In fact the sisters themselves rarely ever use it, and when they do it’s only in emergencies.Īnother obvious difference is the way Sally and Gillian are often at odds with one another. The book version is quite light on the level of power the sisters wield. I think the film offers a bit more of a cohesive story with some more glimpses into what the magic of this family really does. The sisters are also quite opposite in personality traits, with Gillian written as the more flighty, unintelligent, erratic sister and Sally as the more detached, professional and headstrong one. Sally and Gillian thus end up going about their love lives in two distinct ways: While Gillian can never quite keep her interest in one man as they come to her in flocks, Sally refrains from love until it suits her.

But they come from a long line of love witches and so they attract people like flies to ripe fruit. Though it is not explicitly stated in the book the way it is in the movie, there is a sense that the Owens women are cursed to lose their lovers, or never quite be able to keep them in the first place. Generally this work is in the form of love spells, though this can also work to deter someone’s interest. The aunts in Practical Magic are love witches who accept work from the neighbouring women. Though raised by their aunts in smalltown Massachussetts (and in the most suspicious house in the neighbourhood), both sisters find themselves on opposite sides of the country eventually. Practical Magic centres around the Owens women, particularly the sisters Sally and Gillian. Interestingly, this book has a movie adaptation that is more well-known and well-loved (which is not how it usually goes!) There’s also a series of sequels, one of which just came out in 2021: Magic Lessons, The Rules of Magic and The Book of Magic. The story centres around a family of love witches situated in smalltown Massachussetts.

Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman is a fantasy-fiction novel published in 1995 by Penguin.

Practical magic the book