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A Secret History of Witches: A Novel
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A Secret History of Witches: A Novel
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A Secret History of Witches: A Novel
Audiobook17 hours

A Secret History of Witches: A Novel

Written by Louisa Morgan

Narrated by Polly Lee

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

A sweeping historical saga that traces five generations of fiercely powerful mothers and daughters - witches whose magical inheritance is both a dangerous threat and an extraordinary gift.
Brittany, 1821. After Grand-mere Ursule gives her life to save her family, their magic seems to die with her.
Even so, the Orchires fight to keep the old ways alive, practicing half-remembered spells and arcane rites in hopes of a revival. And when their youngest daughter comes of age, magic flows anew. The lineage continues, though new generations struggle not only to master their power, but also to keep it hidden.
But when World War II looms on the horizon, magic is needed more urgently than ever - not for simple potions or visions, but to change the entire course of history.
"At once sprawling and intimate, A Secret History of Witches deftly captures the greatest magic of all: the love between mothers and daughters." --Jordanna Max Brodsky, author of The Immortals
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 5, 2017
ISBN9781478977025
Unavailable
A Secret History of Witches: A Novel

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Reviews for A Secret History of Witches

Rating: 3.4902912466019416 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

103 ratings12 reviews

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  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    I really wanted to love this novel but I didn't. The book is broken down into multiple parts such that each witch from the next generation gets her own story. I love the idea of magic being passed down from mother to daughter but I think that is where the problem of this novel lay: for each generation, the story from the previous generation must be recounted, and the same reactions from the newest witch are described, and it just starts to become repetitive. It's hard to break from that cycle when it is that very cycle that is being described in the novel. I think that out of all of the witches that were described, there was only one that was truly different from the rest. While I get that the same traits and powers will run in the family, the personalities of the different witches were too similar for my taste. And as I mentioned, the concept was interesting in the beginning but the story itself was too cyclic and repetitive to maintain my interest. The author did put a valiant effort in trying to tie in different historical events to change things up between generations, but the scenarios remained the same. I also wish there had been more supernatural elements; I would have loved to read about the different spells and things that they learned and the reasons why they did certain rituals. For me, there was just not enough of a unique story and so, I'm giving this a 2/5 stars.

