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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.
confusible's review against another edition
3.0
I just didn’t enjoy this one as much as the Witches of Eastwick. There was much less witchcraft, so I didn’t find it as interesting. The way Updike allowed each character to develop was interesting though.
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