I just finished this book, and I absolutely loved it. The book is actually a prequel to Practical Magic, which I have not read, but it’s definitely on my reading list now.

This book incorporates some of the history of the Salem witch trials that occurred in Massachusetts in the late 1600s.

Hannah Owens, who is a witch, finds an abandoned baby in a Juniper field. She quickly realizes that the baby is also a witch, so she takes her home to raise, naming her Maria. Hannah lives her life using her witchy powers to help others, and teaches her daughter to do the same. She tells Maria to, “Do as you will, but harm no one. What you give will be returned to you threefold.” This statement turns out to be true several times in the future.

The majority of the book is about Maria. She falls in love, and when she is spurned, she searches for her lover eventually finding him in Salem, Massachusetts. This is where her behavior eventually lands her in trouble with the local authorities. The Puritan society she lives in has very strict rules for women, and being a witch arouses fear and suspicion. The consequences of this decision set up the story for the rest of the book.

All of the characters were very well fleshed out, including the familiars who chose to be with the witches. I loved Cadin and Keeper. Everyone should have a best friend like them.

I can’t wait to read Practical Magic, so I can find out what happens to the generations that follow. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book.

This prequel book to Practical Magic was wonderful! A lingering love story with a mix of witchcraft and American History, it was lovely!

I was so excited to read this book and was not disappointed. Alice Hoffman has finally provided the book we lovers of Practical Magic have been waiting for:. The origins of the Owens women. This is a beautiful book full of courage, love, and strength. It's about the joy and honor of being your true self in simple times and when faced with adversity. I highly recommend Magic Lessons!

Alice Hoffman writes a wonderful tale of love and betrayal in Magic Lessons. Her descriptions of life in the early days of the American Colonies are so well crafted it was easy to become immersed in the story of women who were respected and feared because of their unique abilities. Some might call them witches, others knew they could save a sick child that the doctor had failed to cure. This book is storytelling at its best.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from Simon & Schuster through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are entirely my own
#Magic Lessons #NetGalley

4.5 stars

This book is a prequel to two other books in the Practical Magic series. I have not read those books, but was able to fully enjoy this story. In this book we are introduced to Mara Owens, as well as her mother and daughter, and we learn more about their family history. The introduction to healing and witchcraft was enticing and fascinating. Reading about the environment in Salem and Essex County was enlightening. I enjoyed the descriptions of the characters and settings and easily connected to the story.

I received a free ARC of Magic Lessons from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Alice Hoffman's latest novel is a wondrous read. This books serves as a prequel to Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic but knowing the future for Owens' women does not impede the enjoyment of reading this origin story. Here Maria Owens is fooled by what she thought was love with a man who preached honor but lived deceit. She endured the fear of Essex County, England and with her daughter, Faith, the terrors of Salem, Massachusetts where accusation equaled fact and where ignorance decided punishment. Their story is full of witchcraft and healing and, at times, revenge, but there is a loving, gentle core that keeps Maria moving forward even when she tries to deny it. Here, the foundation curse about love is first uttered, a curse that will reverberate through generations.

I loved this book but I have loved all the Hoffman novels I have read!

"Magic Lessons" by Alice Hoffman is a prequel to Hoffman's books "Practical Magic" and "The Rules of Magic." I have also read those books and thought "Magic Lessons" was a wonderful way to tell the background story of the Owens women. I really enjoyed this book and felt very invested in Maria's story. I understand the bond between mother & daughter and thought this book explored those relationship well.

When practicing magic, first of all harm no one. Remember that what you give, be it good or evil, will be returned to you threefold. That is the first of the magic lessons every witch should learn. This book will teach you other lessons, but what it will give you is hours of total involvement..

Since time immemorial, (until very recently) women have been subjugated by men, often abused and mistreated, and kept from learning. This particular historical time of the 1600's will show just how women were treated because they were healers familiar with uses of plants and could both prevent pregnancy and deliver babies. Women with these skills were often accused of witchcraft and the punishments resulting from these suspicions were horrific.

I have been a rabid Alice Hoffman reader since I discovered Turtle Moon many years ago. I have also read all her books, but loved her magical realism most of all. And Alice Hoffman may well be a witch because her writing enchants. Every word, every line, every description is so graphically beautiful that it's necessary to stop and breathe in the scents and see the surroundings, the weather, the flowers that are all part of her enchantment of you.

