The Crow Biddy

by Gillian White, Jilly Bond

When Molly meets with an old school friend, Erica, it turns her life upside down. Long ago the two girls belonged to a witch-band, using drugs and magic to practice unholy rites. Molly was a key accomplice in the persecution of a schoolgirl, whose body was never found. Now, with the forthcoming reunion at Farendon School, it seems that the past may be coming back to life...

Audio Cassette

First published December 1, 1992

About the author

Gillian White (b. 1945) grew up in Liverpool, England. She has written sixteen novels under her own name, which are known for suspense, Gothic thrills, and satiric views of contemporary society. She also writes historical romance under the name Georgina Fleming. She lives in Devon, England.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather an odd novel with two plot lines which are totally disjointed not her best work and a rather poor ending. It was as if we are waiting for the sequel to it.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't feel quite right about giving The Crow Biddy by Gillian White two stars but if there was an extra half star option that would be added. There's two plot lines in this book that seemed intriguing and made me think it would go in a particular path but that never really merged. It's a multiple narrative surrounding a group of boarding school girls that practiced witchcraft and were responsible for a classmate's death. Decades later most of the group reunites at the school and there is a lead up to a climax that was less than stellar.

The book reads easy and fast paced with no dull points. It simultaneously presents a mystery of responsibility regarding a classmate's death in their school days while confronting the same group decades later at mid life. The back and forth is not confusing but the shifts in focus makes the reader question what is truly important here. There is reasonable presentation of typical mid life women's issues: divorce, spouse's remarriage, difficulties connecting with adult children and overall questioning if there is more in life?

Perhaps the secondary plot line about a mentally challenged man working as a gardener on campus and living parallel to the boarding school girls is meant to give contrast to their lives. A lower socio-economic male with no family support versus privileged girls with moneyed parents and comfortable adult lives with family. The man in question has strong emotions and feelings of propriety quite distinct from the girls in spite of his extremely limited means.

Overall, this book falls under the thriller category due to the mystery of a couple deaths but thinking a little deeper maybe chastising the British class system and how it builds it's men and women differently.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one pulled me in right from the beginning, a missing student in the past when girls dabbled in witchcraft, the slow-witted gardener devoted to his job, and the grown women now dealing with a reunion and the consequences of their actions all those years ago. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the story and the actions of the grown women, culminating in the big reveal at the end. Totally enjoyed it.