Tuesday Tea is a weekly post where I share what I am reading and drinking and whether I think they complement each other.
The Book
Magic Lessons: A Prequel to Practical Magic (Practical Magic, #0.5) by Alice Hoffman
Narrator: Sutton Foster
Published by Simon & Schuster Audio
Publication Date October 6, 2020
Goodreads
From New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman comes the origin story of her beloved novel and basis for the cult classic film Practical Magic—taking us on a captivating journey to the Salem witch trials, featuring the indomitable matriarch of the Owens family, Maria.
It’s no secret that love has plagued the Owens family for centuries. But when did the curse begin, and why? It all began with Maria Owens, who arrived in America in 1680, with a baby in tow…
Born with pitch-black hair and pale green eyes, Maria was abandoned in the English countryside by her birth mother and raised by Hannah Owens who warned her, “Always love someone who will love you back.” She inherits Hannah’s Grimoire—a magical book of enchantments that include instructions to heal illnesses, ingredients for soaps that restore youth, and spells that make a person burn with love for another. When Hannah dies in an attack, Maria leaves for Curacao, where she meets John Hathorne, a magistrate from Salem living freely for the first time in his life as he falls in love with Maria. But Hathorne soon abandons her, before Maria realizes she’s pregnant. When she gives birth to a red-headed baby girl, Faith, who possesses immense magical talent, Maria embarks on a voyage to Salem to face her destiny, with or without magic.
But aboard the ship bringing her to America, fate intervenes and she meets a man who will change her life, if she’ll only let him. Her journey, laced with secrets and truths, devastation and joy, magic and curses, will show her that love is the only answer, always.
Infused with Hoffman’s “trademark alchemy” (USA TODAY) and her graceful, resplendent, hypnotic storytelling this exquisite novel is, quite simply, magical.
The Tea
I’ve been straying from tea this week and instead indulged in a rosemary ginger-infused latte.
The Assessment
I really think an herbal compliments Magic Lessons perfectly as Hannah and Maria use herbs in many of their magical remedies.
This was an intense book, much grittier than practical magic, but I loved it very much. I hope you enjoy it.