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maekay's review against another edition
Same issues as Witches of Eastwick - wiring is racist and misogynistic, less "complicated women" and more "male writer can't be bothered to try to understand women's motivation"
cressyda's review against another edition
4.0
What the first one should have been. There was no chauvanist snark, the ladies were way more balanced as characters, and the story was beautiful. I enjoyed it infinitely more than "Witches". I do only give it 4 stars however, because I had to wrestle my way through some of Updike's overly long sentences that don't seem to go anywhere. There didn't seem to be as many of them as in the first book, but they were still present and still as tedious as ever.
smbla's review against another edition
3.0
It is always a pleasure to read Updike. I think I may have expected too much of this book since I loved the 1st one and wanted Widows to surpass the Witches.
kristinmayle's review against another edition
2.0
As I read this book, I am realizing that the movie of "The Witches of Eastwick" must be very different from the book, which I did not read. So while I certainly understand what's going on in this sequal, I don't understand some of the characters references.
charlottesometimes's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
25 years later, and possibly more racist, misogynistic and homophobic that the first book.
I suppose it’s impressive, in a very depressing way.
Sadly, Updike appears not to have taken the opportunity over the quarter century since he last wrote about these characters to speak to even one woman.
Similarly, he chose not to listen to all the readers who tried to explain to him the difference between a novel and an unsolicited lecture.
katarzynabosman's review against another edition
3.0
Damn Amazon! I wanted to download Witches of Eastwick and after 50 pages I realised that I'm reading the continuation. Not bed. I like how attitude to getting older was presented from perspective of 3 different women. It made me think of generation of abandoned children caused by sexual revolution.
erinseewhyare's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
A deeply disappointing follow up to Witches of Eastwick. Really bad.
moreadsbooks's review against another edition
1.0
Ugh, this book was awful. It reads almost like fan fiction, as if these are things the characters might do & say if you hadn't any real insight into their personalities. After slogging through the first half, a pointless death & a gratuitous gag-inducing (umm, no pun intended) sex scene left me ready to quit it all & scrub the memory of this from my brain.
pescarox's review against another edition
4.0
I read Witches after ripping through the Rabbit Angstrom books at the age of 16 or so. Rabbit, Run was assigned reading in one of my high school classes. These books are so preoccupied with sexual liberation and power; about people choking on the yoke of gender roles. Did anybody else read them at that age? The Rabbit books shifted the ground under my feet. Maybe it’s better to read them before reaching marriage, kids and full-blown, irreversible adulthood. Or maybe not? Updike’s language is so ripe, so honestly horny (and yes: chauvinistic, misogynistic, etc.). Nothing much has changed twenty-odd years later except the preoccupation this time is with death rather than sex.
eralon's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the writing in this one better than the first one- less flowery. I also thought that this one by showing the ways in which the women did and didn't change over the years, solidified that Updike really knew who they were. Regarding this, I think reviewers are unfair to Updike about his characters not being feminist creations. I don't think reviewers would be so aghast if the author were a woman (but possibly a little). Yes, these aren't morally inspirational women, but neither are they the same evil cartoon of a person. They are three very unique and developed characters. Everybody has at least a bit of a dark side, these women are witches, so obviously they are going to be darker, but they are unique and dark in different ways. And without Daryl in this one, there is no element of being manipulated by outside forces in this one. Which is, at a minimum, empowering.
The aging perspective of the characters is interesting and realistic. They seem very much of their time. (Though this point gets boring sometimes- I didn't really need to read about Sukie complaining about computers like every grandma on the planet.) I can definitely relate to Suzanne's daughter and her relationship with her mom Suzanne.
That said, the story was less interesting or maybe just less fun than the first. I know that's not a fair reason to give it less stars, but there it is.
The aging perspective of the characters is interesting and realistic. They seem very much of their time. (Though this point gets boring sometimes- I didn't really need to read about Sukie complaining about computers like every grandma on the planet.) I can definitely relate to Suzanne's daughter and her relationship with her mom Suzanne.
That said, the story was less interesting or maybe just less fun than the first. I know that's not a fair reason to give it less stars, but there it is.