_The Witching Hour_ is my all-time favorite novel. It’s a nightmare that surrounds a love story and a family story and its darkness, its sense of history and culture, and its extreme length are what I love most about it. It’s scary to think that all the events in the novel that have to do with the Mayfair family of witches...the good and the bad and the horrible...wouldn’t have happened if Suzanne hadn’t conjured Lasher in that field in Scotland, allowing him to have complete control over the family’s existence from that point on. From Suzanne on down, Lasher engineered every following generation-their conceptions, their births and their deaths. I think it’s brilliant.
A phenomenal book for people who love their stories rich and complex and bizarre and beautiful. I hope no one listens to anyone who tells them not to give it a try.
This is my favorite book of all time just like many others have said on here. I read it 27 years ago when I was about 31 years old and I just reread it recently to refresh my memory because of the tv series. I still loved every bit of it. The first time I actually read all 965 pages and loved it so much that I would literally read it every minute I had free in my single mom life with 3 children and to the point of exhaustion and falling asleep every night until I was finished reading it. The second time I listened to it on audio and enjoyed it just as much and did the exact same only this time it was easier because I didn't have to actually sit down to read it. I will say it is a special type of book series though. It really goes deep into the history of The Mayfair Witches but it takes you there with every word.
Mine, too. I started with the 'Interview' series, became obsessed, to date have read all of Ann Rice. She's BRILLIANT on an EPIC level. Her books, as you kindly said, aren't for everyone. I'm sooooo Grateful I deeply LOVE her books, definitely not for simple minds that can't or don't invest, having a short attention span & lack of curiosity .... 900 pages of WONDER, 💗I was lost when I finished. Her next book wasn't out yet so I read her erotic trilogy, The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty. Again, not for everyone. This reviewer, I came by on accident & wish I hadn't cause the level of reading comprehension, mental stimulation, intelligence Quotient & level of emotional depth are required for reading Ann Rice, a prolific contemporary literary writer, now a Legend.
@@TadiKAT " To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Rick and Morty. The humor is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of theoretical physics most of the jokes will go over a typical viewer's head. There's also Rick's nihilistic outlook, which is deftly woven into his characterisation - his personal philosophy draws heavily from Narodnaya Volya literature, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of these jokes, to realize that they're not just funny- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike Rick and Morty truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the humour in Rick's existencial catchphrase "Wubba Lubba Dub Dub," which itself is a cryptic reference to Turgenev's Russian epic Fathers and Sons I'm smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Dan Harmon's genius unfolds itself on their television screens. What fools... how I pity them. 😂 And yes by the way, I DO have a Rick and Morty tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It's for the ladies' eyes only- And even they have to demonstrate that they're within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand."
I really like this one. My favorite part is the history, but felt that Rowan and Michael's relationship has always felt rushed. I return to this every few years and always enjoy it.
Witching Hour, Lasher, and Taltos must be read in order as Anne wrote the trilogy. Anne lived in the home and the restoration details were from her actual renovation of that Garden District Mansion. ( I went there in 1988 it was fabulous and Anne was gracious). These are my favorite of all her works. Disregard this review and decide for yourself.
I'm a fan of Mrs.Anne Rice's work (may she RIP). IMO, the reader must like or enjoy history in order to really appreciate how long and detailed her books are (not all of them). She was very accurate with the times and descriptions she was focusing on. I admit that at times I got anxious to skip the historical details just to get back to the plot, like "get to the point Edna.." lol However I do think it was important. I enjoy it. Interested to know of others opinions about Lasher and Taltos. The complement of thetrilogy. 🍒
@CS-mf5un it didn't take me out of the plot . At times, the historic details and descriptions were so much/long that I became impatient wanting to get back to the plot. 🍒
Read them all 30 years ago. When the series came out, I got the audiobook to refresh myself. At 44 now, I’m wondering who thought it was ok for me to read this at 14?? 😂 Also, I’ll see your flowers in the attic and raise you one Mayfair witch series
I feel ya. My introduction to AR was when I was 12 (maybe 13). The school librarian called me an "old soul" and offered me a copy of Tale of the Body Thief. Assault, sex, sexual assault, and murder all pouring into the malleable mind of an impressionable teenage boy.
I really liked how in depth the history was, and I have never read something like this before. But I didn't care too much about Rowan and Michele's story since I was enthralled with the history.
For some reason I loved this book. I don't even know why! I felt like I was high as a kite the entire time, but I was engaged and had fun with the weirdness.
I loved it! My favorite of all her books ! Yes moments I struggled a bit the alien Taltos stuff got a weird and the man with baby skin but it was bizarre and wonderful! I miss Anne rice bless her!
@@NanaGagie For sure. My apologies, I did mean the book series. The television series is so different from the books that it reminds me of the brief period of time in which "The Lawnmower Man" was titled "Stephen King's The Lawnmower Man" (He sued the filmmakers, and it was subsequently removed). The short story "The Lawnmower Man" was about this guy that came to mow someone's lawn, stripped off all of his clothes, turned green from being covered in grass (and eating it? It's been like 30 years since I read it), and then proceeded to run the mower through the house killing people. There is one scene in the movie when he takes a mower into a house after he's gone all VR crazy. That's how far removed the Witching Hour television series is from the books. Anne Rice would be rolling over in her grave if she knew. Oh god and it's soo cheesy. I had to stop watching when she started scream-chanting nonsense spells. The Interview With The Vampire television series however, is fantastic. There are some big changes but they all make sense and it still has the same general feeling and direction. I just wish the score was darker and less pomp and circumstance-y. I read that the filmmakers took their own liberties. I'm not sure what the point of that is. Like, just write your own story.
@@GoatLordethank you for your kind and thought provoking reply. After watching the series I couldn’t agree with you more! I so enjoyed the Interview with the Vampire series and thought the same continuity would follow but alas….No!