    I received this novel as an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Was an ok read. It got daunting for me to have to switch through so many different perspectives throughout the book. Though the stories are linked, they are all separate and read like an anthology. I did not care for this style. Others may not mind it.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Star Rating - 3.5Exploration of multiple family generations and witch-craft is what drew my attention to this book. I adore a good family exploration and after a couple years ago, I’ve been fascinated by witch history and the persecution thereof. Given some of the lukewarm reviews I’ve read for this work, my expectations weren’t as high as they might have been. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised. So despite a few glitches, the mixture of fantastic characterization and suspenseful storytelling kept me spellbound.I adore what the author did with her characters. She made each woman stand out so well, from personality quirks to how they utilized their magic to how that same magic influenced them. Some used their power for personal gain with personalities to match that outlook. Others were the true definition of self sacrifice to carry on the family line. Each woman stood out as distinct in each decade as we explore the Orchiere line.I loved how the author handled the witchcraft throughout history, though this was one of the areas that felt a bit off for me as well. Starting in the beginning of the 19th century through to WWII, the author explores this family of witches facing the various dangers of their calling. Literal witch hunts to the danger of losing hearth & home or marriages all make an appearance. And how these ladies face these dangers further illustrate their different personalities and life outlooks.The one area I felt where things got a bit unrealistic was the fervor of those literal witch hunts in the early 19th century. Now I’ve never experienced back water small country town life, especially in an era such as the early 1800s, so I can’t speak on how realistic these reactions to witchcraft were. However, I felt like the pastor led mobs in Parts 1 and 3 came off as hard to believe in the day and age of scientific thought and reasoning. They felt like they should have been in the witch crazy times of the 1500s or 1600s.The story flowed pretty well, keeping the audience engaged from one gal to another. I enjoyed each woman’s life journey as she dealt with the issue of continuing her line for herself, and building her power. Alternately with murdered companions or cliff edge dangers, the exciting parts gelled well with the slower story aspects.Yet, there were times when the story felt rushed in places, too. This was especially evident to me in the last part, Veronica’s story. Her involvement in the war effort with her coven felt rushed, one moment the war was just starting and the next we’re at D-Day. The focus on her discovering her powers/heritage and seeing how that impacted her life was interesting. Yet, I felt like something was missing with the glossing over of other areas. The other parts didn’t seem to have this so much as Veronica’s story, but it stood out hard here.Overall, this was a well done work of generational historical fiction, exploring the lives of women through the last two centuries, their families, and how witchcraft affects all. Despite some flaws on story rushing or a few examples of unrealistic story aspects, this is still highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a side of fantasy to their historical fiction, the study of witches/witchcraft through the ages, or the story of women in history and their struggles.Note: Book received for free from publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Starting in Brittany in 1821, this is the history of one family of witches, the Orchieres. They are Romani, and therefore automatically suspect whenever someone wants to persecute a witch. Which is why one night Grand-mere Ursule gives her life to hide the family from a witch hunting priestI, telling them to flee across the channel to Cornwall, taking the family’s two treasures: the grimoire, and the large crystal that was dug from the mud many generations ago.Seventeen years later, having found an abandoned farmstead and settled on it, the priest who had been searching for them on the night Ursule died finds them again. Nanette, the youngest girl of the family, finds that Ursules power has passed to her, and she and her sisters make a spell of protection. And so it goes through the generations; in each generation, there is one powerful woman. Others may have the knack of potions or small spells, but only one carries the power to activate the crystal. We meet five generations of women. Some I adored; one I disliked intensely. Fortunes change through the years- drastically. Some are lucky in love; some are not. Some are dedicated to honoring the wheel of the year; some don’t perform the rituals for years. In the final book, the power of the Orchiere line becomes crucial to the protection of England. Through it all, their power and religion must be kept strictly secret.I really enjoyed this book. The details of the lives of the women- especially during their years on the farm- bring the story to life. These are vivid, strong women. The only flaw in the book is the last book; after the body of the book is told in a way that one could easily believe it could have happened, the last book is rather over the top. It makes use of a historic person who seems like an unlikely witch, although it *would* explain her amazingly long life! I’d say four and a half stars out of five.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    ‘The Secret History of Witches’ by Louisa Morgan tells the multi-generational stories of the Orchieres’ witches, their lives, loves and the how witches were hunted over more than 100 years.Under normal circumstances, I don’t read books where there are different narrators – it is not a technique that I like. I have a difficult time telling unreliable narrators apart and determine the objectivity of the rest of the novel. In this case, the different narrator tells the stories of an Orchieres witch in a linear timeline but they also provide a unique perspective of each woman. The author did a nice job of imbibing the historical aspect of each era with how much each believes or doesn’t believe. I enjoyed the change of pace with the each section of the story. It starts with a family farm where each member needs to contribute in order to survive and how the death of each person causes another family member to assume their role/work – even if it isn’t to their liking. At the end of the story (in the late 1940 after WWII ended), you realize how different the world was – not only seeing 2 world wars but also how different the family structure was. Farms were not a central point and families existed in a very different aspect from the previous generations. These historical shifts helped to outline how each witch saw her ‘gift’ and how they ultimately chose to use it. There are many novels of witches, especially generational witches, but ‘The Secret History of Witches’ put a nice spin on the genre. The historical aspect and research is what puts this novel in a different category – each character seemed to behave exactly as they should not a historical character with modern day sensibilities. There were a few sections of the novel where the story went on a little long or seemed to end quickly but on an overall basis, I would recommend this book without reservations.I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This lackluster novel about several generations of witches grinds it way through 130 years before finally petering out in an open-ended conclusion that leaves several questions unanswered. One hopes there is no sequel in the offing.First and foremost, the characters in Morgan’s tale are all denied, for one reason or another, the kind of lifelong study of the craft deemed de rigueur in most literature for a successful practitioner. In this world, however, it’s apparently enough to be born into the line and then, when the time is right, you simply light the candle, sprinkle a little salt around, mouth a few lines of tortured doggerel and presto!, you’re a successful spell casting, crystal gazing potion brewing witch. Which brings up another issue and is something that has annoyed this reviewer for years in novels of the occult. Why do the charms and spells need to be in badly-written quatrain format? Why can’t one just say “Farmer Brown is a mean nasty man and he should come down with a bad case of boils until he learns to be nicer”? No, it has to be crunched and cajoled and massaged into something like “Mother Goddess, heed my call, / Farmer Brown is worst of all. / Bless the kettle as it roils, / Curse his ugly form with boils”. Or something equally banal. All the characters in ‘Secret History’ commit this particular sin in one way or another, until one wishes Mother Goddess would apparate at some point and say “Just spit it out, girl!”Morgan also manages to ignore the entire Romani culture, despite repeatedly telling the reader that it gave birth to her characters. In fact, there’s a whole lot of telling going on here, and not much showing. The characters move around the chessboard Morgan has set up for them, going through the motions that will advance the plot, with nary a surprise or an emotional punch to be had.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It took me Four (4) 3 week renewals to finally read this because I didn't like this book at first, however, once I began to read it I found it so compelling it took me only 3 nights to finish it.It is the history of the five Romani generations of Orchiére women, all gifted with the power of crafting. The history of Grandmére Ursule: her daughters: Isabelle, Louisette, Florence, Fleurette, Anne-Marie, & Nanette (the one to inherit their mother's gift).Then continuing with Nanette's daughter Ursule, grand-daughter Irène, great-granddaughter Morwen, and her great-great granddaughter Veronica who is called to work w/ the Queen during WWII. From Brittany to Cornwall to Wales to London an intense, well-written & book of powerful/gifted & spirited women, which I found to be a compelling read...
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Not good. Why did I keep reading this?
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wonderful book

    I really enjoyed reading this book. I fell in love with the characters and didn't want to put the book down to go do something else.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A Secret History of Witches is the story of five generations of witches and their trials and tribulations. Each witch has her own story to tell and the choices she makes in her life. I found that I enjoyed the earlier generations rather than the later ones. The background general history was fascinating but I found it a bit less believable as the stories became closer to modern times. I also found the stories were a bit uneven and more developed with the earlier generations. Overall, I did enjoy the book especially as a testament to the idea of strong and empowered women.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Told as a series of stories about different generations of women who were witches. With power that they use in different ways and always having a girl child, often outside of wedlock and the different ways they chose to survive.It sounds all my catnip but because there are the stories of several women I didn't feel like I really got to know any of them. It finished with a witch who works against the Nazis during World War II and I understand that there's a sequel, but I really don't care. It was readable but I didn't really feel that I really cared or that I understood the why of a lot of their dealings.Honestly it felt like someone writing a literary novel with paranormal leanings.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Was an ok read. It got daunting for me to have to switch through so many different perspectives throughout the book. Though the stories are linked, they are all separate and read like an anthology. I did not care for this style. Others may not mind it.