The Witches of New York

A Novel

De: Ami McKay

Narrado por: Julia Whelan

Respectable Lady Seeks Dependable Shop Girl. Those averse to magic need not apply.

New York in the spring of 1880 is a place alive with wonder and curiosity. Determined to learn the truth about the world, its residents enthusiastically engage in both scientific experimentation and spiritualist pursuits. Séances are the entertainment of choice in exclusive social circles, and many enterprising women - some possessed of true intuitive powers and some gifted with the art of performance - find work as mediums.

Enter Adelaide Thom and Eleanor St. Clair. At their humble tea shop, Tea and Sympathy, they provide a place for whispered confessions, secret cures, and spiritual assignations for a select society of ladies who speak the right words and ask the right questions. But the profile of Tea and Sympathy is about to change with the fortuitous arrival of Beatrice Dunn.

When 17-year-old Beatrice leaves the safety of her village to answer an ad that reads "Respectable Lady Seeks Dependable Shop Girl. Those averse to magic need not apply", she has little indication of what the job will demand of her. Beatrice doesn't know it yet, but she is no ordinary small-town girl; she has great spiritual gifts - ones that will serve as her greatest asset and also place her in grave danger. Under the tutelage of Adelaide and Eleanor, Beatrice comes to harness many of her powers, but not even they can prepare her for the evils lurking in the darkest corners of the city or the courage it will take to face them.

©2017 Ami McKay (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Kind of weird

This book has some interesting themes - 19th century Comstock laws, magic, feminism, misogyny via the persecution of witches, but none of them are really fleshed out. It feels like a much longer book that got cut down a lot. You meet plenty of people but don't really get to know much about any of them or their motivations. The ending also was deflating. So many loose ends left open. I thought the narrator did a good job.

Lyrical and Alluring

In full disclosure, this was the first time I have ever listened to a novel instead of read it. I thought I’d enjoy it during my 45-minute commute each morning and evening and was looking forward to the 14.5 hours I wouldn’t need to find something to fill the time. The problem is, I loved the story so much I couldn’t put the book down and I finished it MUCH sooner than planned. Not a horrible problem to have! LOL The other note about listening instead of reading (on my Kindle) is I missed the ability to highlight specific/favorite words and phrases.

I read in a book review that the “book is beautifully formatted, with lots of drawings throughout and pictures of old newspaper clippings inserted between the chapters.” Unfortunately, I missed all of that too because of listening to the Audible version. BUT, I absolutely loved listening to Julia Whelan’s inflection and many voices…I will definitely seek out other novels narrated by her.

Overall, I thought the story flowed and is very lyrical, alluring, delicious, and wickedly fun. I was engaged from the start and, as I mentioned above, I didn’t want to put it down. The characters are wonderfully detailed. I loved the tidbits of information sprinkled unexpectedly throughout the story; those bits of details sometimes felt out of place but then, brought to the surface later, are why the time period and individual characters are so well developed and the story so enduring.

Love it and recommend it!!

hope there's another one on the way!

decent book overall just left feeling like i wanted so much more story! there were lots of story lines left unfinished... don't know if there is a sequel. if there is then I take it back🤷‍♀️

interesting characters

I love the character development in this novel and the three women who are the main characters are people I would love to sit and have a cup of tea with

Worth it

Loved the story. The historical insights were great. The gal reading was very good at changing her voice for the different characters.

thought provoking

thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters. Hope there is a follow up! well written and definitely keep your interest. Nice glimpse into 1800's life.

Surprised and delighted

I was surprised by how much I absolutely loved this story. The characters were well rounded, the story was a delight and I very much enjoyed the narration. I commute about 75 minutes per day, and audio books are my favorite to listen to when I’m on the road.

A bit slow to start, but worth it.

It took a few chapters for me to really get into this book. Each chapter begins with excerpts from older "witchy" texts (I don't know if those excerpts are real or made up but they add some depth to the story.) My biggest issue was keeping the characters straight in the beginning and figuring out who to root for. Once you realize how the stories presented at the beginning begin to fit together this book really picks up and is worth the brief wait at the beginning. My heart was pounding by the time I finished listening to this!

Fantastic Read

I rarely comment, but this book was exceptional. The voice acting was engaging, and the story itself mesmerizing.

Fortunate find

A few times this year I’ve discovered I’m reading the continuation of a character’s story from another book and am thankful to have picked up in the middle. Purchased a copy of McKay’s Virgin Cure after finishing this - and glad I didn’t have to compare it with the first text. Thought it was beautifully researched, written and performed.