I agree with you 100M%. I don't think that I have EVER read a less satisfying book. 1. Lasher is supposed to be the family "demon." He's the "villain" of the series. But Lasher doesn't do anything worse than any member of the family does on their own. He's practically a saint compared to some of the family members. One might assume that (as a demon) Lasher is the corrupting force behind the family's malevolent behavior. But, when one considers that they are a family of rich, elitist, witches from the American south, it isn't a grand leap to presume that they'd have some fucked up skeletons in their closets with or without Lasher. 2. I wasn't personally offended by all the rape and incest. I think that AR was painting a literary portrait of American blue bloods. As it is with royalty, the Mayfair power is in the purity of the lineage. That said, 99.99999% of the descriptive rapes and incestuous relations add nothing to the plot. The back stories (prior to Julien) are entirely unnecessary. AR takes whole chapters to lay out what could have been said on a single page (if it had to be said at all). 3. Rowan is the smartest idiot EVER. Fully aware that she holds the power in their relationship, and fully aware that Lasher has been rebuffed by other Mayfairs. She goes the absolute LONGEST WAY around to killing a demon that she can easily choose to ignore (or magically neuter, or psychically imprison, etc). If only her husband had a friend affiliated with an organization of psychics and spellcrafters who also might have a beef with the demon connected to the deaths of at least 3 of their own. 4. The nigh-endless droning on the scenery has ALWAYS been the most aggravating thing about AR's books. One page has the reader immersed and on edge. The next 3 chapters go on-and-on about how the character feels about how the scenery looks. I remember reading Tale of the Body Thief, and wondering if it had been published by a travel agency trying to sell European and South American packages. Please don't get me wrong. I mostly ❤️ AR's stories. I go WAY back with her books. I think that the Mayfair series had all the ingredients for greatness. It just missed the mark by 1000 miles. I sincerely hope that the TV series reworks the recipe before airing.
I think the incest was necessary so that the chromosomes and other biological factors would be right in order to have a witch strong enough to help Lasher come through. That was why Micheal was "put" with Rowan, because he was also distantly Mayfair (descended from Julien and Sister Bridget Marie).
@@thomasfranche6770 You're quite right. This is eugenics at its core. But, in addition to creating the host body, Lasher needs a witch who is powerful enough to survive the pregnancy and birth. That power comes from the bloodline.
Gotta say, i love this book, my favorite from Anne Rice, but still love the video really fun and i gotta agree with your take is wild and not for everybody, kinda want you to read the other 2 so you do more recaps like this one :D
Read it as a teen. Read Black Water by Michael McDowell as an adult. Mayfair is tween version of Blackwater. Loved it completely in the 90's - not so much as an adult.
As soon as the show was announced, I remembered the whole trilogy of books, and went, "Y I K E S". Because Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon is one thing, but Rice at her most gothically demented is something else. Also I had forgotten about the demon man-baby being in this book. I hope you enjoyed that bottle! I think you needed it.
Thank you for your service. I was really into Anne Rice when I was younger, and I read probably all the vampire novels, but I remember trying to read this one and wasn't able to make it very far, so I appreciate the summary, you made it really fun!
I think this is a beautiful book that could have benefited by a good deal of editing. Like 400 pages of fluff could be stripped away without affecting the story.
I read the books around 20 years ago...I love the books but I also love your way of summarizing it. This was soooo entertaining and "man baby demon" is killing me 😀
I love this novel, but it is most definitely not for everyone. Hell, I dont think it's for like 75% of the population 🙃🤓 A good friend once asked my top 5 favorite books, and "The Wtching Hour" is one of them. He asked if he should read it and I said, "No. I don't think you'll gel with it." He looked perplexed. So I said, "Look. I don't want you to think differently of me. You'll read it and question what kind of person I am. You'll question our entire friendship 😂
I loved this book and book series. I loved it better than the Vampire Series. I absolutely hate the tv show. The producers have done a horrible job. The tv series of Interview With a Vampire have done a wonderful job. It is a class act series. Mayfair is cheaply made, bad acting and the story is fan fiction
I loved this book so much when I read it at age 20. But liked the sequels less. But I can understand people who are uncomfortable with all the incest and non consensual sex. But it is the whole reason for the story of Lasher. He was using selective breeding and eugenics to create a witch strong enough and magical enough to birth Lasher into this world.
Great review! I personally love this book, it’s basically an event in itself. Lol I really enjoyed the whole witch family backstory, but I get that it’s not for everyone. Hold on to your hat for the next couple books in the series, they get WILD! But no matter what, I always enjoy your commentary. This is a fun channel to watch, your personality really shines through.
Thanks for the video! I've never read the book and as my only "preparation" for watching the show (episode 1+2 were pretty decent imo) I read the synopsis on wikipedia. After reading so many good reviews about the book everywhere I wanted to at least give the audiobook a try (no time for actively reading 1000 pages atm) but, as you said, it's 50 hours! Yeah... nope. I think I'll just continue with my Vampire Chronicles re-read because as crazy and sometimes even lengthy (Blood & Gold...) they get, they aren't even half as bad as 1000 pages about witch history and remodeling a house!
I had to reread this book twice to get my head wrapped around it! The long boring periods was what lost me, but I finally got through it. I then read Lasher and Taltos. I think the last two are better than the first one. If I could have alcohol, I would have been drinking too. This was a LONG LONG LONG book!! 😉
Sorry you didn't like it.. But like any book it's not for anybody. Some of us love weird books.... I read them like 20 yrs ago. I loved them.. They aren't as good as the Vampire Chronicals but few books are. I do think hate and gross are harsh words.
I'm reading through this book currently, and it's very slow going. I'm not even sure I like the book, but it's interesting enough for me to keep going. Hopefully it gets better. This is my first Ann Rice book, and I think perhaps I shouldn't have started with this first.
Anne Rice's writing style is rich and hypnotic. If you have an appreciation for words and developing a mood and atmosphere in a complex story, she does an excellent job. Absolutely if you are against mature and taboo topics, skip this book. If you want a supernatural story that is well written and epic that will haunt you indefinitely, this is your book.
Nope. IMHO, Anne Rice can write circles around Diana Gabaldon. What's horrifying, is AMC making the series. It totally needs to be GOT epic. These books are Anne Rice classic. You want nicer? Go read Dr. Suess.
I tried reading this via audiobook. I got to the point where they were about to go to New Orleans and fell off it. I was intrigued by it, but it felt like it took forever for anything to happen. I am currently halfway through her Vampire Chronicles. I feel like Anne Rice has a habit of going on tangents. For example, breaking away from Lestat’s story in TVL for a 100 page history of Marius and the origins of vampirism, only to go on to write more extensive breakaways (or even whole novels) about the same subjects later. Stuff like this makes her novels feel episodic at best, or ramshackle at worst. And for another example, I just finished Memnoch. We get a massive chapter about the history of a character we just met (Roger) and then we forget about that for 2/3 of the book while Lestat goes to heaven and hell. Then we barely get any conclusion to it! While I perhaps (controversially) really enjoyed Memnoch overall, that was one of the main detractors for me. I like Anne’s ideas and the atmosphere she creates, but her novel structures could definitely use some work. I think she definitely needed a “stronger” editor. These tangents in the vampire books are mostly interesting to me, and I care about the characters enough to make it through and still love or enjoy the books. That being said, I just couldn’t justify spending hours learning about Micheal’s backstory of home renovations when it could have been more succinctly explained in about 1/3 the time. I know it is Anne Rice’s style to be pretty long winded and purple-y, and that some people really like that. I do think her prose is wonderful, but as I said, I think the plot structures could be improved to make the reading experience a lot better. I don’t mind too much a long description of how the inside of a house looks, but I definitely mind it more when it’s feels like a tangent within a tangent within an already unnecessarily thorough backstory. I might get back round to reading this at some point, because the weird stuff doesn’t really put me off, but I think I will definitely pick up a print/ebook version so I can more easily “skim” some sections. Right now the book is in limbo for me, because I made it just far enough into the book and it was long enough ago to where I am debating whether it is worth it to restart… I am a completionist normally, so I’d like to go into the later Vampire books that cross over with a little more context. But for now, your videos are fitting the bill!
