By Mishka Altschul
In a small town in Massachusetts, there once lived two sisters. A tale as old as time, I know. Sally, who was more on the practical side, and Gillian, who was more magical. As I come up on my one-year anniversary of reading this lovely piece of writing, I reflect on the story it has told me and the thread it has woven into my book taste.
Practical Magic was published in 1995 by Alice Hoffman. It tells the classical story of two sisters who lived with their aunts growing up in a town in Massachusetts. They were picked on at school due to the town’s continued hatred for the women of their family. To quote the book directly, “For 200 years the Owens women have been blamed for everything in this town”. As the book progresses, the two sisters grow apart and eventually back together again.
The book showcases sisterhood, friendship, trust and the tearing and stitching back together of such things. Not to mention, the tales won’t stop there. Hoffman has published a few more books detailing the lives of Sally and Gillian’s predecessors, which I also recommend. The story is a perfect example of female solidarity as well as life in general. It is truly a work of art and I hope I have inspired you, someone who is reading this, someone who is probably my mother, to read this gorgeous book.
