From Booklist
Newman's intrepid, twelfth-century French woman of reason, Catherine LeVendeur, is with her brother when their family is summoned to the castle of her aged grandfather. The well is running dry, and according to legend, if the well runs dry, all the branches of the family will die. Catherine does not believe in pagan tales; however, it seems that misfortune does stalk her extended family as people are murdered and a lord is threatening to besiege the castle. As others wait for some mythical antecedent to save them, Catherine looks for a contemporary explanation for the mishaps and mayhem. But it seems as though even the castle is against her finding a solution with its many passages and secret entrances, although it does eventually lead her to the solution with the help of a witch of a relative. Once again Newman provides her audience with a multifaceted jewel of a historical mystery that is filled with fascinating details that bring the twelfth century to life.
Patty EngelmannCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Product Description
Catherine LeVendeur is a creature of 12th century France whose life is a mirror of her times--but she is armed with a keen mind and lively curiosity.When Catherine's grandfather sends for his family to tell them their well is going dry, Catherine is alarmed. The family's wealth depends on its status, and if the well goes dry, their castle will fall.Her grandfather seems wracked with a fear deeper than that, though--and there's a mysterious woman who is either old or young, dead or alive--depending on whom you ask.Catherine doesn't believe the magical legends her family has handed down, that they are the descendents of a knight of Charlemagne's and a faerie--she puts her faith and distrust in the human condition.When bodies being appearing--not ghostly specters, but freshly-dead humans--Catherine knows she's right, and must uncover the secrets of the witch in the well...