I'm so glad you did this, but also surprised you hated it! I kept hearing good things about it. (One day I'll get around to it myself...) I have high hopes for the show, though, after how well they handled IwtV. Very curious to see how they update this! I hope you do read the next two books in this side series... I guess it all does tie back to later books in the Vampire Chronicles (I didn't make it past the Vampire Armand myself). In any case, we can't thank you enough for the service you do for us fans! So much more fun watching you recap than anyone else, and you do a great job covering the important things. Thank you for throwing yourself under these literary buses for us. 😂
Thank you!! So I watched the series and it was great... can't wait for the next season! I guess the series is better than the book! Where does Anne Rice get these stories!!
I really hope you do the next 2 books. I want to remember what happened, but don't really want to have to reread all of that insanity, lmao. Your boozy recaps are a delight, though!
I was listening to the audiobook, and I was starting to get bored so i looked for a summary. Good thing I did. I dont think i want to read or listen to the next two books. Thanks for the summary!
I’m not even half way thru and trying to find the strength and motivation to continue and this video didn’t help at all but boy was it fun to watch thank you! I’m reading like 3 other books rn just to avoid this one ahaha maybe I’ll truly give up, we’ll see.
No suffering through it at all! Anne Rice is the matriarch of witchy-vampire stories. Even if the Movie/TV version can’t do them Justice. The Witching Hour was amazing. I read it more than 20 years ago and was amazed how the TV show has some of the optics exactly how they were in my head. Preparing to read it again, as well as Taltos and Lasher.
I really liked the whole book... until the very end when Lasher steals the baby. I wanted Rowan & Michael to defeat the centuries old spirit soooo much 💔 It felt like a setup for the sequels 🙄
Thanks for this wonderful review! As a budding gay highschooler in the 90s, I devoured everything Anne Rice then and remember being more into the witches than even the vampires (though my favorite remains her one-off about the castrati, "Cry to Heaven"). And I'd been considering whether to try a re-read for the show, but I suspect that, for the reasons you gave, I wouldn't find it as engrossing in my 40s. Just as with the vampire chronicles, I remember being really into the series until I hit one book where things really went off a cliff (a Rice hallmark) and with the witches I think it might have been one of Lasher's backstory books.....
Even though I loved this book, I really enjoyed your take and summary! Some of these comments are so unnecessarily hateful. I loved the book but everything you said is absolutely 💯 percent true, it’s gross and dark and awful, and while I enjoy all these elements in books, especially AR books (I ABSORB AR books) this book did NOT have to be this long! It definitely dragged in parts of the story. Still loved it though. Great video!
Omg I loved that book! Now the other 2 books not so much. Anne Rice is super descriptive all of her books are like that sometimes I just had to skip over some of that.
Phew I was worried about all the spoilers but the tv show is nothing like the books but it sort of follows the plot of the book oh well it still made the tv show easy to understand thanks
I LOOOOVE the book. Let's just try to analyze and understand that the minor age and incest happened during the early century time when it was still normal remember the marrying age was 13 or 14 and it's normal to marry among relatives with the royals and aristocrats. So I think most of Anne Rice books, those happened during the era when it was still considered normal
I have 8 hours left in the Audiobook and I started it in January... I kept putting it down and coming back to it because literally... NOTHING... Happens in the story for a good while. Now it's the last book I need to finish to complete the year. They say Anne Rice is an amazing Author... If this is true then I fail to see it.
Firstly we have to apologize and thank you at the same time, that you read this book for us, so we didn't have to. Thank you for reading it, and sorry for the trauma you endured. 😳😳... just the ending with the, Adult, man, baby, demon lover was bad enough, and the fact the book was over 900 pages long. .. sheese... that's traumatizing and crazy.. 😳 well Amanda you're not only patient but BRAVE, to make it through this book. But I'm glad you read it, 📚 I was CURIOUS as to what Anne Rice would take over 900 pages to say about a family of bizarre 🧙🏼♀️ witches, but now we know. I enjoyed your review. Thanks again.. 😊.. 📚...
About 300 pages in, I came here trying to decide whether to finish. I don't enjoy the history of the witches in letter form part and just not engaged in the story. Having listened to your summary I'm happy not to slog through the rest of it, loved her Vampire books, oh well.
I read this book when I was ten, the month it was published. It definitely had some weird effect on me, LOL. At the time I just thought: "Adults are weird! Is this what being an adult is like?"
I've always been interested in Mayfair Witches but with what I've read about the plot...I can't. I won't. I'm enjoying the show and I'm really glad to see the story playing out without the TortureP*rn. The way the show handles the character's trauma is also great so I'm looking forward to how things turn out. Same with Interview with a Vampire
Thank you! Ugh this book. I did the audiobook and was like 20 hours into it and hated it.. but at that point, I was invested, you know? There was so much unnecessary description. It's the definition of telling, not showing. Utterly insane that anyone would think this was a good book.
I was expecting some indication of plot 2 chapters and 3hrs 30 min (1.20x speed) into the audiobook than the FULL life story of this Micheal. This is brutal.
Thanks for your service! 😂🫡 I started this book last Christmas and just wasn’t as compelled as I was with Interview so I dropped off but meant to go back to it…. I knew the ending included Lasher & a baby but like you said never would’ve guessed that womb entering possession resulting in adult baby man twist hahah. (Reminds me of the recent horror movie “Men” and it’s birth sequence). It actually makes more sense of the hamfisted anti abortion type passages in the beginning of the book (from both Rowan and Michael if I remember correct)… to then have Michael attempting to kill his own demon kid. Kinda turns things on it’s head. Tbh what I enjoyed most was the haunting atmospheric descriptions of the house and New Orleans lol so the house renovations actually excite me. I may try to push through for that 😂… please do finish the series though, your videos are so entertaining and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for the content! ♥️ Also can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the show! I might try it out but wanna finish the book first… I actually really liked Lightner and Michael as their own characters so I’m disappointed they’ve merged those two. I also hope Michael’s alcoholism is included somehow? Since it was refreshingly honest (at least in the beginning of the book) and Anne Rice of course herself struggled with it for many years. Addiction is like it’s own demonic possession! A real world horror for people and their loved ones. So I liked that parallel in this book.
