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The Witching Hour
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 50 hrs and 1 min
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Publisher's Summary
"[A] huge and sprawling tale of horror." (The New York Times Book Review)
Demonstrating once again her gift for spellbinding storytelling, Anne Rice makes real for us a great dynasty of four centuries of witches - a family given to poetry and incest, murder and philosophy, a family that over the ages is itself haunted by a powerful, dangerous, and seductive being called Lasher who haunts the Mayfair women.
Moving in time from today's New Orleans and San Francisco to long-ago Amsterdam and the France of Louis XIV, from the coffee plantations of Port-au-Prince to Civil War New Orleans and back to today, Anne Rice has spun a mesmerizing tale that challenges everything we believe in.
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"[A] huge and sprawling tale of horror." (The New York Times Book Review)
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Novels, memoirs, short stories, essay compilations, and more continue to shape who we are and how we view the world, no matter what format—physical book, ebook, or audiobook—we use to absorb and enjoy them. Books are pathways into different worlds and different lives, and one can never be truly bored with a good book. Celebrate your literary love with these quotes about books that will inspire you to dive into your next story.
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What listeners say about The Witching Hour
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Wendy
- 10-22-15
THANK YOU AUDIBLE!
Any additional comments?
I have been waiting YEARS for an unabridged reading of The Witching Hour
Twenty years ago I picked up this book off my mother’s nightstand hoping to read a few chapters to help me fall asleep the night before a big college exam. Needless to say I was still completely immersed in the book when my alarm clock went off at 7:00am. I missed my exam, and the following two days of school because I could not put the book down.
This book centers on the Mayfair Family, but it is really a ghost story. In each generation of the Mayfair Family a daughter is chosen as the “Designee”. She is the Matriarch of the next generation, she is the “heir” to the entire Mayfair fortune, and most importantly, she is a Witch – for only a Mayfair Witch can see “The Man”. But who is “The Man”? Why has he haunted the Mayfair women for centuries? What is his purpose? Is he friend or foe?
To help answer these questions is The Talamasca – a secret society of historians with special powers of their own, self-imposed with the responsibility of watching – recording – and offering assistance to those with special abilities (mind reading, mediums, psychics etc.… ) to help control their powers, or to offer refuge to those being persecuted for having those powers. The Talamasca has been watching the Mayfair family from a distance for centuries, collecting every bit of data on “The Man” and the current Mayfair Designee available to them.
When the book opens, the current Designee is close to death and her daughter – Rowan Mayfair – is completely unaware of the Inheritance she is about to receive. Adopted at birth and whisked away to California, Rowan has no idea of her family in New Orleans or the history surrounding them. She is soon thrust into the Mayfair Legacy and she must – with the help of those close to her – find a way to overcome the tragedies that have claimed the sanity and lives of the Mayfair Witches that have come before her.
A few things to know:
Anne Rice is very hot/cold writer in my opinion. Her books are either great or horrible. Obviously, this book is great! But it is the first in a trilogy and the second book “Lasher” is not so great. But please don’t let that stop you from getting this book – I have read, and re-read this book many times as a stand-alone. I see that the next two books will be available on Audible and I still plan to get them. I have not re-read the second or third book in over 20 years, so I am interested to see how my 40ish year old brain interprets the story vs. my 20ish year old brain.
Anne Rice is very descriptive writer. Some see this as a negative – I disagree wholeheartedly! One of the reasons I love this book is because I feel completely sucked in. It’s a total immersion. I can smell the gardenias on First Street. I can feel the summer breeze, taste the coffee, and feel the prickle on the back of my neck. It the type of book where I find the transition from “book world” to “real world” very jarring and hard to reacquaint myself with the everyday details of my life.
I will address one of the frequent negative review complaints: It’s a big book – about 950+ pages in print, and 50 hours in Audio. Like I said, Rice is a very descriptive writer, and it works for this story. The beginning can feel a bit slow at spots… and just about when the plot really gets going and the reader realizes the enormity of the situation (that Holy &^!% moment), the story comes to a complete halt and the reader is given the complete history of the Mayfair family from the Talamasca. When I got to this part during my first reading I actually said out loud, “NO!!!” – it was 300+ pages of history I didn’t want to schlep through just when the story was getting very, very climatic. Trust me, some of the best parts of this story are within the History. We are taken back 300 years and guided through the history of each Mayfair Designee. When the story finally came back to “present day” I was saddened to leave such a rich and beautiful history behind.
