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Description
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 wonder and curiosity. In this captivating Gilded Age historical fantasy, 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 coven 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 occult evils lurking in the darkest corners of the city or the courage it will take to face them. Read more
Publisher : Harper Perennial
Publication date : July 11, 2017
Edition : Illustrated
Language : English
Print length : 560 pages
ISBN-10 : 0062359924
ISBN-13 : 26
Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
Dimensions : 5.31 x 0.89 x 8 inches
Book 1 of 2 : Ami McKay's Witches
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Top Amazon Reviews
Format: Kindle
I loved, loved, loved this book! But to quote the main characters “those averse to magic need not apply.” This was the perfect thing to read as the dry leaves swirl on the ground and the temperature gets brisk. I was thoroughly caught up in the characters, story, and place. This book reminded me of being a child and pretending to be a witch; the kind of witch who gathers herbs to make magic potions and casts (mostly) helpful spells. This book takes place in New York City in 1800. This is historically a time when people were captivated by seances and science. The world was progressing at a quick pace, but not in all areas. Adelaide Thom and Eleanor St. Clair are the proprietors of Tea and Sympathy. Society women come to share their secrets, drink special teas, and receive help and guidance from Adelaide and Eleanor. They are also midwives and help with conceptions and terminations. The witches place an ad for a shop girl. Enter Beatrice Dunn, a powerful young witch who needs help understanding and developing her powers. But all is not well. Mr. Palsham, a creepy presence who is not what he seems, wants to destroy the witches. He enlists the help of Reverend Francis Townsend, who is easily influenced to do evil. Fancying himself as a savior and reading way too much about the Salem Witch Trials, Reverend Townsend captures young girls and tries to rid them of the devil. This does not bode well for Adelaide, Eleanor, and Beatrice. There are a lot of layers and so much good stuff in this book. Science and mysticism are equally important in the 1880’s. The mysterious and magical Cleopatra’s Needle is arriving in New York City. The temperance movement is in full swing at the same time that women are beginning to fight for rights. Ms. McKay does a nice job of setting the stage for this story. I found this book hard to put down. I think that she left a hint of a sequel. I hope she left a hint of a sequel! My copy of the book contains an excerpt from The Virgin Cure. This is a prequel and is the story of young Adelaide Thom. I will happily read more of Ms. McKay’s work.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2017 by SassyPants
Format: Kindle
This was a very pleasant read. It took me no time to dive into the story and be enchanted. The writing is very detailed and diverse. There are different storylines but they all eventually connect beautifully. Each character has her own voice and isn't just a side character. The author shows the strength and fortitude of each lady which is great. I so enjoyed the fact of historical happenings and thought process was intertwined with the plot.
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Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2024 by jennifer pattillo
Format: Kindle
Seventeen year old Beatrice is excited to be on her way to make her life in New York. She has decided to answer an ad for a shop girl who is okay with magic. Beatrice has always had a curious mind and even when her trip doesn't get off to the most auspicious start, she still perseveres. When she reaches the shop, the owners are not there but she has her first experience with a ghost. Eleanor, who was not consulted about getting a shop girl, upon meeting Beatrice realizes that she is supposed to train her. Adelaide, the co-owner of the shop, is ready to promote the relationship. There is also a witch obsessed preacher who is determined to kill all the witches in New York. The preacher thinks that he is doing God's will but actually, he is just giving into his own sadistic impulses. He has killed one woman, driven one to suicide, and has it in for the other witches. This books was very well written. I enjoyed the stories of the witches and ghosts and detested the preacher and the organist. This was a very interesting book.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2017 by Dora L. Davison
Format: Kindle
After reading reviews and waiting for this book to go on sale I was so excited to finally read it! It started out AMAZINGLY! The characters drew me in immediately and the author's descriptions of places, events and people were so vivid! About half way through the book I think she got distracted. The characters began to go their separate ways, the story began to go from a gossamer web to a rickety fisherman's net that had dry rot and from there it just fell apart. I wondered if it was left hanging for a sequel, albeit poorly so, and found it was. Unfortunately I've read the reviews for that book also and I can't say they were inspiring enough for me to purchase that book. If you can get this book for $1.99 like I did, do it, otherwise save your money and borrow it from someone who can lend from their kindle library.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2018 by Gina Hurteau Shoen
Format: Paperback
If you haven't already figured it out, I am a huge fan of witches, books set in the 19th century (or any historical setting, if we're being honest), sharp writing, and incredible detail, so combining all of that together into this one book is one big 'yes please!' from me. The Witches of New York is a novel that showcases the strength and tenacity of women and the great lengths to which some men will go to in order to shut down anything that they fear or feel threatened by. There is a lot going on in this book, but McKay proves her brilliance by making every minuscule aspect of this story simply glow with charm and an engaging storyline. McKay's writing itself is incredibly sharp and full of wit, not to mention the sharp feminist themes that simply propel this book into being even more captivating and relatable than I thought possible. Adelaide, Eleanor, and Beatrice are our three leading ladies, and they are a force to be reckoned with. I was so impressed at how detailed and unique each one was. Not only does McKay give each woman a voice to be themselves, she also provides intricate backstories that bring so much life to each character. I also loved the range of additional characters