Thank you for the kind words! I'm already doing recaps on the episodes and I'll get to Lasher and Taltos eventually but I needed a breather after Witching Hour to recover. haha
I know that I read this when it came out, but I had ZERO memory of it until watched this. I think I might have just blocked it out as some bizarre fever dream or something. I think my brain just rebelled against remembering it, as I probably had as painful experience as you did when I read it. Hopefully the show will be more enjoyable than that slog of a book! 😆
The history of the Mayfair witches is the story because it sets the pattern of Lasher’s interaction with the members of the family. I don’t know how that’s the thing you hated. The story isn’t linear. This review is ridiculous!
This video is hilarious but I’m going to have to respectfully disagree! This almost put me off reading the book but after seeing all the comments i decided to give it a go anyway. ITS SO GOOD! I’m only about 20% through but I’m so intrigued by the story line with Michael and what seems to be Lashers influence 👀 this got completely cut from the show with Ciprien! I suggest people still give it a go even if they have doubts :)
The book was great and the series was good, and it didn't bother me that the screen adapters took liberties with the characters. ..it's subjective and all to one' s taste..but one should understand when making a screen adaptation there are time constraints, and some other necessary changes that have to made to turn a book series into a TV series...so many details in a book have to eliminated or embellished to fit into the format of a screen adaptation...yes those who know the book will know every nuance of the main characters, however a viewing audience has much less patience than a reading audience, and in that way, on occasion, changes in characters must made...both my wife and I loved this AMC series .my wife liked it so much l, she bought the books and is reading them...I read the books 20 years ago, and loved them.
I read Lasher before The Witching Hour (but after watching the Mayfair Witches on AMC and thinking holy hell this is crazy, how nuts was the series??) and after Lasher I felt like I might need to go to church (or have an exorcism maybe??) for the first time in over a decade. With that being said, The Witching Hour wasn’t as bad as Lasher but it’s still yucky as hell at times. And yes, listening to the audiobook is a slog at times when it becomes a history lesson. I will say this tho, Anne Rice clearly fell in love with the Mayfair family while she was writing.
I remember liking this book, but I liked the 2 other books a lot better. I actually had picked up Taltos I think it was, from a local used bookstore, and started reading before realizing it's part of a series. The sex stuff, if I recall, is even worse/grosser in the 2 other books. At least as a highschool edgy person that kept me intrigued but ... yikes. I do remember Witching Hour having endless diary entries, and then this long description of the architecture of a house? or a house remodel or something? Personally my favorite Anne Rice book is the (comparatively) little-known Cry to Heaven, historical fiction about castrati singers in Italy. There's also a lot of seggs in it but fairly little incest (I honestly think there's no Anne Rice book without at least the air of incest, if not the actual thing, I truly think she had some kind of deep-seated traumas with how often it comes up in her books.) I am thinking about rereading this series because I do recall liking it. Someone posted audiobooks of the first couple of Interview with the vampire books on youtube and I wish they had The Witching Hour. It really is (in my memory) easier to get through Lasher and Taltos, at least as far as the writing style.
![Kodak Black - Catch Fire [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/A4ch-olIuZo/mqdefault.jpg)
_The Witching Hour_ is my all-time favorite novel. It’s a nightmare that surrounds a love story and a family story and its darkness, its sense of history and culture, and its extreme length are what I love most about it. It’s scary to think that all the events in the novel that have to do with the Mayfair family of witches...the good and the bad and the horrible...wouldn’t have happened if Suzanne hadn’t conjured Lasher in that field in Scotland, allowing him to have complete control over the family’s existence from that point on. From Suzanne on down, Lasher engineered every following generation-their conceptions, their births and their deaths. I think it’s brilliant.
The AMC tv series is phenomenal in my opinion
The show isn’t great
Soooooo agree !
@@cugglymonster the show is really not great.
As a history buff, I totally loved the deep dive into the centuries of Mayfair family members.
A phenomenal book for people who love their stories rich and complex and bizarre and beautiful. I hope no one listens to anyone who tells them not to give it a try.
This is my favorite book of all time just like many others have said on here. I read it 27 years ago when I was about 31 years old and I just reread it recently to refresh my memory because of the tv series. I still loved every bit of it. The first time I actually read all 965 pages and loved it so much that I would literally read it every minute I had free in my single mom life with 3 children and to the point of exhaustion and falling asleep every night until I was finished reading it. The second time I listened to it on audio and enjoyed it just as much and did the exact same only this time it was easier because I didn't have to actually sit down to read it. I will say it is a special type of book series though. It really goes deep into the history of The Mayfair Witches but it takes you there with every word.
The Witching Hour and The Feast of All Saints are her best. I adore them.
Personally, this is my favorite series by Anne Rice. Everyone has different tastes, though.
I'm genuinely happy you enjoyed it. I really wanted to as well.
Mine, too. I started with the 'Interview' series, became obsessed, to date have read all of Ann Rice. She's BRILLIANT on an EPIC level. Her books, as you kindly said, aren't for everyone. I'm sooooo Grateful I deeply LOVE her books, definitely not for simple minds that can't or don't invest, having a short attention span & lack of curiosity .... 900 pages of WONDER, 💗I was lost when I finished. Her next book wasn't out yet so I read her erotic trilogy, The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty. Again, not for everyone. This reviewer, I came by on accident & wish I hadn't cause the level of reading comprehension, mental stimulation, intelligence Quotient & level of emotional depth are required for reading Ann Rice, a prolific contemporary literary writer, now a Legend.
@@TadiKAT " To be fair, you have to have a very high IQ to understand Rick and Morty. The humor is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of theoretical physics most of the jokes will go over a typical viewer's head. There's also Rick's nihilistic outlook, which is deftly woven into his characterisation - his personal philosophy draws heavily from Narodnaya Volya literature, for instance. The fans understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of these jokes, to realize that they're not just funny- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike Rick and Morty truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the humour in Rick's existencial catchphrase "Wubba Lubba Dub Dub," which itself is a cryptic reference to Turgenev's Russian epic Fathers and Sons I'm smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as Dan Harmon's genius unfolds itself on their television screens. What fools... how I pity them. 😂 And yes by the way, I DO have a Rick and Morty tattoo. And no, you cannot see it. It's for the ladies' eyes only- And even they have to demonstrate that they're within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand."
