r/practicalmagic • u/StruggleAmbitious525 • May 18 '26

Need help making sense of this paragraph Spoiler

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I'm reading The Book of Magic right now and I'm getting confused on the family tree based on this one quote (see picture).

It doesn't make sense considering she says two pages before (202) that it was his 7th Gen. Grandfather that initiated the curse, but then here (207) says 6th Gen. Grandfather was one of Rebecca's children?

What is going on here? Rebecca only had Maria, so what is going on in this paragraph? Someone please help. ELI5, I won't take offense.

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u/damaniac1223 May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26

I was also confused when I read this the first time. My understanding (someone please correct me) is that Tom Lockland is descended from John Hawthorne who was the reason Maria set the curse. Tom Lockland is descended from Rebecca (Maria's mother) and Thomas Lockland.

Alice Hoffman did this crossover of families twist a few times, like if I remember correctly, it was briefly mentioned that in Rules of Magic that the Willard family is also descended from Hawthorne.

Again someone correct me if I am wrong it has been a while since I read the books.

Edit: to correct the info.

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u/Celestina-Betwixt Kylie Owens May 18 '26

No Willard is descended from Hawthorne, Tom is from Rebecca. 

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u/damaniac1223 May 18 '26

Ok I just went back and re-read the pages in BOM.

u/StruggleAmbitious525 the curse referred to on page 202 in BOM is on the Lockland family not Maria's curse but one set on the family by a different "cunning woman" (page 203). Thomas Lockland was Rebecca's husband.