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

Vastly grateful to have received this book as an advance reader copy.
Once I started this read, I couldn't put it down. This is a deeply engaging and thought provoking book.

The protagonist gets obfuscated often by her emotions, her unmet needs, and her thirst for belonging. Her trust is betrayed and the larger societal issues of deprivation due to the drought, religious fanaticism, and dependence on nature are nicely woven together to tell a story that is captivating and heartfelt.

I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to find an intelligent and satisfying read.

When I first started The Well, I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it but it soon captivated me and I had a hard time putting it down. The characters were well developed and the book was very well written. I can't wait till it is published and suggest it to our book club.

On the bad side, I thought the pace of the book was too slow. It didn't really pull me in and want me to finish it in a single sitting. On the good side, there are many twists in the plot. Every time you think you have things figured out, there is a new twist in the story. I have to admit that although I found the setting somewhat unrealistic, I did find the relationships among the characters to be very believable. So overall, even though I didn't think it was a great book, it was an okay read.

I felt that the books with worth reading, but took a long time to finish inbetween other books. Just did not compel my attention. Sort of wanders around, but I liked the language.

When I am fortunate enough to score an ARC from BookBrowse, I feel an obligation to give the book my very best shot. I tried really hard to get enthused about The Well, but it was too much for me. It didn't pull me in in the first 100 pages, and the pace was waaaay too slow for my liking. While I can see that Ms. Chanter has promise as an author, this book simply was not my cup of well water.

I could not understand why it took me so long to finish this book. I felt that the descriptions of the environment were too detailed. This surprised me as I have such a love for all plants and environs yet the first two thirds of the book was too slow reading for my taste.
I thought the plot was excellent but it often became lost in beginning 27 chapters. I would suggest the editor tighten up the plot line into no more than 20-25 chapters.

I have mixed feelings about this book so I will give it an average rating rather than a good rating. The type of murder made it difficult for me to read, but not knowing who did the murder kept me going. I felt like the story could have been told in a shorter, less repetitive way - it seemed like the main character spent a lot of her time in reflection and meditation that could have been skipped. And I never understood why it was so easy for her to follow some strangers and essentially throw over her husband of 20 years. But the central premise of the book with the concept of no rain except in certain areas of the country was interesting. It would have been more interesting to me if we could have known what these scattered areas had in common. And once the mystery was solved, the main character then gave up on the land? That seemed odd to me too. I guess this just wasn't my type of book overall.

The beginning of The Well captivated me. The premise of the story was interesting, and I appreciated how Chanter made the land where it continued to rain a character in the novel. Unfortunately, as soon as the Sisters of the Rose entered the story, it lost some of its momentum. The religious elements didn't interest me enough, and Ruth's role in the rise of it didn't seem well enough explained. The book is beautifully written, and the imagery in it is stunning, but it wasn't quite enough to overcome my impatience with how the story unfolded.