Stevie‘s review of The Witches of Cambridge by Menna Van Praag
Women’s Literary Fantasy Fiction published by Random House 09 Feb 16
Every so often a book comes along that’s really difficult to categorise. This one, for example, is about women – friends and sisters – negotiating romantic and family relationships, where those women – and also some of the men – just happen to be witches. In addition, the style is more complex than a lot of mainstream women’s fiction on similar themes (but without the part with the witches), and so we end up with the subgenre mouthful that is Women’s Literary Fantasy Fiction.
Each of the members of the Cambridge University Society of Literature and Witchcraft has a different skill. Amandine reads emotions; her mother Héloïse can see the future; sisters Kat and Cosima bake spells into cakes and pastries; George, the only man of the group, has less obvious talents, although Kat has been secretly in love with him since they met. The group meets once a month on the roofs and towers of the University buildings to discuss the book they’ve chosen and to share their troubles and secrets.
Héloïse is mourning her husband and blaming herself for his death, while Amandine suspects her own husband of having an affair. So when she discovers that one of her students is a witch who can see people’s secrets and is unable to prevent herself from blurting out the truth, she plots to turn this talent to her advantage, However, Noa is afraid of her gift and believes it will prevent her from ever finding love, so, when an artist offers her a normal life in return for helping sell his paintings, she agrees.
Noa’s decision is not without consequences, but while she’s learning that no too-good-to-be-true deal comes without hidden costs, the other witches are facing challenges of their own. Cosima longs for a child, even though she and Kat have been warned of the particular medical risks that accompany pregnancy for both of them – and in spite of her mother’s premature death – and she’s prepared to use magic to get what she wants.
Amandine learns the truth her husband has been hiding from her and has to cope with the changes it brings, while her mother takes tentative steps towards resuming the life she abandoned when she was unexpectedly widowed.
I truly love this book, not just for all the familiar places it describes, or for the way the witches and their magic slots into everyday life, but also for the lovely use of the language of flowers in the spells that Kat and Cosima weave through their recipes – some of which are included with the book. I shall be seeking out more from this author.
Grade: B
Summary:
Be careful what you wish for. If you’re a witch, you might just get it.
Amandine Bisset has always had the power to feel the emotions of those around her. It’s a secret she can share only with her friends—all professors, all witches—when they gather for the Cambridge University Society of Literature and Witchcraft. Amandine treasures these meetings but lately senses the ties among her colleagues beginning to unravel. If only she had her student Noa’s power to hear the innermost thoughts of others, she might know how to patch things up. Unfortunately, Noa regards her gift as a curse. So when a seductive artist claims he can cure her, Noa jumps at the chance, no matter the cost.
Noa’s not the only witch who’s in over her head. Mathematics professor Kat has a serious case of unrequited love but refuses to cast spells to win anyone’s heart. Kat’s sister, Cosima, is not above using magic to get what she wants, sprinkling pastries in her bakery with equal parts sugar and enchantment. But when Cosima sets her sights on Kat’s crush, she conjures up a dangerous love triangle.
As romance and longing swirl through every picturesque side street, the witches of Cambridge find their lives unexpectedly upended and changed in ways sometimes extraordinary, sometimes heartbreaking, but always enchanting.
Read an excerpt.
