Practical Magic - Alice Hoffman

Spoilers below! Skip to the end for star rating.

I ordered this purely because i discovered the film was based on a novel and i love the film. Unfortunately, the novel really was just basic source material and the characters, storytelling, settings etc are very, very different.

Sally and Gillian Owens are sisters who couldn't be more different, raised by their aunts after the death of their parents the girls are hounded relentlessly as children because the Owens family are considered different, they are believed to be witches, they wash with black soap, black cats follow them around and when storms destroy their town, the Owens house remains standing. Eventually Sally and Gillian go their separate ways, Sally settles down and has two children, Antonia and Kylie, but when her husband dies she leaves her hometown to build a life where nobody knows her name. Gillian meanwhile drifts from town to town, man to man, job to job, eventually arriving back at Sally's door years later, dead body in tow. 

Here is where the film differs majorly. Gillian believes she had killed James (Jimmy) who is a southern cowboy not the second coming of Dracula. Gillian has short blonde hair. They bury James in the garden and continue on living, James appears in the garden to Kylie (Antonia in the film) but he doesn't possess them. Officer Gary Hallett does come looking, but he leaves pretty swiftly, though he does fall for Sally and eventually returns for her. Sally and Gillian do not have the same bond as they do in the film, in fact they borderline hate each other, the aunts appear only at the beginning and the end. Gillian meets and falls in love with someone else and here's the big disappointing kicker; there is no curse on the Owens women, their husbands do not all die. 

I think that had i read this first and watched the film secondly there is a chance i may feel differently but i think the film took some good source material and churned out a better story (much like The Notebook). They made the right decision keeping the films events at the home of the Aunts, the obvious use of magic, the curse and Sally's wish for Gary would have been brilliant in the book. 

What i will say for Alice Hoffman is that she is a beautiful writer, this book contains some truly stunning quotes and i can see why it was chosen to be turned into a film. I intend to read more of her work in future.

"“The moon is always jealous of the heat of the day, just as the sun always longs for something dark and deep"

Its a 3 out of 5. I loved her writing style and the basic story, but i think the film did it a little better. 

The Second Wife - Elizabeth Buchan

Minty stole her best friend’s life, she stole her husband, her job, her house and now Minty is realizing that life as “The Second Wife” isn't quite what she imagined. This is the first book from Elizabeth Buchan that I have read and never in my life have I wanted to punch every single character in the face more than I do those she has created. Buchan has perfectly crafted a group of ignorant, self-involved idiots.

Lead character Minty is selfish beyond words, half way through, after her husband drops dead in his ex-wife’s house Minty realizes that she didn’t love him, not really, not the way his first wife did. She prattles on and on about how hard her life as wife number two is, it becomes quite clear that most of the problem lies with Minty, not the people around her. She is at times, a reluctant mother to her sons. Minty’s only saving grace actually is that she attempts to be a reasonably good mate to best friend Paige. Paige is another person who needs a punch (then a slap and a kick) having forced her husband to have children he never desired she then decides she doesn't need him anymore and boots him out, citing that, she has no time for a husband on top of her children (you can practically hear the whooshing of her helicopter parenting as you turn the pages). Mintys husband Nathan is drab, boring, clearly exhausted and his death comes as quite a relief because it’s quite clear the man needed a good long rest, it’s just a shame he dropped of his own accord and that Minty didn’t get the chance to beat him to the grave with his secret ridiculous diary. His daughter Poppy barely tries to disguise her hatred of Minty, she’s a grade A bitch from start to finish, I wanted to beat her the most I think, it’s hard to decide.

Then comes Rose, the foreboding “First wife” as Minty repeats, over and over. Rose is just too perfect, too well put together, from her clothes, to her personality, even when her emotions bubble just over Rose is careful to pull them back with a sweetness that makes you want to vomit.

However, I wanted to finish this book, I couldn't put it down. I wanted to know how it would end and though I hoped that would be with all the characters falling off a cliff, the actual abrupt close of the novel felt more appropriate, the growth between the characters was evident and the parallels from the beginning were fitting.

Three out of five. I had a love/hate relationship with the novel but Buchan kept me reading until the final page. 

Top Secret Twenty One - Janet Evanovich

Stephanie Plum is the world’s worst bounty hunter but she always gets her man and usually solves a crime in the process. Twenty one novels in I was wondering whether author Janet Evanovich could squeeze much more out of her most popular creation but apparently she can. Top Secret Twenty One is the latest installment and it has everything you come to expect from the world of Plum.

Cars blow up, Grandma does something hilarious, Lula says something sassy, Vinnie is still running his bail bonds office, Connie is still scary, Stephanie still can’t pick a man, Bob eats something he shouldn't, Stephanie ends up in grave danger, her mum cooks dinner, and her dad eats it. The world of Plum is locked into a never-ending circle of reliving most of the same events over and over just with different criminals. It's Evanovichs proven method and she shows no sign of changing it.

This time Stephanie is stuck between two cases, bodies are piling up and Stephanie is trying to find her fugitive and solve the crime but Ranger needs Stephanie’s help when someone makes an attempt on his life. The highlight of this novel is quite easily Grandma Mazurs final appearance of the novel, it’s a literal laugh out loud moment and she supplies plenty more of those in-between when she faces off with Spooky Grandma Bella.

I have at this point, given up on Evanovich ever having Stephanie decide between her two men. Clearly Evanovich herself can’t choose between them. Ranger is smooth as ever although once again Stephanie manages to break his outer shell slightly, whilst Morelli once again proves himself as the world’s best boyfriend and Stephanie treads all over him.

Lula lacked a little of her usual sparkle in this novel. Hopefully installment 22 will see Lula back on form.

If you are a Plum fan, it’s a must read, but if you are just delving into the world of Evanovich, don’t start here, it’s not her best work.  3 out of 5 stars (purely because I’m a fan and Mazur is a hoot)