The Well, Catherine Chanter
The Well, Catherine Chanter
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The Well

Author: Catherine Chanter

Narrator: Nicola Barber

Unabridged: 12 hr 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/19/2015


Synopsis

Set in a modern-day Britain where water is running out everywhere except at the farm of one seemingly ordinary family whose mysterious good fortune leads to a shocking act of violence, The Well is “extraordinary...a mesmerizing read…combining a gripping mystery, nuanced psychological drama, and striking prose” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

When Ruth Ardingly and her family make that first long drive up from the city in their grime-encrusted car and view The Well, they are enchanted by a jewel of a farm that appears to offer everything they need: an opportunity for Ruth, an escape for her husband, and a home for their grandson. But when the drought begins, everything changes. Surrounded by thirty acres of lush greenery, the farm mysteriously thrives while the world outside crumbles under the longest dry spell in recorded history. No one, including the owners, understands why.

But The Well’s unique glory comes at a terrible price. From the envy of their neighbors to the mandates of the government, from the fanaticism of a religious order called the Sisters of the Rose to the everyday difficulties of staying close as husband and wife, grandmother and child—all these forces lead to a shocking crime. Accusations of witchcraft, wrongdoing, and murder envelop the family until their paradise becomes a prison.

A beautifully written debut novel that “channels Margaret Atwood and Gillian Flynn, creating a story that’s speculative and suspenseful” (Minneapolis Star Tribune), The Well is an utterly haunting meditation on the fragile nature of our relationships with each other and the places we call home.

About Catherine Chanter

Catherine Chanter is a teacher, poet, and short story writer. She is the winner of the Yeovil Poetry Prize and the Lucy Cavendish Prize awarded by Cambridge University. She grew up in the West Country before attending Oxford. The Well is her first novel.


Reviews

Goodreads review by karen on January 29, 2020

so, obviously, you should listen to blair before you listen to me. her glowing review is the review i wish i'd written for the reading experience i wish i'd had. i didn't dislike this book, but i wasn't able to get past my frustration at the narrowness of the scope of the story. it takes place in en......more

Goodreads review by Blair on November 22, 2020

When I get a new book, I always read the first couple of pages straight away. This is not because I have any intention of actually reading the book in full; it's just a habit (and, on Kindle, I do it to get rid of those 'new' badges that sit next to the titles if I don't). When I received the electr......more

Goodreads review by Barbara on September 01, 2020

I'm not sure this book should be categorized as a mystery, but there is a death to be solved - so it more or less fits into the genre. The story: Ruth and Mark Ardingly are looking to get out of London for two major reasons. Mark, a lawyer, has a damaged reputation because he was accused - though exo......more

Goodreads review by Elaine on March 01, 2015

I am going to start by saying that I really like the story told in this book. Set during a time when England has not seen any rain for two years and is literally drying up in a society burdened by ever increasing price rises and job losses as a result, Ruth lives at The Well, an oasis in the desert.......more

Goodreads review by Yzabel on April 01, 2015

(I got a copy through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.) Another one for which I can't decide on a rating. Because I did like it, but I wasn't awed, and I was torn between moments of beautiful writing, and moments when said writing seemed to be here just to delay the outcome. The feeling w......more