Magic Lessons is a novel written by Alice Hoffman. It is the prequel to “Practical Magic” and “The Rules of Magic”. The book tells the story of Maria Owens, who was accused of witchcraft in Salem and is the matriarch of a line of the amazing Owens women and men featured in the other two books. The story traces a centuries-old curse to its source and explores the rules of magic and the lesson that love is the only thing that matters.