Magic Spells

I chose this book on a whim - so glad I did! I fell in love with the human characters, and the magic elements are practically story characters as well. I found many lovely phrases that I've earmarked for my collection of quotes; Ms. Yorke has a way of putting emotion into words that really strike my heart. I'm looking forward to reading more of her work!

Few books have captured my imagination like this one did. A big, wonderful, surprising and uplifting book of love and friendship. Ranks with Deborah Smith's A Place to Call Home as one of my all time favorites - and to think I literally stumbled upon it. I have only one question - why isn't a book this good being promoted by the publisher and published in hardcover like other books of its quality?

One thing I liked about the book was that the magic spells/thoughts was a background theme unlike Practical Magic that tried to make the characters and the magic front focal spots. This book had the characters front and center, with the magic being a background thread of thought to connect them together and to better explain Esther's approach to many things in her life. The character developments were interesting! Alex, the child, was so developed in character that you could easily visualize him and his facial expressions in your mind. Christy had you hoping Esther would give in to Robert's loving thoughts, and yet had you understanding why Esther hesitated to do so. Ginny was perfectly created, a woman trying to fight back her jealousy but at the same time unable to not let it show and fighting to keep something alive that was never really alive except on one side of viewing. Having Ned "reappear" in the image of another person's attitude and appearance was a nice touch, making Devon someone you wanted to hate and yet allowed you to understand the catalystic effects Ned had earlier on the main characters being replayed out due to his appearance to the story. The ending was not a suprise, but it was interesting reading the book to get to the ending all the same. The subtle twists and turns that they took to get there was interesting, although I wish the athletic competiveness was toned down between Graham and Devon or done more sparingly - I could also see why this was included as Graham was "fighting his past" and a "ghost" from it as well. Although you knew from the start who would wind up with whom, it was still an interesting read.

The writing is fabulous. The story kept me reading from chapter to chapter. I recommend this book to anybody that has ever wished for anything. I could not put it down. I look forward to seeing more from Christy Yorke.

I absolutely loved this book. I only put it down because I had to go to work! It wasn't just the story, which was great, but the style of the author. She reminds me a lot of Alice Hoffman. The characters were charming and sometimes heartbreaking, and she blended magic with reality with such subtlety, you couldn't be sure which was which. I felt like a movie was running in my head the whole time I was reading. I'd recommend this book to anyone and I'll be waiting for the author's next!