Practical Magic

Sally and Gillian Owens grow up as outsiders in Massachusetts, in a small town where people hold their family of witches responsible for bad luck. After the girls are orphaned, their aunts Frances and Jet raise them in the family house, selling love potions, charms and herbal remedies while the neighbors whisper and stay away.

Both girls want to be ordinary. Gillian leaves for California and a run of unsuitable men. Sally marries, has two daughters and tries to live as plainly as she can, sure that a curse hangs over the women of her line.

A love spell goes badly wrong, and the sisters give up magic and love alike. Much later, Gillian runs into trouble and turns to Sally. The tie between them draws both women back to the aunts and the old house they once tried to leave.

Sally's daughters, Antonia and Kylie, start to show the family's gifts. A stranger comes to town asking questions, and the Owens women can no longer avoid what they are. Published in 1995, the novel has a warm, wry tone and is the first book in the Practical Magic series.