![]() ![]() At over 500 pages, The Once and Future Witches is no brief foray into Salem and witchcraft, yet I read the entire book in one breathless sitting. They couldn’t be more different from one another, but their shared history and hopes for the future bring them together at a comfortable but emotionally charged pace. Alternating perspectives among the three sisters, Harrow pens a story of hurt and betrayal, but also one of all-encompassing sisterly love. The words and ways are powerful, and Harrow proves she has both. I yearned for them to find that which they’d misplaced. I rooted for Bella, Agnes, and Juniper every step of the way. I found myself lingering over some of Harrow’s figurative language, which made the associative networks in my brain sing. ![]() ![]() The Eastwood sisters are deftly characterized, and glorious in their imperfections the world is imaginatively built and the tale entertains. I would’ve liked to spend more time with the members of the New Salem Women’s Association and watch them interact with the Eastwood sisters’ coven. A book about suffrage and spells became a book about spells. If I had just one criticism to level against the novel, it would be that the suffragette story thread was dropped early on. an homage to the endurance of stories and storytelling. Harrow’s story lies firmly within the feminist tradition, reflective of the social commentaries of modern feminist thinkers like Kate Manne and Rebecca Traister and reminiscent of women’s recent and growing exercise of their political power. ![]()
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