A historical novel about Sandrine, a young woman who flees her abusive husband, and follows her to France, where she moves in with her grandmother. Sandrine has been warned since she was young about feeling passionate love by her grandmother and here is where we find out why: a 300 year-old spirit invades Sandrine as a result and the consequences change everyone involved. It is a great story but I felt like there was just too much at many parts of the novel. It was overwrought. I thought sometimes it could have taken down a notch and been a better story.

"The Well" grabbed me from the first page. Ruth has been released from prison and is under house arrest at her former home, a place of horrible memories. A drought has hit everywhere except Ruth's land, The Well, and this is where the story and tragedy begins.

Everything that happens is frighteningly real. The announcement about the megadrought coming in the near future came as I was reading this. As Ruth wrestles with her past and and the present, I had to refrain several times from jumping ahead to find out what happened! I spent much of the book trying to decide who was "good" or "bad", always a sign of a great book for me.

I enjoyed this book. It is historical fiction but very timely because it deals with a woman disguising herself as man and the consequences of that action. The prejudice and indignities are still familiar. This would be a great book club read. I think those interested in LGBT fiction would like it also. Good read.