The Witching Hour: A Novel (Lives of Mayfair Witches)

...of course, that's just my opinion.:)I've been a long-time reader of Rice's books...since I was 14 and 'interview with the vampire' came out, in fact. (the movie)Anne Rice is a masterful storyteller. This is a lovely, twisted, haunting and at times romantic tale of a family who discovered power, wealth, pain and death through their association w/a 'nature spirit' called LASHER.The story really kicked off for me when we traveled back to the beginning of the tale. The year 1689. We learn of the first of the so-called 'witches': the well-meaning and kind-hearted but simple and naive Suzanne who conjured Lasher in the fields of Donnelaith with her young daughter Deborah -- only to burn from her inability to understand that the being had the ability to develop a will and purpose almost independent of her.Deborah never used Lasher with evil intent; she simply did NOT understand the being she dealt with (to wield and control him properly).Although he loved her -- loved all the Mayfair women -- he was not mindless. His actions were sometimes the result of what *HE thought* the witch desired in her heart and this led to Suzanne's demise at the hands of the townsfolk. Later generations (her granddaughter to be exact) would have a better grasp of this concept. Yet, the fam's methods vfor dealing with Lasher varied as some witches were inherently weaker than others.Overall...this was the crux of the entire problem. The fact that Lasher could 'learn'. The fact that he developed intent, knowledge of himSELF and -- later -- used his newly found knowledge and self-awareness to plot, manipulate and steer the family to suit *HIS* purpose.But--Rice provides GREAT insight into the character of Lasher through his talks with Rowan (present day) although his motives for attaching himself to the family are still somewhat obscure. We learn how the Lasher came to service the family. How he came into being -- or actually, that he always 'was'."The newly emerging intelligences of man, locked in matter, nevertheless perceived us, and thereby caused us to perceive ourselves. ...For millenia, these human spiritual intelligences developed; they grew stronger and stronger; they developed telepathic powers; they sensed our existence; they named us and talked to use and seduced us; if we took notice, we were changed; we thought of ourselves....(we learned) all things from you (humans). Self-consciousness, desire, ambition. You are dangerous teachers. And we are discontent."THEN-->"...Who am I? I am the one who wept for Suzanne when no one wept. I am the one who felt agony without end, when even Deborah stood numb, staring at the body of her mother's twisting in the fire. I am the one who saw the spirit of Suzanne leave the pain-wracked body. I saw it rise upwards, freed, and without care.Do I have a soul that it could know such joy -- that Suzanne would suffer no more?I reached out for her spirit, shaped still in the form of her body, for she did not know yet that such a form was not required of her, and I tried to penetrate and to gather, to take unto myself what was now like unto me.But the spirit of Suzanne went past me. It took no more notice of me than the burning husk in the fire.Upwards it went away from me and beyond me, and there was no more Suzanne......Who am I? I am Lasher, who came down to sit at the feet of Deborah and learn how to have purpose, to obtain ends, to do the will of Deborah in perfection so that Deborah would never suffer; Lasher, who tried and failed."He was the most interesting character in the book, imo. Rowan...Michael? Meh. I don't care about them. They're main characters but they might as well be in the background. Anyway, I'm a 'who/what/when/where/why' type person and I appreciate details. Insight...so I've no issue with the time flipflopping back in forth. Some posters are writing as though this was a time-travel book. LOLC'mon -- it's not THAT confusing.In honesty, it didn't flip that much. Goes something like this:-- Present day-- 1600's and beyond.(you review the history as depicted in the files by a secret order called the Talamasca who make it their business to keep watch over what they consider to be supernatural matters). Here you chronicle the journey of the Mayfairs through the centuries from a first-hand source, outsider perspective and witness accounts-- Present day.That's all.I suppose some folks were bored with the long drawn out story, started skipping ahead to get to the 'good part' and just plumb got lost in the blizzard of words and imagery. LOLI did the same in the beginning. So I understand. LOL I do it with most books. Yet, with a story like this -- you HAVE to backtrack. There must be a basis and you have to tell that history.Anyway, you can always count on Rice to provide plenty of rich details and depth.I read the rest of the books in the MayFair Witches' series and was really disappointed with the direction the story decided to take.The whole Morrigan-Talto's thing was pretty...anti-climactic. Just didn't like them.But I did like THIS book.

book was in perfect condition, no problems.

The Witching Hour is a great Anne Rice Novel. I found it not quite as iconic and original as Interview With a Vampire, but is an extremely entertaining and enjoyable read. It is the story of a powerful and rich witching family that mostly lives in New Orleans. The family started out in Europe in the 1600s when a gifted but simpleminded "cunning woman" calls down a spirit in Scotland. This spirit, named Lasher, stays with her and her offspring over the course of 13 generations of witches. The witches all keep the last name Mayfair, and the spirit helps them grow wealthy and powerful, but is somewhat of a monkey's paw in that tragedy and manipulation of the witches also occurs pretty frequently. The 13th and final witch, Rowan, is very powerful, is a scientist (neurosurgeon) and is a wonderful strong female character beautifully drawn by Anne Rice as she comes to terms with this spirit and finds out the truth about her character.The book jumps around in time and story lines, but is not hard to follow. All the threads come together well and it is a nicely put together novel. Rice's supernatural characters are refreshingly human. They have depth, they lie, they cheat, they love, they have limitations to their powers. Quite a difference to other similar genre books such as Twilight or Discovery of Witches. The ending is a bit of a shocker and a cliff hanger, and though I always wish it would end differently and more happily, I can't say it is not fitting to what the novel had been building to. Like her vampire series, the first is the best in this series as well. The remaining books are not bad, but the characters undergo some weird personality and even physical changes and I have to admit I could never really like or get behind the character of Mona who grows to prominence in book two.Some minor quibbles of this first novel are that it is a bit overly-flowery in the language at times (expected of Anne Rice), a bit repetitive in the descriptions of New Orleans, and it drags a bit in the middle once the saga of the witches is done being read, but nothing really major to drag the book down. Not a dumbed down reading experience but an intelligent and relatively complex novel for grownups. Just picked it up and read again after several years and it holds up well - though some of the 80's technology is a bit dated now.

I love this book, only book I am able to read more than once. Anne Rice is an amazing author.

Book is one of the best from Anne Rice I’ve read so far. One of those books that get you really pelased from it being long, and that you savour every page.

Great company to get books from,had an issue with the delivery but they sorted it all out fast an efficiently,refund was fast ,very helpful and understanding,thanks😊

Yo ya había leído estos libros en español, pero poder leerlos en inglés, en su idioma original, no hay comparación, además de que me salió baratísimo comprar los 3 y nuevos, en Amazon, porque en otras páginas este sólo me hubiera costado 900 pesos y llega en 20 días, estos me llegaron como en 2 y están super bien, y la historia bueno, si conocen a Anne Rice por sus crónicas vampíricas, conózcanla por las vidas de las brujas de Mayfair.

Amazing read. Keeps you hooked