Tracey asked this question about The Rules of Magic (Practical Magic, #0.2):
Why does the dad have the last name Burke Owens? Wasn't the mom the Owens line?
Ceallaigh It's not a mistake. It's not that unusual for a man to take his wife's name when she's the last in a long family line and they don't want the family n…moreIt's not a mistake. It's not that unusual for a man to take his wife's name when she's the last in a long family line and they don't want the family name to be lost. It happened once in my family, and it happened to a friend of mine. Since we still abide by paternalistic tradition of giving a child the father's surname, even when the wife retains her "maiden" name, the only way for a child to carry the mother's name is for the father to take his wife's name. And It's not hyphenated in the book I read. The husband is Burke Owens, but the children are Owens.(less)
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by Alice Hoffman (Goodreads Author)
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