somewhat caused by Jimmy's spirit affecting everyone in the house as the aunts are heard singing the same song he was singing just before Gillian and Sally killed him the first time, and Sally noticed that it was Jimmy's bottle of booze. Alice Hoffman was born in New York City on March 16, 1952, and grew up on Long Island. After graduating from high school in 1969, she attended Adelphi University, from which she received a BA, and then received a Mirrellees Fellowship to the Stanford University Creative Writing Center, which she attended in 1973 and 74, receiving an MA in creative writing. She currently lives in Boston.