"She had grown up drinking Courage Tea and the effects of that brew had lasted. When the bracelets came off, blue marks circled her wrists, and where the skin had been pinched for so long there were deep indentations in her flesh.
She would have these marks all her life, and they would serve to remind her of what some people were willing to do for what they told themselves was love."
Some authors have a voice so familiar it feels like meeting up with an old friend and enjoying a reunion right there upon the page. Alice Hoffman is one such author for me. I love diving into her world of witches and witchery via the Practical Magic series of novels, and as we still have some time to go until the Practical Magic 2 film is released, I have been reading the prequel to the series instead.
Magic Lessons is the story of Maria Owens, the witch who cast the curse against love and the one who started it all. The novel begins in 1664 when she is discovered as a foundling child, a tiny babe wrapped in a blue blanket, abandoned on a cold January day. She is found by the wise woman, Hannah, a healer who trades natural remedies for payment in kind and who lives a quiet life on the edge of the woods. However, it soon becomes clear to Hannah that baby Maria is no ordinary child. The wildlife is drawn to her, silver turns black as soon as she touches it, and she can call a flower to bloom with a kind word or two. Then she draws in her familiar, a black crow who will not leave her side and who is eventually named Cadin. All this leaves Hannah believing that young Maria is a natural witch, one who is skilled in the art of spellcraft and magic.
As Maria grows up, her powers become stronger, more extraordinary and difficult to hide. The witch hunts are in full swing across England and Scotland and it is only a matter of time before Maria's gifts draw the wrong kind of attention. For Hannah, this is a day that comes all too soon and she sends Maria to the coast, bidding her to take a ship and flee to America. And so Maria's life truly begins, shaped by injustice, horror and prejudice. She is a young girl, forced to grow up too soon, but she makes the best of things and soon finds a place for herself in the world.
Prequels can often be tricky to pull off, but this one is like a gentle whisper from the past, where the Maria we know from the gallows, whose hanging rope snaps and saves her life, is brought out into the open and given a voice that is entirely her own. Practical Magic is one of my favourite films - I actually prefer the film to the book - and Magic Lessons gives a whole new background to that story. Here we discover what led Maria to the gallows in the first place and why she felt the need to cast a curse on any man who dared to love an Owens woman. While a knowledge of Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman would be useful, this novel is complete in itself and you do not need to have read the other books in the series to enjoy this prequel. Then again, it's also the perfect excuse to re-watch the fabulous film, before you read this story!
Magic Lessons is a lovely novel, the language is lyrical and dreamy as Hoffman casts her spell upon readers. There are a few surprises, a couple of the most adorable familiars, lots of romance and as the title would suggest, some important lessons in magic are learnt and digested, for good or ill. If you enjoy witchy novels, or you are a fan of the original book or movie, then you will probably like this beautifully written prequel to the series. Enjoy - and remember to fall in love whenever you can!
Serene Blessings
Marie x
AD: Magic Lessons is published by Scribner UK and is out now in all formats.