Narration: This is my first experience with Kate Reading. I think she did a fine job. For the type of story it is – a slow and unfolding, unhurried and eloquent tale – she was a good fit. Some scenes I thought could have been done differently, but on a whole, I have no complaints. One thing that I found interesting – As I said in my opening paragraph, this book sucked me in so hard that I actually called in sick just to stay home and read. Since finding Audible, it has opened up the world of books to me because I can “read” while I do other things. I average about 4 books a month and listen while I drive, do housework, grocery shop, etc.… But even listening to this book, I found myself sitting down in my favorite chair and just listening… I still lost an entire weekend to this book – even in the audio format. So be warned! lol
For the easily offended: Pass on this book. Make no mistake, this is a beautifully written story – but it has its moments of being shocking, taboo, gross, and morally offensive to some.
466 people found this helpful
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- Cathie
- 01-26-16
A Must For Anne Rice Fans - Finally in Unabridged!
Like many other fans, I have waited years to have the Mayfair Witches books in unabridged version, and I will keep these in my collection forever. For me, Anne Rice books either pull me in and I am an instant fan or I am left struggling to finish. The Witching Hour is one of her best, in my opinion.
As is typical with Anne Rice, these books are VERY descriptive. Sometimes painfully descriptive. In the end, I believe the elaborate descriptions are a big part of the magic of these books. They tell such a grand, lavish story, spanning so many generations, and enveloping the listener so deeply that it is easy to feel as if you are there with them. And they're so much more magical when listening to the stories being read rather than reading them. Especially with such a superb narrator as Kate Reading.
83 people found this helpful
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- stephen
- 01-22-16
I'm totally under this spell
Would you consider the audio edition of The Witching Hour to be better than the print version?
Yes, I'm not certain I could have made it through all the genealogy in print.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Witching Hour?
New Orleans!
What about Kate Reading’s performance did you like?
Her voice is amazingly clear and never gets dull. You can tell she enjoys reading the books the narrates, it is more than a job for her and that comes through.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
HA! absolutely NOT, 50 hrs? come on!
Any additional comments?
Do it, just download and do it :)
37 people found this helpful
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- Liberty
- 11-06-15
Greatest Supernatural Thriller of the 20th Century
finally arrives, unabridged and expertly produced, in the Audible archive. Whether you are an avid Anne Rice fan or new to her work, you must hear The Witching Hour in its entirety. In addition to the vivid imagery of location, sensation and ethical evolution of her characters for which Anne Rice is world famous, the Witching Hour delivers the most complete, detailed portrait of The Talamasca available in any of her supernatural thrillers. As the history of The Mayfair Witches unfolds, the ancient order of The Talamasca reveals its own history, purpose and growth through the centuries. Although members of the Talamasca are characters in Rice's novels, it's the Witching Hour that births the Talamasca as a fully formed, perfectly complete character in its own right. The Witching Hour is, in fact, the key hole door of Rice's supernatural thrillers as surely as that image is to this powerful, emotional story. Your supernatural library won't be complete without this unabridged production of The Witching Hour.
71 people found this helpful
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- D.Perkins
- 07-09-18
Zzzzxx
Three hours in and it’s soooo boring! I tried to hang in there based on the author’s reputation but couldn’t.
20 people found this helpful
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- Lajitas
- 05-13-20
A Bore Feast
I have Battlefield Earth which is about 47 1/2 hours long. Since starting "The Witching Hour", which I still have over 10 hours to go. I could have listened to and or read Battlefield Earth twice over. This is the most boring book I've had to listen to. I purchased this book with my last token and now I have 6 (2 per month). I love listening to Kate Reading. I have a lot of Audible Books narrated by her and thought this would be another great one. Sadly her talent was wasted by reading this. Like some others. Ann Rice provide too much information with little actual interaction of the characters. She goes way beyond too much description. I would like to just delete this book and get another but since I have managed to survive this long I might as well finish it. I'm sure it'll take another month to do this. As for Kate Reading, please go back to Brandon Sanderson, Lindsay Buroker and many others. I love to hear you read and thank you for many hours of pleasurable listening.
19 people found this helpful
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- Nick M.
- 07-21-16
Long but Worth It!
my favorite part is the middle section where the Talamasca tells the history of the witches and how Lasher came to be. That middle section is at least 6 hours and it's worth it!
28 people found this helpful
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- Kelly Giaquinto
- 12-26-15
Looooongg
What made the experience of listening to The Witching Hour the most enjoyable?
Suspenseful. Kept me interested...once the first several chapters were done.
Any additional comments?
Well developed charecters. I am glad I stuck with it through the insipid beginning.
11 people found this helpful
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- rachel
- 11-20-15
Great Anne Rice classic.
If you could sum up The Witching Hour in three words, what would they be?
interesting, entertaining, powerful
What did you like best about this story?
The story and characters
Have you listened to any of Kate Reading’s other performances before? How does this one compare?
I've never listened to Kate Reading before, she did a excellent job. I hope she finishes this series.
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
not sure, I still have about 2 chapters to finish book 1
11 people found this helpful
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- J. Harrell
- 11-03-15
Finally!
