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The Witch in the Well

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She gets more than inspired when she seems to connect with the ghost of Ilsbeth Clark, who, centuries ago, was accused of witchcraft after several children disappeared. Although acquitted, the town drowned her in the well. Elena decides her next book will be about Ilsbeth, who she feels was unfairly treated. When two former friends reunite after decades apart, their grudges, flawed ambitions, and shared obsession swirl into an all-too-real echo of a terrible town legend. So, anyway. I'm usually not one to criticize other people for how they feel and react to a book, and I feel a bit bad for doing it even to the extent that I have here, but TRULY I feel like this book is quite good, and the framing and structure gives the reader everything they need. I can understand just not LIKING it - there were times when I absolutely didn't either - but it DOES make sense.

Early witches were people who practiced witchcraft, using magic spells and calling upon spirits for help or to bring about change. Most witches were thought to be pagans doing the Devil’s work. Many, however, were simply natural healers or so-called “wise women” whose choice of profession was misunderstood.

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There are a whole bunch of layers here, you might get away with calling it an Epistolary Novel because it is really just a bunch of documents put together. That can make for a rough structure, where you don't feel like the story is really unfurling, but that is not the case here. Instead it lets us see several stories through several points of view. Halfway through the book you do get a 3rd narrator, which made things slightly better, but not enough to make the other two bareable. Thank you to the publisher, Tor, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I was excited for this one. I'm sad it didn't work out.

But witches—whether actual or accused—still face persecution and death. Several men and women suspected of using witchcraft have been beaten and killed in Papua New Guinea since 2010, including a young mother who was burned alive. Similar episodes of violence against people accused of being witches have occurred in Africa, South America, the Middle East and in immigrant communities in Europe and the United States. Sources Cathy is presented as embittered and jealous, never accepting responsibility for anything happening to her or the things she does, and always finding someone else to blame. She also refuses to compromise.

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So here's the thing. We have three women, telling three sides to a story they all feel entitled to. Each of their perspectives are identified. We are told when we are shifting from an Elena perspective to a Cathy perspective... BUT, they are not tied to chapters. A single perspective might span several chapters, and we aren't reminded whose perspective it is. I think that this aspect is why there's so much criticism around it being hard to follow, and confusing, and such. But it's really not, in my opinion. There's no law that says that multiple perspectives must be 1 chapter each. That's silly. How can a person be so utterly unpleasant? Whatever does she think she’ll gain by spewing like that at people who are practically strangers? If this is how she usually acts, I’m not surprised at all that people talk about her.” I would like to say that I had better news about The Witch in the Well by Camilla Bruce, but unfortunately, my experience was basically the same as the 3.09 average it has on Goodreads. I can't remember what drew my attention to this book in the first place, but I do have Bruce's You Let Me In sitting on my shelf so maybe that had something to do with it. I loved this book's gothic and witchy vibes the most, and it had an eeriness that was also quite fantastic. However, that was about where it ended for me regarding enjoyment. I found the storyline very confusing and had a hard time keeping the different characters straight. This may have been due to the audiobook, and although each chapter is broken into characters and seasons, for some reason I had a really hard time telling them all apart. First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher MacMillan-Tor/Forge and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. I wish I read the book everyone else apparently read and loved. This was severely disappointing to me. Both Elena and Cathy's narration was annoying and somewhat unhinged. Cathy lived in intense paranoia, convinced everyone in town is talking about her and hates her (to be fair they do when they all suspect she killed Elena (not a spoiler)), obsessed with the concept of Ilsbeth. Elena, dead by the book's beginning, was very "new aged social media," using hashtags in her private journals and speaking at length about listening to your SOUL'S VOICE (it is always written in all caps) to find your WILL and INNER STRENGTH.

The Witch in the Well by Camilla Bruce is difficult to classify. I wouldn't say horror, but the supernatural aspect is creepy. It's also a mystery. Local schoolteacher Catherine Evans has made writing the definitive account of what happened when Ilsbeth Clark drowned in the well her life's work. Cathy accuses Elena of merely writing it to thwart her own work and will not vindicate Ilsbeth but will complete the ruination of the so-called witch’s reputation. You may need to count again, your friend fell over on the way. I will play the witch for today.’ The witch went to sit in the seat by the ancient well. The children called themselves after the days of the week and all but the child playing the mother, went into a little house across the road from the well.I could not wait for this to be over. I didn't want to DNF because, mistakenly, I thought perhaps I would have some sort of epiphany and it would suddenly all make sense. On the other hand, Catherine sees Ilsbeth as a victim of prejudice, like so many other women through history, and is intent on bringing this injustice to light. Catherine can’t stop herself posting instalments from an open letter to the inhabitants of F- in response to their accusations against her. She feels she’s the victim of a modern day ‘witch hunt’. Unsurprisingly, comments such as ‘In my humble experience, none of you are geniuses’ don’t endear her to the local people. And her unfiltered posts which include conversations with her family and her lawyer, Louise don’t go down well either. Responding to Catherine’s protestation that she felt she had to write it all down, Louise says, ‘Then keep a journal, for God’s sake! You don’t have to paste it all over the internet!’. Quite. This book starts off with drama and does not stop. The obsession of these characters with the witch at the well is what I found most disturbing. The way it seemed to infiltrate their lives resulting in actions and thoughts that seemed absolutely mad. I definitely recommend this as a perfect witchy read. Go to the chest and find a lovely box with wings engraved on it,’ said the wise woman. ‘Put the stone into this box and ask the king of the wee folk to give permission to undo the spell. Then throw the stone after the feathers.’ Betty threw the stone out on the down and it rolled off after the feathers.

When two former friends reunite after decades apart, their grudges, flawed ambitions, and shared obsession swirl into an all-too-real echo of a terrible town legend in Camilla Bruce's The Witch In the Well. I sent her off to Place House to ask if Squire Prideaux’s housekeeper would give me some medicine,’ said the witch. They will come to the well whether we want them to or not, pulled by the power of our misery. Like calls to like, and there will always be the lonely ones who see in me – in us – a most enchanting reflection.” Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family. This was an intense and mind-spinning read. I loved how the whole book is from journal entries and documents. Also, the opposition between the two main characters was brilliant and created an even more disturbing atmosphere.

We have Elena, who is our "main" main character, I'd say. Her perspective is told in direct first person via diary entries. Elena's uncle's just passed away, and she's there to clean out his house to ready it for sale... but the history of the place, and the legend of a local witch (or woman accused of being one, which is a distinction without a difference given the attitudes of the time), tempt her to stay. More on this in a bit. Massachusetts wasn’t the first of the 13 colonies to obsess about witches, though. In Windsor, Connecticut in 1647, Alse Young was the first person in America executed for witchcraft. Before Connecticut’s final witch trial took place in 1697, forty-six people were accused of witchcraft in that state and 11 were put to death for the crime. The first task, was to take out a bag of feathers from the chest by the window and lay them out, one by one on the table. Thinking this easy enough, Betty was dismayed when she pulled out a matted ball of rainbow feathers. She hoped to make her wings but by evening, she had freed only one feather. ‘One feather is a good sign,’ said the wise woman encouragingly. Every day for six months Betty sat trying to dislodge the feathers. As she lay on her bed, she thought of her beautiful rainbow wings. When at last she had separated the feathers from the knotted ball, the wise woman scooped the feathers off the table, took them to the door and shook them out over the down. Betty watched as her feathers floated out to sea.

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