The Catalain Book of Secrets
A Book Club Pick!
-
-
4.4 • 5 Ratings
-
-
- $4.99
-
- $4.99
Publisher Description
⭐ "Lourey expertly concocts a Gothic fusion of long-held secrets, melancholy, and resolve..." ―Publishers Weekly
⭐ "Think Alice Hoffman...spell-binding!" ―Midwest Book Review
Faith Falls is a snug little Minnesota town constructed over a mystery, a place where the most impressive building is the Catalain's gorgeous Victorian mansion on the hill. The people of Faith Falls have an uneasy truce with the Catalain witches; they don't trust them, yet they can't resist buying their kitchen magic and love potions.
When the Catalain's prodigal daughter returns to Faith Falls with a mysterious and dangerous bluesman on her heels, all the bad blood boils to the surface, dredging up secrets, bitter curses, and a decades-old, unsolved murder. The Catalain women must find a way to heal their bond and make peace with their past, or they'll lose their freedom, their ancestral home, and in the case of at least one Catalain witch...their life.
This lush, intoxicating novel weaves together mystery, romance, and magic. BONUS CONTENT: includes beautifully illustrated spells from the Book of Secrets. Perfect for fans of Practical Magic, The Vine Witch, and The Lost Apothecary.
⭐ "[T]ightly plotted, and Lourey shines when depicting relationships―romantic ones as well as tangled links between Catalains...." ―Kirkus Reviews
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Faith Falls, Minn., four generations of strong Catalain women use their own form of magic to confront a family curse. With the opening line ("Ursula was twelve when her mother asked her to murder a man"), Lourey expertly concocts a Gothic fusion of long-held secrets, melancholy, and resolve. Catalain women possess special gifts: matriarch Velda charms men, daughter Ursula mixes elixirs, and her daughters, Jasmine and Katrine, cook with magic and read emotions, respectively. Jasmine's 14-year-old daughter, Tara, sees each person's greatest pain. In 1965, after Ursula unwittingly kills her own father, a generational curse is unleashed, dooming all Ursula's female descendents to endure bad men. The curse begins on a spring night in which subterranean snakes rise up. In 1985 when the snakes return, 10-year-old Jasmine's magical cooking revived a sinister evil that sent Katrine away. Now that the snakes are due again, Katrine returns home, and the ancient evil is hunting Tara. Exquisitely written in naturally flowing, expressive language, the book delves into the special relationships between sisters, and mothers and daughters. (BookLife)
