The Once and Future Witches

 

Shirley J.                   Adult Fiction                         Witchcraft, Sisterhood, Women's Rights

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow     528 pages

Sisters, Bella (Beatrice Belladonna), Agnes Amaranth and James Juniper grew up in a loveless home with their abusive father after their mother died.   Their grandmother, their mother's mother, Mags loved them dearly and taught them the ways of the wise woman, healing with herbs, simple spells and charms for this and that.   The girls were always more powerful when together than when alone but were separated by their father's hate when Bella and Agnes left home.  Juniper grew up wishing for the day her Daddy would die, left behind by her sisters, she learned many of the wise ways from Mags and with her temper put some of them to use.   Later in life, the sisters all find themselves in the same town of New Salem, Massachusetts, where women are organizing as suffragettes for the right for women to vote.   A big struggle is happening in the town with the sorry treatment women receive whether workers, working girls, or women in general.   Treated as second class citizens by most of the men, the women rebel and the Eastwood Sisters are right in the middle of the fray, teaching women the old ways to reclaim magic and power.   Snootier rich ladies look down their noses at the less well off of the town and do not include minorities nor low income gals in their groups which tend to cowtow to the men of the town.   These women even side with the men about putting the "witches" in jail and take front row seats at their burnings (ca 1893).   There is a reckoning coming and boy does it!   Good book.  I recommend this one especially to Wiccans, Rebels, Social Activists and those who appreciate the power of women and fight for their rights.   I would recommend this one to grade schoolers who enjoy the paranormal especially, on up.