Dorothy Morrison

I was deeply disappointed by this book. There are misspellings, inconsistent use of type, and reversed or incorrect words. The bulk of the book is recipes and make-your-own-tradition ideas that still partake heavily of Christian symbolism and practice. The author's sources are academically and intellectually dubious, and out of date. For example, she cites (and misspells the name of) an encyclopedia of mythology in its 1968 edition. The historical information cited is often inaccurate. The show more attitude toward Christians and practitioners of other religions alike is smarmy and patronizing. Egregiously stupid errors include a statement to the effect that the early Christians inserted the word "Son" in the name of their new holiday because it would make people think of the "Sun" god. Duh-uhhhh--these people weren't speaking English, and "son" and "sun" are not homophones in any languages spoken in that region then or now. This one of the most poorly written non-fiction works I've ever read, and there was no reason it couldn't have been good. One star is too high a rating. show less

This was a friendly, chatty book with a VERY positive view of menopause. I don't know if I can see it as quite the reason to celebrate that Morrison presents, but she did have a lot of useful exercises. I enjoyed the writing, and I have to confess I look forward to menopause with less trepidation than before.

This was a great book. The material was a bit dark, but after reading so many "white witch" books, it was a welcome change from reading about good magic. While I don't foresee myself ever using this book to curse or hex, the information contained in the volume is written well, in an easy and conversational tone, as well as useful for more than just what the title suggests.

I highly recommend this book, if for no other reason than the home protection, energy transitioning, and cemetery show more information she provides. She also added recipe for powders, incense, etc. and has several listings in the back of the book on where to obtain supplies, something that many books sorely lack.

After reading this book, I plan on buying her backlist. It as simply that good of a book. show less

A hundred year old curse reaches out from the grave to ensnare Tess Logan in a tragic cycle of love, lust, betrayal and murder in Lucinda's Web. A bitter rivalry for affection led to the laying of spells whose power reignites when Tess moves opposite a cemetery, and then meets Luke Benson. As the curse strengthens, Tess's friends are drawn into it's web with each having a part to play in the unfolding drama. Unless they can solve the century old mystery and destroy the charmed objects they show more are all at risk of forfeiting their lives to the past.

The main thrust of Lucinda's Web is interesting and well thought out. As a practicing Wiccan Priestess, author Dorothy Morrison uses her knowledge of the occult to include magic, hoodoo, reincarnation, possession and more to develop a creative story. After a somewhat slow start there is plenty of tension as the curse tightens and the ending has a chilling twist but I think that the plot was almost overwhelmed by Morrison's technique of using several of her characters to tell the story, in both first and third person points of view. The transitions were not always easy to follow and for me, the story often felt disjointed and crowded.
Morrison's characters are all very strong personalities. Tess smokes like a chimney, drinks copious amounts of coffee, swears like a sailor and has the temperament of a cut snake, all unusual traits I would have thought for a Wiccan witch and her tendency to take offense at almost everything annoyed me. An aggressive tone is present in many of the other characters as well, even in the most benign of interactions there are a lot of exclamation marks, capital letters and italics used. I struggled to relate to any of the cast which affected my enthusiasm for the story.

There are not currently a lot of reviews for the book but it has earned high praise from other readers. While I think the book had a strong concept and the writing was of a good standard, unfortunately Lucinda's Web didn't really work for me. I picked it up and put it down several times over a few days and had I not been committed to reviewing it, I'm not sure I would have finished. show less