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The Third Witch
Growing up in Birnam Wood sheltered by Nettle and Mad Helga, two wise-women with powers of alchemy and prophecy, Gilly, a mysterious young girl, is haunted by fading memories of a past torn apart by tragedy, embarks on a quest for vengeance against Macbeth, the man she blames for destroying her life, in a visionary retelling of Shakespeare's classic tragedy. A first novel. 30,000 first printing.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2001
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October 13, 2015
Do you like Shakespeare? Specifically, Macbeth? More importantly, are you a fan of alternate retellings? How about medieval Scotland?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then there's a chance you might like this book. Unfortunately, there's also a chance that you won't. I'm pretty much the exact reader this type of book would be targeted toward, and this book just didn't work for me.
This was the kind of book I should have liked. I do, in fact, have an appreciation for Shakespeare, and Macbeth is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. Not only was I an English major in college, my senior research paper was actually written about Macbeth. Even better, it was about the character of Lady Macbeth; in summary, it made an argument about why she was a complex and sympathetic character, an argument that - without giving too much away - definitely connects to some of the themes in this book.
Beyond that, I am typically a big fan of alternate retellings, particularly when they bring something new or exciting to the table. I'm also a history buff who is at least somewhat interested in the mundane details of medieval Scotland. This book should have been right up my alley.
This book isn't a total disaster, hence the two stars. There were plenty of things that I thought the author did well. The writing style, for example, is well done and pleasant to read. Sure, the antiquated style is perhaps a little disorienting at times, but I felt that the outdated language ("'Tis," "'Twas," etc.) was important to capturing the time period and, more importantly, Shakespeare's style.
The time period was captured well, and I was impressed by the author's knowledge of how medieval castles were organized and the different roles that various servants played. As Shakespeare's version of Macbeth centers solely on the nobles, these details were all completely new to me, and I thought they were implemented well into the story without seeming too info-dump-y.
I also became attached to many of the side characters. The author mentioned in her interview at the end of the book that she was drawn to the possibility of being able to flesh out some of the (many) side characters that are only briefly mentioned in Shakespeare's play. As a result, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are the ones reduced to side characters, and instead, the reader gets much more detailed presentations of people like Lady Macduff and Fleance. There are also several characters pulled completely from the author's imagination, including Lisette, an elderly French-born wafer-maker, and Pod, a slow but gentle-hearted young boy. I was particularly attached to these last two and genuinely cared about their fates over the course of the book.
I wish I could say the same about Gilly, the narrator. My dislike for Gilly, I think, was the main reason preventing from enjoying or even fully connecting with this book.
Gilly is annoying and often contradictory. It's good for characters to be complex. I can get behind a troubled anti-hero. I don't need my characters to be perfect. I prefer flaws, in fact. But Gilly is beyond flawed - she's flat-out annoying. During the first several chapters of the book, she spends most of her time shouting about her need for revenge on Macbeth, giving characters the silent treatment, and knocking items out of people's hands. The reader is supposed to understand that Gilly is desperate for revenge and is frustrated by the fact that the two other "witches," Nettle and Mad Helga, have seemingly gone back on their word to help her. I got that sentiment, but I felt that it was overdone to the point of being silly. Gilly is supposed to be a teenager, and yet she acts like a young child throwing a constant temper tantrum. Maybe if I have time later, I'll go through the first few chapters and count the dialogue tags in order to compare how many times Gilly shouts and yells at people rather than speaks normally.
I think one big reason why I felt so annoyed with Gilly was that, early on, no reason is ever given for her single-minded need for revenge on Macbeth. The author hints at the fact that Macbeth deeply wronged Gilly, and she mentions that she has no family, but no further details are given. The truth about what happened is not revealed until one of the final chapters. I understand that authors often save a book's "big reveal" until later to prolong suspense, but I felt that it was a mistake here. Maybe I could have sympathized with Gilly more earlier on if I had a clearer understanding of why she hated Macbeth so much. As it was, her hatred towards him felt immature and unnecessary, especially since the book begins seven years after the event that incurred Gilly's wrath. That's a long time to hate someone so passionately.
As the book went on, I had another problem with Gilly's need for revenge: it was strangely inconsistent. At the beginning of the book, it felt like she had no character traits other than "wants to kill Macbeth." And then, over the course of the book, she flip-flops multiple times. Sometimes she feels like she doesn't really care if she kills him, other times she acts like accomplishing her goal is the only thing that matters, even if she has to die or lose someone close to her in order to make it happen.
About two-thirds or three-quarters of the way through the book, a major, life-changing event happens. After this event, Gilly is so upset that she decides that killing Macbeth doesn't matter. She decides that maybe her quest isn't worth it after all. This would be a major plot point and a major moment of character development if it weren't for the fact that she's been feeling this way on and off for the entire book. Hence why I didn't even give this a spoiler tag. I don't have a problem with character complexity, but Gilly's thoughts just felt totally inconsistent, and her development as a character didn't feel linear at all. If she didn't flip-flop so much throughout the book, her change of heart later on might have had more of an impact on me.
