Review by Booklist Review
Bestselling memoirist Burroughs, whose last revelations appeared in Lust & Wonder (2016), now reveals that he first learned that he had the gift when, as a young boy, he sensed that something had happened to his grandmother. When he arrived home, he learned she had just been in a car accident. Unsurprised by his premonition, his mother informed him that he comes from a long line of witches. Burroughs confesses that he would not believe in witches were it not for the simple fact that he is one. His acknowledging of incredulity as the opening gambit allows the reader to be caught in the spell of Burroughs' enchanting storytelling. Marked by flashbacks to his childhood and early days in advertising, this memoir centers on Burroughs and his husband Christopher's move out of Manhattan and into a 200-year-old Connecticut manse. The characters, including the foul-mouthed but big-hearted handyman and a former opera diva who may be one note short of an octave, provide laugh-out-loud moments that read like a massively entertaining mash-up of Fixer Upper and Queer Eye. One's belief in witches is beside the point, although Burroughs' does have an uncanny knack for manifesting desirable outcomes. Rather, it is Burroughs' unique ability to translate his fears, anxieties, and dreams into something universal that feels a little like, well, magic.HIGH-DEMAND BACK STORY: Burroughs always pulls in lots of readers, and this hilarious and spellbinding memoir will generate a whirl of requests.--Bill Kelly Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In his whimsical but thin latest, Burroughs reveals another odd facet of the famously dysfunctional family life he recalled in his bestselling Running with Scissors: witchcraft. Having received the "Gift" of witchcraft powers from his mother and grandmother, witchery for Burroughs is not about flying broomsticks but rather visions, premonitions, and intense desires, focused by improvised "magick" rituals, that somehow nudge ordinary life in a fortunate direction. (His first try ends in a schoolyard bully getting his comeuppance via a poetically fitting medical condition.) In adulthood, a series of spells enable him and husband Christopher to move from Manhattan to a dream house in rural Connecticut, and the book is at heart an affectionate, gently humorous portrait of their neurotic version of domestic tranquility, told through picaresque anecdotes sometimes tangentially related to magic. A ghostly voice sounds at the 200-year-old manse; a tornado blows through; raucous local eccentrics show up; Christopher soothes Burroughs' manifold anxieties; Burroughs fusses over Christopher and dramatizes his own obsessions with decor, cleaning chores, landscaping, and dogs. The material is sometimes funny and touching, but too often it's mundane--"the puppy is so perfectly behaved, not peeing once indoors." Burroughs's fans will love his comic riffs, but others may not fall under the spell of this uninvolving saga. (Oct.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
The magical side of the acclaimed author's colorful life.Burroughs (Lust Wonder, 2016, etc.) is well known for his soul-baring, bestselling memoirs, including Running With Scissors, his vivid portrait of his dysfunctional family life, and Dry, his powerful account of alcoholism and getting clean. One might think he has few secrets left to divulge, yet in this latest memoir, he reveals a startling new detail: He's a witch. In fact, the author, who first realized his "gift" as a young boy, comes from a long line of witches, including his mother and grandmother. The loosely constructed narrative initially revolves around the author's anecdotal "witchy" incidents that occurred as a child and then later as an adult, especially as related to his relationship with his husband, Christopher. Burroughs chronicles how he convinced Christopher to move from their urban Manhattan life and settle in a historic home in rural Connecticut. The author has always displayed a talent for sharing sometimes-grim personal dramas with a keen whimsical flair. Unfortunately, the balance is never quite achieved here; the dramatic moments are softly conceived while his narrative often swings in a broader comedic direction. Though the author's witch revelation feels authentic, some elements of the story undermine the gravity of his tale. These include such chapter headings as "Adder's Tongue," "Snake's Blood," "Fairie's Finger," and "Bat's Wings" as well as frequent mentions of the 1960s sitcom Bewitched, in which Burroughs compares his experiences to those of Samantha Stevens. The author delivers intermittently intriguing depictions of the quirky local characters they have encountered in the countryside, including redneck handymen, a flamboyant has-been opera singer neighbor, and their real estate agent, who also happens to be a witch. Though we see Burroughs and Christopher struggle through potential hardships, including a tornado and illness, these often feel like contrived plot points allowing for further witty indulgences.An amusing foray into the witchy realms of Burroughs' life that lacks the depth of previous memoirs. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
