The Well: A Novel (1) (The Living Water Series)

"The Well" is the debut novel by Stephanie Landsem. Set in the small Samaritan village of Sychar, "The Well" is about a young girl named Mara, who is shunned from the community because of the sinful past of her mother, Nava, who is the woman at the well found in John 4:1-42. Mara takes care of her younger, disabled brother as well as her home, while her mother struggles with a life of sin and the depression and despair that accompanies it. While life is hard for Mara, her faith in God is strong, and she often prays during her work and throughout her day. She grows strong in character and virtue, despite her difficult life.Life begins to change in Sychar when two men arrive. The first man is Shem, who is wealthy and worldly. He moves in with his grandparents, Abahu and Mechola, to help them in their olive grove. Throughout "The Well," we learn of Shem’s past, his desire for justice and his struggle with faith. He is drawn to Nava’s beauty, and various situations continue to put them together. Then, there is Jesus, who miraculously cures Nava of her depressive state and forgives her of her sins. She is a new woman and a transformed mother, after her encounter with Jesus, and she joyfully shares her experience with the entire town. This, of course, causes quite the uprising, and after Jesus leaves Sychar, many townspeople still want Nava to pay for her countless sinful acts, which results in a sentence of stoning.Mara is desperate to save her mother, and she knows the only way to do that is to find Jesus, the Tehab, which is what the Samaritan people call the Messiah. She sets out to find Jesus, with the help of Shem, and their journey brings them more adventure, love, heartache and sacrifice than either of them could have imagined."The Well" is an absolutely beautiful story about faith, love, hope, trust and surrender. It is adventurous, moving and inspiring. I could not put it down, and I did not want it to end, as I read the last several pages through tears of overwhelming joy, heartache and compassion for these characters. What I loved most of all was Landsem’s beautiful way of writing a story about unconditional love so strong that we are willing to sacrifice our own hopes and desires for the good of another person and for the glory of God.If you enjoy historical fiction and/or Biblical fiction, "The Well" is a must-read! Add it to your list and start reading today!

The Well begins with the protagonist, Mara, internally expressing her distress for her situation: she yearns for her mother’s mental repair, so that she can once again care for her family, and she yearns for a more propitious situation in the world. Her internal melancholy is the primary focus for quite awhile, without hugely exciting external scenes: however, I found this to be quite intriguing. It is done in such a manner that I was engaged from the very beginning: I felt, from the first sentences, that I already knew and cared for Mara. This continues throughout the novel, and with all the characters; or, if the character is an insolent one, I felt the proper contempt and pity for them. Their development is rich: for example, Mara begins as a girl who is quite unsure of herself, yet she is rather strong: but as it proceeds, she becomes resolute, and the determination which she possesses carries her throughout, so that she breaks social customs in order to follow the wisdom of what she believes is right.The romance brewing between her and the other protagonist, Shem, seems as though it will be a likely outcome; however, everything I expected to happen did not, which was a joy. I don't enjoy predictable books, and this one certainly is not.Though the novel centers largely upon Mara, her mother Nava, and Shem’s internal musings, there are also enthralling external scenes, and both aspects of the novel are weaved well together. Given that the novel is a biblical one, there are themes of theology; however, they are balanced with the rest of the plot, and not pedantic or belabored.I had a clear image of the setting; I felt almost as if I had seen such a place before and now had the memory of it within my mind. The historical land is brought to life in such a manner that I felt as though I was there -- it felt familiar and comfortable.The novel is entirely engaging, one I couldn't put down until the end. I look forward to reading more from Stephanie Landsem.

I thought this book would be about characters in the “women at the well” Bible story. What troubles me is that this author took a true Bible story and completely changed the truth of God’s Word. The woman Jesus healed at the well “did not” get stoned and come back to life. The people of Sychar “did not” try to kick Jesus out. They pleaded with Him to stay longer! The middle & ending of this book was beyond frustrating. I love Biblical history books, but not when God’s Biblical narrative is changed.

So impressed with this retelling of the woman at the well’s story. Left wishing towards the end that it will all be happy and the girl and boy are together but not so in this story. It is all about faith and how God works in mysterious ways to fulfil His purposes. (By Penny Callaghan)

Was a bit hesitant - as we've had quite a few of Francine Rivers books as the book choice of the month in the bookclub I go to so wasn't sure how this one would stand up to them but oh my! Ms Landsem can't half tell a story! And to use characters from the bible but flesh out what could have been their stories with such skill, it really made them come alive to me! Daring but highly successful. I loved this book, definitely recommend it.