Witch: A Gothic Ghost Story Where Spectral Visions and a Dark Past Turn Escape Into Terror

Loved that kept you guessing the entire book. This is for people that love an actual ghost story, creepy scary parts -but not blood and gore. If you are looking for supernatural paranormal vampire wolves witches et Al- (which I also love to read) this isn't it. Is suspenseful, shows how a small town can be cult think to city person, has relationship story entwined through out. I don't want to give it away. I usually say I'm too busy to write a review, but this was so good that I came back here and I'm writing it now :)

This isn't the best of Michaels's books (for those, I'd look at the Georgetown trilogy), but it's a solid read. Entertaining and slightly gothic, with all that entails. I'd really rate this 3.5 stars.

This is a great story, if somewhat dated in the telling. But the themes are timeless. Who can you trust? What do you believe? Why do you believe it? Ok. That sounds a bit philosophical for a book about a middle aged lady whose nest is emptying very fast and has chosen to begin a new life in a lovely small town. She expects to spend her time reading and doing all of the cozy things that she always wanted to do. Except she does not believe in ghosts, witches, or spectral white cats. So when she found the perfect house she did not let the fact that it once belonged to a witch deter her at all. But the ghostly witch and her cat are not really the problem. The living people in this lovely small town are the ones she should pay attention too. I reread this book every once in a while. I have always liked it.

Michael’s characters’ down to earth likabilty creates a relationship reader can relate to because they are like us. Imperfect, average, and normal. She’s an excellent storyteller.

I have loved Barbara Michaels, and her incarnation as Elizabeth Peters since I was a teenager. There is nothing better to read when in the mood for a gothic-ish tale with a touch of the paranormal. Elizabeth Peters will give you a very well earned expertise in Egypt, as she was an Egyptologist in real life. Amelia Peabody is one of my favorite characters! My caveat for this book (Witch) is in discomfort with brief mentions of animal cruelty. They aren’t graphic, but still disturbing. That’s not something I have experienced in the books I have read by this author.

I remember reading a lot of the Barbara Michaels gothic novels back in the eighties as a teenager. When this popped up as a daily deal, I couldn’t resist. While the events are a little dated (cell phones and the internet would cancel out a lot of plot points, plus a woman going to look at a house in the country while wearing white gloves made me laugh). Still, the story may have been a tad cliched, the writing pulled me along.

A really enjoyable feast moving story or a say fast moving when it's a story I enjoy. Like this author's book is.

I really wanted to like this book. It’s the first I’ve read by this author and I know it was first published in 1973 so I was expecting it to be a bit old fashioned in its views on women, but halfway through I’m having a hard time trying to finish it. The female lead is strong but her naivety and overall “women are inherently led by their maternal nature” and thus duty bound to take care of both kids and men no matter the cost just doesn’t appeal to me. Also there’s too many inferences to animal cruelty that I don’t care for either. It’s definitely a dated book better suited for an older female audience who may be more understanding of how times were back when it was written.

Everything Barbara Mertz/Michaels/Elizabeth Peters writes is superb. Her gothic novels have the same feminist elements and humour of her other works, but are packed with the creeps - religious zealots, madmen, ghosts, weirdly nice people, creaking houses, inexplicable shadows, mobs with pitchforks, nightmares and teenagers. A gripping read.

I liked it,it's a sweet story somehow :) I finished it in two days tho but I def recommended it as and easy reading before bed

Reprint of old, out of print, favourite.

This was the !st Barbara Michaels book I ever read many many moons ago. I have been looking for years for a copy for my KEEP library. I thank you so much. It was in excellent condition. I read this book the 1st time in 3 hours

I enjoyed this book the only disappointment was the ending I thought. But otherwise worth reading. Will be reading more by this author. 👍