RNE Challenge: Practical Magic

It is fiction month in the reading New England challenge! For this month I decided to read Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. I have to admit that I did not even realize that this was a book until about a month ago, although I have seen and enjoyed the movie. However, I was really pleased by this book. It starts off in Massachusetts where two orphaned sisters have gone to live with their elderly aunts in a fantastically atmospheric house where the wood never gets dusty and onion runs rampant in the garden.  I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two sisters. It felt very real. Even if they do not always get along together they are there for each other when they need each other. The aunts also are wonderfully semi neglectful but come through for the girls in the end. The themes of love and family are addressed in a compelling, entertaining, and completely lovely manner.  Here are a couple quotes to give you a feel for the tone of the book:

"Sometimes the most dangerous thing of all in matters of love was to be granted your heart's desire."

"as familiar as twilight and cubed white bread"

"They believe that every problem has a solution, although it may not be the outcome that was originally hoped for or expected."

"or perhaps it's simply that one can never predict one's own fortune"

I would highly recommend it!