The Witches of Cambridge (A Read with Jenna Pick): A Novel

By Alice Hoffman

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK The brand-new series from the bestselling author of Practical Magic, following two brilliant young women in 1950s Cambridge, Massachusetts, as they become immersed in a mysterious secret group of witches at Radcliffe known as the Lilith Society. Once upon a time, women were drowned in the river and the only witnesses were the crows in the trees. The Puritans blamed Eve for the sins of the world. That was when we began to meet in the name of Lilith, Adam’s first wife—banished for refusing to do as she was told. We Fly Together… By the 1950s, Cambridge, Massachusetts feels far removed from the legendary witch trials that marked its early days as a colony. Ava, a bright young woman from a small town in Maine, arrives for her first year at Radcliffe College. There, she meets Lauren, her opposite in every way—the wild and brazen daughter of a wealthy and well-established Cambridge family. But the two have more in common than they think. Both are recruited by the Lilith Society, a secret organization of witches at Radcliffe dating back to colonial times. As they learn more about their legacy, Ava and Lauren form a close bond that is put to the test as they learn to navigate their new power, friendship, and love. While Radcliffe seems like a safe haven, the shadow of McCarthyism looms large, an ever-present threat to the flourishing creative and intellectual life in Cambridge. And as girls from the Lilith Society begin to go missing, Ava and Lauren realize the witch trials of the past may not be as deeply buried as they once believed.

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Published Sep 8, 2026

416 pages

Average rating: 5.42

151 RATINGS

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Tackle Box Brewing Book Club

This book club was founded in 2021 for those who love a good read and a good brew! We meet the first Thursday of the month at 6pm at Tackle Box Brewing in Marlborough, MA and our members enjoy lively conversations around group chosen books.

Community Reviews

ÉHB
3/10 stars
This book was a huge disappointment.
SamIAm0416
3/10 stars
Unfortunately, this book fell quite flat for me. I enjoyed the beginning and thought it had potential, but the character development never really went anywhere. I could possibly see this as being the first part if a larger series in which the characters redeem themselves, but as a stand-alone book it just doesn’t work. I was more interested in the diary entries of the “first witch” than in the actual characters themselves.
svannreads
6/10 stars
If you read this, for the love of god, do not do audio. I’m not sure if that is what ruined the book for me or if it was not connecting with the characters, or both, but the narrator was awful.
Ellery
I enjoyed this book, not a genre that I usually read, but I enjoyed it.