The Rules of Magic Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, Wise Women: Willfulness or Witchcraft? and our BookBrowse Review of The Rules of Magic.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. We learn that the rules of magic are to harm no one, remember that what you give will be returned to you threefold, and fall in love whenever you can. Do Franny, Jet, and Vincent live by these rules? What happens when they break them? What set of rules would you live by?
2. Make note of the part titles. What do the titles add to the narrative? Why do you think the author chose the titles she did?
3. Alice Hoffman's novels are often woven with qualities that earn them a place in the genre of magical realism. Discuss how she achieves this writing style. What details do you notice she includes? What sources of inspiration does she draw from?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Simon & Schuster. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.