This book is the prequel or foundation story of the Owens sisters who have lived in the mansion in Salem, Mass. for generations. It explains the backstory of the rules they live by. It is not necessary or desirable to describe the story here. It is just something you have to experience for yourself.

I understand that HBO or Netflix is interested in producing a series based on Hoffman's books. Like her film, Practical Magic, it's fun to watch but does not begin to capture the beauty of Alice Hoffman's language and unique style.

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC of Magic Lessons in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book!

The two other books about the Owens family, Practical Magic and Rules of Magic left us wanting to know more about this family. The wait is over, we’re going all the way back to the beginning to understand the life and the origin of the Owens’ curse. Our story follows Maria from her childhood in England, her move to Curaçao and her eventual arrival in Massachusetts, then New York. She’s a natural bloodline witch who is abandoned by her mother and raised by Hannah, a kind, wise woman who shapes Maria’s philosophy and her inclination to help others. She sees the women who Hannah helps and vows to never fall in love. She learns more about her family when another witch shows up seeking help from Hannah. Witches are not exactly welcome in England either and an event (no spoilers) precipitates her sail to the tropics. In Curaçao, she gains a new family as she bonds with a slave girl who becomes her best friend. Her vow is tested when she meets John who is from Massachusetts and the rest of the book unfolds with Maria understanding more about herself, about magic and what family and true love really is. Her arrival of her daughter, Faith, brings a second storyline as we follow Faith as she learns about magic, about her nature and goes through many of the same trials that Maria and all the Owens women have to grapple with. I loved the story, couldn’t put it down and highly recommend it I love Alice Hoffman’s books although I have not read all 30+ works. They are definitely not all the same, some epic, some fast, but the ones I’ve read always explore family, tradition, love and self discovery. I love her work!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC to review!
Rating (on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent)
Quality of writing: 5
Pace: 3
Plot development: 4
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of Reading: 4

Overall rating: 4 out of 5

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the Advanced Release Copy in exchange for my honest review.

Very few people can tell a story like Alice Hoffman. Her writing is smooth, beautiful and evocative. Even though this is intended to be the prequel to Practical Magic (which is exciting all by itself), it also works well as a stand-alone novel.

I did not know that this book was coming out this year but I am so happy that I had the chance to read it!

Admittedly, I'm a big fan of Alice Hoffman. But of all her titles, I've never read Practical Magic - just saw the movie. Turns out watching or reading Practical Magic is not required to fall in love with the prequel, Magic Lessons. Hoffman takes us readers on a dreamy escape back in time from rural England in the 1600s, the tropical paradise of Curacao, Salem, Massachusetts at the start of the witch trials to Manhattan as she weaves the tale of three generations of Owens women who have the gift of unnatural arts. Each of women uses her gifts in different ways, each has to overcome betrayal and hardships, but each woman is independent, empowered and an example of women supporting women before their time. I was entranced by this book from the first sentence to the last, and will be hoping to get bewitched now by Practical Magic. Save the date for Magic Lessons pub date!

I loved this book! I am not someone that reads a book more than once, but, I think that the Practical Magic series is something that I will revisit.

This book tells the story of Maria Owens and how she came to be in Salem, Mass. during the 1600's.

This review sucks (I sincerely apologize for that), but, I just want to say, "Read the books!". Start with Practical Magic and go from there. You will not be disappointed.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in October 2020.

I feel so lucky to have received this book from NetGalley in return for my fair and honest review. I'm a fan of the series and of Hoffman in general, and this is no exception. Some parts are slightly repetitive but overall it's a beautiful sweeping tale, taking you back in time to the origins of the Owens curse, story of love and motherhood and the bonds that cannot break. I honestly wish that there was a companion book for all of the little nameless art tidbits that are spread throughout the book. The second half moves more quickly than the first but overall the book is definitely a four star read for me.

"Do as you will, but harm no one. What you give will be returned to you threefold."

I loved this gorgeously written book and did not want it to end.

I also want to re-read Alice Hoffman's other two wonderful books about the decendents of Maria and her daughter.
Practical Magic & The Rules of Magic.

What I really love about this series is the way the protagonists are portrayed as ordinary women whom have extraordinary powers of healing, creation and love for humans, plants and animals.

