Customer Reviews

Enter Three Witches

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wow, this was a great novel, very suspenseful, and, although cooney has a different take on the story, it may be a great way to introduce middle school aged kids to shakespeare.

Caroline Cooney's ENTER THREE WITCHES tells of teen Lady Mary, a ward of the Macbeths whose life is changed when her father betrays the king and is hanged as a traitor. Mary's sent off the become a maid, but when King Duncan is murdered, Mary finds her new world is again threatened by court politics and intrigue. The fine representation of Shakespearian drama is well done and realistic here.

Caroline B. Cooney, author of FLIGHT #116 IS DOWN and many other action-packed teen novels, brings the story of Macbeth to life in ENTER THREE WITCHES. Murder, witches, betrayal, battles and even love are themes in this powerful historical tale.

Readers meet a teenager named Mary, ward of Lord Macbeth and his wife Lady Macbeth. Mary is the source of envy and disdain by the household staff, including Swin, the cook who knows about magic, and Ildred, full of sadness and desire for a better life. Mary thinks only of her betrothed and her father, far away while she learns about castle life.

However, a terrible battle changes everything. Mary's father is hanged as a traitor to the King, and Macbeth and his loyal followers --- Banquo, Fleance and Seyton --- are called heroes for killing enemies. Seyton turns out to have dark ambitions of his own and carries evil secrets. Mary now has no future and worries that she herself will be hanged.

When the King is murdered in Lord Macbeth's castle and his sons run away, Macbeth and his wife become king and queen. But something is wrong. Did the Princes or the King's servants kill him? Mary heard the Witches' predictions and knows that the murderer is still at large. Meanwhile, no one embraces the new king and queen. Anyone who goes against them in any way is murdered, and the body count piles up with suspicion.

One day, while riding, Fleance and his father are stopped by supposed robbers. But they are not interested in goods or horses and instead wield axes. Fleance fights and then flees to find the Princes and reclaim the throne from Macbeth. He also wants to learn the identities of the robbers and who sent them.

Living in the castle with the new Queen, who keeps washing her hands, Mary tries to figure out a way to save herself as well as all of Scotland from Macbeth. But who can she trust? The book follows her, Fleance, Swin and Ildred as they sort out the truth and their futures.

Stick with this story through the introduction of the characters. The action builds, and readers soon will be turning pages as terrible evil fights with heroic deeds. ENTER THREE WITCHES may even inspire young people to read (or re-read) MACBETH!

--- Reviewed by Amy Alessio

This is a great retelling of the Macbeth story from the perspective of off stage or fictional characters. The main focus is Mary, daughter of the Thane of Cawdor who is a ward of the Macbeths. We also see the Macbeths from the point of view of two women servants and of Fleance, son of Banquo. We only see the Macbeths through these people's perspectives. Mary and Fleance grow as people throughout the book. It is a credible and engrossing variation on the familiar story, adding new insights into the drama.

I loved this take on Macbeth's characters - the backstory from a very different perspective. Well done!

Caroline B. Cooney takes Shakespeare's Macbeth (Folger Shakespeare Library) to new heights with ENTER THREE WITCHES.

Lady Mary is set for life. She has a bright future complete with a betrothal to a handsome boy, a castle of her own, and more than she could ever want. When her father is hanged for treachery, that bright future is ripped from her fingers. Instead, she becomes a maid in the household of Lord and Lady Macbeth, a dangerously powerful couple who will do anything to get their way.

As people drop dead and the events from Macbeth (Folger Shakespeare Library) unfold around Mary, she finds that life is harder than she once believed.

This novel is enchanting, but difficult to follow at times. It bounces from character to character within the chapter, allowing you to see all that is happening at once. Ms. Cooney ties the novel in with Shakespeare's Macbeth (Folger Shakespeare Library) using both events and quotes taken directly from the play. This is definitely recommended for the history buff or Shakespeare fan.

Reviewed by: Jessica Cave

To be quite honest, if you have to introduce Macbeth to your youngsters like this, it's probably best to let them wait for the real thing. The story would be alright if you changed the names, but it doesn' work for Macbeth. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting a perfect recreation. But I can't stand the way this was done.

Macbeth is not a story about the horrible monster who is justly slain by a valliant hero. The "heros" are a pack of loathsome, snivelling cowards. Macbeth, on the other hand, although I can't deny he's evil, is a compelling character who holds the reader's sympathies until his death. And after. Mrs. Cooney, however, removes Macbeth almost completely from the story. The parts of the original plot that are shown seem contrived, and its characters are either wholly goodhearted and virtuous or wicked beyond hope of redemption, which leaves all of them seeming empty and inhuman.

I also don't understand why Macbeth's wickedness should autumatically carry down the chain of command to his servants. I like Seyton.

As a matter of fact, I STILL liked Seyton in Mrs. Cooney's version, mostly because I hoped he really would kill that little brat of a girl.

Anyway, I'd only recommend this to someone who either does not know or care about or ever intends to read the play, or to somebody who is idealistic beyond the point of sanity.