The Witches of Cambridge: A Premise I Loved, a Story That Didn’t Quite Hold Me
🩷🩷🩷 (3 Hearts)
Why I Picked It Up
I went into The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman wanting to love it. Hoffman is so well known for Practical Magic, a novel that has remained part of our reading and popular culture for more than thirty years. That kind of staying power certainly makes me curious about an author’s next book.
But what really drew me in was the premise: young women pursuing an education in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the 1950s. Historical fiction is my favorite genre, and women finding their place in an intellectual world that hasn’t fully made room for them? I was immediately interested.
The witches were an added layer. I’m not necessarily a fantasy reader, but I was more than willing to follow this story into the supernatural. With its New England setting and connections to the very real history of the Salem witch trials, the concept felt accessible and full of possibility.
What the Book Is About
The story follows Ava and Lauren, two young women whose lives intersect at Radcliffe College. Ava arrives from a small town in Maine, while Lauren comes from a wealthy Cambridge family. Their different backgrounds might seem to separate them, but both are recruited into the Lilith Society, a secret society of witches with roots reaching back to colonial times.
As they discover their abilities and learn about the women who came before them, their friendship becomes intertwined with questions of love, loyalty, and power. Meanwhile, McCarthyism creates an atmosphere of suspicion beyond the college. When young women connected to the society begin disappearing, the promise of belonging gives way to danger. The persecution of the past begins to feel much closer than either woman might have imagined.
There is so much here that could make for an absorbing read: an academic setting, a secret society, female friendship, historical tension, and a mystery.
The History Was the Draw for Me
What interested me most was the opportunity to explore women’s ambition within this particular time and place. I wanted to spend time with young women who were pursuing knowledge, imagining their futures, and navigating expectations about who they should become.
That is one of the reasons I love historical fiction. A good story can make the past feel personal. You begin thinking about the choices you might have made, the opportunities you might have had, and the restrictions you might have struggled against.
The witch storyline also offered a compelling way into those questions. The Salem witch trials were real, even though the supernatural powers in this novel belong to fiction. That distinction matters to me. The historical fear, accusations, and persecution give the premise weight beyond its magical elements.
I was ready for a story that brought those layers together and made me care deeply about the women moving through them.
Where I Struggled: Staying Engaged
Unfortunately, my excitement about the idea never quite translated into the reading experience I hoped for.
I found it hard to stay engaged. Perhaps the pacing was too slow for me, or perhaps the events didn’t create enough momentum to keep my attention. I kept waiting to feel more invested, more curious, more eager to return to the story.
I don’t need every book to be packed with twists. Historical fiction often rewards patience, and I’m happy to spend time getting to know a place and its people. But I do need to feel that something is drawing me forward.
Here, I was often more interested in what the book could explore than in what was happening on the page. That was disappointing because the premise had already done so much to win me over.
How Other Reviewers Responded
Other reviews show that the book has prompted different reactions, including some reservations that overlap with my own.
Books Etc. also approached the novel with high expectations and came away disappointed. The reviewer appreciated the historical connections but struggled to believe in the closeness of Ava and Lauren’s friendship. Their difficulty connecting with that central relationship echoes my broader struggle to become invested.
The Bookish Elf praised the historical material while finding the 1950s chapters less substantial than the earlier letters woven through the story. The review also questioned some convenient plotting and character development.
Bookreporter’s Jana Siciliano, however, found the novel moving and suspenseful, particularly in its depiction of women protecting one another. Her response offers a useful counterpoint: the emotional pull that didn’t fully reach me clearly worked for her.
My Final Thoughts
The Witches of Cambridge had so many elements I wanted to love. The setting, the focus on women’s education, and the connections between history and persecution all appealed to me.
Ultimately, though, I admired the premise more than I enjoyed the reading experience. I wanted the writing and pacing to pull me further into a story I was already eager to embrace. For me, that connection never quite happened.