Product Description

Eighteen of Britain's most exciting authors have written brand new stories especially for this spellbinding collection: Andrea Ashworth, Kate Atkinson, Celia Brayfield, Christopher Brookmyre, Lewis Davies, Isla Dewar, Emma Donoghue, Maeve Haran, Joanne Harris, Jackie Kay, Gil McNeil, John O'Farrell, Ben Okri, Michele Roberts, Meera Syal, Sue Townsend, Arabella Weir and Fay Weldon. Miracles, mystery, romance and humour - from Louisiana mud-swamps where enchantment is for sale to a bra-making workshop where dreams come true, this is British fiction at its fizziest, least predictable and best. The National Council recently launched its Magic Million Appeal, with the aim of raising one million pounds to fund services for single parents and their children so that they can get the help and support they need, when they need it. GBP1 will go straight to the charity with every copy sold of MAGIC.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2690 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Guardian 22nd June 2002
"For Grown-up Harry Potter fans everywhere."

From the Publisher
MIRACLES, MYSTERY, ROMANCE AND HUMOUR

From Louisiana mud-swamps where enchantment is for sale to a bra-making workshop where dreams come true, "MAGIC" is British fiction at its most spell-binding.

Eighteen of Britain's best writers have written brand new storeis especially for this collection, an unforgettable chance to put a little magic in your life.

From the Author
When we first talked about editing an anthology to raise funds for the National Council for One Parent Families' Magic Million Appeal we both felt really excited about the idea of approaching our favourite writers and asking them to write a short story. But we weren't sure just how generous people could be - every writer has written their story for no fee - or how quickly they'd be able to write their stories, since we had a very quick turnaround time for getting the manuscript to Bloomsbury. But we were overwhelmed by their generosity, and everyone got their story to us on time. And then when we got to actually read the stories we couldn't quite believe our luck, because what emerged was a truly outstanding collection. From bra-making workshops, school reunions, and roman graveyards, to disappearing professors, Louisiana mud-swamps, and magical creatures, this collection truly is British fiction at its most spell-binding and bewitching. And the money it raises will really make a difference, and help single parents and their children can get the help and support they need, when they need it. Sarah is Patron of the Appeal, and J K Rowling, who has written the foreword to the book, is an Ambassador for the National Council of One Parent Families. We all really hope you enjoy reading the book as much as we have enjoyed editing it.

"Magic is … a sleeping child and a gin and tonic"
Gil McNeil

"Magic is … seeing my six-year-old niece, Hannah, in goggles and flippers splashing against her nerves, or witnessing her comic, colourful, fearlessly passionate outrage in the face of brussel sprouts and early bedtime"

Andrea Ashworth

"Magic is ... (despite the tone of my story for the MAGIC anthology) being a parent is magic"
Celia Brayfield

"Magic is … not living in Aberdeen anymore"
Christopher Brookmyre

"Magic is … never having to be funny and knowing people will like you anyway"
Arabella Weir

"Magic is … setting the video and finding it has actually recorded the programme."
John O'Farrell

Customer Reviews

All you could ask for from a collection of short stories.
I'll be honest, I only bought this book because I'm a J.K.Rowling fan and I have to have everything she's ever had published (even if it's only a foreward). I wasn't expecting too much from the actual stories themselves. But I was more than merely pleasantly suprised. The stories are wonderful. Each one is somehow very different from the others but they all share an element of 'sparkle' which makes the collection jell rather well. This 'sparkle' is not just magic, though there is some magic (of sorts) in some of the stories, but is rather a property of the characters. Though the stories are all about different people the main characters have, in their behaviour, something which makes them stand out, something which makes them just a little bit special. Perhaps it's this which makes the stories so enchanting; the fact that the characters are close to being average and normal, but have some small quality which anyone might possess, but which almost no-one actually does possess. I hope that makes some sense. If not, let me simply say that the stories are not only very original but are also very well written and very enjoyable to read. I highly recommend this collection of short stories.

"Magic Moments"
Tilly has wild aspirations of becoming a famous opera diva.
Sandra dreams of creating the perfect bra to revolutionize womens' lives and what has become of Professor Martin Presley whose scientific discovery has the worst repercussions ever?

These are just some of the topics explored in "Magic", which is an interesting anthology produced for The National Council For One-Parent Families. It aims to raise money to support the millions of single parents, like myself, facing financial hardship in bringing up a child single-handedly.
Its forward is by J.K Rowling, Ambassador of this charity and herself a lone parent once caught in the poverty trap.

The stories are kindly donated by well-accomplished authors including Fay Weldon, Sue Townsend and John O' Farrell.
Oozing originality, its tales stretch the imagination and provide its reader with escapism in abundance whilst also supporting a worthwhile cause.
Hocus Pocus this is not. This is British Fiction at its finest.

Splendid book, filled with sparkling stories
I rarely read collections of short stories, but this one attracted me - it contans stories written by today's modern (mostly women) writers, and all of them tempted me to read other works by them.

Each story has magic as its theme - that is not to say the rabbit out of the hat magic, but more often the magic of an emotion or a feeling. My personal favourite is indeed the rabbit from a hat story by Meera Syal!

I can imagine that these stories will not appeal to everyone, but most of them will appeal to most women!

Read and enjoy.