Normally, I don’t like to choose big historical tomes for a plane ride regardless of how long the flight might be, but on a recent trip to Norway, this book caught my attention. And since today is my birthday, I thought I’d take a minute to talk about one of my favourite books I’ve read this year. …Maybe it was because it had a supernatural element woven into the plot that made me take the risk, but I’m certainly glad that I did. The Witches of New York is not only beautifully written, but it is also a wild historical adventure.  One that, admittedly, made me wish for an extra hour on that plane!

The Supernatural Sisterhood

Forget about The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants,* The Witches of New York features (mainly) three witches living in New York City and it is at least in part a story of their lives as they try to make an honest living in their tea shop, Tea and Sympathy. There are plenty of seances, ghostly encounters and other strange sprightly occurrences to keep the reader turning pages. What I loved though, is the narrative about women’s rights that also gets woven into the storyline, whether it is through the mention of the Suffragette movement or the more immediate struggles that Eleanor, Adelaide and Beatrice face as they strive to provide certain banned services to the women who frequent their shop looking for more than tea and gossip.

A Hair-Raising Mystery

As if fantastic girl-power narratives aren’t enough, on another level, The Witches of New York features an intricately designed mystery that unfolds as the characters are brought together. At first, I was daunted by the number of characters that are introduced at the beginning of the book. If they hadn’t each been distinct and interesting, it might have counted against my enjoyment, but as I watched the characters gravitating towards one another and learned of their interconnectedness, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement.

Verisimilitude in the City

Amidst the exciting setting and plot, the elements of verisimilitude were an added level of intrigue. Embedding bits of “newspaper” and pages from spell books or want ads created a thoroughly fascinating, multilayered world. This, paired with a whole cast of loveable characters makes The Witches of New York a totally engrossing read. Even if you don’t like historical fiction, this book is too magical not to read.

 

*Actually, don’t forget about The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants. I love that series too, for its’ fun, girl-power awesomeness.