Wind chimes are a unique and charming addition to any living space or outdoor area. These delicate and musical instruments are commonly made of metal or wood and are designed to create soothing melodies when the wind blows through them. The origins of wind chimes can be traced back to ancient China, where they were initially used as protective charms to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck. Over time, they evolved into decorative pieces and musical instruments that are enjoyed for their aesthetic appeal and relaxing sounds. In Chinese culture, wind chimes are believed to have the power to attract positive energy and create harmony in the environment. The tinkling sounds produced by the chimes are thought to create a sense of tranquility and promote inner peace.
The Witching Hour starts with neurosurgeon Rowan Mayfair discovering she has the power to kill or to heal with her mind. Rowan saves a man named Michael Curry from drowning, after which he discovers he has a type of touch-induced clairvoyance and can see the history of an object or person by touching them. He and Rowan become lovers and travel to Michael’s childhood home of New Orleans, where Rowan knows she’ll get more information on the mysterious being she sees in her dreams (Lasher) and learn more about her powers and her family.
The Bitchening the current trend of turning powerful, complex women into magical girl bosses who just keep whining, infighting, and are easily manipulated away from their power by a man or a baby. The TV series showcases Rowan becoming aware of her powers but takes a sharp left and never manages to catch back up with the book, bolstered by the decision to combine Michael s character with another character.
The tinkling sounds produced by the chimes are thought to create a sense of tranquility and promote inner peace. Wind chimes are not only visually pleasing but also serve practical purposes. When hung near entrances or windows, they can help deter birds and other animals by creating a noise that disrupts their natural patterns.
The Disappointing Over-Simplification of Anne Rice’s The Mayfair Witches
If you were a teenage girl in the 90s, you were either a Vampire Girl, a Witch Girl, a Horse Girl, or you were popular. Suffice it to say, I’ve been wanting an adaptation of Anne Rice’s Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy since before I had a driver’s license. But even as a 90s weirdo tween, I still understood that the book was so long the story would be unadaptable.
Despite knowing better, I decided to watch the AMC series with optimism this past January, but Mayfair Witches was as disappointing as I expected. Everyone knows not to expect much from TV adaptations but slogging through the first season of Mayfair Witches still stung.
The first book of the Mayfair trilogy, The Witching Hour, clocks in at a hefty pre-internet attention span of 1,056 pages, and is at its core, three books in one. I was hoping the volume of source material alone would give producers the ability to start on the right foot and prevent what I’ve started calling The Bitchening—the current trend of turning powerful, complex women into magical girl bosses who just keep whining, infighting, and are easily manipulated away from their power by a man or a baby or both. It did not.
It’s hard to summarize a thousand-page book but like all Rice novels, after reading The Witching Hour, you feel steeped in the vivid history of the Mayfair family. Some of the fun of reading Anne Rice is just being pulled along on a journey that starts with a doctor in San Francisco and ends with the demon ghost of Anne Boleyn’s bastard son trying to knock up that doctor so he can become embodied after hundreds of years possessing the Mayfairs. That’s what Lasher is, by the way, the demon ghost reincarnation of a saint born to Anne Boleyn called a Taltos. He was born human, became a priest, and was killed during the Reformation, only to have his soul reawakened by Rowan’s ancestor, Suzanne. This is the kind of silly shit you can only hope for from Anne Rice, which is why trying to successfully adapt this story to TV was such a shot in the dark.
The Bitchening—the current trend of turning powerful, complex women into magical girl bosses who just keep whining, infighting, and are easily manipulated away from their power by a man or a baby.
The Witching Hour starts with neurosurgeon Rowan Mayfair discovering she has the power to kill or to heal with her mind. Rowan saves a man named Michael Curry from drowning, after which he discovers he has a type of touch-induced clairvoyance and can see the history of an object or person by touching them. He and Rowan become lovers and travel to Michael’s childhood home of New Orleans, where Rowan knows she’ll get more information on the mysterious being she sees in her dreams (Lasher) and learn more about her powers and her family.
The TV series showcases Rowan becoming aware of her powers but takes a sharp left and never manages to catch back up with the book, bolstered by the decision to combine Michael’s character with another character. Michael Curry is combined with Aaron Lightner, a Talamascan scholar assigned to monitor the Mayfair family. The producers combined these two characters into Ciprien Grieve (Tongayi Chirisa) who is just a tool for explaining Lasher’s exposition and not a fully-realized new addition. For the best of both characters, Ciprien is a Talamascan scholar assigned to watch the Mayfair family, who has Michael’s powers of clairvoyant touch. Whoop de do.
The whole show feels like a cash grab after the success of the adaptation of Interview With The Vampire. Most Rice fans know that the Vampire Chronicles eventually dovetail with the Mayfair trilogy when Rowan falls in love with Lestat in Blood Canticle, which is probably the only saving grace for Mayfair Witches at this point, with most viewers just waiting to see when the shows will cross over. The whole series seemed like they were just hoping proximity to other characters in the Rice universe would be enough, which it obviously was since it was renewed for a second season. It was simply too much story to cram into 8 episodes.
