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Good Intentions Collection #1
The Magician
A mother-to-be is awed by her own mother’s chaotic and unknowable approach to life and its natural mysteries in a smart, witty, and whimsical story by the New York Times bestselling author of One Italian Summer.
Growing up with an eccentric but loving mother who levitates for a living, Charlie always wondered, How does she do it? Defying gravity is no easy trick. Neither is motherhood. Now that her mother is leaving New York for bigger skies in New Mexico, it’s a new stage in life for both of them in an ever-evolving relationship that reveals the true magic of being a mother.
Rebecca Serle’s The Magician is part of Good Intentions, a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood from award-winning, bestselling authors. Read or listen to each in a single sitting.
Growing up with an eccentric but loving mother who levitates for a living, Charlie always wondered, How does she do it? Defying gravity is no easy trick. Neither is motherhood. Now that her mother is leaving New York for bigger skies in New Mexico, it’s a new stage in life for both of them in an ever-evolving relationship that reveals the true magic of being a mother.
Rebecca Serle’s The Magician is part of Good Intentions, a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood from award-winning, bestselling authors. Read or listen to each in a single sitting.
24 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 27, 2023
300 people are currently reading
2182 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Serle
22 books11.9k followersRebecca Serle is the New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years, The Dinner List, and the young adult novels The Edge of Falling and When You Were Mine. Serle also developed the hit TV adaptation Famous in Love, based on her YA series of the same name. She is a graduate of USC and The New School and lives in Los Angeles. Find out more at RebeccaSerle.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 221 reviews
December 24, 2024
3 "clear and beautiful prose diminished by a cliche yadayada storyline" stars !!
The prose is so darn excellent with beautiful flourishes and loveliness through and through....
The short story is rather cliche and superficial and chicklitty.
A bit of a waste really but I so want to read a longer work as Ms. Serle has artistry that is so very uncommon in women's fiction...
This was sort of like opera diva Rene Fleming attempting Bananarama's Venus !
The prose is so darn excellent with beautiful flourishes and loveliness through and through....
The short story is rather cliche and superficial and chicklitty.
A bit of a waste really but I so want to read a longer work as Ms. Serle has artistry that is so very uncommon in women's fiction...
This was sort of like opera diva Rene Fleming attempting Bananarama's Venus !
June 28, 2024
In a Nutshell: A short story about a mother and daughter ready to begin the next phase of their lives. Interesting from start to end, but it never feels mind-blowing. End result: meh. A one-time read.
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Plot Preview:
This is the first standalone story in the 'Good Intentions’ series, described on Amazon as “a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood.”
There are many good things about this story. The plot is steady from start to end. The characters are also interesting, what with one magician who has her secrets, one daughter who is apprehensive about the future , one husband who stays calm even in times of stress, and one contractor who seems to be least bothered about his commitments. The plot progression is good, and while there is no settled ending, it is still a decent one.
Despite all this, I was not that impressed.
The story leaves unanswered many things related to characters and their decisions in the past and the present. So somehow, there’s a feeling of incompleteness even after the story is complete. I wish that at least Sandra’s secret to “flying” successfully had been revealed, but like a true magician, she doesn’t spill the beans on her technique. As she was a first-time to-be-grandma, I was surprised how she chose the sixth month of her daughter’s pregnancy to leave the city she had been in all her life. Granted, she has the right to her own life, but surely there should have been some expression of regret for not being there for such a momentous occasion – the birth of her first grandchild.
All in all, this is a decent tale, but not impactful. It had tremendous promise, but it just didn’t meet the potential.
Works for a one-time read. At just 25 pages, it won’t take much of your time, and it won’t even stay in your head for a long time.
2.5 stars.
This standalone story is a part of the ‘Good Intentions’ collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
Kudos to the cover artist! This entire story series has stunning cover art.
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Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Plot Preview:
Charlie’s mom Sandra is a successful magician who has been entertaining audiences for decades. Her special act is when she levitates in air, with no one able to understand how she defies gravity. After all these years in New York, Sandra has now approached Charlie with a bombshell: she is moving to Santa Fe. The timing couldn’t have been worse, as Charlie herself is expecting, and the house where she lives with her husband is still not done with renovations.
The story comes to us in Charlie’s first-person perspective.
This is the first standalone story in the 'Good Intentions’ series, described on Amazon as “a riveting collection of stories about the instincts, fears, and fierce love inherent in motherhood.”
There are many good things about this story. The plot is steady from start to end. The characters are also interesting, what with one magician who has her secrets, one daughter who is apprehensive about the future , one husband who stays calm even in times of stress, and one contractor who seems to be least bothered about his commitments. The plot progression is good, and while there is no settled ending, it is still a decent one.
Despite all this, I was not that impressed.
The story leaves unanswered many things related to characters and their decisions in the past and the present. So somehow, there’s a feeling of incompleteness even after the story is complete. I wish that at least Sandra’s secret to “flying” successfully had been revealed, but like a true magician, she doesn’t spill the beans on her technique. As she was a first-time to-be-grandma, I was surprised how she chose the sixth month of her daughter’s pregnancy to leave the city she had been in all her life. Granted, she has the right to her own life, but surely there should have been some expression of regret for not being there for such a momentous occasion – the birth of her first grandchild.