@@IaMSpeaks gross.....
@@itowilltube Hey I'm just holding up a mirror for Kathy...
I really like this one. My favorite part is the history, but felt that Rowan and Michael's relationship has always felt rushed. I return to this every few years and always enjoy it.
REALLY? Lol. I’m shocked. This book is wonderful! I’ve read it twice and will probably read it again. It’s beautifully written. Unique.
Oh she definitely has a way with words....
As far as the synopsis goes, wow that was bananas 🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌🍞
I love the entire series!!
Witching Hour, Lasher, and Taltos must be read in order as Anne wrote the trilogy. Anne lived in the home and the restoration details were from her actual renovation of that Garden District Mansion. ( I went there in 1988 it was fabulous and Anne was gracious). These are my favorite of all her works. Disregard this review and decide for yourself.
I agree. It's my favorite as well, along with The Feast of All Saints.
I'm a fan of Mrs.Anne Rice's work (may she RIP). IMO, the reader must like or enjoy history in order to really appreciate how long and detailed her books are (not all of them).
She was very accurate with the times and descriptions she was focusing on. I admit that at times I got anxious to skip the historical details just to get back to the plot, like "get to the point Edna.." lol However I do think it was important. I enjoy it. Interested to know of others opinions about Lasher and Taltos. The complement of thetrilogy. 🍒
If you found it took you out of the plot, why was it good?
@CS-mf5un it didn't take me out of the plot . At times, the historic details and descriptions were so much/long that I became impatient wanting to get back to the plot. 🍒
Read them all 30 years ago. When the series came out, I got the audiobook to refresh myself. At 44 now, I’m wondering who thought it was ok for me to read this at 14?? 😂
Also, I’ll see your flowers in the attic and raise you one Mayfair witch series
o no... I can't do Flowers in the Attic! I'm putting my foot down on that one. haha!
I feel ya.
My introduction to AR was when I was 12 (maybe 13). The school librarian called me an "old soul" and offered me a copy of Tale of the Body Thief. Assault, sex, sexual assault, and murder all pouring into the malleable mind of an impressionable teenage boy.
@@UncleTonyK Tale Of The Body Thief!!!! Sooooooo good.
People of all ages were more mature 30 years ago.
for real though! hahaha who was buying me these books when i was 12
It's a great book. The whole series is awesome!
I loved The Witching Hour. A great read
I really liked how in depth the history was, and I have never read something like this before. But I didn't care too much about Rowan and Michele's story since I was enthralled with the history.
WOW. I loved every minute of reading that book! :)
I'm so glad! I really wanted to love it too.
For some reason I loved this book. I don't even know why! I felt like I was high as a kite the entire time, but I was engaged and had fun with the weirdness.
I loved it! My favorite of all her books ! Yes moments I struggled a bit the alien Taltos stuff got a weird and the man with baby skin but it was bizarre and wonderful! I miss Anne rice bless her!
You guys are insane. This series is amazing.
The series while based on the Witching Hour novel, is not the same. No idea why they changed it …maybe Christopher Rice will tell someday?
@@NanaGagie For sure. My apologies, I did mean the book series. The television series is so different from the books that it reminds me of the brief period of time in which "The Lawnmower Man" was titled "Stephen King's The Lawnmower Man" (He sued the filmmakers, and it was subsequently removed). The short story "The Lawnmower Man" was about this guy that came to mow someone's lawn, stripped off all of his clothes, turned green from being covered in grass (and eating it? It's been like 30 years since I read it), and then proceeded to run the mower through the house killing people. There is one scene in the movie when he takes a mower into a house after he's gone all VR crazy. That's how far removed the Witching Hour television series is from the books. Anne Rice would be rolling over in her grave if she knew. Oh god and it's soo cheesy. I had to stop watching when she started scream-chanting nonsense spells. The Interview With The Vampire television series however, is fantastic. There are some big changes but they all make sense and it still has the same general feeling and direction. I just wish the score was darker and less pomp and circumstance-y. I read that the filmmakers took their own liberties. I'm not sure what the point of that is. Like, just write your own story.
@@GoatLordethank you for your kind and thought provoking reply. After watching the series I couldn’t agree with you more! I so enjoyed the Interview with the Vampire series and thought the same continuity would follow but alas….No!
I agree with you 100M%. I don't think that I have EVER read a less satisfying book.
1. Lasher is supposed to be the family "demon." He's the "villain" of the series. But Lasher doesn't do anything worse than any member of the family does on their own. He's practically a saint compared to some of the family members. One might assume that (as a demon) Lasher is the corrupting force behind the family's malevolent behavior. But, when one considers that they are a family of rich, elitist, witches from the American south, it isn't a grand leap to presume that they'd have some fucked up skeletons in their closets with or without Lasher.
2. I wasn't personally offended by all the rape and incest. I think that AR was painting a literary portrait of American blue bloods. As it is with royalty, the Mayfair power is in the purity of the lineage.
That said, 99.99999% of the descriptive rapes and incestuous relations add nothing to the plot. The back stories (prior to Julien) are entirely unnecessary. AR takes whole chapters to lay out what could have been said on a single page (if it had to be said at all).
3. Rowan is the smartest idiot EVER. Fully aware that she holds the power in their relationship, and fully aware that Lasher has been rebuffed by other Mayfairs. She goes the absolute LONGEST WAY around to killing a demon that she can easily choose to ignore (or magically neuter, or psychically imprison, etc). If only her husband had a friend affiliated with an organization of psychics and spellcrafters who also might have a beef with the demon connected to the deaths of at least 3 of their own.
4. The nigh-endless droning on the scenery has ALWAYS been the most aggravating thing about AR's books. One page has the reader immersed and on edge. The next 3 chapters go on-and-on about how the character feels about how the scenery looks. I remember reading Tale of the Body Thief, and wondering if it had been published by a travel agency trying to sell European and South American packages.
Please don't get me wrong. I mostly ❤️ AR's stories. I go WAY back with her books. I think that the Mayfair series had all the ingredients for greatness. It just missed the mark by 1000 miles. I sincerely hope that the TV series reworks the recipe before airing.
I think the incest was necessary so that the chromosomes and other biological factors would be right in order to have a witch strong enough to help Lasher come through. That was why Micheal was "put" with Rowan, because he was also distantly Mayfair (descended from Julien and Sister Bridget Marie).
@@thomasfranche6770 You're quite right. This is eugenics at its core.
