Rating: 
Summary: Great Book
Review: Anne Rice really out done herself with this book. It is one of the best i've read in a while. The Witching Hour gets you so wrapped up in it that you start living as though the characters and events are real.
Rating:
Summary: The First Book in the Lives of the Mayfair Witches Trilogy
Review: "The Witching Hour" begins in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the First Street mansion in the Garden District. Here the twelfth Mayfair witch, Deirdre, remains in a catatonic state until her death shortly into the book. Her adult daughter, Rowan (the thirteenth and most powerful witch), never knew she was adopted until she is notified of Deirdre's death and invited to the funeral. Accompanied by her soon-to-be-husband (Michael Curry), Rowan enters the chaotic world of the Mayfairs, which is haunted by a very powerful entity: Lasher.About one-third of the book is a case file of the Mayfair family kept by the Talamasca (a secret organization investigating paranormal activity). The file is given to Rowan by Aaron Lightner (a Talamasca agent) in the hopes she would resist Lasher's devious plan to become human. This section of the book is quite detail-oriented and lengthy (and some readers may find it unnecessary), but I absolutely loved it. It covers over three centuries of the Mayfair witches' lives--from the invocation of Lasher in Scotland to the witch burnings shortly after; from the migration to New Orleans to the creation of the First Street house. (FYI: the Mayfair mansion on First Street was mirrored after Anne Rice's own home.) Each witch is described so clearly and thoroughly in the book, you'll certainly grow attached to one or more of the characters. My favorites were Mary Beth, Stella, and Rowan. In total, this book reaches over 1000 pages--quite a feat for any reader, especially if this is your first Anne Rice book. It was my first, and I've been addicted to this series ever since. I highly recommend reading it. One warning though: there is quite a bit of incest. So, if you're offended by this, you might try something else by Rice, like The Vampire Chronicles. "The Witching Hour" is the beginning novel in the Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy (my favorite series by Anne Rice). It's followed by "Lasher" and "Taltos". If you enjoyed the Mayfair series, then I would recommend Tanith Lee's Blood Opera Sequence series: "Dark Dance", "Personal Darkness", and "Darkness, I". Basically, it's about a small family of incestuous vampires. So, if you're a fan of Anne Rice's vampires and witches, you might like these books.
Rating:
Summary: Anne Rice at her best
Review: I must admit that Anne Rice is one of my favorite authors and I was into the vampires when I ran across this book. I normally refuse to read a book of more than 400 pages, and this one is over 1000, but once I began reading I couldn't stop. Rice's narrative style is the best(and that includes Stephen King). It is so very readable and the descriptions of places make you want to immediately go to New Orleans. The lives of the Mayfair Witches from Suzanne and her daughter Deborah down to Rowan and Mona makes for great reading; but make sure to devote enough time.Once you begin you won't want to put this book down.
Rating: 
Summary: Why so long?!
Review: A stunning novel introducing the enigmatic Mayfair family, tracing their roots back over the centuries to Scotland where the first witch invoked the spirit Lasher, who ultimately brings about the downfall of every Mayfair Witch who owns the diamond necklace... Anne is, quite simply, a genius. I was immediately captivated by the rich, dark, sensuous narrative and by the sheer depth of almost all the characters. Even the extensive genealogy of the Mayfair family is to be commended. My only scruple about this book - and the reason I awarded four stars not five - is the sheer length. Whilst the vast majority of the book progresses at a fairly fast pace there were times when I did get a little bored - mainly during the journal sequence. Whist this sequence is a must, being essential to the plot, I believe it could have been more condensed and faster-paced to tie in with the rest of the book. Anne's writing is compelling - and much more interesting and engrossing than other writes of the genre. Story-telling at its best - just make sure you have a very large pot of coffee!!
