The Witching Hour

Witching Hour by Anne Rice

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis

In this engrossing and hypnotic tale of witchcraft and the occult spanning four centuries, we meet a great dynasty of witches--a family given to poetry and incest, to murder and philosophy, a family that over the ages is haunted by a powerful, dangerous and seductive being.

Review

I really liked this book altho I will admit that its certainly not for everyone. The length alone was intimidating (1038 pgs)

This book was the first in the trilogy of the Mayfair Witches. We are first introduced to Rowan who has no idea of the legacy that awaits her at the death of her birth mother of which she knows nothing. Michael, who Rowan saves from drowning, finds his fate intertwined with hers. We go on to learn all of the history of the Mayfairs thru the historians of the Talamasca. This history takes up the largest part of this book. Its really interesting to see how the family evolved and changed over time. We see evils committed not just from the demon Lasher but also those doing so in the name of God. In the name of God atrocities were committed by the burning of innocent women during the witch hunts of the inquisition. Carlotta also murdered and hurt many of innocent people all in Gods name.

After the culmination of the prophecy Michael is alone with his musings in his diary and there are quotes there that I thought summed up the book well.

"my reason tells me that such a system, in which anyone dictates our every move-be it a god, or a devil, or our subconscious mind, or our tyannical genes-is simply impossible. Life itself must be founded upon the infinite possibility for choice and accident. And if we cannot prove that it is, we muse believe that it is. We must believe that we can change, that we can control, that we can direct our own destinies."

"by free will, we can choose to do good on this earth, no matter that we all die, and do not know where we go when we die, or if a justice or eplanation awaits us. I believe that we can through our reason know what good is, and in the communion of men and women, in which the forgiveness of wrongs will always be more significant than the avenging of them, and that in the beautiful natural world that surrounds us, we represent the best and the finest of beings"

Overall I do believe that this is a read worth all the time an effort it took me to finish it. I was easily drawn into the story and certainly sympathized with Michael as well as other characters. If you want an interesting read and have the time this long read is definitely worth tackling.



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