53 pages 1 hour read

Alice Hoffman

The Rules of Magic

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2017

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Part 6

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 6 Summary: “Remedy”

Thirty years after Vincent’s disappearance, Regina’s daughters, Gillian and Sally, are growing up in Forestville, California. Gillian is daring and whimsical, while Sally is more cautious and responsible. Regina is a successful artist and has married Daniel, a fisherman and guide on the Russian River. Their grandmother, April, recently died of a venomous-spider bite. Regina seems inconsolable, so Daniel takes her out onto the Russian River for a second honeymoon. However, the couple end up dying in a lightning-related fire.

Sally takes charge to ensure that she and Gillian can stay together by calling up Frances and Jet, the women April recommended they call if anything happened. They move to Massachusetts, ill-clad in their light California clothes. At first glance, Aunt Jet seems homely, while aunt Frances appears rude and scary. However, the aunts lead the girls on a journey of discovery, as Frances reveals that she and Sally share the talent for attracting birds, and she tells them about their grandfather Vincent. 

Part 6 Analysis

Part 6 links The Rules of Magic to Practical Magic, the chronological sequel written two decades before. We learn that Regina has lived out her shortened life span fully, cramming in a sojourn at Berkeley, farming off the land, mothering two daughters, Sally and Gillian, and falling intensely in love in a manner that evokes the family’s predilection for

Related Titles

By Alice Hoffman

Study Guide

logo

Blackbird House

Alice Hoffman

Blackbird House

Alice Hoffman

Plot Summary

logo

Green Angel

Alice Hoffman

Green Angel

Alice Hoffman

Study Guide

logo

Half Magic

Edward Eager, N. M. Bodecker, Alice Hoffman

Half Magic

Edward Eager, N. M. Bodecker, Alice Hoffman

Study Guide

logo

Incantation

Alice Hoffman

Incantation

Alice Hoffman

Plot Summary

logo

Local Girls

Alice Hoffman

Local Girls

Alice Hoffman

Study Guide

logo

Practical Magic

Alice Hoffman

Practical Magic

Alice Hoffman

Study Guide

logo

The Dovekeepers

Alice Hoffman

The Dovekeepers

Alice Hoffman

Study Guide

logo

The Invisible Hour

Alice Hoffman

The Invisible Hour

Alice Hoffman

Study Guide

logo

The Marriage Of Opposites

Alice Hoffman

The Marriage Of Opposites

Alice Hoffman

Plot Summary

logo

The Museum of Extraordinary Things

Alice Hoffman

The Museum of Extraordinary Things

Alice Hoffman

Plot Summary

logo

The River King

Alice Hoffman

The River King

Alice Hoffman

Study Guide

logo

The World That We Knew

Alice Hoffman

The World That We Knew

Alice Hoffman