Magic in Ontario

Nestled along a cobbled path amongst a copse of trees is a cottage on the outskirts of Jared, Ontario. Jenny, a self-proclaimed hedgewytch, lives there. Through her magic mirror she sees the arrival of Miranda and Molly, two young college students renting a room in a local boarding house while attending the nearby university. Molly is studying to become a teacher and Miranda a nurse. 

Just a Bit of Magic, by Barb Bissonette is told through Molly’s eyes as she relates her experiences living and working in Jared. Both college girls first meet on the job in a local diner as waitresses. Molly learns that Miranda is from Canada’s West coast while she grew up on Prince Edward’s Island in the East. The girls hit it off becoming inseparable. On their second day of work, they are assigned to pick up supplies at Jenny’s place on Hedgewytch Way. 

Jenny turns out to be a very wise woman in her 60s. She’s a tiny woman with a huge heart coupled with a lot of common sense. She explains to the girls about a hedgewytch: a witch that works mainly with plants and herbs to make potions and herbal remedies that she sells. This reader couldn’t help but admire the woman, but Molly has doubts about her that aren’t resolved until the dramatic climax.

Jenny has a seasonal column in the town newspaper, Jared Times, where she writes about the musings of a hedgewytch. There she writes about nature facts, explains the different equinoxes and old pagan holidays, and provides recipes for her readers. One example of these recipes is for lilac wine. These articles are always positive and uplifting. In contrast, there’s another column, Witches Among Us, where the unknown author spews lies comparing Jenny to the Salem witches.

Jenny’s home is where she operates her business, which includes day care for young children, a dog walking service, and in the rear annex, people meet for yoga lessons taught by Jenny’s daughter-in-law, Brooke. 

Molly and Miranda decide to join the Sunday yoga group on their day off. There they meet Toby, Brooke’s young son and a gaggle of women, mostly nurses just off duty. After the workout, Miranda and Molly listen to the women’s eye-opening stories about their lives.

Just a Bit of Magic is a perfect book for book clubs to read and discuss. And the men out there would learn a lot if they read it, too, for they will develop a better understanding of women and the affect they have on the females in their lives. 

About the Author

Barb Bissonette is a retired medical nurse of forty years at Soldiers Memorial Hospital in Orillia, Ontario. She completed a mission to Dominican Republic with the Sisters of Charity to work among the people living there. She loved nursing, but has always enjoyed reading and writing.

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