The Witches of Eastwick
by John Updike
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Read in June, 2008
recommended to Madelyn by:
Dad
"Healing belonged to their natures, and if the world accused them of coming between men and wives, of tying the disruptive ligature, of knotting the aiguillette that places the link of impotence or emotional coldness in the entrails of a marriage seemingly secure in its snugly roofed and darkened house, and if the world not merely accused but burned them alive in the tongues of indignant opinion, that was the price they must pay. It was fundamental and instinctive, it was womanly, to want t...more
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I read this book the way it ought to be read, or at least in the circumstances which are best suited for it.
I was away at a beach house for a weekend in the middle of summer and had pretty much nothing to do but lollygag around, smoke cigarettes, and read this book.
It's perfect for sunny clear skies and long hours drinking lemonade by the ocean.
The writing is crisp, quick and clear. Updike's pretty much encyclopedic when it comes to writing skills and he's doing everything prett...more
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Read in January, 2008
[Just realized I forgot to rate this after I'd read it. Shocking!]
Loved this. If you're a fan of the movie, don't expect the book to be much of a reflection of the film version. Personally, I did love the movie and wasn't sure what to expect from the book that inspired it. I was happily surprised.
The book is darker and less comedic, but certainly no less interesting. Updike's writing tends toward the poetic making it, at times, indirect and challenging to follow. But he spins an a...more
Loved this. If you're a fan of the movie, don't expect the book to be much of a reflection of the film version. Personally, I did love the movie and wasn't sure what to expect from the book that inspired it. I was happily surprised.
The book is darker and less comedic, but certainly no less interesting. Updike's writing tends toward the poetic making it, at times, indirect and challenging to follow. But he spins an a...more
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Read in April, 2006
This book by John Updike (which was made into a movie in the late 1980's) was a worthwhile read. I found the book much darker and less wrapped-up morally than the movie - though this doesn't surprise me. :) The Witches of Eastwick is a well-written book and Updike embraces the power (not necessarily supernatural) that women have, but also shows the ugly side of women's relationships: jealousy, guilt, & sometimes betrayal.
None of the characters in The Witches of Eastwick are purely good o...more
None of the characters in The Witches of Eastwick are purely good o...more
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Read in January, 2008
Characteristically Updike--bitter, poignant, and incisive. Three women find that their failed marriages have brought them not only freedom but also magic powers. They need each other for friendship and support but also can't help but put each other, and the other women in their small town, down from time to time. I think I would find this kind of misogyny trite and offensive if the characters didn't have the depth that they do, and if he wasn't even worse about men. The promiscuity had even ...more
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Read in March, 2008
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 rhyth...more
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Read in June, 2007
I'd always wanted to read John Updike, but this wasn't the book for me. What I read was over-written.
I got to page 108, where I came across the following scene (3 characters in hot tub, naked):
"Jane's face still expressed worry, but her mannish brows and that smudge of insistence in her voice no longer intimidated Alexandra, seeing their source in the thick black pubic bush which beneath the water seemed to sway back and forth almost like a penis."
That's all I cou...more
I got to page 108, where I came across the following scene (3 characters in hot tub, naked):
"Jane's face still expressed worry, but her mannish brows and that smudge of insistence in her voice no longer intimidated Alexandra, seeing their source in the thick black pubic bush which beneath the water seemed to sway back and forth almost like a penis."
That's all I cou...more
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Read in April, 2008
goodness, i felt like this was updike's thesis from some overly-analytical, but insubstantial, grad school. sorry. i mean, i really like some of updike's other stuff, so this was kind of a surprise. just too much detail. period. every action, in the entire book, is accompanied with a metaphor or analogy--or two or three of them--so that events, people, places and time gets all mixed up and abstract... not in a good "all is about to be clear and that mix-up was part of how the characters p...more
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I love this book. Not only does John Updike write heavenly prose, but this book is quite the feminist manifesto. Jane, Sukie, and Alexandra are created by Updike with care and attention, and they are fun, well-drawn personalities to spend a little time with. Updike uses the natural setting of Eastwick, Rhode Island to great advantage. If you feel like getting away to one of those small hamlets on the eastern seaboard, watching a storm come in from the sea, this is the book that will take you ...more
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Read in June, 2008
recommended to Melanie by:
i found it on the streetrecommends it for: absolutely no one
This book is exceptionally bad. It is overwrought, slow, predictable, and, worst of all, full of blatant and inexcusable (even for Updike) sexism. The women in this book are supposedly friends but alternate between hating each other and spending their free time massaging one another. The women acquired their powers when their husbands either died or divorced them. They mainly use these powers to hex other women they are threatened by. I mean, when they are not busy with orgies or tennis.
