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Loading... A Discovery of Witches: A Novel (edition 2011)by Deborah E. Harkness
Work InformationA Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Found it hard to put this book down. I didn't realise it also had vampires in it, which initially made me groan inwardly (goddamn Twilight and its shiny, wooden vampires) especially when it became clear that this would be, in part, a love story. However, I persevered, and I'm glad I did. Looking forward to the next instalment. This book was recommended to me by a parent of a student many years ago. I've had it on a list all of this time and finally listened to it. The book was not what I was expecting. It's very scientific with history wrapped within. I don't feel the chemistry between the two characters, but that's not bothering me. Perhaps it's because I'm listening instead of reading? Nonetheless, I listened intently until finishing and very much look forward to listening to the second book. As an English teacher, I enjoy the use of the Bishop family after having taught The Crucial so many times. I also like that vampires can be out in the sun and have families--those they've turned. I like that the demons, vampires, and witches are all coming together and forming their own family. I like that the vampires are not evil--although they are definitely capable of violence.
"With books about fictional witches, it’s all too easy to fall back on tongue-in-cheek descriptors like “enchanting” or “spellbinding,” but both adjectives aptly describe the superbly entertaining saga Harkness has crafted. This is a riveting tale full of romance and danger that will have you on the edge of your seat, yet its chief strength lies in the wonderfully rich and ingenious mythology underlying the story. Entwining strands of science and history, Harkness creates a fresh explanation for how such creatures could arise that is so credible, you’ll have to keep reminding yourself this is fiction." As will be obvious by now, this is a very silly novel. Characters and relationships are stereotyped. The historical background is a total pudding. The prose is terrible. And yet, the ideas have just enough suction, somehow, to present an undemanding reader with some nice frissons. I liked, for example, the way Diana tries to sublimate her magic powers in running and rowing and doing yoga – at a mixed vampire-witch-daemonic yoga class, participants struggle not to levitate during their vinyasas. And I liked the way Matthew and Diana smell to each other like Jo Malone candles: Diana is "horehound, frankincense, lady's mantle", Matthew is "cinnamon and clove". "a thoroughly grown-up novel packed with gorgeous historical detail...Harkness writes with thrilling gusto about the magical world. Whether she's describing a yoga class for witches, daemons, and vampires or Diana's benignly haunted house, it's a treat to suspend disbelief. ... As the mysteries started to unravel, the pages turned faster, almost as if on their own. By the most satisfying end, Harkness had made me a believer. "a romantic, erudite, and suspenseful first novel by Deborah Harkness. The first in a planned trilogy, it sets up blood drinkers and spell weavers as enemies for eternity in a feud as old as the Crusades; the duo confront social disapproval and intolerance as they elude evildoers and puzzle out enigmas throughout history. ...Harkness attends to every scholarly and emotional detail with whimsy, sensuality, and humor. The protagonist is a witch. Her beau is a vampire. If you accept the argument that we’ve seen entirely too many of both kinds of characters in contemporary fiction, then you’re not alone. Yet, though Harkness seems to be arriving very late to a party that one hopes will soon break up, her debut novel has its merits; she writes well, for one thing, and, as a historian at the University of Southern California, she has a scholarly bent that plays out effectively here. Is contained inHas the adaptationIs abridged inHas as a reference guide/companionHas as a commentary on the textDistinctionsNotable Lists
Witch and Yale historian Diana Bishop discovers an enchanted manuscript, attracting the attention of 1,500-year-old vampire Matthew Clairmont. The orphaned daughter of two powerful witches, Bishop prefers intellect, but relies on magic when her discovery of a palimpsest documenting the origin of supernatural species releases an assortment of undead who threaten, stalk, and harass her. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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This book seems to contain everything but the kitchen sink: witches, demons, vampires, time travel, inter-species romance, complex DNA sequencing, alchemy, charmed manuscripts, math, secret socities, yoga, haunted houses, European history, and much (MUCH) more. There is so much going on the author needn't worry about the quality of the writing as readers are simply trying to just keep track of it all. It's simultaneously [b:Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone|3|Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)|J.K. Rowling|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1474154022s/3.jpg|4640799], [b:Outlander|10964|Outlander (Outlander, #1)|Diana Gabaldon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1402600310s/10964.jpg|2489796],[a:Dan Brown|630|Dan Brown|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1399396714p2/630.jpg] and [a:Ken Follett|3447|Ken Follett|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1480592356p2/3447.jpg]. They're all fine on their own, but mixed together it's quite a lot to digest.
I suppose there are a few more subjects, characters, and concepts the author could introduce: werevolves, aliens, dentistry, magic carpets, the global financial system, etc. There are two more books in this series (which I won't be reading) so perhaps the author does get to these... ( )