John Updike

John

The air of Eastwick breeds witches - women whose powerful longings can stir up thunderstorms and fracture domestic peace. Jane, Alexandra and Sukie, divorced and dangerous, have formed a coven. Into the void of Eastwick breezes Darryl Van Horne, a charismatic magus of a man who entrances the trio. This is Updike at his most mischievous.

The Witches of Eastwick

Toward the end of the Vietnam era, in a snug little Rhode Island seacoast town, wonderful powers have descended upon Alexandra, Jane, and Sukie, bewitching divorcées with sudden access to all that is female, fecund, and mysterious. Alexandra, a sculptor, summons thunderstorms; Jane, a cellist, floats on the air; and Sukie, the local gossip columnist, turns milk into cream. Their happy little coven takes on new, malignant life when a dark and moneyed stranger, Darryl Van Horne, refurbishes the long-derelict Lenox mansion and invites them in to play. Thenceforth scandal flits through the darkening, crooked streets of Eastwick—and through the even darker fantasies of the town's collective psyche.

Sarah Sammis

Lindsay Cronk

So, what I like about this book is how period it feels. Set in the late 60's, it is a book that is simultaneously a reaction to and an analogy for the growth of the feminist movement in America. There are snippets of conversation that thrill- references to people running off to "join the movement" and blow things up. This is the strength of the book, it made me feel like I had a better handle on what the late sixties and early seventies must have felt like, with Vietnam exploding and domestic terrorism on the rise. The story wasn't weak either. 

Our three heroines, the coven, are all divorcees. Former housewives, they have embraced their independence and in doing so have attained magical powers. Lovers are disposible and friendship triumphs over all until a hairy stranger comes to town and moves into the local mansion. All our girls become involved with him, and in the process compromise themselves and their friendship. When he spurns them for a younger, prettier girl, they come back together to exact their revenge. It feels kind of First Wives Club or Desperate Housewives, but with spells and orgies. That is nothing to sneeze at.

But herein lies the rub, I have to confess- I haven't read much Updike, but I have tried to read a lot. I once described a binary of fun and not fun as chocolate to John Updike. It's a personal preference, and I find his prose florid. This book didn't change my opinion. His descriptions, while evocative, made everything and everyone seem ugly and overwrought. 

That said, the story is fun, and I made it through the book. I'd recommend it for a beach read or a lazy evening in.

Andrea

Peanne

Laura Mauler

Karen Scarlet 

Erik Wallace

Rowena Wiseman

Anna

Alexandra, Jane, and Sukie ply their individual witcheries in contemporary Eastwick, Rhode Island, and are themselves bewitched by a dark, wealthy, decadent stranger

The Witches of Eastwick

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