But, in addition to creating the host body, Lasher needs a witch who is powerful enough to survive the pregnancy and birth. That power comes from the bloodline.
Gotta say, i love this book, my favorite from Anne Rice, but still love the video really fun and i gotta agree with your take is wild and not for everybody, kinda want you to read the other 2 so you do more recaps like this one :D
This was my favorite one out of the Mayfair series, yes it was a long read but wow I flew threw it I couldn’t put it down
Read it as a teen. Read Black Water by Michael McDowell as an adult. Mayfair is tween version of Blackwater. Loved it completely in the 90's - not so much as an adult.
As soon as the show was announced, I remembered the whole trilogy of books, and went, "Y I K E S". Because Game of Thrones/House of the Dragon is one thing, but Rice at her most gothically demented is something else.
Also I had forgotten about the demon man-baby being in this book.
I hope you enjoyed that bottle! I think you needed it.
Its gothic horror and pretty are surprised the characters are not morally upright people.
Do they know what gothic even means?
She needs a 12 step meeting
yea I'm really glad that they changed some key plot point bc I dont ever want to see anyone play out what rowan went through
Thank you for your service. I was really into Anne Rice when I was younger, and I read probably all the vampire novels, but I remember trying to read this one and wasn't able to make it very far, so I appreciate the summary, you made it really fun!
Im on page 400 and im struggling to make my way through it. The incest alone makes me not want to read anymore
For real… that family tree looks more like a broom handle at this point.
I think this is a beautiful book that could have benefited by a good deal of editing. Like 400 pages of fluff could be stripped away without affecting the story.
I read the books around 20 years ago...I love the books but I also love your way of summarizing it. This was soooo entertaining and "man baby demon" is killing me 😀
Haha! Thank you for watching!
"How are they coming out people still?" 🤣🤣That's the plot!
I love this novel, but it is most definitely not for everyone. Hell, I dont think it's for like 75% of the population 🙃🤓 A good friend once asked my top 5 favorite books, and "The Wtching Hour" is one of them. He asked if he should read it and I said, "No. I don't think you'll gel with it." He looked perplexed. So I said, "Look. I don't want you to think differently of me. You'll read it and question what kind of person I am. You'll question our entire friendship 😂
hahaha! accurate!
I loved this book and book series. I loved it better than the Vampire Series. I absolutely hate the tv show. The producers have done a horrible job. The tv series of Interview With a Vampire have done a wonderful job. It is a class act series. Mayfair is cheaply made, bad acting and the story is fan fiction
I loved this book so much when I read it at age 20. But liked the sequels less. But I can understand people who are uncomfortable with all the incest and non consensual sex. But it is the whole reason for the story of Lasher. He was using selective breeding and eugenics to create a witch strong enough and magical enough to birth Lasher into this world.
I get what Lasher was doing but normally incest doesn’t bring forth the best genetic traits. Haha. I guess magic helped in this case!
@@TheNaughtyLibrarian same kind of storyline in The Witcher
I just finished this book, and that ending made me so mad. Although a huge chunk of the book is a Mayfair encyclopedia, I did enjoy it overall.
Great review! I personally love this book, it’s basically an event in itself. Lol I really enjoyed the whole witch family backstory, but I get that it’s not for everyone. Hold on to your hat for the next couple books in the series, they get WILD! But no matter what, I always enjoy your commentary. This is a fun channel to watch, your personality really shines through.
Thanks for the video!
I've never read the book and as my only "preparation" for watching the show (episode 1+2 were pretty decent imo) I read the synopsis on wikipedia. After reading so many good reviews about the book everywhere I wanted to at least give the audiobook a try (no time for actively reading 1000 pages atm) but, as you said, it's 50 hours! Yeah... nope.
I think I'll just continue with my Vampire Chronicles re-read because as crazy and sometimes even lengthy (Blood & Gold...) they get, they aren't even half as bad as 1000 pages about witch history and remodeling a house!
I had to reread this book twice to get my head wrapped around it! The long boring periods was what lost me, but I finally got through it. I then read Lasher and Taltos. I think the last two are better than the first one. If I could have alcohol, I would have been drinking too. This was a LONG LONG LONG book!! 😉
I finished Lasher (video coming soon) and it was WILD. Like… I have no words. Haha!
Can you tell us whose heads were in the jars?!
I apparently don't remember reading that reveal
I agree that parts definitely dragged but i thought it was great 💯🔥
I'm glad you loved it!
mate. i loved it when i was 14. i tried to listen to the audiobook this week (aged 40) and i could not. for so many reasons.
Sorry you didn't like it.. But like any book it's not for anybody. Some of us love weird books.... I read them like 20 yrs ago. I loved them.. They aren't as good as the Vampire Chronicals but few books are.
I do think hate and gross are harsh words.
How would you describe all the incest besides "gross?"
I loved the book! Anne Rice is a great writer.
I read this and I can't remember most of what you're talking about. I must have blocked it out to preserve my sanity.
I'm reading through this book currently, and it's very slow going. I'm not even sure I like the book, but it's interesting enough for me to keep going. Hopefully it gets better. This is my first Ann Rice book, and I think perhaps I shouldn't have started with this first.
Try her vampire series instead
Vittorio and Pandora are much easier, shorter read. I'm also trudging through this book
I've read Ms.Rice ...11 yr old girls seducing grown men,the amount of rape...incest...a man could never get away with this subject matter
I read the book 30 years ago and forgot how crazy it is!!!!
Ive read a lot of books over the years and this is my favorite book ever. Thanks for the review. Youre fun!
I've read it some 30 years ago, and i remember enjoying it a lot
Anne Rice's writing style is rich and hypnotic. If you have an appreciation for words and developing a mood and atmosphere in a complex story, she does an excellent job.
Absolutely if you are against mature and taboo topics, skip this book.
If you want a supernatural story that is well written and epic that will haunt you indefinitely, this is your book.
Nope. IMHO, Anne Rice can write circles around Diana Gabaldon. What's horrifying, is AMC making the series. It totally needs to be GOT epic. These books are Anne Rice classic. You want nicer? Go read Dr. Suess.
Gothic means tucked up relationships. It would be like reading flowers in the attic and expecting the little princess
I tried reading this via audiobook. I got to the point where they were about to go to New Orleans and fell off it. I was intrigued by it, but it felt like it took forever for anything to happen.