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Absolutely! Anne Rice excels at descriptive writing. She makes you feel the drowsiness of a quiet, muggy and still New Orleans afternoon in the Garden District. She hits all of your senses.
What other book might you compare The Witching Hour to and why?
I just finished Clive Barker's Gallilee. It has supernatural incidents taking place in contemporary, ordinary life; takes you across time and covers the multi-generational aspects of a familial dynasty.
What about Kate Reading’s performance did you like?
I have a large number of audiobooks, therefore, I have listened to quite a few narrators. She is in my top three female narrators..
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, but due to its length it wasn't possible.
Any additional comments?
This was my first Anne Rice book (might be a 1st printing). I came across it while killing time in the early 1980's at Borders Books of San Rafael in Marin County, CA. I had no idea that some of the story took place in Marin County and San Francisco. Some of it also takes place in Louisiana where some of my relatives have lived since the late 1800's. I recognized and driven on many of the streets mentioned which makes adds to the enjoyment and experience of the book.
I had actually put in a request to Audible years ago for an unabridged version, because the abridgment cut out way too much.
Enjoy!
31 people found this helpful
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- Jon
- 12-08-15
Simply stunning and exceptionally well read.
A really good book from start to finish. It can seem a little repetitive in parts, but not so bad, as to put you off the book. The narration was outstanding, a voice that is easy to listen to, and really pulls you into the storyline. I found I couldn't turn it off. Oftentimes listening into the early hours instead of getting my truly needed beauty sleep. Trust me, I need as much of that as I can get. But Kate managed to keep me rivited to my Earphones. Often to the annoyance of my family. Overall, a fantastic audio listen made all the better by the narration of Kate Reading. A highly recommended Audiol Book. Happy Audiobooking.
29 people found this helpful
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- lorna
- 09-03-16
Anne Rice excels Again
This book is amazing totally drawing you into world of the Mayfair Witches....50 hrs well spent
16 people found this helpful
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- R McCrea
- 04-19-18
Repetitive, Dull.
What disappointed you about The Witching Hour?
Everything. At 30 hours in, I thought maybe soon something interesting would happen, that the endless descriptions of the same people and of the same house and then the same all over again from another point of view, with nothing new revealed and nothing to guess at or be excited about, would end. But nothing happened. It got even worse and more about lists and descriptions of the same things over and over, from different points of view but virtually the same thing. And maybe one small new thing was revealed, and on that was built another 12 hours of the same over and over, and the house the same, the same people... like that.
Which is fine in a book where you get to know the characters through these descriptions and grow to feel something for them or their fates, but even after hearing the minutiae of Michael's life for 89 chapters, he was still wooden and one dimensional. I mean we even get to hear what he likes about his course books at college for about 8 chapters, and this is before we cover another 20 years of his life. We get to know what type of doorknob he lusts over. Every job he ever had and what his employer's phone number was at that time, and then what it is now, oh, it's 20 years later did you know -- let's rehash what he used to do that we learned in the last chapter, all over again, and if his employer still likes two sugars in her coffee... etc... etc...
The main characters are all virtually perfect, in a late 1980s way, and they are so unrealistic it's like you're looking at them in their Aran jumpers in a catalogue and the author has written whatever comes into her mind while she's been drooling over the catalogue page on tranquillisers. There's not much exciting witch stuff goes on. Maybe in every hour you get 58 minutes of descriptions of the protagonists' jobs, and 2 minutes about witchcraft stuff that you already heard in the last chapter described by a different character.
Suspense does not exist except for in maybe two small parts of the book.
What could Anne Rice have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?
Anything. I don't know how this book passed her best freind let alone any editor. How was it published at this length? Why did no one point out that nothing of about 10,000 pages was worth anything to the story and could be cut out and no one would miss it?
How could the performance have been better?
The odd way the narrator says almost everything as if it's a mystery, or a question. Forget that horrid rising tone, this has its own bizarre final tone to everything. Weird as the reader can do voices with emotion when she feels like it, usually when she's in character.
What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?
I think it was the most boring book I ever listened to, or could have read.
Any additional comments?
I usually ignore bad reviews like this if there are some good reviews nearby. If I feel like a certain kind of book, I'll listen to/read it. But don't waste your time on this, please. It's outdated, boring, far too long for what it is (and I Like long books), and even with all those pages and allat time, not one character is fleshed out or believable.
9 people found this helpful
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- tootelm
- 02-10-16
Loved this book
I read a lot of reviews on this book but I'm glad I got it. I couldn't put my phone down fir 3 days. I do have to say though this was my first Anne Rice book and wasn't what I was expecting
9 people found this helpful
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- Nanci
- 04-26-17
Very Original...
Where does The Witching Hour rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Easily in the 7.5 area. I didn't love it, as I have come to love some of the other audiobooks over the last 3 years, but it was not a copy of any Anne Rice I'd read before and I applaud that.
