Customer Reviews

Gypsy Magic: A Romany Book of Spells, Charms, and Fortune-Telling

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this book on a whim. I had a gift certificate to use at Barnes and Noble so I picked it up. I have to say the information contained within is very vague and basic at best. There really is no history or explaination aside from a few words at the start of each chapter. What i did like about this book were the chapters on Gypsy Divination, Reading tea leaves, reading palms, and the tarot cards. If your interested in those subjects then this book might be worth checking out. All things considered, i think the $16.95 price tag is a bit high for what you get, I would reccomend buying this one used.

I was very pleased to find this book on the store shelves. I am researching gypsies and gypsy magic for a role I play at a Rennaisance Faire. The book is written by a Rom and gives the reader a good idea of what they are about re: magic. The book is fun but it doesn't get too detailed. Depending on what you are looking for, that could be good or bad. If you are just starting out this is a good place to start but don't think you will be getting all the gypsy "secrets" the author just skims the top of a very deep subject. Maybe there will be a part 2. If you are interested in gypsy culture, I recomend a very good book: "We Borrow the Earth" by Patrick Jasper Lee. It's a very easy read and very hard to put down.

It is nice to see a book written by a Romani on the shelves. This book is not very detailed but it seems acurate. I do reccomend it along with Lelands historical text, together the 2 make a good combo

The things she says are things I've heard spoken of in the family (Hungarian and Russian) but she's keeping a lot for herself. And so she should. It's been good to read about my heritage and the things I've felt intuitively, but it would appear to be something I need to learn from an actual live person. The other reviewer was probably right about her writing for the "gadje", you can't go and practice with what little she's written. Still, it piqued my interest and I will research the subject further. A good companion I found that went a bit further into Eastern European magic was Grandmother of TimeThe Grandmother of Time: A Woman's Book of Celebrations, Spells, and Sacred Objects for Every Month of the Year which is a much deeper look at traditional female spirituality.

I am not Romani and bought this book hoping for some historical information on the Romani people, their culture, and ways. I enjoyed what the author had to say about her people and also some of the folk beliefs that were touched upon for the reader. I think I would have liked a little more information just as far as history goes and more on the language of the Romanies. All in all this is a pretty good book for some basic information.

Although I have some doubts about there being real Gypsies in the English countryside still living in wagons etc. , i have to to say that to best best of my (admittedly poor) knowledge Cooper provides some important information. The book lays out some of the basic stuff you might encounter when meeting your average Gypsy fortuneteller (palmistry, cards, spells) and has some eclectic information (such as runes etc) that clearly are Cooper's own special interest.

There is also some unsentimental advice on casting curses and protecting from them, clearly a major part of Romany existence. Cooper knows about energy and the stuff she talks about is clearly first-hand, which i appreciated.

Any claims that this work is too simple is, imo, misguided and a bit naive. The book is a treasure trove of information that many - including those working the ceremonial magic - will find interesting, if not useful. I recommend it.

This book is amazingly well written. The only thing I can say I would improve on it would be to make the book longer!
Easy to read, with all of the information well-organised, plus an introduction about Romany culture and so on.
Covers everything from tea leaves to tarot cards to crystal balls to love spells. Perfect for anyone interested in Romany Culture. I wish I could hit the "5 stars" button about 5 more times.

A very informative book. I've learned much and it piques my interest to learn more. I'm sure I'll be purchasing more books on this subject.

I saw this in a bookstore when I was on vacation out of state and really interested me. I wish the author went a lot more in depth about the Romany tradition but if you want to get more information about folk magick there are loads of books about the topic. I've personally found that when you study one particular type of majick or tradition, it often mirrors another form of majick or tradition from another part of the world. I would definitely recommend this book for the beginner exploring folk majick and Pagan traditions. Thumbs up :D

Love this book. I got it from the library so many times that I finally decided to just get a copy!


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