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The Witches of Eastwick: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 7,238 listener ratings
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“John Updike is the great genial sorcerer of American letters [and] The Witches of Eastwick [is one of his] most ambitious works. . . . [A] comedy of the blackest sort.”—The New York Times Book Review 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. “A great deal of fun to read . . . fresh, constantly entertaining . . . John Updike [is] a wizard of language and observation.”—The Philadelphia Inquirer “Vintage Updike, which is to say among the best fiction we have.”—Newsday
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"The Witches of Eastwick feels like John Updike's reaction to the phenomenon of feminism. The classic witchy features of the three divorced women felt familiar from other stories and films. The three witches unstick themselves from small town drudgery when a warlock (or demon) in the guise of Daryl Van Horne buys an old residence on the outskirts of town. I was sometimes conscious of a forced feeling to the writing, a sense of trying too hard and stumbling. That writing possesses a haunting rhythmic language and some spot-on description. I have the hardcover version with a great image of a woodcut with three witches and a human-ish creature."
— Kylin (4 out of 5 stars)
The Witches of Eastwick Listener Reviews
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" The king of Dick Lit! John Updike makes me happy in a way no other male author can. This book is a hilarious read. It's a book I want on my shelves. "
— Jillian, 2/20/2014 -
" This novel was great and disappointing at the same time. Great, because Updike's writing style was very easy to get wrapped up in. Loved the idea of these women and their "cone of power" doing both good and evil. It was disappointing because I kept comparing it to the movie. I know I shouldn't have, but it's been one of my favorites and I couldn't control my brain. Therefore the story left much to be desired. It didn't really seem to me as if the witches "summoned" Van Horne, he just showed up and left. Very anticlimactic. "
— Meri, 1/28/2014 -
" Not as good as I was hoping. "
— Brandon, 1/20/2014 -
" It was good nothing like the movie. "
— Samantha, 1/20/2014 -
" Superb crafting with strong narrative. I need to read more Updike, now that his ouvre has been sealed "
— Shane, 1/17/2014 -
" HORRIBLE BOOK!!!!!! I couldn't finish reading it. It was bad in every way. I plan on letting everyone know how bad this book really is. I can't believe it was a move and now a TV series......it is just awful!!! BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD, BAD!!!!!!! "
— Leiani, 1/12/2014 -
" I don't get it. Why do people love Updike so much? I didn't find any of the characters believable or interesting. It wasn't a hard read, didn't take that much time to get through, I just didn't understand the point behind reading such drivel. "
— Karyn, 1/10/2014 -
" It's hard to understand ourselves without understanding how unmoored and freaky the middle decades of the 20th century were. This is a good place to dive in and get weird. Love the foil between New England and the West. Also, squishy, visceral descriptions of sex, anatomy, and weird 70's food. "
— Megan, 12/11/2013 -
" can be very long winded and while the story was great there were times you could skip a page altogether because it just talked about how the weather was changing "
— Lani, 12/9/2013 -
" human weaknesses, the evil in each of us "
— Lot, 12/6/2013 -
" While I don't like to compare books to movies, I confess I was driven to read this book purely because of the film. What a disappointment! It was so overly sexual, wordy and bizarre. I enjoyed the film a lot better and as a faithful book lover that really says something. "
— Tina, 12/4/2013 -
" twisted entertainment "
— Zach, 11/18/2013 -
" I found I had to stop reading because I no longer cared about any of the characters, or had reached a point of serious dislike. "
— Becki, 9/20/2013 -
" Too long. Just kept going on and on. "
— Alex, 9/2/2013 -
" Took too long to grab my attention & want to read "
— Marisa, 7/19/2013 -
" I just couldn't do it...I'm afraid I gave up on this one :-/ "
— Melissa, 6/12/2013 -
" I adore Updike, but not THIS kind of Updike -- so I put it down after 100 pages. "
— Brian, 9/29/2012 -
" I had high hopes for John Updike, but this book is just depressing. Gives me little hope for humanity. "
— Stephmarie, 8/9/2012 -
" So far, I'm pushing myself to keep reading. Hasn't grabbed me yet. "
— Wendi, 4/7/2012 -
" strangely enough the movie was better. the book was all tangents and blah. "
— Crystal, 1/3/2012 -
" Updike's excessively earnest readings may betray the essential subtleties of his stories, but it's pretty pardonable given that he gave us the stories in the first place. "
— Mark, 11/15/2010
About John Updike
John Updike (1932–2009) was the author of more than sixty books, including collections of short stories, poems, and criticism. His novels have been honored with two Pulitzer Prize Awards, the National Book Award, and the Howells Medal of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Hugging the Shore, a collection of essays and reviews, received the National Book Critics Circle Award for criticism.
About Kate Reading
Kate Reading, named an AudioFile Golden Voice, has recorded hundreds of audiobooks across many genres, over a thirty–year plus career and won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. Among other awards, she has been recognized as an AudioFile Magazine Voice of the Century, Narrator of the Year, Best Voice in Science Fiction and Fantasy, and winner of an Publisher’s Weekly’s Listen-Up Award. She records at her home studio, Madison Productions, Inc., in Maryland.