Who was your favorite character and why?
No one in particular, but I really liked they way their lives became more and more entwined. I also liked the narrative slipping into the past and having a variety of stories to tell.
Have you listened to any of Kate Reading’s other performances? How does this one compare?
Oops, not sure.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No, but it often made me think, and that's far more what I'm looking for from a book.
Any additional comments?
Travels new ground in Ms. Rice's exploration of how the light and dark are experienced by different characters and in different eras.
3 people found this helpful
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- David Partridge
- 09-09-16
Love the Narator
And the story is pretty good too. I didnt expect the ending. It made a change from usually being able to predict how things would pan out.
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- sarahmoose2000
- 11-04-15
Whit a Belter!
This was a monster book at 50 hours, but I enjoyed every minute!
Strangely, for such a long listen, you didn't really have a huge story to digest and the space for a sequel is obvious.
A family of witches from their start in Scotland, typical of us(!), through to New Orleans and the French Quarter span four centuries. Like my family they are practically all women, maybe there's something I don't know!
Each member has a specific talent like ESP or healing, that will make a mysterious 13th witch all powerful. Who is this witch and why does the women's demonic familiar have so much control over them all?
A great listen, I only hope it doesn't take another ten years to record a sequel!
15 people found this helpful
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- Alim
- 03-22-17
Not for me
What would have made The Witching Hour better?
To be a shorter book
Has The Witching Hour put you off other books in this genre?
No, I have read many books of this genre
What three words best describe Kate Reading’s voice?
Deep, clear, ok
You didn’t love this book--but did it have any redeeming qualities?
no. I would like to have known how it ended but couldn't continue
Any additional comments?
I don't enjoy leaving poor reviews but the book was too drawn out with inconsequential details.
2 people found this helpful
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- Chris
- 03-20-17
Brilliant
I chose this book after stumbling upon it and reading a review or two.
The best book I've listened to in a long time.
Story - excellent
Narrator - excellent
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- K
- 11-23-16
Dated, casually bigoted and totally self-indulgent.
This is only the second book I have returned in many years as a member of audible - thank goodness for that option with this book. This 'novel' is a hideous melange of trashy romance with elements of soft porn, a poor imitation of the gothic horror tradition and pre-Twighlight-esque fantasy.
The clue, I suppose, is in the length of the book. If you think you are getting value for money, think again. This is more akin to Japanese water torture than an extended diversion. The plot attempts to say too much, too vaguely and with no subtlety whatever. The need for a diatribe at the end smacks of the pulpit-like homilies of the organised religion she so clumsily criticises in the novel. Surely, if a writer and the novel produced is of a high enough quality the themes and philosophical messages would be part of the weft of the book. But then, this is very far from a great book.
The one redeeming feature is the narrator. For such a long narrative she gives the characters individuality, across a wide range of accents and maintains the portrayal throughout. She actually made listening more bearable.
2 people found this helpful
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- kathryn
- 02-08-21
the whole book went silent chapter 5
the whole book went silent chapter 5. no sound at all but no refund available either.
1 person found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-03-20
A little dry in parts
I enjoyed the story and look forward to listening each day. But, I did find it a little dry when it went back to do the story line of the family. So many names and movement...
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 04-25-20
Good distraction
There’s no way I would have made it through this if I was reading the book. Can be long and drawn out. Orator is good. Concept interesting. Not confident I’ll listen to the rest of the series.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 05-24-19
Epic Book
I love this book - i have read it twice in the past and decided to purchase it as an audio book for the car - my only negative to say is that there are parts where it woffles on a bit - on tangents of self reflection and angst - i realise this is all about character development but it was a bit repetitive and as a listener I just wanted to get to the core story - so found myself fast forwarding a bit.
Having said this - and having purchased other books in this series - it is a common theme
Otherwise an epic story
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- Alan
- 08-15-16
Great book but a bit wordy
Very good story but nearly lost me a few times with over describing. Could of been half the size.
1 person found this helpful
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- Michelle
- 07-21-16
Hours of descriptive listening ahead.
wanted a book that had a good many hours of listening and this did the trick.
Although Anne Rice is great with story telling i found this book overlapped quite abit with explanation from different sources. but listened till the very end.
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- Anonymous User
- 06-25-22
Simply marvellous!
Such a good book although quite long. Easily one of her best. Highly recommended. A true gem.
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- Deb Furlong
- 06-18-22
I have read this book over and over
I have loved this book and cherished every word written by our beloved Anne Rice. May her soul live forever. Amen.
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- Anonymous User
- 08-14-21
Brilliant.
A superbly written opera. Skilfully narrated. Dark and engrossing, rich and enthralling. Anne and Kate magic.
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- Anonymous User
- 07-12-21
Absolutely Awful!
Not as good as I remember. Badly written and long winded. Won't read again.