I am currently halfway through her Vampire Chronicles. I feel like Anne Rice has a habit of going on tangents. For example, breaking away from Lestat’s story in TVL for a 100 page history of Marius and the origins of vampirism, only to go on to write more extensive breakaways (or even whole novels) about the same subjects later. Stuff like this makes her novels feel episodic at best, or ramshackle at worst. And for another example, I just finished Memnoch. We get a massive chapter about the history of a character we just met (Roger) and then we forget about that for 2/3 of the book while Lestat goes to heaven and hell. Then we barely get any conclusion to it! While I perhaps (controversially) really enjoyed Memnoch overall, that was one of the main detractors for me. I like Anne’s ideas and the atmosphere she creates, but her novel structures could definitely use some work. I think she definitely needed a “stronger” editor.
These tangents in the vampire books are mostly interesting to me, and I care about the characters enough to make it through and still love or enjoy the books. That being said, I just couldn’t justify spending hours learning about Micheal’s backstory of home renovations when it could have been more succinctly explained in about 1/3 the time. I know it is Anne Rice’s style to be pretty long winded and purple-y, and that some people really like that. I do think her prose is wonderful, but as I said, I think the plot structures could be improved to make the reading experience a lot better. I don’t mind too much a long description of how the inside of a house looks, but I definitely mind it more when it’s feels like a tangent within a tangent within an already unnecessarily thorough backstory.
I might get back round to reading this at some point, because the weird stuff doesn’t really put me off, but I think I will definitely pick up a print/ebook version so I can more easily “skim” some sections. Right now the book is in limbo for me, because I made it just far enough into the book and it was long enough ago to where I am debating whether it is worth it to restart… I am a completionist normally, so I’d like to go into the later Vampire books that cross over with a little more context.
But for now, your videos are fitting the bill!
I'm so glad you did this, but also surprised you hated it! I kept hearing good things about it. (One day I'll get around to it myself...) I have high hopes for the show, though, after how well they handled IwtV. Very curious to see how they update this!
I hope you do read the next two books in this side series... I guess it all does tie back to later books in the Vampire Chronicles (I didn't make it past the Vampire Armand myself). In any case, we can't thank you enough for the service you do for us fans! So much more fun watching you recap than anyone else, and you do a great job covering the important things. Thank you for throwing yourself under these literary buses for us. 😂
Idk how I would feel about it today, but I read it at 16 and liked it back then. I read so many Anne Rice starting then until 21.
So Anne Rice has gone full blown V.C. Andrews?
I love all things Anne Rice and her son Christopher is an excellent writer too.
I loved this book.
Thank you!! So I watched the series and it was great... can't wait for the next season! I guess the series is better than the book! Where does Anne Rice get these stories!!
I really hope you do the next 2 books. I want to remember what happened, but don't really want to have to reread all of that insanity, lmao. Your boozy recaps are a delight, though!
Thanks! I’m going to get to Lasher and Taltos eventually but I needed a break after Witching Hour
Exactly how I feel!
I was listening to the audiobook, and I was starting to get bored so i looked for a summary. Good thing I did. I dont think i want to read or listen to the next two books. Thanks for the summary!
I’m not even half way thru and trying to find the strength and motivation to continue and this video didn’t help at all but boy was it fun to watch thank you! I’m reading like 3 other books rn just to avoid this one ahaha maybe I’ll truly give up, we’ll see.
WHOSE HEADS WERE IN THE JARS.??
Yeah my brother got me this book for Xmas. - he only knew I liked Anne Rice. I never enlightened him to the plot.
No suffering through it at all! Anne Rice is the matriarch of witchy-vampire stories. Even if the Movie/TV version can’t do them Justice. The Witching Hour was amazing. I read it more than 20 years ago and was amazed how the TV show has some of the optics exactly how they were in my head. Preparing to read it again, as well as Taltos and Lasher.
Thanks for reading these books cause I can never get thru them.
So, after binge watching the first season of THE MAYFAIR WITCHES, I've decided to reread THE WITCHING HOUR!!!
I really liked the whole book... until the very end when Lasher steals the baby. I wanted Rowan & Michael to defeat the centuries old spirit soooo much 💔
It felt like a setup for the sequels 🙄
Thanks for this wonderful review! As a budding gay highschooler in the 90s, I devoured everything Anne Rice then and remember being more into the witches than even the vampires (though my favorite remains her one-off about the castrati, "Cry to Heaven"). And I'd been considering whether to try a re-read for the show, but I suspect that, for the reasons you gave, I wouldn't find it as engrossing in my 40s. Just as with the vampire chronicles, I remember being really into the series until I hit one book where things really went off a cliff (a Rice hallmark) and with the witches I think it might have been one of Lasher's backstory books.....
Anne Rice eats and loves mythology
I'm team Vampire Chronicles but I'm keen on more of Anne Rice's amazing books
I'm rereading the Bantam Books paperback edition of THE WITCHING HOUR which is 1038 pages long!
Even though I loved this book, I really enjoyed your take and summary! Some of these comments are so unnecessarily hateful. I loved the book but everything you said is absolutely 💯 percent true, it’s gross and dark and awful, and while I enjoy all these elements in books, especially AR books (I ABSORB AR books) this book did NOT have to be this long! It definitely dragged in parts of the story. Still loved it though. Great video!
Omg I loved that book! Now the other 2 books not so much. Anne Rice is super descriptive all of her books are like that sometimes I just had to skip over some of that.
I'm still debating reading the next two books. I know everyone wants the review videos but I know I'm going to hate reading them. haha
Thank you for reading and then your take on it, cuz i would have hated wasting my time on it.
Phew I was worried about all the spoilers but the tv show is nothing like the books but it sort of follows the plot of the book oh well it still made the tv show easy to understand thanks
I LOOOOVE the book. Let's just try to analyze and understand that the minor age and incest happened during the early century time when it was still normal remember the marrying age was 13 or 14 and it's normal to marry among relatives with the royals and aristocrats. So I think most of Anne Rice books, those happened during the era when it was still considered normal
I have 8 hours left in the Audiobook and I started it in January... I kept putting it down and coming back to it because literally... NOTHING... Happens in the story for a good while. Now it's the last book I need to finish to complete the year.
They say Anne Rice is an amazing Author... If this is true then I fail to see it.
Firstly we have to apologize and thank you at the same time, that you read this book for us, so we didn't have to. Thank you for reading it, and sorry for the trauma you endured. 😳😳... just the ending with the, Adult, man, baby, demon lover was bad enough, and the fact the book was over 900 pages long. .. sheese... that's traumatizing and crazy.. 😳 well Amanda you're not only patient but BRAVE, to make it through this book. But I'm glad you read it, 📚 I was CURIOUS as to what Anne Rice would take over 900 pages to say about a family of bizarre 🧙🏼♀️ witches, but now we know. I enjoyed your review. Thanks again.. 😊.. 📚...