I consider myself lucky to have received a free ARC of Magic Lessons from NetGalley and Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

I haven’t read the other two books in this series (trilogy?) that were published in 1995 and 2017 respectively, so I was unfamiliar with the “curse” that has plagued the Owens women over the centuries. It made no difference because Magic Lessons takes place well before the other novels: from 1664 to 1696, years that include the infamous Salem witch trials.

We follow Maria Owens who was raised by Hannah Owens, a woman who trained Maria in the Nameless Art, spells and rituals handed down through the generations to help those in need. When Hannah is murdered, Maria goes to live with her birthmother, Rebecca, who practices a different type of magic: Black magic, red magic, blood magic, and love magic. Maria absorbs as much as she can but things change and her birthparents decide it best for her to go to a place where magic is not frowned upon so.

Placed on board a ship destined for Curaçao, Maria views it as a new adventure. Eventually she leaves Curaçao on a boat owned by Abraham and Samuel Dias on its way from Curaçao to Boston. Maria and her daughter end up in Salem, Massachusetts during the years of the Salem witch trials. What happens to them in Salem affects their lives for years to come and continues to affect the Owens family into the next two books, The Rules of Magic and Practical Magic.

I found Magic Lessons to be an engrossing novel. I got into it very quickly and was eager to learn about Maria’s legacy. Scattered throughout are guidelines about different types of magic (as if they are “magic lessons”) which were interesting to read but not essential to the story. Hannah’s rules guide Maria throughout her life: "Do as you will, but harm no one. What you give will be returned to you threefold."

Magic Lessons is a stand-aIone novel. Nevertheless, I plan to read Alice Hoffman’s other books about the Owens family to find out how Maria’s actions affect them throughout the generations.

In MAGIC LESSONS, The Owens family origins are beautifully unveiled in this prequel to PRACTICAL MAGIC and THE RULES OF MAGIC by Alice Hoffman.

Maria Owens was just a babe in the woods, abandoned by her mother and taken into the warm embrace of Hannah Owens. Though not born from Hannah, Maria takes on her name as her own, and what unfolds is a lyrical story of time, love, and feminism. Set in a time when reading and writing was as bad for a woman as the knowledge of herbs and midwifery, Hannah teaches Maria the secrets of life as a woman who has powers.

Alice Hoffman's writing is languid and elaborate, which can be dragging and even lulling at times. Still, MAGIC LESSONS delivers an abundance of sumptuous atmosphere. As Maria falls in love and bears a child, the infamous Owens family curse comes to light. She travels from England to Salem, Massachusetts, in pursuit of the lover who abandoned her, only to be shunned and forsaken, and convicted as a witch.

Betrayal, vengeance, and the ultimate of all things, love, are the basis for this tale. Hoffman speaks to the trials of women throughout the ages in such a quiet and delicate way that the reader feels the tug of feminist hardship more than having it beat them over the head. In this fashion, MAGIC LESSONS, and all the books on the Owens, do well to show that being different has always been a condemnation.

MAGIC LESSONS is as eloquent and beautiful as a lullaby.

Alice Hoffman gives us the story Of Maria Owens the Matriarch of the Owens family. Filled with love , magic and suspense if you are a Owens Fan this is a must read! If not this is a wonderful place to start . A novel that immerses you in the pages and won't let go

I was so excited to receive this ARC compliments of Simon & Schuster via Netgalley for an honest review.

This is my first Alice Hoffman book. I have had Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic on my TBR for a while now . . . this was the essential push I needed to get familiar with the Owens women and their legacy. This prequel novel reveals a harrowing generational journey of Maria Owens and her gifted daughter Faith . . . intricate lessons of life, love, and herbs.

The historical aspects explored in Magic Lessons were fascinating and tragic. Showing that the truth can be every bit as sad as fiction.

In this story, we walk through a period of time when the unnamed arts of blending herbs, potions, and spells are just as damning to women as reading and writing. When asserting a female opinion is equated with practicing black magic.

There are a few areas that drag, but the overall story shines through in the end. A message of sisterhood, of discovery and deliverance . . . that even in dark times we can find compassion, resilience, and hope.

Forgive me for yelling, but
THIS BOOK WAS PERFECT.
Iy took me most of the prologue to get accustomed to the voice, but then I never wanted it to end. Magic is real, y'all.
Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.