Witch Baby was actually the first Francesca Lia Block book I read, and when I finally got my hands on a copy of the first in the 'Dangerous Angels' series 'Weetzie Bat'; I knew immediately that I had read the best of them first and was immensely glad of it.I was attracted to this writer's playful, fantasy-world language and lavish, beautifully descriptive style of writing, initially, and from the first page of Witch Baby I felt surrounded by beauty and immersed in the story's exuberance instantly. I have always been attracted to pretty things, and I liked the idea of the alternative look at fantasy Block presented us with. I did, surprisingly, find fault in the book, however. I felt the storyline was hard to follow; the content and gradual shaping of the story brutally overshadowed by the flamboyant, over the top descriptions. I felt that they took over the book, though this was not truthfully a big issue for me, as I was perfectly happy reading just the charm. Other books are for reading, this one shines with light that when you soak up, sets you with a choice of interpreting the story in your own way. For instance,I felt it poetically O.K to extend on the story in my head, even cutting some bits out that I personally (at least in that moment) felt did not compliment the descriptive writing. I am not bashing Block's work in any way (she is of my favourite authors/poets) I have just always thought it important for the reader to be allowed to THINK about and interpret stories for themselves, which this book succeeds in (as many of Block's work does). Block fits into my significantly different opinion of what being an author or a poet really means.Question: Do any of you think this particular (or any other) of Block's books perhaps may have worked better if written as poetry? I think it is an interesting idea because I enjoy Block's poetry also.
Just like Weetzie Bat, Witch Baby is also a quick, short, lyrical read. Out of the five Weetzie Bat books, I think this one was not my favorite. Not bad, but not as great as the other four.While Weetzie Bat was from Weetzie's point of view, Witch Baby is from the perspective of Weetzie's almost-daughter, Witch Baby. In Weetzie Bat, Weetzie, Duck, and Dirk find a baby in a basket on their front porch and they take her in. Now she's grown up a bit (again, no age is given) and she's off to try to find out who she is and where she belongs. Witch Baby is full of anger (maybe because of her name? :P) and she doesn't feel like she belongs in the fair, light, hippie-ish family with Weetzie, Duck, Dirk, and Cherokee. So she sets off to find her biological parents.There was kind of a big plot hole in that Witch Baby just sets off one day to rollerskate across LA to find her parents... but how does she know where to look? And how old is she, exactly? I was at first picturing a youngish teen, but there's no mention of school in the book and she goes off on an overnight trip alone, so maybe she's an older teen? Even a young adult? That was my biggest peeve with these books: how old are these freaking characters???Sorry... that was a tangent. Anyway, Witch Baby was rather darker than the other four books, so perhaps that's why it's not my fave. It was still wonderfully written. Ms. Block has this way of writing where you can feel the beat move along with the words. It's very dreamy. I would definitely recommend reading this one after you've read Weetzie Bat to continue the story.
What do You think about Witch Baby (1992)?
I don't know if I should give this three or four stars. It was a tad too short. I really liked the themes that were explored, and I could relate to Witch Baby's alienation, but it still felt like there was more there that could have been brought to the surface. It wasn't as exciting or cool as Weetzie Bat, but maybe that's because I'm used to FLB's style by now. Sometimes it was hard to figure out exactly what was going on or where something was situated. Basically, I couldn't always visualize what was happening. I could really relate to Witch Baby's preoccupation with all the pain and sadness in the world--I'm just like that. I think and worry too much.
—Maggie
Francesca Lia Block definitely has a style all her own, that's for sure. I've read some of her poetry and other works, so I have some context for how she operates. But, while this one has that same Hollywood glitz and underlying dangerous magic, it's so rife with cultural appropriation. Referring to someone as a "blonde Indian," wearing white suede, feather headdresses, and moccasins… just stop. If she's not Native, she's not Native. There are other positive portrayals, I suppose, like Duck and Dirk's gay relationship, and having a conversation about Mexican immigrant families, but the frequency of white people wearing other cultures as slinkster-cool hip fashion is overwhelming. I just keep thinking, stop, okay, they're not your movie props or costumes, these thingsmean something to other people. When an individual from that culture invites you to join, that's one thing-- but I'm not seeing that happen, especially with Cherokee.I know this was a ground-breaking series for many people, but sometimes, I just can't get onboard with it.
—Tasia
This is the second story in the Dangerous Angels series. Witch Baby is, of course, about Witch Baby, the product of My Secret Agent Lover Man's affair with a witch when he was mad at Weetzie for letting Dirk and Duck father a child with her. The baby had turned up on their doorstep and is now being raised as an "almost-sister" to Cherokee, Weetzie's daughter. But she doesn't feel at all like she belongs. She feels ugly and unappreciated in Weetzie's golden, shining, happy family, and spends lots of time taking pictures, collecting news clippings of horrid events, and skating around in her cowboy-boot roller skates. Witch Baby is the story of Witch Baby trying to track down where she does belong.
—Swankivy
