This fall, members of the Vise Library are going back to school by participating in a Fall Reading Challenge (it's our Junior Year!) We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!
Course Title: Southern Witchcraft 401
Department: Gothic Literature
About the book:
“It's rare to find a novel that sends shivers up your spine. The Witch of Persimmon Point not only leaves you spooked, it'll give you chills whenever you see it on your bookshelf.” – Redbook
This house is a whole other ball of wax. I’m sure its feelings are hurt as I write this. It fancies itself a horror house. Home of witches and murderesses. Of death and decay and destruction. And here I am calling it comforting…
When Byrd Whalen returns to her family’s ancestral home to uncover secrets threatening to destroy a legacy she holds dear, she gets more than she bargained for. Over the course of one harrowing weekend, the dark haunted histories of the Amore women reveal themselves, leading Byrd to question everything she's ever believed about herself.
In 1890, Nan, the Amore family matriarch, was sent away to America with little more than a baby and a rocking chair, quickly finding work on the sprawling estate of the wildly eccentric Green family. This new life is one she wanted: loving and free with a family that understands and shares in her magic. But when tragedy strikes, destroying the mansion and the precious lives inside, Nan is left alone and pregnant with Reginald Green’s child. With nothing more than the deed to the property, she builds a house from the rubble and a new, pragmatic life. It would become a haunted life that would lead to other haunted lives. It would become a house both terrible and wonderful. It would become known as “The Witch House.”
An unforgettable family saga in the Gothic tradition, Suzanne Palmieri’s The Witch House of Persimmon Point is her most powerful novel yet.
The Witch House of Persimmon Point is a story about secrets hidden over several generations. Byrd is forced to uncover family secrets that are threatening to harm her reputation (with the whole world watching). In order do this, she needs to travel to her old family home. Because this book offers multiple viewpoints, we find out about Nan. She is the matriarch of the family and we learn that she was banished to live in American in 1890. She is able to find work with the Green family and learns that they understand the magic that she has. However, Nan's happiness does not last for long when some disturbing events take place in the house.
This book has some very dark experiences and are sometimes difficult to read. However, the understanding of the past is very essential to this story. Every person has a purpose in this book and it was entertaining to see this family's story unfold. Once you start this book, you will not be able to stop!
This book has some very dark experiences and are sometimes difficult to read. However, the understanding of the past is very essential to this story. Every person has a purpose in this book and it was entertaining to see this family's story unfold. Once you start this book, you will not be able to stop!
About the author:
I've always wanted to be a writer, but life got in the way. At 22, I was a struggling, unwed mother on welfare who moonlighted as a cocktail waitress. My daughter and I collected food stamps and other social entitlements for several years. There never seemed to be enough money, and knowing I had to finish college I hustled to make ends meet. Education, and writing whatever I could, saved me.
I wrote everywhere: in journals, on napkins, on the inside of matchbook covers. After graduating from college, (walking across the stage with my baby on my hip!), I was awarded a Presidential Scholarship to Fordham; this scholarship allowed me to exit the welfare system for good. Also, being a single mother living alone in the Bronx would become the impetus for my debut novel THE WITCH OF LITTLE ITALY, which hit shelves in March 2013. I am also the co-author of I'LL BE SEEING YOU (writing as Suzanne Hayes). THE WITCH OF BELLADONNA BAY and EMPIRE GIRLS will be released in May, 2014. I have another contract for two more novels with St. Martin's Press and am currently hard at work meeting deadlines!
I wrote everywhere: in journals, on napkins, on the inside of matchbook covers. After graduating from college, (walking across the stage with my baby on my hip!), I was awarded a Presidential Scholarship to Fordham; this scholarship allowed me to exit the welfare system for good. Also, being a single mother living alone in the Bronx would become the impetus for my debut novel THE WITCH OF LITTLE ITALY, which hit shelves in March 2013. I am also the co-author of I'LL BE SEEING YOU (writing as Suzanne Hayes). THE WITCH OF BELLADONNA BAY and EMPIRE GIRLS will be released in May, 2014. I have another contract for two more novels with St. Martin's Press and am currently hard at work meeting deadlines!
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