Instead of using the literal hundreds of pages of material at their disposal, they created something uncomfortable and hard to watch, that left me feeling like I got suckered into reading a colleague’s fanfiction mashup. I got weird Outlander vibes from the flashback scenes. Even though Lasher’s (Jack Houston) human origins were in Scotland, the flashbacks felt like they belonged in another show altogether. What the show lacked most was the almost campy Southern Gothic Anne Rice atmosphere. Instead, Lasher is dressed like a cocaine kingpin and the emerald pendant that links Lasher to Rowan has an Etsy Steampunk store vibe that ups the cash grab factor. They tried to harken back to other productions in the Rice universe in episode 5, “The Thrall,” where Ciprien, in a fugue state, has a vision of a previous Talamascan scholar annoyingly named Stuart Townsend. This is a forced cheeky connection to the 2002 film Queen of the Damned, where Lestat was tepidly played by Stuart Townsend. Womp womp. Hearing “Oh, you’re Stuart Townsend” was the only thing that made me look up from my phone that episode.
The crux of the Mayfair’s story and relationship with the Taltos is bound up in Lasher’s generational manipulation of the family, their wealth, and their powers until the thirteenth generation when a more powerful witch, Rowan (Alexandra Daddario) will be able to carry a magical fetus strong enough to embody him. This is typical Anne Rice fare, but the producers wrote Rowan Mayfair with static aimless panic that ends with fierce echoes of Bella Swan. In deviating from the source material and creating new storylines, they lost a lot of opportunities.
Another new character Odette Grieve, (Keyara Milliner) Ciprien’s sister, was like an unfired Checkov’s gun. Odette is a gestational surrogate and I assumed she’d have a role here, that Lasher or another Taltos would try to become embodied using her fetus, and body horror would ensue. Were producers trying to normalize surrogacy or did they just forget they started a certain storyline for her character? When producers kind of bumble around inclusivity and come at it sideways it comes off disingenuous and very weird, especially with the heavy amount of fertility/pregnancy conversation they put into the storyline. Even if they went off book, they missed the opportunity to parallel that with the witch hunters they created: white Christian men aimed at taking power away from the Mayfair women and women in general. If showrunners couldn’t stick to the original plot, why did they create so many loose thread characters they couldn't follow up on?
The whole thing was a disappointing mess and I should have known better than to get my hopes up. Anne Rice is simultaneously so simple to adapt while also extremely difficult to get right, so entrenched is the readership and fandom. To watch an Anne Rice adaptation is to be so angry you can’t even see your TV because you’re throwing shit at it. So yes, obviously, I’ll be watching season two.
Get The Witching Hour at Bookshop or Amazon
Another new character Odette Grieve, (Keyara Milliner) Ciprien’s sister, was like an unfired Checkov’s gun. Odette is a gestational surrogate and I assumed she’d have a role here, that Lasher or another Taltos would try to become embodied using her fetus, and body horror would ensue. Were producers trying to normalize surrogacy or did they just forget they started a certain storyline for her character? When producers kind of bumble around inclusivity and come at it sideways it comes off disingenuous and very weird, especially with the heavy amount of fertility/pregnancy conversation they put into the storyline. Even if they went off book, they missed the opportunity to parallel that with the witch hunters they created: white Christian men aimed at taking power away from the Mayfair women and women in general. If showrunners couldn’t stick to the original plot, why did they create so many loose thread characters they couldn't follow up on?
This can be particularly useful for those who want to keep their garden or porch free from unwanted visitors. In addition to their cultural and practical significance, wind chimes come in a variety of designs and materials, allowing individuals to express their personal style and enhance their living spaces. From simple and minimalist designs to intricate and ornate ones, there is a wind chime to suit every taste and preference. When choosing wind chimes, it is important to consider the environment and the desired effect. For example, large, heavy chimes may be suitable for outdoor areas with a strong breeze, while smaller, lighter ones may be more appropriate for indoor use or areas with a gentle breeze. Additionally, the material of the chimes can affect the sound they produce, with metal chimes generally creating a louder and crisper sound compared to wooden chimes. Overall, wind chimes are a delightful addition to any space, providing both visual and auditory pleasure. Whether used for relaxation, decorative purposes, or to create a sense of harmony, these charming instruments are sure to bring joy and tranquility to any setting. So, go ahead and embrace the enchanting allure of wind chimes to create a serene and inviting atmosphere in your home or garden..
Reviews for "Qitch Wind Chinez: A Guide to Selecting the Right Size and Placement"
1. Sarah - 2 stars - I was really disappointed with the "Qitch wind chinez" product that I purchased. The quality of the wind chime was extremely poor, with many of the metal pieces already rusted and broken. The sound it produced was also unpleasant and not at all soothing. Additionally, the design of the wind chime was unattractive and did not match the description or pictures provided. Overall, I would not recommend this product as it did not meet my expectations in terms of quality or aesthetics.
2. Mark - 1 star - I do not understand the hype around the "Qitch wind chinez". I found it to be a complete waste of money. The wind chime arrived damaged, with missing chimes and tangled strings. The material used was cheap and flimsy, and the sound it made was harsh and noisy. I tried to contact customer service for a refund or replacement, but they were unresponsive and unhelpful. I regret purchasing this product and advise others to stay away from it.
3. Linda - 2 stars - The "Qitch wind chinez" wind chime was a huge disappointment for me. It was advertised as being durable and long-lasting, but the reality was far from it. Within a few weeks of hanging it outside, the paint started peeling off and the strings became tangled and knotted. The sound it produced was also weak and uninteresting. Considering the price I paid for this wind chime, I expected much better quality. Save your money and look for a different brand.