Ma...more
Ma...more
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Read in June, 2007
I adore Updike's short stories, but his prose is almost overwhelming in novel form. His representations of the female characters were hit or miss - either dead on or completely off. The best scene deals with an argument between a newspaper editor and his wife (I would elaborate, but it would spoil things). Here Updike's voice becomes powerful and controlled, not half-assed and consciously shocking.
A decent read because of the inventiveness of the story and for Updike's prose.
A decent read because of the inventiveness of the story and for Updike's prose.
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Read in May, 2005
I really enjoyed the writing in this book, but as a whole it left me feeling kind of unsettled and ambiguous. I think what ultimately bothered me was the way that the witches, who had been hurt by men, seemed to spend all their time using magic against other women. That was probably the point, but it's sort of one of those things that's been pointed out so often that I've ceased to find it very compelling or clever. I'd be interested in other peoples' thoughts on this book, though.
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Read in January, 2007
This is another book that was made into a movie. The movie is amazing, but the book i guess did not really do it for me. There is a lot going on that you have to follow and I guess it works better visually, so the movie is the best translation for this story. The book does differ on a lot of things though, like for example the fact they the women already knew they are witches and use their powers all the time...so its different, but still not as good I feel.
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This book features a trio of fantastically well portrayed, complex and interesting female characters who happen to be witches and puts their magical lives firmly into the context of daily existence. The prose is beautiful if at times a tiny bit dense and overwrought and the book is funny, complicated and engaging. I've never seen the film but I do recommend the book, especially as the female characters are so believable and vivid.
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Read in April, 2008
It was an interesting movie, it was on my book shelf, i have never read it, matter of fact, i haven't read a book for pleasure/leisure in too long, so i figured "what they hey". So far, I haven't fallen asleep before i can finish a page, so.....
So far so good
6-26-08
i have not for the life of me been able to even pick this book back up. It is just too full of dribble. I may try again over the summer, but for now..........
So far so good
6-26-08
i have not for the life of me been able to even pick this book back up. It is just too full of dribble. I may try again over the summer, but for now..........
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recommends it for:
Probably Those of the Female Persuasion
This is one of my favorite books. How can this man understand women SO well? One of my favorite lines in this: "Women have to stop doing everything for everyone and then getting even for it." Or, something like that. I've read this book, I think 6 times. The characters are so well drawn that they will stay with you - each one is strong AND weak, and that's what I find interesting. I hated the movie, but I loved the book.
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This is a dark tale full of twists and bits of black humor. The characters are so well developed and believable that you can put aside any disbelief you might have in the supernatural. I liked that the story was not a tale of morality or slanted towards anti-magick. It was simply a story about the relationship between a group of nice women-next-door types who are a bit misguided and competitive to a fault.
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The top notch prose we expect from Updike, though overall this one does not rank among his best (the Rabbit series) in my opinion. Still, Updike's writing--his descriptions, his characters, his small New England towns--is dazzling, even when it doesn't swell with meaning.
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I unfortunately had the movie characters in my head the whole time. And I am the only dumb who didn't really think he was actually satan? the movie makes it pretty obvious, but I didn't really get that from the book. whatever. still totally entertaining read.
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Read in February, 2008
An interesting read mainly because of the creative premise; the saturated prose helped and hindered in equal portions. As for the debate of whether the book is misogynistic propaganda or a lampoon of male chauvinism? I can see it both ways.
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