Perhaps most disappointingly, the alternate retelling angle of this story didn't work as well as I had hoped, which is a shame because the initial premise of this book had so much potential to be fascinating. Unfortunately, I felt that the way the author inserted Gilly into several pivotal scenes was extremely awkward. Basically, the book relies too much on coincidence and author-driven storytelling. In this version of Macbeth, Gilly disguises as a boy and works as a lowly servant in the kitchen of one of Macbeth's castles. She's in a role that would offer her virtually no interaction with any of the nobles who are key players in the main plot of Macbeth. And yet somehow she manages to:
- Draw the attention of Fleance, the young child of a noble. Within minutes of meeting Gilly, Fleance has become so attached that he invites a kitchen boy to join him in his intellectual pursuits. And his sword lessons.
- Receive sword lessons alongside a young noble (Fleance).
- Meet Macduff and Lady Macduff. When Gilly accidentally bumps into their traveling party, the noble and his wife take the time to greet her personally and feed her stew. Never mind the fact that she is a kitchen boy who they have never met before. Within a few minutes, Lady Macduff has become so attached that she invites Gilly to come and live with her at her castle. Do you sense a pattern?
- Eavesdrop on crucial, important conversations involving Macbeth by hiding behind tapestries and inside trunks.
- Discover the body of King Duncan, despite the fact that her role as a kitchen boy has never before granted her access to the private chambers of any of the nobles, never mind the king.
- Meet the extremely handsome Prince Malcolm. Of course, he takes the time to speak with her even though she is a kitchen boy.
- Help Prince Malcolm escape. Because, of course, after their one conversation together, he trusts her (a kitchen boy, remember) so much that she is the only person who can get him out of the castle safely.
- Witness the ambush of Fleance and Banquo. Which occurs on a deserted road at night.
- Leave Banquo's necklace on Macbeth's chair during the middle of a feast. No one notices, of course, despite the fact that the hall is crowded with people. Oh, and this is the first time that Gilly has ever been anywhere near Macbeth's table because she is a kitchen boy and isn't important enough to serve the king's table.
- Be present for
Maybe this type of plot works for some people, but I found it to be unnatural and contrived.
Oh, and let's not forget the fact that Gilly is one of the three witches, so she is also present for all of those scenes, which occur miles away from the castle. I had some problems with the witch scenes. Namely, Gilly and the others insist multiple times throughout the book that they're not real witches, they're just women who live out in the woods and know a lot about herbs. And yet, Nettle can see the future (lots of people can do that! Gilly explains at one point) and they are able to perform mysterious "spells" that don't actually seem to have any effect on the plot, despite them insisting that they will lead to Macbeth's death.
One of the weirdest things about the reimagined witch plot is that the main witch scenes - the ones that actually exist in the Shakespeare play - are told as if Gilly and the other witches are just making the whole thing up as they go along. Gilly supposedly has no magic whatsoever, but she just somehow "knows what to say" when it's her turn to speak. This could be an interesting angle, if it weren't for the fact that the things the witches tell Macbeth are extremely specific prophesies regarding certain characters and events. So when Gilly says a very specific line about Banquo fathering kings and is simultaneously claiming that she has no idea what she's doing, it doesn't ring true. If she's just trying to feed him some random gibberish, why not choose something that doesn't put innocent people (Banquo and his son, Fleance) in immediage danger? Then, later on, she's so shocked and horrified that her "made-up" prophecy resulted in Banquo's death. Wow, shocker.
Also, the lines that the witches speak to Macbeth in the woods are supposedly unplanned and random, and yet they all come true. Very little discussion is ever given to this. Are the witches magical, or not? More importantly, is Gilly magical? She's painted as some random girl who falls in with two wise women, and yet her prophesies to Macbeth are arguably some of the most important of all.
There were also some things that didn't make sense. For example, Gilly is one of the three witches who gives Macbeth the prophecy, but before this happens, she has also been a servant in his castle for weeks. Now normally, this wouldn't be a big deal because she's just a kitchen boy and he would have no reason to notice her. However, because Gilly is such a super-special-snowflake, he noticed her on one of her first days in the castle because of her suddenly-great swordfighting skills. He was so impressed that he singled out her supervisor, the master cook, to discuss how great Gilly is and offered to train Gilly as a warrior one day. So when she runs into him again in the forest, I was a little bothered that the risk of him recognizing her was never really acknowledged.
This brings me to another point that is pretty spoiler-y, so read at your own risk.
I'm getting a little tired of ranting, so I'm going to wrap it up. I was surprised by the book's big reveal, but I also felt like I was forced to wait too long before Gilly's past was discussed. And, as discussed above, I thought the big reveal introduced even more plot holes. Worst of all, the big twist opens up the floor for the biggest Mary Sue moment of the whole book - the final scene.
Finally, I just wasn't a fan of the choice to refer to Macbeth as "He" and "Him" throughout the book. I guess maybe I would have been more on board if Gilly mentioned early on that there was some reason why she refused to say his name, but that isn't the case, so it just felt weird. It was also a little confusing on the rare occasion that God was mentioned, because the He/Him capitalized pronoun was already taken.
