Years before the arrival of the Halliwell sisters and their trademark "Power of Three", writer Alice Hoffman came up with a novel about two witches tyring to live ordinary lives, dealing with family, and looking for love.
Practical Magic is the story of two orphaned sisters, Gillian and Sally, raised by their eccentric aunts. The sisters grew up in a household filled with magic. Their aunts acquired a reputation for being witches, selling love potions and hexes to their neighbors. The novel (and the movie) talks about their lives - from their everyday struggles to their romantic (mis)adventures.
People who watched the movie might try reading the book, since there are a lot of differences between the two. Personally I'd consider the book to be a drama story while the movie is more of a fantastic story.
In the novel, the sisters do not live with aunts and magic becomes more subtle and figurative as compared to the movie. The book focuses more on the relationships of the two sisters, it examines their struggles with one another, their families and their lovers.
I would understand why the magic took a more dominant role in the movie version. Adding more special effects - like spirits and curses would pull in more viewers. But the magical effects also succeeded in showing the sisters' relationship and struggles,
Despite their different approach, the novel and movie succeeded in portraying the characters and narrating their stories. Some people might prefer either the movie or the book, but I loved both the film adaptation and the novel.
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