What do readers think of The Well by Catherine Chanter? Write your own review.

This book takes place in an ordinary place under extraordinary circumstances. The time and place is a post global-warmed England. A country in extreme drought which spawns old fears, superstitions, cults, witch hunts and Big Brother among the citizens. It is the story of a women with deep psychological problems and how she deals with her family and circumstances. This is not an uplifting story. It is a tale of human frailty and mob mentality, jealousy and mental defeat.

I did not find it an easy read because of the writing style. There was a lot of shifting back and forth from past to present. This seems to be a popular trend at present, but one I do not enjoy. Some of the characters were well developed, others not at all. Would like to have had a bit more information on a few of the supporting characters in the story.

This is not an unbelievable story - just the opposite. It is an example of some of the things that happen to people under extreme stress and how they choose to cope. A lesson for the future.

Although the writing was ethereal and lovely, this was one of the most irritating books I have ever read. I almost put it down several times as the story seemed redundant and drawn out. Honestly, by the end of it, I hoped all the characters would drown in The Well and be done with it. Only giving it a 3 because of the beautiful writing.

I am not sure why, but I just didn't like this book at all. The author's prose is exceptional, but I didn't like any of the characters, with the exception of Lucien. And I was so impatient with the pace....maybe I was just not in the mood for this type of story. I do think, however, it would be a good book club selection in that there would be a lot to discuss. Sorry, but this one just wasn't my cup of tea.

My bias is that I do not like books where it feels that you are chasing the plot line. This book slowly unfolds with the promise of juicy details and a hope that it all neatly starts to fall in place. I am not that patient. The book took a while to get boiling and by the time it did, it felt like work getting to the point.

Indeed Catherine Chanter is a wonderful writer, but I wonder why she chose a paranormal, mystical, suspense crime thriller to debut her prose. At first, I thought I might be reading a story line similar to the movie, "The Village", a cult classic by M. Night Shyamalan. Was there a twist coming? Was this place only imagined? Was Ruth in a mental health facility? I stayed with this book because of Chanter's writing and the hope for an unexpected twist that really never did come to light. I was left confused.

This might be a good book for a book club discussion, but it just doesn't click for this single reader. The writer has terrific and elegant prose, lots of promise, but the first person approach isn't working. If we're only in the protagonist's head, we should know what she knows as she knows it, but she reveals it so slowly that I often wondered if she'd actually lived through the things she was revealing.

First, I need to state that others may like this book but I need to be able to identify and like at least someone in the story. No one, except Hugh (a very minor character), had any redeeming characteristics. The main person of the story, Ruth, continually rambled and repeated her problems throughout, which ended with the hand of God providing the unexplained conclusion the this pseudo scifi, mystery, romance, fantasy. For me, I would rate it lower, but I can see a certain type of reader finding pleasure in the novel.

THE WELL is several buckets of water too long. The first 200 pages of the book were boring. The last 100 were fast paced and absorbing. The question – Are the last 100 pages worth the first 200? If you like many pages of psychological wanderings to get to the real story then – Yes, you will like this book. If you just want your mystery to get to the point with logic, this book will drive you crazy. The identity of the murderer was never really in doubt.
The characters were unknowable until near the end of the book so a connection with the characters was difficult. The one "knowable" person was Lucien. The sub plot of drought was the link that held everything together, unfortunately, the drought was known only through inference. A reasonable explanation of why the drought was everywhere except at the well was never addressed. That leaves one with magic, psychology and an unsatisfying read.
3 of 5 stars for good writing but a plodding plot.