All in all, this is a decent tale, but not impactful. It had tremendous promise, but it just didn’t meet the potential.
Works for a one-time read. At just 25 pages, it won’t take much of your time, and it won’t even stay in your head for a long time.
2.5 stars.
This standalone story is a part of the ‘Good Intentions’ collection, and is currently available free to Amazon Prime subscribers.
Kudos to the cover artist! This entire story series has stunning cover art.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect with me through:
My Blog || The StoryGraph || Instagram || X/Twitter || Facebook ||
December 3, 2023
Why does famous magician Sandra Kramer, a New Yorker to her core, want to leave the city for Santa Fe?? Her daughter Charlie, who adores her mother, desperately doesn’t want her to leave. This is a sweet, lovely, magical story which I really enjoy.
Amazon Good Intentions Collection- available on KU.
Amazon Good Intentions Collection- available on KU.
May 1, 2023
Her Mom The Magician
I thoroughly enjoyed this short book. The magician’s pregnant daughter has to find a way to accept the fact that her beloved mother is moving away. Such a sweet story. I gave this five stars because it brought forth a few tears as I remembered my own mother.
I thoroughly enjoyed this short book. The magician’s pregnant daughter has to find a way to accept the fact that her beloved mother is moving away. Such a sweet story. I gave this five stars because it brought forth a few tears as I remembered my own mother.
July 14, 2023
I thought the story was sweet, but forgettable. I really enjoyed the narration by Carlotta Brentan though.
April 29, 2023
Mothers are magic. If the magic is strong enough, it can be felt from anywhere. It is passed from mother to child and it will always defy explanation and it always be known and it always be there.
April 28, 2023
I want to know how she flies
Great mother-daughter story.
A mother who is a magician, and did I mention she can fly, is moving out of New York, and her daughter is pregnant with her first child.
This is not the greatest description of this tale but the important part is it's about mothers and daughters.
This is a short story that is a comfort and joy to read.
Great mother-daughter story.
A mother who is a magician, and did I mention she can fly, is moving out of New York, and her daughter is pregnant with her first child.
This is not the greatest description of this tale but the important part is it's about mothers and daughters.
This is a short story that is a comfort and joy to read.
October 27, 2023
4.5⭑
This was such a heartwarming short story.
This was such a heartwarming short story.
April 6, 2025
Very economical story of a mother/daughter relationship in which they both come of age.
March 4, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
January 14, 2024
This is a short story (Amazon original).
It is set in New York City. Charlie is pregnant. Her mom is a famous magician.
Even though this story is super short I still really enjoyed it, I loved that her mother’s act is that she flies. And that Charlie has no idea how she levitates. I just wish that the story had been longer. I wanted more.
It is set in New York City. Charlie is pregnant. Her mom is a famous magician.
Even though this story is super short I still really enjoyed it, I loved that her mother’s act is that she flies. And that Charlie has no idea how she levitates. I just wish that the story had been longer. I wanted more.
February 4, 2024
A short story exploring a young woman’s feelings when her Mother, a famous NYC magician, decides to retire and move out west.
May 7, 2023
Watching your mother in a professional setting and knowing her offstage as well. An interesting setting for motherhood questions.
Read
September 21, 2025Short but beautiful. How do I unknowingly magnate to mother/daughter stories?
June 15, 2023
Nice light read
I appreciate this book, a light and comfy read. A mother's love the greatest ever. Gratefulness and love. I would suggesr
I appreciate this book, a light and comfy read. A mother's love the greatest ever. Gratefulness and love. I would suggesr
October 11, 2023
Motherhood, like flying, unfortunately, doesn't come with a manual.
In this bittersweet story with an uplifting ending, Charlie's seventy-something mother, Sandra Kramer, is a renowned New York magician who decides to retire from her levitation act and change states as Charlie prepares for motherhood.
Charlie's story resonated with me. In the end, her mother's generosity to Charlie and her new family may have been an effort to make up for not being fully present during her childhood. I feel that their relationship would have benefited if her mother had verbally acknowledged her regrets and shortcomings. It made me wonder if Sandra Kramer truly understood how her daughter felt.
This story made me reflect on my intentions and actions as a mother. Great read!
In this bittersweet story with an uplifting ending, Charlie's seventy-something mother, Sandra Kramer, is a renowned New York magician who decides to retire from her levitation act and change states as Charlie prepares for motherhood.
Charlie's story resonated with me. In the end, her mother's generosity to Charlie and her new family may have been an effort to make up for not being fully present during her childhood. I feel that their relationship would have benefited if her mother had verbally acknowledged her regrets and shortcomings. It made me wonder if Sandra Kramer truly understood how her daughter felt.
This story made me reflect on my intentions and actions as a mother. Great read!
May 11, 2023
A series of 7 books from kindle unlimited that shows a mother's love. Just in time for Mother's Day!
