A Buzzfeed Best Gift Book of the Year“A dark, atmospheric, and feminist story of three women in New York City’s Gilded Age, each determined to thrive in a society hell-bent on keeping them down, and using their coven to do so.” —BuzzfeedINTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERRespectable Lady Seeks Dependable Shop Girl. Those averse to magic need not apply. New York in the spring of 1880 is a place alive with … Shop Girl. Those averse to magic need not apply.
New York in the spring of 1880 is a place alive with wonder and curiosity. Determined to learn the truth about the world, its residents enthusiastically engage in both scientific experimentation and spiritualist pursuits. Séances are the entertainment of choice in exclusive social circles, and many enterprising women—some possessed of true intuitive powers, and some gifted with the art of performance—find work as mediums.
Enter Adelaide Thom and Eleanor St. Clair. At their humble teashop, Tea and Sympathy, they provide a place for whispered confessions, secret cures, and spiritual assignations for a select society of ladies, who speak the right words and ask the right questions. But the profile of Tea and Sympathy is about to change with the fortuitous arrival of Beatrice Dunn.
When seventeen-year-old Beatrice leaves the safety of her village to answer an ad that reads “Respectable Lady Seeks Dependable Shop Girl. Those averse to magic need not apply,” she has little inclination of what the job will demand of her. Beatrice doesn’t know it yet, but she is no ordinary small-town girl; she has great spiritual gifts—ones that will serve as her greatest asset and also place her in grave danger. Under the tutelage of Adelaide and Eleanor, Beatrice comes to harness many of her powers, but not even they can prepare her for the evils lurking in the darkest corners of the city or the courage it will take to face them.
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Enjoyed this book.
i don’t want to put this book down. History, magic, interesting characters, good plot.
I’m on the fence about this one. I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to. The historical detail was fun but despite having interesting lives the characters were kind of flat imo.
I could not finish this book even though I tried twice. It was a weird combination of flowery language and plodding characters and plot. I really wanted to like and maybe others did/will but thete’s Too many books in the sea.
It was absorbing, particularly due to the Victorian setting.
this story didn’t hold my interest, I think the story simply wasn’t my type. I did think the writing, character development and probable story was very good. I would suggest it to others who have an interest in historical settings, the witches of that time.
Always good to read about old New York and the mores of the middle class of the time. This book gives one the idea of what it was like at the turn of the 20th century from the view of “richer” class as opposed to the “five pointers”, so to speak. It also defines how steeped the society was in witcraft and the occult. An interesting read for those of us interested in New York history.
The Witches of New York is an intriguing tale of three witches- each with her own unique gifts- set in the late 1800s. Ami McKay has a keen ability to mix actual history and facts into her writing. I enjoyed taking time to look up the events that are key elements in the story, especially Cleopatra’s Needle. The story is written much in the same style as Game of Thrones with the story switching between the different perspectives of the characters. There were a few occassions where I had to go back and reread sections due to not catching the shift as well as I should have. It has been awhile since I picked up a book that really caught and kept my attention- to the point where I purposefully took my time reading it in order to enjoy it longer.
On the subject of recommendations… If the following subject areas do not appeal to you, I do not recommend this book to you- murder, suicide, witchcraft, demons, and violent deaths.
Loved this book, but I wanted the wonderful protagonists to full confront the villain. Hated for it to end. Want More!
Good diversion. somewhat overdone.
I read this for my month of October Halloween read. It was very predictable but fairly entertaining.
Great characters!
I liked this one. I hope there’s more coming tho…..
Loved this book!
I found the book to be quite uneven, veering from young adult to some rather seamy sections. Also, it would benefit from a good editing, it’s about one third too long. However, it’s an interesting evocation of the period.
Unreadable, I can’t remember the last time I abandoned a book midway but in this case, life is just too short.
Entertaining. A new perspective on witchy women. I enjoyed it.
The Witches of New York was historical, fascinating, filled with some scary moments and demonstrated the power of womn’s friendships. I’m sure I’ll read it again. Wanting to reread a book is to me the sign of a great book.
Story was good. Lots of multi-person introspection to get there.
It started out ok but quickly went downhill with fairies talking to each other. I like more believable scenarios.