- Born:
- March 16, 1952, New York City, New York, U.S. (age 74)
- Notable Works:
- âAngel Landingâ
- âAquamarineâ
- âAt Riskâ
- âBlackbird Houseâ
- âFirefliesâ
- âIllumination Nightâ
- âIncantationâ
- âPractical Magicâ
- âProperty Ofâ
- âSeventh Heavenâ
- âThe Book of Magicâ
- âThe Dovekeepersâ
- âThe Ice Queenâ
- âThe Marriage of Oppositesâ
- âThe Museum of Extraordinary Thingsâ
- âThe River Kingâ
- âThe Rules of Magicâ
- âThe Third Angelâ
- âThe World That We Knewâ
- âTurtle Moonâ
- âWhite Horsesâ
Alice Hoffman
-
Who is Alice Hoffman?
Alice Hoffman, born on March 16, 1952, is an American novelist known for blending realism and the supernatural in her stories about women discovering themselves. She studied at Adelphi University and Stanford University before beginning her writing career, contributing short stories to magazines. Her debut novel, Property Of (1977), explores the intense relationship between a suburban girl and a gang leader.
Hoffman's works often delve into intricate relationships, as seen in Angel Landing (1980) and White Horses (1982). Practical Magic (1995), which was adapted into a film in 1998, spawned a series including The Rules of Magic (2017), Magic Lessons (2020), and The Book of Magic (2021). In 1999, she helped establish the Hoffman Breast Center at Mount Auburn Hospital, where she received treatment for breast cancer.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What kind of books does Alice Hoffman write?
Alice Hoffman is an American novelist known for blending realism and the supernatural in her books about women seeking their identities.
Hoffman's novels often explore complex relationships, as seen in Angel Landing, White Horses, and Illumination Night. She has also written about challenging social issues, such as AIDS in At Risk and the status of single mothers in Turtle Moon. Her Practical Magic series delves into themes of family tradition and witchcraft. Other notable works include The River King, Blackbird House, and The Dovekeepers, which explore mystery, generational stories, and historical events through the eyes of women. Additionally, Hoffman has written books for children and teenagers, such as Fireflies and Aquamarine.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What is Alice Hoffman best known for?
Alice Hoffman is an American novelist known for blending realism and the supernatural in her stories about women seeking their identities.
Hoffman's novels often explore complex relationships, as seen in Angel Landing, White Horses, and Illumination Night. She has also written about challenging topics such as AIDS in At Risk and the lives of single mothers in Turtle Moon. Her popular Practical Magic series delves into a family's tradition of witchcraft, captivating readers with its enchanting themes.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some famous novels by Alice Hoffman?
Alice Hoffman is an American novelist known for blending realism and the supernatural in her stories about women finding themselves.
Some of her notable works include her debut novel, Property Of (1977), a gritty and romantic story about a suburban girl and a gang leader, and At Risk (1988), which addresses a young girl with AIDS and the reactions it provokes. Practical Magic (1995), about two sisters and their family's witchcraft tradition, became a popular series with prequels and sequels. Other books include The River King (2000), Blackbird House (2004), The Ice Queen (2005), The Dovekeepers (2011), The Museum of Extraordinary Things (2014), The Marriage of Opposites (2015), and The World That We Knew (2019).
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How does magic or fantasy appear in Alice Hoffman's stories?
Alice Hoffman's novels blend realism with the supernatural, often focusing on women discovering their identities.
Magic and fantasy are prominent in her Practical Magic series, which includes Practical Magic (1995), The Rules of Magic (2017), Magic Lessons (2020), and The Book of Magic (2021). These books explore a family tradition of witchcraft.
Other works, such as The Ice Queen (2005), incorporate magical elements, detailing how a woman's life changes after being struck by lightning. Hoffman's storytelling weaves the mystical into the everyday, creating a unique narrative style.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How have Alice Hoffman's books influenced readers or inspired movies?
Alice Hoffman's novels, blending realism and the supernatural, often explore women's identities and complex relationships. Her book Practical Magic (1995) was adapted into a film in 1998, later becoming a series with prequels and sequels. The River King (2000) also became a movie in 2004. Additionally, her teen book Aquamarine was made into a film in 2006, and The Dovekeepers (2011) was adapted into a TV miniseries in 2015.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Alice Hoffman (born March 16, 1952, New York City, New York, U.S.) is an American novelist whose books about women in search of their identities mix realism and the supernatural. Her best-known works include Practical Magic (1995), The Dovekeepers (2011), and The World That We Knew (2019).
Education and early novels
Hoffman was educated at Adelphi University (B.A., 1973) and Stanford University (M.A., 1975) and began her professional writing career by contributing short stories to magazines. Her first novel, Property Of (1977), which traces the one-year relationship of a suburban girl and a gang leader, is both gritty and romantic. Many of Hoffmanâs other novels also deal with complex relationships, such as Angel Landing (1980), a love story set near a nuclear power plant on Long Island, New York; White Horses (1982), which concerns a girlâs struggle to rid herself of incestuous feelings for her elder brother; and Illumination Night (1987), the story of a young couple whose marriage is challenged by a teenage girl.
In At Risk (1988) Hoffman wrote about a young girl with AIDS who sparks varied reactions from her family and community. Seventh Heaven (1990) concerns an unconventional divorcĂ©e in a Long Island suburb in 1959â60, and Turtle Moon (1992) contemplates the status of single mothers.
Practical Magic series and other witch books
In 1995 Hoffman published Practical Magic, about two sisters trying to leave behind their familyâs tradition of witchcraft. Three years later the novel was adapted into a film starring Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock, and it eventually became a cult classic. The book was the first in a popular series that included the prequels The Rules of Magic (2017) and Magic Lessons (2020) and the sequel The Book of Magic (2021), which was adapted into the film Practical Magic 2 in 2026. That same year Hoffman returned to the subject of witchcraft with a new series, beginning with The Witches of Cambridge. The novel follows two Radcliffe students who join a coven in 1950s Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Other novels and projects
Hoffman wrote numerous other books in the 2000s, including The River King (2000; film 2004), about the mystery surrounding a small Massachusetts town after a student drowns in the local river. Blackbird House (2004) describes the many generations of families who have lived in the same Cape Cod farmhouse, and The Ice Queen (2005) details how a womanâs life changes for the better after she is struck by lightning. The Third Angel, which weaves together the stories of three women all hopelessly in love with the wrong men, was published in 2008. In The Dovekeepers (TV miniseries 2015), Hoffman imagined the 1st-century Roman siege of the mountaintop fortress of Masadaâwhere some 1,000 Jews had retreated after the fall of Jerusalemâfrom the perspectives of four women.
In 2014 Hoffman published The Museum of Extraordinary Things, a tale centering on an early 20th-century New York City boardwalk curiosity show. The Marriage of Opposites (2015) imagines the life of painter Camille Pissarroâs mother, a Creole Jew living on the island of St. Thomas who, following the death of her first husband, scandalizes her community by marrying his nephew. In 2019 Hoffman released The World That We Knew, which is set during World War II.
Hoffman also wrote the childrenâs book Fireflies (1997) and several young adult books, including Aquamarine (2001; film 2006) and Incantation (2006). In Survival Lessons (2013) she offered coping mechanisms that she had employed during her battle with breast cancer. In 1999 she provided the initial endowment for the establishment of the Hoffman Breast Center at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, where she had received treatment for the disease and later helped to raise additional funds.
The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.
SUBSCRIBE
