Virtual Event: Alice Hoffman

Harvard Book Store's virtual event series and the Salem Athenaeum welcome celebrated novelist ALICE HOFFMAN for a discussion of her latest book, Magic Lessons—the prequel to her beloved, bestselling classic, Practical Magic. She will be joined in conversation by LAURA ZIGMAN, author of the novels Animal Husbandry and Separation Anxiety.

Ticketing

There are two ticket options available for this event:

Admission Ticket - $35.25: Includes one admission link and one copy of Magic Lessons. US shipping also included. (Please note: we are unable to ship internationally.)

Pay-What-You-Can Ticket: Includes one admission link. We suggest a $5 donation to support Harvard Book Store's staff and our virtual event series during these difficult times. Thank you for your support!

About Magic Lessons

Where does the story of the Owens bloodline begin? With Maria Owens, in the 1600s, when she’s abandoned in a snowy field in rural England as a baby. Under the care of Hannah Owens, Maria learns about the “Unnamed Arts.” Hannah recognizes that Maria has a gift and she teaches the girl all she knows. It is here that she learns her first important lesson: Always love someone who will love you back.

When Maria is abandoned by the man who has declared his love for her, she follows him to Salem, Massachusetts. Here she invokes the curse that will haunt her family. And it’s here that she learns the rules of magic and the lesson that she will carry with her for the rest of her life. Love is the only thing that matters.

Magic Lessons is a celebration of life and love and a showcase of Alice Hoffman’s masterful storytelling.

Praise for Magic Lessons

“In Hoffman’s luminous prose, all characters, even the villains, are not only vividly, but also compassionately, rendered . . . Hoffman adeptly highlights that how one uses a talent, selflessly or selfishly, has a sweeping impact on many lives, meaning that one should always choose courage, and that love is the only answer.” —Booklist

"Hoffman offers an eye-opening account of how single women were treated in the 17th century, particularly when their knowledge or intelligence was deemed threatening. [This] page-turning adventure is thoroughly enjoyable. Hoffman’s redemptive story of a fiercely independent woman adds an engrossing, worthwhile chapter to the series." —Publishers Weekly