Alice Hoffman Books

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Alice Hoffman is an American author that wrote ‘Practical Magic.’ Born in 1952 in New York City to a family of Jewish descent, she attended Valley Stream North High School, Adelphi University (Bachelor of Arts), and the Stanford University Creative Writing Center (Master of Arts).

Hoffman published her first short story (At The Drive-In) when she was 21. The achievement drew the attention of Ted Solotaroff, an editor, who asked her whether she had written any novels.

Hoffman responded by writing ‘Property Of,’ her first novel, which Farrar Straus and Girous (Macmillan Publishers) published. She wrote over two dozen novels in the years that followed, receiving awards recognition and a mention from Oprah’s Book Club.

The author writes books with strong elements of magical realism. She has an engaging style that encourages people to consume her work at a leisurely pace. The supernatural elements come naturally. As a child, she read myths and fairy tales.

These elements featured prominently in the literature she consumed. She was drawn to magic because the myths and fairy tales she read were told by great women with a strong storytelling background. As a writer and a woman, those women appealed to her. Though, Hoffman’s objective is to add a realistic spin to magic.

She does an incredible amount of research for her projects. She researches before she starts. Then she stops and writes the first draft. Then she takes a step back and does more research.

In a way, the research never ends. Some subjects are so compelling that, on occasion, she has felt like she could research them for the rest of her life. She has to make a concerted effort to step away from the research long enough to write.

The topic of her novels doesn’t have to be grounded for the author to lose herself in research. When she wrote ‘The Rules of Magic,’ she spent a lot of time reading about witchcraft.

But even though her research is extensive, Hoffman doesn’t put everything she learns into the books she writes. She believes that it is vital to know as much as you can about your characters. But the readers don’t need to know everything you know.

From what she has seen, accumulating copious amounts of background information gives an author the sort of clear understanding they need to bring a character to life. She experiments with various POVs before selecting a point of view that fits the story.

The characters take center stage in her creative process. She makes various notes about their history and attributes. Once she researches the setting, she outlines the story. Hoffman doesn’t expect to stick to the outline. In fact, she changes the outline all the time. But it gives her a place to start.

Alice Hoffman Awards

Hoffman’s accolades include the Massachusetts Book Award, Hemmett Prize, and the New Jersey Notable Book Award.

Alice Hoffman Books Into Movies

The Dovekeepers became a two-part TV movie in 2015. Practical Magic became a 1998 fantasy romantic comedy starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock.

Best Alice Hoffman Books

The author was treated for breast cancer at some point. The incident compelled her to volunteer her resources to establish Mount Auburn Hospital’s Hoffman Breast Center. Hoffman’s best books include:

Practical Magic: Gillian and Sally felt like outsiders. As children, the kids taunted them, and the adults shunned them. For their elderly aunts, the behavior was expected. The Massachusetts town had spent the last two centuries blaming everything that went wrong on the Owens women.

Gillian and Sally were determined to escape. And they did. But now, some unseen force is pulling them back.

The Rules of Magic: Susanna Owens expected her children to suffer. Their ancestor, Maria Owens, was charged with witchcraft back in the 1600s. Her only crime was loving the wrong person.

In Susanna’s time, the world is not quite as dangerous. But it is just as harsh. Her children are unfortunate because they are so clearly different. Susanna wants to keep them safe. She has given them a strict list of rules to follow, rules that can hopefully hide their gifts.
But the children are looking to visit their Aunt Isabelle in a small town in Massachusetts that holds the keys to their family’s secret.

When Does The Next Alice Hoffman book come out?

The next book by Alice Hoffman is The Bookstore Keepers and will be released on February, 18th 2025. It is the newest book in the The Once Upon a Time Bookshop Stories Series.

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