The Witches of Cambridge
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Author: Alice Hoffman
Published: 2026
Genre: LiteraryFiction
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IBC Editorial Rating: 3.5/5
This book is handpicked by the IBC Editorial Team. If you are an author, publisher, or reader and would like to have a book reviewed by IBC, you may reach us at editorial@indianbookclub.com — we’ll be happy to review it.
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Editorial Review:
Once upon a time, women were drowned in the river, and the only witnesses were the crows in the trees. Centuries later, in 1950s Cambridge, Massachusetts, that legacy feels far removed from daily life, until Ava, a bright young woman from small-town Maine, arrives at Radcliffe College and meets Lauren, the wild, brazen daughter of an established Cambridge family. Opposites in nearly every way, the two are both recruited into the Lilith Society, a secret order of witches tracing its roots back to colonial times. As Ava and Lauren uncover their shared legacy and navigate their newfound power, the looming shadow of McCarthyism threatens the intellectual freedom they have found at Radcliffe. When girls from the Lilith Society begin disappearing, the two realize the witch trials of the past may never have truly ended. Alice Hoffman delivers a lush, atmospheric story of friendship, magic, and the persistence of history's oldest fears.
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Book Summary:
Ava arrives at Radcliffe College in the 1950s carrying the quiet distinctiveness that has always set her apart, though she does not yet understand its full significance. There she meets Lauren, brash and confident, the daughter of a prominent Cambridge family who seems her polar opposite in nearly every visible way. Despite their differences, both young women are recruited into the Lilith Society, a secret organization of witches at Radcliffe with roots stretching back to the colonial era. As Ava and Lauren begin to understand their inherited power and the long history of the Society they now belong to, their friendship deepens into something fiercely loyal, even as their differing personalities create genuine friction between them. Set against a backdrop of restrictive social expectations, an era when women were barred from labs and libraries shared with male students, their bond becomes an essential source of strength as they navigate both magic and the limitations placed on them by the world around them. Interwoven with their story is a seventeenth-century journal recounting the Salem witch trials, drawing a striking parallel between historical witch hunts and the paranoia of McCarthyism creeping into 1950s Cambridge. As girls connected to the Lilith Society begin disappearing, Ava and Lauren come to realize that the persecution of women who refuse to conform has never truly disappeared, only changed its shape across centuries.
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Key Takeaways:
“History's persistent witch hunts”: By drawing direct parallels between the Salem trials and McCarthyism, Hoffman suggests that the impulse to target and punish those who defy expected norms, particularly women, has never fully disappeared, merely adapted to new eras and new justifications. “Friendship as a source of shared power”: Ava and Lauren's bond, forged despite significant differences in background and temperament, becomes central to how both women navigate their inherited magic, suggesting that power multiplies when women choose to stand fully beside one another. “Restriction and the refusal to accept limitation”: Set within an era that actively barred women from full participation in academic and intellectual life, the novel is pointed about how both magical and mundane restrictions shape women's lives, and how refusing those limitations becomes its own form of resistance. “Inherited legacy across generations of women”: The Lilith Society's roots stretching back to colonial times root Ava and Lauren's story in a much longer history of women banding together against persecution, suggesting that their fight is part of an unbroken lineage rather than an isolated experience.
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Iconic Lines, Scenes & Characters:
"Ava and Lauren": Radically different in background and personality yet bound together by shared power and mutual loyalty, Ava and Lauren's friendship gives the novel its emotional core, their bond deepening through both conflict and genuine care for one another. "The Lilith Society": This secret order of witches, tracing its lineage back to colonial New England, grounds the novel's magical elements in a rich, layered history, connecting Ava and Lauren's contemporary struggles to centuries of women who came before them. "The seventeenth-century journal": Interspersed throughout the main narrative, this historical account of the Salem witch trials adds depth and resonance to the novel's exploration of persecution, drawing a direct line between past and present forms of scapegoating. "The disappearing Society members": As girls connected to the Lilith Society begin vanishing, the novel's stakes rise sharply, transforming what begins as a story of friendship and self-discovery into something with genuine, mounting danger.
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Who Should Read This:
Readers who love Alice Hoffman's signature blend of lush, atmospheric prose and quiet magic woven into everyday life will find this novel a comforting and immersive return to her distinctive storytelling style. Anyone drawn to historical fiction that draws sharp parallels between past and present forms of persecution, particularly the treatment of women who defy societal expectations, will appreciate how thoughtfully Hoffman connects Salem's witch trials to 1950s McCarthyism. Fans of stories celebrating female friendship as a source of genuine strength and resilience will connect deeply with Ava and Lauren's bond, which anchors the novel's magic in real emotional stakes. A note for readers: this novel ends on a deliberately open note, clearly setting up further installments in what appears to be a planned series. Readers looking for complete closure within a single volume should adjust expectations accordingly, though those willing to embark on a longer journey will find plenty to look forward to.
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IBC Editorial Note:
This review is part of the Indian Book Club’s editorial initiative to spotlight books that inspire, inform, and leave a lasting impact on readers. Every title featured is carefully handpicked and reviewed by the IBC Editorial Team to maintain quality, authenticity, and literary value. If you are an author, publisher, or reader and would like to submit a book for review, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Please write to us at: editorial@indianbookclub.com Our team personally evaluates each submission, and selected books are featured as official IBC Editorial Reviews on our platform.