Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by bickleyhouse
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is set in the seventies, and begins with an angry, self-righteous father driving his teenaged, pregnant daughter across several state lines to some maternity home out in the boonies of Florida. She doesn't know he is taking her there. He is ashamed of her and says that she has ruined their lives.
And that pretty much sets the tone of this book. And let me say that, in spite of the fact that I gave this book four stars, I hated a lot of it. Literally. Because I grew up in that era, and it is just too realistic. I'll admit that I didn't know "homes" (who in their right mind would even call a hell-hole like this a "home?") like this existed, but I do remember how teen pregnancies were treated back then. It was all the girl's fault. It was always, "she got pregnant," as though there were no boys (or in some cases, men) involved.
So Neva is kidnapped, basically, by her own father, and dropped, mercilessly, into this "home" in Florida where a dozen or so other girls in the same boat "lived." The idea was that they would be "cared for," have their babies, probably never get to even see them, and then go back home and "forget this ever happened." The baby would be adopted (more like "bought") by some couple somewhere and given a life of sorts. That is probably the only positive aspect to the whole story.
This book had more of a cringe-factor than any book I have ever read. I almost couldn't finish it because of that. Hendrix's last book was cringy enough, with the relationship between that brother and sister in How To Sell A Haunted House (I swear I hated both characters in that book). But if he gets any cringier than this book, I may not be able to read any more of his books.
What helped, though, and actually got me from three to four stars, was his acknowledgements at the end of the book. Of course, the cringe-factor was intentional, because there was a "message."
One of the girls' "baby-daddy" was a Reverend, of course. Another one was impregnated by her boss. And of course, there were no consequences for any of them. The owner of the house was a terrible person. The doctor that treated the girls was a terrible person. The only decent people in the book were the cook (who was pretty mean, herself) and her sister, who actually did something to help our main character and a couple of her friends.
None of the girls went by their real names while at the home. They were all given fake names by the owner. Neva became Fern, and roomed with "Rose" and "Holly," and, eventually, "Zinnia."
Oh. Yes. There was witchcraft, eventually, when a bookmobile turned out to be driven by a "librarian," who happened to be a witch.
Why did I give this book four stars? Because it is, in fact, very well-written. Hendrix does a pretty great job of describing the horrors of what went on in one of these "homes."
Would I recommend this book to anyone? That's a solid, "nope." Mr. Hendrix, I would really appreciate it if your next book were more like Horrorstor or that Southern Book Club Vampire-Slaying thing. Maybe not quite so realistic, next time?
And that pretty much sets the tone of this book. And let me say that, in spite of the fact that I gave this book four stars, I hated a lot of it. Literally. Because I grew up in that era, and it is just too realistic. I'll admit that I didn't know "homes" (who in their right mind would even call a hell-hole like this a "home?") like this existed, but I do remember how teen pregnancies were treated back then. It was all the girl's fault. It was always, "she got pregnant," as though there were no boys (or in some cases, men) involved.
So Neva is kidnapped, basically, by her own father, and dropped, mercilessly, into this "home" in Florida where a dozen or so other girls in the same boat "lived." The idea was that they would be "cared for," have their babies, probably never get to even see them, and then go back home and "forget this ever happened." The baby would be adopted (more like "bought") by some couple somewhere and given a life of sorts. That is probably the only positive aspect to the whole story.
This book had more of a cringe-factor than any book I have ever read. I almost couldn't finish it because of that. Hendrix's last book was cringy enough, with the relationship between that brother and sister in How To Sell A Haunted House (I swear I hated both characters in that book). But if he gets any cringier than this book, I may not be able to read any more of his books.
What helped, though, and actually got me from three to four stars, was his acknowledgements at the end of the book. Of course, the cringe-factor was intentional, because there was a "message."
One of the girls' "baby-daddy" was a Reverend, of course. Another one was impregnated by her boss. And of course, there were no consequences for any of them. The owner of the house was a terrible person. The doctor that treated the girls was a terrible person. The only decent people in the book were the cook (who was pretty mean, herself) and her sister, who actually did something to help our main character and a couple of her friends.
None of the girls went by their real names while at the home. They were all given fake names by the owner. Neva became Fern, and roomed with "Rose" and "Holly," and, eventually, "Zinnia."
Oh. Yes. There was witchcraft, eventually, when a bookmobile turned out to be driven by a "librarian," who happened to be a witch.
Why did I give this book four stars? Because it is, in fact, very well-written. Hendrix does a pretty great job of describing the horrors of what went on in one of these "homes."
Would I recommend this book to anyone? That's a solid, "nope." Mr. Hendrix, I would really appreciate it if your next book were more like Horrorstor or that Southern Book Club Vampire-Slaying thing. Maybe not quite so realistic, next time?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse