A Hint of Witchcraft

by Anna Gilbert

On a bright day in April 1923, the villagers of Ashlaw succeeded at last in unveiling their war memorial. The ceremony brought together a group of people whose lives were to become closely, and at times tragically, interwoven. For Margot Humbert as a schoolgirl, the day was a landmark simply because Linden Grey and her mother were coming to lunch for the first time. Later she was to think of it as ominous.

Unravelling the tangled chain of events that followed, she recognised the part Linden had played in disrupting the lives not only of her own family but also of the Rilstons from Bainrigg House, who were guests on the same day, and of the woman who appeared at Langland Hall in time for the Christmas party, 'a dark figure half seen among the shadows, an emanation from the winter twilight, an uninvited visitor'.

To that fateful day in April could also be traced the origin of more than one addition to local folklore, including the ghost of a dead girl in Lucknow meadow - and Margot's discovery of the real nature of witchcraft.

A truly gripping novel.

Genres: Horror, Historical Fiction, Fiction

254 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Marguerite Jackson Lazarus
aka Marguerite J. Gascoigne, Anna Gilbert

Marguerite Jackson was born on 1 May 1916 in Durham, England, UK, daughter of Hannah, and John Jackson, an inspector of schools. On 1937, she obtained a BA with honours and on 1957 a MA at Durham University. She worked as Grammar school English teacher from 1938 to 1973. On 5 April 1956, she married Jacob "Jack" Lazarus.

She published Children's fiction as Marguerite J. Gascoigne, and later gothic romance novels as Anna Gilbert. Marguerite died at 88, on 24 September 2004 in North Yorkshire, England.

Reviews

[Sarah (is clearing her shelves) · Rating 2 out of 5]

18/6 - Don't be fooled by the false advertising of the title. The only 'witchcraft' anywhere within these pages is of the figurative kind. On page 237 of 254 Margot, the main character, has finally found a prospective HEA with a totally secondary character and after a kiss or two (not described, this isn't 'that' kind of romance) we our 'hint' of witchcraft

'They went out into the garden. All very well to be wary of witchcraft but the evening was enchanted; in its softened light the Hall resumed its rightful air of picturesque antiquity. The garden was flower-scented. The whole world had changed.'

What on Earth is she talking about, being 'wary' of witchcraft?! There had been no prior mention of witchcraft, no unexplainable incidents, just a book full of tragic circumstances one of which was brought about by a terminal case of failure to communicate. The title definitely seemed to insinuate that someone (I figured it was Linden) was practicing witchcraft to benefit herself (and that's what appeared to be happening, to start with) - enthralling Margot's brother, Alex, terrifying a young woman with just her presence, and 'innocently making apparently throwaway comments that ruined relationships. But in the last 25% we learn that the witchcraft was all a figure of speech, that everything that happened was a combination of bad luck and the conservative attitudes of 20s/30s small-town England. If Miles and Margot had talked to each other it's likely they wouldn't have avoided each other for fear of embarrassing the other with supposedly unrequited feelings and then Miles wouldn't have committed suicide because he thought she didn't love him.

When I started reading this I was expecting there to be supernatural goings on, or at least goings on that nobody could successfully explain away as "the wind did it" or "that's just a coincidence". What I got was a boring and depressing Downton Abbey-type melodrama with characters who completely lacked the charm of the Downton Abbey characters. Except for what seemed like a plague of missing commas (it's like Gilbert was working from a different rule book than the rest of us when it came to commas) the writing was fine and that's the only reason I'm not giving this one star. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone I know, despite that I will be donating it to the local charity bookstore for them to sell on to some unsuspecting buyer as I'm clearly never going to want to read it again.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna Gilbert writes both historical and contemporary gothic mysteries. A Hint of Witchcraft was very good, and by itself I would have given it five stars.

She has written many other novels, all gothic mysteries, and most of them I would rate as four or three stars, however. Gilbert's downfall is that she uses the same characters and plots over and over. And so, if you have read one of her books, you have essentially read them all. That said, I read about four of her books before they got so predictable I stopped liking them.

And so, I give A Hint of Witchcraft five stars, but Anna Gilbert an overall rating of four stars.

PG-rated.

[Paula · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Hint of Witchcraft? I just finished the book and am still searching for the hint of witchcraft. The story could have been so much more than it turned out to be. Highly disappointed with this one.

[Pam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got to chapter 3 and wanted a lobotomy. Not the writing style for me, I really wanted to keep going but not more than I wanted to remain sane.

[Arlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gentle novel of a bygone era. It reminded me a bit of Downton Abbey.

[Jess Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Hint of Witchcraft is initially incredibly difficult to get through. I didn’t realize it was a British author and it takes immense effort to get used to the author’s style of writing. The first three chapters were a wash and I felt I could have easily skipped them. The author hardly ever mentions who is talking so at times it’s a guessing game to understand the context. Time comes and goes without mention, so it can be difficult to understand not only the pacing but the perspective. The title itself should be thought of as the tiniest allusion to magic. The plot centers around an event that happens early on in the book. Around half way I found myself wondering what more the author could possibly have to say about the situation. The book writes as a tragedy with several unimportant, mundane events tied in with important dialogue. The ending does reach a resolution which I find myself mediocrely satisfied with. There are plenty of deaths in the book, several of which I’d have to reread to truly understand who it was who died and why. This book would have likely worked well as a movie or TV series to provide visuals where the author fails to be clear. I gave it two stars because overall it was an interesting book, though I had several complaints about the structure of plot and writing style. I wouldn’t find this book accessible and enjoyable to the average reader, but maybe that’s because I’m not English. I would hardly call the book suspense.

[Amy Freese · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay this one was not quite what I expected. I struggled getting into it at first due to the writing style being very different from what I am used to. The point of view altered often, and suddenly. I found it confusing for a while. Once I caught on to the way the writing was done, it got easier.
Overall, I liked the mystery. The author did an amazing job with that! Every time you THINK you have something figured out, new info throws it all around. I genuinely like Margot, it was easy to relate to her. This book seems to explore the human emotion well, highlights the best and worst of human nature. It shows the chaos that can happen from assumptions.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fine book but there wasn't a hint of witchcraft in it at all. Absolutely nothing supernatural whatsoever. Without that expectation, the story was engaging on its own.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story, just not about witchcraft.

[Emily McKeon · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was so boring. And there is zero witchcraft.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an OK book. A young woman comes for a visit with her old school friend, Margot. Linden Grey steals the heart of everyone she meets. But soon the small village of Ashlaw seems to be under a curse. It is the year 1923 and three families have each had unspeakable things happen within a very short time. It seems that the luck turned right after Linden arrived. Could she be the cause? The book was a little slow and very heavy on inuendo. It wasn't the worst but certainly not the best book I have read.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book follows the story of the mysterious circumstances following the death of a mentally disabled girl. Several people in the town think that it is the doing of a strange young woman. The writing was well done, but the story line was shallow. It just gave an general storyline without much detail.

[Beth Yeary]

A typical romance set right after WWI, with a bit of a mystery thrown in for good measure.

[Gena Lott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as I thought it would be.