The Witches of Eastwick
by John Updike
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Book Summary Information
Author: John UpdikeEdition: Paperback
Published: 1996-08-27
ISBN: 0449912108
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Reviews of The Witches of Eastwick
Book Review: Updike's foray into magical realism
Summary: 3 Stars
In the interests of full disclosure, I'll make note of my own biases up front. I have always loved Updike's "Rabbit" tetralogy, although at times I found some of it implausible. I have always considered Updike a master of English prose, with a tendency to overwrite at times. The only other book I had previously read by him, other than the four "Rabbit" books, is "The Coup," which I enjoyed. I didn't see the film version of the book under review. I have never been a fan of magical realism, of which genre this book is an example. And I had no interest in reading the book when it first came out. So, why did I read this book, twenty-three years after its publication? Primarily because Harold Bloom, a critic for whom I have the utmost admiration, listed it among the books in the "Western Canon." Now, having finished the book, I am somewhat befuddled as to why Bloom did so. I think the Rabbit tetralogy deserved inclusion in the "Canon," but not this book.
This book belongs squarely in the magical realism camp. The fact that the three principal characters are witches and thus have magical powers is never explained; it is simply taken for granted, not only by the author but by the townspeople of Eastwick as well. The book is otherwise a very realistic portrayal of a New England town in the late 60s-early 70s, complete with its prejudices and political divisions. The minor characters are especially well drawn. Updike's mastery of English prose is, at times, at its height here. So, unfortunately, are one of his worst faults as a writer, which became apparent as far back as "Rabbit, Run": the tendency, whenever there is a lull in the action, or when the author seems uncertain as to where to go with the plot, to "pad" the novel with verbal descriptions of just about anything--of foliage, of living rooms or other interiors, of marinas or beach walkways--anything to keep the reader engaged until there is some action. The effect, on this reader at least, is soporific; I found myself struggling to stay awake. This flaw is nearly fatal in the first fifty or so pages of the book; I found myself waiting and waiting and waiting, just for something to happen.
After I finished the book, I found myself scratching my head wondering what the magical realism aspect (i.e., the witchery) added to the story--a question I ask myself with almost all works of magical realism--and my answer was, practically nothing. The basic story, about three women approaching middle age, all divorced or unhappily married and sexually adventurous, who suddenly take an interest in a mysterious and rather crude rich man who takes over an old mansion in the town, could easily have been told "straight." The witchcraft was little more than a distraction. Tennis balls that turn into birds in midair, feathers suddenly appearing in the mouths of women the witches don't like, thunderstorms suddenly appearing to drive people off a beach--all were annoyances that we could well have done without. The only time the witchcraft seemed essential to the plot was a crucial episode in which the witches use their powers to kill off a basically innocent young rival for the rich man's affection. Even this wasn't really necessary; if they wanted to kill her, they could have used poison.
So why am I giving this book three stars? For one thing, because I admire daring and risk-taking in an author, and this was a risky undertaking, for which Updike deserves respect. Moreover, once one gets into the book, it's not a bad read. And when Updike is good, as he often is here, he is very very good. Nevertheless, if you have never read Updike before, don't start here; read the Rabbit tetralogy.
Summary of The Witches of Eastwick
BEFORE THEY WERE THE WIDOWS OF EASTWICK, OUR HEROINES WERE A TRIO OF DELIGHTFULLY WICKED WITCHES.In a small New England town in that hectic era when the sixties turned into the seventies, there lived three witches. Alexandra Spoffard, a sculptress, could create thunderstorms. Jane Smart, a cellist, could fly. The local gossip columnist, Sukie Rougemont, could turn milk into cream. Divorced but hardly celibate, the wonderful witches one day found themselves quite under the spell of the new man in town, Darryl Van Horne, whose strobe-lit hot tub room became the scene of satanic pleasures.
To tell you any more, dear reader, would be to spoil the joy of reading this hexy, sexy novel by the incomparable John Updike.
Praise for New York Times Bestseller The Witches of Eastwick:
“A dazzling book . . . Updike is devilishly clever.”
–Los Angeles Times
“New England’s past and present are brilliantly interwoven in this narrative . . . [Updike] has brought [this] culture wittily and radiantly to life.”
–The New York Times
“A great deal of fun to read . . . fresh, constantly entertaining . . . John Updike [is] a wizard of language and observation.”
–The Philadelphia Inquirer
“A wicked entertainment . . . In book after book, Updike’s fine, funny impressionistic art strips the full casings of everydayness from objects we have known all our lives and makes them shine with fresh new connections.”
–The New Republic
“Witty, ironic, engrossing, punctuated by transports of spectacular prose.”
–Time
“Vintage Updike, which is to say among the best fiction we have.”
–Newsday
Selected by Time as one of the Five Best Works of Fiction of the Year
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