Thank you! It was a struggle but I'm glad the video came out and people liked it.
your review had me dying 😂 i remember liking it when i read it in high school but it is vc andrews level effed up
About 300 pages in, I came here trying to decide whether to finish. I don't enjoy the history of the witches in letter form part and just not engaged in the story. Having listened to your summary I'm happy not to slog through the rest of it, loved her Vampire books, oh well.
It’s fabulous
I read this book when I was ten, the month it was published. It definitely had some weird effect on me, LOL.
At the time I just thought: "Adults are weird! Is this what being an adult is like?"
I love how this is a part of the vampire chronicles
I've always been interested in Mayfair Witches but with what I've read about the plot...I can't. I won't. I'm enjoying the show and I'm really glad to see the story playing out without the TortureP*rn. The way the show handles the character's trauma is also great so I'm looking forward to how things turn out. Same with Interview with a Vampire
Thank you! Ugh this book. I did the audiobook and was like 20 hours into it and hated it.. but at that point, I was invested, you know? There was so much unnecessary description. It's the definition of telling, not showing. Utterly insane that anyone would think this was a good book.
Its one of the best novels ever written
Agreed!
😂😂😂
yeah, i havent read it since junior high. i remembered thr was something. that was it. not just child rxpe. incest. & unrelated chrs. _JC
The book covers 400 years of the history of the Mayfair family.
You will love the show, it has nothing to do with the book. Except a few names and places.
I was expecting some indication of plot 2 chapters and 3hrs 30 min (1.20x speed) into the audiobook than the FULL life story of this Micheal. This is brutal.
It's definitely long winded
Sometimes doing bad thing for the greater good, is the way to go, I mean I would.
Thanks for your service! 😂🫡 I started this book last Christmas and just wasn’t as compelled as I was with Interview so I dropped off but meant to go back to it…. I knew the ending included Lasher & a baby but like you said never would’ve guessed that womb entering possession resulting in adult baby man twist hahah. (Reminds me of the recent horror movie “Men” and it’s birth sequence). It actually makes more sense of the hamfisted anti abortion type passages in the beginning of the book (from both Rowan and Michael if I remember correct)… to then have Michael attempting to kill his own demon kid. Kinda turns things on it’s head. Tbh what I enjoyed most was the haunting atmospheric descriptions of the house and New Orleans lol so the house renovations actually excite me. I may try to push through for that 😂… please do finish the series though, your videos are so entertaining and I’d love to hear your thoughts. Thanks for the content! ♥️ Also can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the show! I might try it out but wanna finish the book first… I actually really liked Lightner and Michael as their own characters so I’m disappointed they’ve merged those two. I also hope Michael’s alcoholism is included somehow? Since it was refreshingly honest (at least in the beginning of the book) and Anne Rice of course herself struggled with it for many years. Addiction is like it’s own demonic possession! A real world horror for people and their loved ones. So I liked that parallel in this book.
Thank you for the kind words! I'm already doing recaps on the episodes and I'll get to Lasher and Taltos eventually but I needed a breather after Witching Hour to recover. haha
I know that I read this when it came out, but I had ZERO memory of it until watched this. I think I might have just blocked it out as some bizarre fever dream or something. I think my brain just rebelled against remembering it, as I probably had as painful experience as you did when I read it. Hopefully the show will be more enjoyable than that slog of a book! 😆
The history of the Mayfair witches is the story because it sets the pattern of Lasher’s interaction with the members of the family. I don’t know how that’s the thing you hated. The story isn’t linear. This review is ridiculous!
The thing you hate is the reason i loved it. To each their own i guess
Suffered through?!?
Anne rice is one of best authors ever and I hope channel dies if you think what title says
Definitely no views from us
This video is hilarious but I’m going to have to respectfully disagree! This almost put me off reading the book but after seeing all the comments i decided to give it a go anyway. ITS SO GOOD! I’m only about 20% through but I’m so intrigued by the story line with Michael and what seems to be Lashers influence 👀 this got completely cut from the show with Ciprien! I suggest people still give it a go even if they have doubts :)
This is my favorite book right now. I have book hang over I just finished it. Help. This is all i did for like 4 days in all my free time 😂
The book was great and the series was good, and it didn't bother me that the screen adapters took liberties with the characters. ..it's subjective and all to one' s taste..but one should understand when making a screen adaptation there are time constraints, and some other necessary changes that have to made to turn a book series into a TV series...so many details in a book have to eliminated or embellished to fit into the format of a screen adaptation...yes those who know the book will know every nuance of the main characters, however a viewing audience has much less patience than a reading audience, and in that way, on occasion, changes in characters must made...both my wife and I loved this AMC series .my wife liked it so much l, she bought the books and is reading them...I read the books 20 years ago, and loved them.
22:00 oh, & the ghost rxpe. i forgot that too. & that is key. _JC
I’m glad I read it but it was so hard to get through…and I didn’t care about Rowan and Michael’s relationship at all and that’s such a big part lol
I read Lasher before The Witching Hour (but after watching the Mayfair Witches on AMC and thinking holy hell this is crazy, how nuts was the series??) and after Lasher I felt like I might need to go to church (or have an exorcism maybe??) for the first time in over a decade.
With that being said, The Witching Hour wasn’t as bad as Lasher but it’s still yucky as hell at times. And yes, listening to the audiobook is a slog at times when it becomes a history lesson. I will say this tho, Anne Rice clearly fell in love with the Mayfair family while she was writing.
I remember liking this book, but I liked the 2 other books a lot better. I actually had picked up Taltos I think it was, from a local used bookstore, and started reading before realizing it's part of a series.
The sex stuff, if I recall, is even worse/grosser in the 2 other books. At least as a highschool edgy person that kept me intrigued but ... yikes. I do remember Witching Hour having endless diary entries, and then this long description of the architecture of a house? or a house remodel or something?
Personally my favorite Anne Rice book is the (comparatively) little-known Cry to Heaven, historical fiction about castrati singers in Italy. There's also a lot of seggs in it but fairly little incest (I honestly think there's no Anne Rice book without at least the air of incest, if not the actual thing, I truly think she had some kind of deep-seated traumas with how often it comes up in her books.)
I am thinking about rereading this series because I do recall liking it. Someone posted audiobooks of the first couple of Interview with the vampire books on youtube and I wish they had The Witching Hour. It really is (in my memory) easier to get through Lasher and Taltos, at least as far as the writing style.
What do you think about the series on Netflix?
It’s abysmal. To me 😅
Loved this book ❤
I love love love your story-telling!!!!!
Thank you