Ivy-Covered Secrets, McCarthyism, and Radcliffe Magic: A Review of Alice Hoffman’s The Witches of Cambridge

Posted on Prairiefoxreads.com https://prairiefoxreads.blogspot.com/2026/09/ivy-covered-secrets-mccarthyism-and.html

Book Details:

• Title: The Witches of Cambridge (The Witches of Cambridge #1)
• Author: Alice Hoffman
• Publisher: Scribner (Published September 8, 2026)
• Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
• Genres: Historical Fiction, Dark Academia, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Witches

The quiet hour of the morning before the rest of the house stirs is pure magic in itself. While my husband and the kids were still fast asleep upstairs, I poured a steaming mug of black coffee, tucked myself into my corner reading chair beneath the trailing vines of my pothos and philodendrons, and let my cat curl up across my lap. When it comes to literary witchcraft, Alice Hoffman is undisputed royalty, so diving into the first installment of her brand-new series, The Witches of Cambridge, felt like the ultimate morning treat.

Spanning 416 atmospheric pages, this novel blends the moody allure of dark academia with sharp mid-century historical tension. Set in 1950s Massachusetts, it follows two unforgettable young women at Radcliffe College who are inducted into an ancient, clandestine sisterhood—just as a modern-day witch hunt begins to close in around them.

Opposites Attract at the Lilith Society

The heart of the story belongs to Ava and Lauren, two incoming Radcliffe freshmen who couldn’t be more different on paper. Ava arrives from a small town in Maine, earnest, bright, and eager to prove herself in a prestigious academic world. Lauren, meanwhile, is the wild, brazen daughter of a wealthy, entrenched Cambridge family. Despite their contrasting backgrounds, their paths converge when both girls are recruited into the Lilith Society—a secret organization of witches at Radcliffe whose roots stretch all the way back to the Puritan colonial era, when persecuted women first gathered in the name of Adam’s defiant first wife.

As someone who spends her weekends propagating plant cuttings and tending to an indoor jungle, I loved the way Hoffman portrays the Lilith Society as a kind of conservatory for young women’s untamed potential. When you take two completely different plant varieties—say, a resilient, understated fern and a bold, variegated monstera—and place them in the right nutrient-rich soil, they don’t compete; they create a thriving microclimate together. Ava and Lauren’s friendship develops with that exact organic richness. Inside Lilith House, they aren’t forced to prune back their intellect or their gifts to fit polite 1950s expectations; instead, they are encouraged to take root and flourish.

Red Scares, Blacklists, and Institutional Paranoia

While the ivy-draped halls of Radcliffe initially feel like an enchanted sanctuary, Hoffman brilliantly juxtaposes colonial-era witch trials with the looming shadow of 1950s McCarthyism. Outside the college gates, the Red Scare is in full swing, threatening the intellectual and creative freedom of the Cambridge community.

In my day job, I spend a lot of time looking at institutional oversight, investigative integrity, and what happens when organizational culture curdles into blame rather than safety. Reading about the McCarthy era alongside the legacy of the Puritan witch trials gave me a distinct chill. Whether it is 1692 or the 1950s, the mechanics of a witch hunt remain virtually identical: due process is abandoned, loyalty oaths replace objective facts, and nonconformity is treated as treason.

That historical anxiety spikes into genuine terror when members of the Lilith Society begin vanishing without a trace. Ava and Lauren are forced to realize that the predators who drowned women in the river centuries ago haven’t disappeared—they have simply traded Puritan cloaks for mid-century suits and bureaucratic power.

Sisterhood, First Love, and the Cost of Power

Beyond the mystery of the missing students, The Witches of Cambridge is a deeply moving coming-of-age story. As a mother and a wife, watching Ava and Lauren navigate the heady, terrifying transition into adulthood—balancing newly awakened magical abilities, complicated family dynamics (including Lauren’s twin brother, Lionel), and the dizzying highs and heartbreaks of first love—tugged constantly at my heartstrings.

Hoffman’s signature lyrical prose makes every scene feel luminous, even when the stakes turn dark. You can practically smell the autumn leaves in Harvard Yard, the old paper in the library stacks, and the river water carrying centuries of secrets. (During one particularly tense chapter when another society member goes missing, I gasped softly enough that my cat flattened her ears, gave me a slow blink of disapproval, and settled back onto my knees.)

Final Verdict

The Witches of Cambridge is an enchanting, timely, and fiercely intelligent kickoff to a promising new series. Alice Hoffman effortlessly weaves together 1950s campus life, feminist defiance, and lyrical magical realism to remind us that when women stand—and fly—together, they are a force to be reckoned with.

If you love dark academia, secret societies, rich historical atmosphere, and stories of unbreakable female friendship, pour yourself a hot cup of coffee and pick up this hardcover immediately. I am already counting down the days until the sequel.

Prairiefox Rating: 🦊🦊🦊🦊 / 5 Foxes