The Widows of Eastwick

July 28, 2008
Motivated by advancing age, loneliness, latent guilt and a sense of unfinished business, the erstwhile Witches of Eastwick return to their former Rhode Island coastal town in this tepid sequel to the 1984 novel. Alexandra, the fleshy Earth Mother; Jane, the wasp-tongued snob; and Sukie, a would-be a sexpot operating beyond her expiration date, have each survived the second marriages that took place following their flight from Eastwick in the early '70s, after a rival, Jenny Gabriel, died as a result of their spell. Where before they were strong, sassy, lusty and empowered, now in late middle-age they are vulnerable, fearful and in thrall to their aging bodies. Witchcraft is now beyond them; when they try to resurrect their supernatural powers to atone for their guilt, an inadvertent death ensues. While Updike remains amazingly capable of capturing women's thoughts about their bodies and their sex lives, the plot never gains momentum; the first hundred pages, in fact, are tedious travelogues covering the widows' travels to Egypt and China. Updike's observations about culture and social disharmony flash with their customary brilliance—a less than sparkling Updike novel is still an Updike novel.

November 24, 2008
Three decades after the original release of Updike's The Witches of Eastwick
comes this follow-up featuring the same depressed, divorced and devilish ladies of the original. This time around the women are, naturally, widows who travel the world searching for happiness and ultimately find themselves back in Eastwick. Kate Reading gives a powerful and entertaining performance, capturing the essence of each character with equally driven intensity and passion. The flawless Reading is especially captivating in her role as witch Sukie. Though Updike's writing may not possess the same power that it had in the original, Reading keeps listeners focused on the present and yearning for more in the future. A Knopf hardcover (Reviews, July 28).

More than two decades have passed since we last heard from the "witches" of Eastwick. The husbands they conjured didn't last, and now they return to Rhode Island with the wisdom of hindsight and diminishing magical powers. Narrating in a soft, terse tone, Kate Reading catches listeners up with Alexandra, Jane, and Sukie, who are crabby about lost sexual vitality and pending death. Updike's masterful abilities continue to dazzle, and Reading matches the burnished text with a sure professionalism. Fans of the original who always wondered what happened to the witches will find the women just as trying and entertaining as they were when first introduced. R.O. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine