Rating: 
Summary: A great read for a long trip...
Review: This was the first book of Ann Rice that I had read and it was excellent. It is a great book. I did like the fact that it was on the long side ( mainly because I love to read). It was so wonderfully written that there were times when I wondered about whether there was any truth in the Mayfair history. It is easy to become engrossed in the lives of the 13 witches. I will admit, though, there are some slow times; but for the most part, it is an exciting book.
Rating:
Summary: Flawed . . . Yet, I Couldn't Put It Down
Review: I finally got around to reading this book that I've had on my shelf since it came out! It was absorbing and mesmerizing and quite a good read for a snowy weekend. But, I was disappointed by the ending and by the fact that many issues were simply . . . abandoned, I would say. Still, her prose is beautiful and makes you wish this book were absolutely perfect. Her many characters were well drawn and individual--suprising, given the number of female witches there are in this book. It seems a daunting task, but I think Ms. Rice caught every character's "essence" and made them stand out. Overall, a good read.
Rating: 
Summary: Dark Chocolate Laced With Arsenic
Review: Rich and dark, sultry and humid, dusty and musty and perfumed with the sweet scent of decay... the story between the covers of _Witching Hour_ is all of these things. It's a decadent toxin, luxurious and chilling all in one heavy blow. What does this book have going for it? The better question is, what doesn't it have going for it? Elegant prose--that's there. Vivid description? In abundance! Strong characters? You'll have to read it to believe it; not only are we presented with the magnetic couple Rowan and Michael in their modern-day psychic glory (and the reappearance of the intriguing Talamasca), but the history of the Mayfairs treats the reader to one tantalizing personality after another. Sensuality? If you know anything about Anne Rice, you really don't need to ask. Suspense, horror, creepiness? Oh, *yes*--these things coat almost every page, seeping into your mind like a slow contact poison. Good plot? Good enough to keep me turning the pages long into the night, though I'll admit it faltered and dragged in places while zooming ludicrously fast in others. An excellent ending... well, no book is perfect. In truth, all of the problems in this book seemed tied to the pacing and the ending. The former was good, but not in keeping with the quality of the rest of the book; the latter seemed pure and simply too abrupt, too unbelievable. It had an element of deus ex machina. The change in Rowan's character seemed unbelievable to me. Still, it's a good lead-in to the next novel in the saga, which is probably part of what Rice wanted. I give _Witching Hour_ five stars despite these faults due to its sheer spellbinding intensity and power, which I believe more than compensate. This is a dense, thick, heavy book, rich to the senses and the mind; while it would make an excellent introduction to the works of Rice, or fresh new fare for those familiar with her well-known vampires, it isn't something I'd suggest picking up for a light read. Prepare instead to be mesmerized for hours by the intricate world and sense of mystery that Anne Rice will build for you.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your time
Review: This is one of the worst books I have ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but slow.....
Review: I enjoyed this book, but it's rather slow reading. i found that i could sit and read and i'd feel like I'd read like half an hour's worth of information, but I'd been reading for 2 hours. It's a really good book, though.
Rating:
Summary: An Exquisitely "Witch"-ly Woven Tapestry...
Review: Arguably the best of the Mayfair Witches trilogy, it is also my personal favorite. Besides laying the groundwork for the future sequels, "Witching Hour" invites us into the shadowy world of the Mayfair Family, and the organization that is "always there, and always watching," the Talamasca. Told in non-linear, yet fluid narrative flashbacks (signature Rice) we travel from the 17th century British Isles and Europe to the early days of colonial Louisiana. The mysterious entity known as Lasher attaches itself to a matriarchal dynasty of very special women, possessing of moderate to powerful witchcraft strength. As the centuries progress, disaster seems to follow these Mayfair daughters, and for all their wealth and opulent lifestyles, Lasher is the cloud that hovers ominously over their lives. In order to spare the last-born Mayfair daughter, Rowan, a tragic fate, her immediate family forces young Deirdre Mayfair to give her up to a distant cousin. Rowan seems destined to meet Michael Curry, a handsome architect who she saves from drowning. Fresh from his brush with death, Michael gains the ability to touch objects and know intimate details about who handled them. When Rowan's birth mother dies, she finds her way back to New Orleans, Michael in tow, and she comes face to face with the Mayfair history through an intervention from the Talamasca (enter Aaron Lightner.) Much of the rest of the novel is devoted to fleshing out these storylines in glorious detail. A definite must-read for any true Anne Rice fan, and for those of you out there up for the over-thousand page challenge, curl up and read!
Rating:
Summary: Enriching and wonderful experience!
Review: I must say that I have read all the Vampire Chronicles and I never really gave the Mayfair Witches a try, but a friend loan me this book and WOW! I must say she did it again! Her wonderful way to describe everything and how she ultimately makes you love each and every one of her characters. Although it was quite a lengthy book (1000 pages & more), it kept me intranced all together. A wonderful read and a must for any Rice fan out there!
Rating:
Summary: 'Perseverence is the Key......
Review: Be prepared to 'wade' through a few patches of stagnant prose and you will be rewarded by completing the richest, most intelligent and detailed horror novel ever written in the 20th centuary. I have often regarded S.King as the best horror writer of recent times but after completing this I was so impressed I am going to have to revise that thought entirely. This book has everything, hard sex, engrossing character development, lavish & sensual descriptions, murder, witchcraft and a constant theme of 'spookynes' that runs throughout. Not to mention the 400 page + intensly detailed and believably accurate history of the mayfairs which spans from the 16th centuary and although may seem 'too long' in parts does serve its purpose and could almost be viewed as the novel within the novel. I will definitly pick up the sequels to this classic masterpiece!!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: This is an amazing epic tale. I adored the section on the Talamasca file. The only reason it didn't recieve five stars from me is because the ending was a little to sci-fi for me. Absolutly worth the time taken to read.
Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone !
Review: Overall I have to admit that I was greatly dissapointed by this Novel. While not a bad read, it's not exactly my cup of tea either. Anne Rice's decription of her characters and her vivid details, as always, are as descriptive as ever. Probably even more so in this 1000+ page epic. Which IMO is not always a good thing. The story is broken up into past, present, and hints of the future. But not exactly in that order. The entire middle of the story is the almost exclusively devoted to the HISTORY of the witches. Which could have been givin' a book of it's own. After about 500 pages I just couldn't get into it anymore. I no longer cared, but somehow I still managed to finish the story. And was treated to a mediocre yet unexpected ending. If you have read other works by Anne Rice and enjoyed those, then give this book a try. Otherwise stay away.
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