September 1, 2023
This is a part of an Amazon short stories collection about motherhood.
Didn’t expect to shed that many tears. Motherhood is magic 🪄
Didn’t expect to shed that many tears. Motherhood is magic 🪄
October 30, 2024
What a warm, wonderful story about a special mother-daughter relationship. I loved every minute of it and was sad that it was only a short story and not a full novel: I still have so many questions!
January 9, 2024
4 🌟
I'm not usually one for short stories but I was intrigued by this series of stories about motherhood. Cute read
I'm not usually one for short stories but I was intrigued by this series of stories about motherhood. Cute read
July 14, 2024
A fantastically cute, bittersweet, but loving story about the bond between a mother and daughter, with a touch of magic. I absolutely loved this.
May 3, 2023
These Amazon Shorts Collection can be hit or miss for me.
However, The Magician, the first in the Good Intentions collection, was better than I expected.
Buying a house just before COVID practically shut the entire world down may not have been the smartest idea for Charlie and Seth, especially as they have a baby on the way and the house is far from finished. Then, out of nowhere, her mother decides to move from their beloved NYC, where she's always lived, to New Mexico with her partner, Carl.
Serles' take on a daughter not wanting to let go of her mother really touched something in me. Twice I've moved away from my mother and it can be like losing a limb when you're far away from the first person you loved. I wanted to hug Charlie and tell her that things will work out the way they're supposed to and that her mother, a magician, sounds absolutely amazing.
However, The Magician, the first in the Good Intentions collection, was better than I expected.
Buying a house just before COVID practically shut the entire world down may not have been the smartest idea for Charlie and Seth, especially as they have a baby on the way and the house is far from finished. Then, out of nowhere, her mother decides to move from their beloved NYC, where she's always lived, to New Mexico with her partner, Carl.
Serles' take on a daughter not wanting to let go of her mother really touched something in me. Twice I've moved away from my mother and it can be like losing a limb when you're far away from the first person you loved. I wanted to hug Charlie and tell her that things will work out the way they're supposed to and that her mother, a magician, sounds absolutely amazing.
January 29, 2024
I really enjoyed this! A heart-warming dynamic between a famous NYC magician mother and her adult daughter, exploring the uncertainties of inevitable change.
"Watching their faces watching her gave me a sense of discomfort I felt I was trying to solve. Like being off-balance but never quite falling. I wanted to know what they saw when they looked at her. Did they feel as connected to her as I did? Did they have as much access as me? I didn’t want to be just an audience member. I wanted to be her daughter."
"She looks to me. She wants to know. I think about telling her my fear. That my child will not truly know me without knowing her. That in order to be a mother, I need mine."
"Watching their faces watching her gave me a sense of discomfort I felt I was trying to solve. Like being off-balance but never quite falling. I wanted to know what they saw when they looked at her. Did they feel as connected to her as I did? Did they have as much access as me? I didn’t want to be just an audience member. I wanted to be her daughter."
"She looks to me. She wants to know. I think about telling her my fear. That my child will not truly know me without knowing her. That in order to be a mother, I need mine."
December 1, 2023
She looks to me. She wants to know. I think about telling her my fear. That my child will not truly know me without knowing her. That in order to be a mother, I need mine.
Charlie would keep asking herself until the day she dies how her mom can actually fly. How is it possible for her to do magic so effortlessly.
The meaning of the work magic can be very different for her and for us.
“Are you up there?” I ask her.
I hear the wind through the phone.
Charlie would keep asking herself until the day she dies how her mom can actually fly. How is it possible for her to do magic so effortlessly.
The meaning of the work magic can be very different for her and for us.
“Are you up there?” I ask her.
I hear the wind through the phone.
December 29, 2023
Sweet and simple with a little bit of magic. A quick read about a mother and a daughter where the mother is this awe-inspiring person that the daughter admires in all facets. Sweet story but little thematic intrigue for me, but overall enjoyable.
March 17, 2024
This will be the shortest book I read in 2024. It’s so short I finished in 20 minutes on Kindle. But for a short book, it has some profound words that really spoke to me. Such a sweet, lovely story about motherhood and mother-daughter relationship. 4-4.5 🌟
February 5, 2025
A sweet short story about a soon to be mother coming to terms with her own mother moving away. I typically love anything Rebecca Serle writes but unfortunately, this one needed to be longer for me to get invested. It was still sweet and well written, just not everything I expect from Serle.
March 29, 2025
Started reading the ‘Good Intentions’ Amazon Original Series as it’s Mothers’ Day themed and that’s tomorrow here in the UK.
Very short at 25 pages but very sweet, reminded me of when my own mother moved away - but with an extra sprinkle of magic. Perhaps the Magician really can fly… ✨
Very short at 25 pages but very sweet, reminded me of when my own mother moved away - but with an extra sprinkle of magic. Perhaps the Magician really can fly… ✨
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 31, 2023
Cute short story by one of my fave authors, but too short for me to get hit with all the feelings.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 221 reviews