Customer Reviews

The Witch in the Well: A Catherine LeVendeur Mystery (Catherine Levendeur Mysteries)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a great fan of Sharan Newman's Catherine LeVendeur series and often recommend it, but found the latest installment to be disappointing. The entire first section of the novel, set at her brother's castle, seemed unrelated to the second part. I did not see the point, other than to encourage Catherine to visit her family's home. The second part of the novel wandered. I found the descriptions of Boisvert totally unbelieveable, and the actions of most the characters incomprehensible. Catherine seemed scatterbrained and unfocused. I won't give away the ending, but I found the last scene to be inconsistent with all the previous books in the series, and unrealistic. The usual afterward connecting the book with actual historical events and places was also missed.

My distinct impression is that there is a good book buried within "The Witch in the Well" but deadlines and a lack of serious editing prevented its creation. However, I have faith in Ms. Newman and look forward to another installment, hopefully better.

This latest Catherine LeVendeur installment reads more like an adventure novel -- what with a family secret to decode and a castle siege to withstand -- than a "straight" mystery novel. Still, there were plenty of mysterious goings on and a murder or two to go around, and the novel was a fantastically absorbing and riveting read.

Catherine and her children are summering at her brother's estate in the country, when brother and sister receive summons from their grandfather, Gargenaud of Boisvert, requesting that all his descendants come to Boisvert at once. Legend has it that the family are descended from a poor but honourable knight who served Charlemagne, and a beautiful "fairy" (Andonenn) who guarded a secret spring -- the spring that feeds the well in the castle keep of Boisvert. The fortunes of Boisvert and that of the family are tied to water flowing freely into the well. But now the well seems to have dried up, and Catherine's grandfather is filled with fear. He believes that if Andonenn's children come to the keep, than the curse will be reversed and the water will flow again. Catherine places little stock in legend and fairy stories. That is until messengers turn up dead, and a mysterious old woman urges Catherine to go to Boisvert before it is too late. Should Catherine endanger her family by taking them to Boisvert? Edgar is all for ignoring the summons, but Catherine has a hankering to see Boisvert again. Also, she's rather intrigued about the legend of Andonenn and the part she is supposed to play in all this...

Strangely enough, in spite of all the mysterious and bewildering goings-on at Boisvert, compared to previous Catherine LeVendeur mystery novels, "The Witch in the Well" lacked the darkness and grim somberness that characterised those installments. But did this make "The Witch in the Well" an unexciting and not very engaging read? To the contrary. From the very beginning I was hooked, and eagerly read on until I reached the last page. I enjoyed discovering more about Catherine's family history, and watching her interact with her siblings. Obviously the inability to get along completely and sublimely with one's siblings is a universal condition. And I enjoyed that Sharan Newman showcased this, while also leaving room for readers to realise that that Catherine, her brother, Guillaume, and her sister, Agnes, all have their good points and not so wonderful points. Fast paced and suspenseful, and full of wonderful historical detail about the period (12th century France), "The Witch in the Well" is a treat not to be missed!

What more can you ask for in a medieval mystery? This is by far the best Catherine LeVendeur mystery! In it we have Catherine and her family going back to the home of her mother because of a summons received by her grandfather. When they arrive they find a castle that is full of her relations, but it is also full of secrets. It seems that no one is telling the truth. Catherine and Edgar, along with her sister Agnes and her ward Margaret, set out to uncover all the secrets and therefore solve the family problems that everyone thinks are being experienced as a result of an ancient curse placed on their family. The book is a page-turner! There is a lot of action going on, and of course a time-constraint as well, since the well in the keep is going dry. Reading this book is like taking a time-flight back to medieval France.

I started this book with the same excitement that I have read all of the Catherine LeVendeur books, but this one left me sorely lacking. It didn't seem to have the same flow or intelligence of most of the other books, nor was there as much mystery as there was merely adventure. By now I am totally invested in the different characters populating her books, and I definitely wasn't disappointed to see more interaction between the siblings. However, as another poster put it, the ending was so disjointed it was almost like someone else wrote it after reading the last page of the previous chapter. It also left me with the feeling that this was the end of the series, which I hope is not the case.

I visit Sharan's website www.sharannewman.com and there was no information about upcoming books, but I certainly hope this isn't the end of Catherine LeVendeur. I want to see how their changing roles can mesh into a new story. Don't leave us hanging Sharan!

This was not the best of the Catherine Levendeur mysteries. Somewhat far fetched. I didn't care for the setting. Not too clear who the well-women were. Nice ending about the mother, though.

Sharan Newman is known as an expert on the Middle Ages; she paints a vivid picture of everyday life in Europe (especially in France) in the 12th Century. "The Witch in the Well" is the latest in her Catherine LeVendeur series. In the first book, we meet Catherine in a convent as a young novice who has not yet taken her vows. Through the series we follow her as she makes a difficult decision to leave the convent, marries, and has children.
She, alone or with her husband, investigates and solves mysterious events that she seems to just fall into. In "The Witch in the Well", Catherine, her brother, and both their families are summoned by her grandfather to Boisvert, her mother's ancestral home. According to a family legend, if the well dries up,the family will die off; her grandfather is fearful because the well has begun to dry up. Throughout the series, there is mystery surrounding her mother's family;Catherine hardly knows them,although she has learned much about her father's family. This is her opportunity to learn about her maternal relatives. Catherine is a practical woman and does not believe in legends, ghosts, or events that don't have a "scientific" explanation. Although this book was quite different from the earlier ones, it did not take away from my enjoyment. I definitely would recommend this book, but it could be helpful to read the first book in the series first, to have a good knowlege of the family dynamics.

#10 Catherine LeVendeur historical mystery set in 12th-century France. Catherine is at the home of her brother Guillaume and family when they are summoned to the home of their grandfather near Boisvert--the well is running dry, and there is apparently an old pagan folk story that everyone (but Catherine) in the family knows--all the family is in grave danger unless they can figure out why the well is going dry and stop it. Catherine, an ex-novice and very religious, heartily disbelieves in pagan tales, but feels a strange compulsion and they should be going to her grandfather's, and so she and husband Edgar and their children pack up and hit the road only to be met by several surprises once they arrive.

I started out absolutely loving this series, but I have to admit I've grown a bit weary of it for these last few books. It's almost like a love-hate relationship with the books. One minute I'm loving the historical detail and sense of place, the next I want to throw it across the room because the characters and storyline have become so predictable, rehashed and recycled. Tedious. I dunno. It's kind of hard to explain.This is the last book in the series, and while I have mostly enjoyed the ride over these past several years, I was glad to close this final book and call it done.

This tale seems inconsistent with the previous books in the series; like there was a good idea in here somewhere buried under a lot of weirdness. Too many loose ends and unresolved issues hanging when the story stopped. I really enjoyed the previous LeVendeur stories and hope the next one is much better: this one still has me scratching my head!

Until this one, I loved every book in the LeVendeur series. Reading The Witch in the Well at times felt like participating in a senseless, tedious scavenger hunt. It isn't Sharan at her best.

Th service you provided was excellent I received a copy of Witch in the well in a very short time and the book was in excellent condition.
Thank you for suplliying out of print books at such a fair price and in great condition.