Rating: 
Summary: Good writing but nothing else
Review: I never believed I'd become a fan of Anne Rice when it was suggested to me I read this novel. Over 1,000 pages later I'm definitely not a fan, but as a writer myself I can appreciate what others find so seductive in this author. "The witching hour" is the story of a family run mostly by its women, who all happen to have sold themselves to the Devil. This devil is Lasher who, through the centuries, periodically takes possession of the soul of the women who inherit this legacy of power. Anne Rice is not a master storyteller, but she is a superb descriptor of her characters's moods. She takes full advantage of this and uses it to the extreme, right up to the point where the reader becomes so immerse in the profile of a character that there is a union of identities one cannot escape from. The quality of the writing is entrancing in itself, with lush descriptions of the house at First Street in New Orleans and the harbor in San Francisco. I have to admit when I was reading certain passages I went online and found these places: the Garden District, the Pontchartrain Hotel, the Church of St. Alphonsus, etc. I promised myself a future trip to these cities just to enjoy the sights. The genealogy of the Mayfair witches must be commended. Very few writers can come up with such an extensive history of a family that doesn't exist, and offers at the same time so much to talk about. It is here also where we encounter one of the first problems of the novel, which is that of a weak plotline. The story of the witches could be applied to anything, and it is becomes too fictitious and overbearing at times. I empathize with one of the reviewers on this page who finds himself dissapointed when the character of Rowan Mayfair "folds" and leaves the novel not just with an open ending but with no ending at all. I also agree with the reviewer who says that after over 1,000 pages of material, the reader deserves a better ending, and should not find himself so crudely set up for a sequel. This makes me think of Ms. Rice as a purely commercial author who cares more about her royalties than about delievering material that could actually fulfill her readers. I found another drawback in the last scene of the book, at the climax of the story takes place on Christmas Eve. For my taste, there is to much blood, and it becomes gross. I won't say anymore. I think if a reader likes horror there are better stories - and better writers, such as Edgar Allan Poe for instance - that can entertain without making things seem so thick and barbaric. Personally, I prefer the subtle touch; one that makes the imagination work to unprecedented levels. The story of the Mayfair witches continues in the sequel called "Lasher". I suppose at some point in time I will pick-up a copy and read it. Right now I'm full of it - literally. I cannot imagine what those Vampire Chronicles must be like.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome Book
Review: I thought this book was very very good. Before I was even finished with it, I had to run out and buy Lasher and Taltos so that I would have them right there waiting to be read when I was finished! I didn't want to miss a second. I think that most people that read this book will feel the same. One thing that was kind of difficult about the book was all of the different characters. I thought of writing out a family tree type thing but decided against it. The book was very enjoyable even if it was hard to remember how all of the characters were related to each other. Happy reading!
Rating:
Summary: Worth reading
Review: I enjoyed this book. Rice's writing doesn't call attention to itself, but tells the story well. The premise of the book is the main characters' discovery of a scandal-filled family history (from the 1600s to present): readers who like biographies will not be turned off by the enormous cast of characters, but others might. Although book is enjoyable, don't anticipate a harrowing, nail-biting conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: It blows me away every time
Review: I first read this book about 10 years ago, right after it was published. I used to bring it with me to my office job, reading on my lunch break, and I can understand how some people here say it scared them to read this in the dark. It used to scare me even in broad daylight! The descriptions of the spirit world were maybe just a little too eerie. But this story of a family of witches and the spirit that does their bidding, spanning over 300 years, will hook you. Anne Rice has always had a wonderfully evocative use of language and details. She also has an impressive command of different narrative techniques (e.g., third person, journal style, essay-narrative) and she uses several of them here, weaving one fabulous story from different perspectives - a story rich with believable anecdotes about life in the past as well as present. And these characters are some of the fleshiest, most sensual that you will find anywhere. They come to life with her words. I go back and read The Witching Hour about once a year, and still can't get over it. The Vampire Chronicles are also superb, but if you were to read one Anne Rice, make it this one. If it weren't for the abrupt-seeming ending, I would call it her masterpiece (clearly where the story is concerned, it helps to read the next two installments). But still an amazing and uniquely satisfying read.
Rating:
Summary: Not an everyday family
Review: This book took me three times to even start it. But once I did, I throughly enjoyed it. The part that explains the family history in the book, I had read it several times to understand the family structure better. If you like themes of family and loyalty in your books,I strongly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Anne Rice at her best
Review: I simply believe that Anne Rice is an aweswome author. Her spellbinding intricacy, depth of characters and intense detail given in her novels blows my mind away. After reading the Witching Hour, I was truly convinced that her work is indeed, amazing. To be able to create such vivid and luscious prose to me is a work of art; an obvious inbred talent. I've read most of her novels thus far, and after meeting her at her Merrick signing, I am one of her biggest fans. I'm currently reading Blood and Gold, and I know that she will definitely be considered as one of the greatest authors of all time.
I think that Merrick wasn't as good as her previous works, but at least we have to give her credit for trying to intertwine both the Vampires and the Mayfair Witches. I also think that her erotica novels were a bit too rash and uninviting. I simply thought that it was too much; especially the amount of emphasis on sado masochism and pain given as form of pleasure. Nonetheless, we see that Rice is able to traverse the many forms of literature that we have. Overall, she is great.
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