that McKay included, from the skeptics to the believers to everyone in between. This, of course, includes characters who vehemently abhor witches and anything to do with witchcraft, whom McKay crafts to be so repulsive that it's almost difficult to read their chapters. Eleanor and Adelaide are the owners of their tea shop (and perhaps a bit more), Tea and Sympathy and are both established witches. Beatrice is a young newcomer to the big city and is taken under their wings to build up her own abilities. Eleanor is a firm woman whose loyalty and steadfastness are incredibly admirable; Adelaide has many of the same qualities, but she is ever so slightly more outspoken and prone unpredictability than Eleanor. Beatrice, being young and unused to large cities, is a rather shy, polite young woman who is thrust into an entirely new life and world--and she seems to handle things fairly well, if I may say so. The POV remains third person limited throughout the book, but various chapters switch between Eleanor, Adelaide, Beatrice, and a variety of other characters, both big and small. This book is fairly long, and there are so many chapters and scenes that feel like they should be removed in an abridged version of this, but as the story progresses it becomes more and more apparent how each seemingly meandering chapter or seemingly unimportant character ends up playing an extremely important role. There were times when I started to feel a bit impatient with these moments and i often wished that there weren't so many, but at the same time I liked the extra detail and how much it added to the story, so I'm afraid I have rather contradictory feelings on that front. One of the most prominent places where this book shines is the sheer detail and authenticity of the usage of spells, herbs, and other witch-y aspect. McKay weaves this incredibly believable and fascinating usage of magic that truly brings everything to life. Every little note or comment about the usage of various herbs or the specific tasks that must be undertaken to perform a certain spell was just so much fun and completely drew me in. McKay clearly enjoys writing and taking her time to make the entire atmosphere perfect. There is a lovely incorporation of real history in this book as well, such as the inclusion of the suffragette movement, the movement of Cleopatra's Needle, and other notable elements of the period. Overall, I've given The Witches of New York four stars!
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Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2017 by Jordan
Format: Kindle
I really loved this book. From the beginning I was caught in Beatrice's journey to find her true calling. Adelaide and Eleanor took her in as an apprentice to help her to hone her own special magic. I found the story bewitching and truly enjoyed reading it
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2025 by Julie A. Martin
Format: Kindle
Moth has renamed and re-purposed herself from an 1880s New York courtesan (The Virgin Cure) to Adelaide Thom, a reader of futures in business with another witch, Eleanor St. Clair. Their little shop off Madison Square in New York City is watched by their enemies from the Church of the Good Shepherd and the demons assigned from Hell to find the witches and have them killed – burned or hung – by the superstitious people of the time. Reverend Francis Townsend and Mrs. Penelope Piddock of the Good Shepherd are diligent, but controlled by the demons. Into this plot comes Beatrice Dunn, a 17-year-old woman curious, bright, somewhat naïve, who wants to find out the secrets of healing herbs and curative spells. She, however, soon learns that her ‘gift’ is the ability to see and converse with ghosts. The city comes alive in this book, with characters charming, attractive, frightening, and fierce. And the reader learns some curative herbs as well as a few spells like the witches’ ladder. “By knot of one, my spell’s begun . . . “ and on through “by knot of nine, what’s done is mine,” a spell to bring the caster what she wishes for. A great gathering of lore readers will want to highlight again and again.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2019 by pjburn
Format: Kindle
There's something about this novel which reminds me of Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet, which is not at all a bad thing. Both books are (roughly) set in Gilded Age New York, and both deal with outsiders, people who are not like everyone else, about how the outcast must find his/her own niche in the world, and defend it against foes from all sides. In the case of The Witches of New York, the outsiders are a trio of witches who operate a tea shop where fortunes are told, and women who need help with female problems such as "clearing the womb" receive herbal remedies. The shop is owned by Eleanor St. Clair, a hereditary witch, and keeper of spells, and Adelaide Thom, who is the fortune teller. Thom, whose hard luck life includes being disfigured in an attack by a rival, is a difficult and defensive woman. St. Clair, when we meet her, is suffering the effects of an unhappy love affair with one of the shop's patrons. The third member of the trio, Beatrice Dunn, is a young woman who wants desperately to make her own way in the world. She's clever and resourceful, and when she sees an ad for an assistant to the owners of Tea & Sympathy, she feels it's her chance to strike out on her own. It's a serendipitous choice because Adelaide and Eleanor are uniquely qualified to deal with Beatrice's newly discovered power to communicate with ghosts. Along the way we meet a handsome doctor who is researching the paranormal, a group of religious fanatics who are trying to chase the witches away, the vengeful husband of Eleanor's former lover, and some fairly mysterious gentlemen who seem to have a deep investment in the three, one seemingly for good, the others for ill. There's also Perdu, a raven who is more than just a raven. What delights and intrigues me most about this book is the underlying theme of how the company of women is a positive, energizing thing. Women gather at Tea & Sympathy, and its later incarnation, to talk about women's issues. They draw power from the association. Men are by no means slighted, they are important in the scheme of things, but the focus here is on women, and it's refreshing and uplifting. I have the sense that Witches is the first of a series. So much is left unresolved at the end of the book, that I can't see McKay just dropping the threads or the characters. (And in fact Adelaide is a character from one of McKay's other books.) I want more, and I'm pretty certain that most of the people who read it will feel the same.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2017 by MJ Walters