If the answer to these questions is yes, then there's a chance you might like this book. Unfortunately, there's also a chance that you won't. I'm pretty much the exact reader this type of book would be targeted toward, and this book just didn't work for me.
This was the kind of book I should have liked. I do, in fact, have an appreciation for Shakespeare, and Macbeth is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. Not only was I an English major in college, my senior research paper was actually written about Macbeth. Even better, it was about the character of Lady Macbeth; in summary, it made an argument about why she was a complex and sympathetic character, an argument that - without giving too much away - definitely connects to some of the themes in this book.
Beyond that, I am typically a big fan of alternate retellings, particularly when they bring something new or exciting to the table. I'm also a history buff who is at least somewhat interested in the mundane details of medieval Scotland. This book should have been right up my alley.
This book isn't a total disaster, hence the two stars. There were plenty of things that I thought the author did well. The writing style, for example, is well done and pleasant to read. Sure, the antiquated style is perhaps a little disorienting at times, but I felt that the outdated language ("'Tis," "'Twas," etc.) was important to capturing the time period and, more importantly, Shakespeare's style.
The time period was captured well, and I was impressed by the author's knowledge of how medieval castles were organized and the different roles that various servants played. As Shakespeare's version of Macbeth centers solely on the nobles, these details were all completely new to me, and I thought they were implemented well into the story without seeming too info-dump-y.
I also became attached to many of the side characters. The author mentioned in her interview at the end of the book that she was drawn to the possibility of being able to flesh out some of the (many) side characters that are only briefly mentioned in Shakespeare's play. As a result, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are the ones reduced to side characters, and instead, the reader gets much more detailed presentations of people like Lady Macduff and Fleance. There are also several characters pulled completely from the author's imagination, including Lisette, an elderly French-born wafer-maker, and Pod, a slow but gentle-hearted young boy. I was particularly attached to these last two and genuinely cared about their fates over the course of the book.
I wish I could say the same about Gilly, the narrator. My dislike for Gilly, I think, was the main reason preventing from enjoying or even fully connecting with this book.
Gilly is annoying and often contradictory. It's good for characters to be complex. I can get behind a troubled anti-hero. I don't need my characters to be perfect. I prefer flaws, in fact. But Gilly is beyond flawed - she's flat-out annoying. During the first several chapters of the book, she spends most of her time shouting about her need for revenge on Macbeth, giving characters the silent treatment, and knocking items out of people's hands. The reader is supposed to understand that Gilly is desperate for revenge and is frustrated by the fact that the two other "witches," Nettle and Mad Helga, have seemingly gone back on their word to help her. I got that sentiment, but I felt that it was overdone to the point of being silly. Gilly is supposed to be a teenager, and yet she acts like a young child throwing a constant temper tantrum. Maybe if I have time later, I'll go through the first few chapters and count the dialogue tags in order to compare how many times Gilly shouts and yells at people rather than speaks normally.
I think one big reason why I felt so annoyed with Gilly was that, early on, no reason is ever given for her single-minded need for revenge on Macbeth. The author hints at the fact that Macbeth deeply wronged Gilly, and she mentions that she has no family, but no further details are given. The truth about what happened is not revealed until one of the final chapters. I understand that authors often save a book's "big reveal" until later to prolong suspense, but I felt that it was a mistake here. Maybe I could have sympathized with Gilly more earlier on if I had a clearer understanding of why she hated Macbeth so much. As it was, her hatred towards him felt immature and unnecessary, especially since the book begins seven years after the event that incurred Gilly's wrath. That's a long time to hate someone so passionately.
As the book went on, I had another problem with Gilly's need for revenge: it was strangely inconsistent. At the beginning of the book, it felt like she had no character traits other than "wants to kill Macbeth." And then, over the course of the book, she flip-flops multiple times. Sometimes she feels like she doesn't really care if she kills him, other times she acts like accomplishing her goal is the only thing that matters, even if she has to die or lose someone close to her in order to make it happen.
About two-thirds or three-quarters of the way through the book, a major, life-changing event happens. After this event, Gilly is so upset that she decides that killing Macbeth doesn't matter. She decides that maybe her quest isn't worth it after all. This would be a major plot point and a major moment of character development if it weren't for the fact that she's been feeling this way on and off for the entire book. Hence why I didn't even give this a spoiler tag. I don't have a problem with character complexity, but Gilly's thoughts just felt totally inconsistent, and her development as a character didn't feel linear at all. If she didn't flip-flop so much throughout the book, her change of heart later on might have had more of an impact on me.
Perhaps most disappointingly, the alternate retelling angle of this story didn't work as well as I had hoped, which is a shame because the initial premise of this book had so much potential to be fascinating. Unfortunately, I felt that the way the author inserted Gilly into several pivotal scenes was extremely awkward. Basically, the book relies too much on coincidence and author-driven storytelling. In this version of Macbeth, Gilly disguises as a boy and works as a lowly servant in the kitchen of one of Macbeth's castles. She's in a role that would offer her virtually no interaction with any of the nobles who are key players in the main plot of Macbeth. And yet somehow she manages to:
- Draw the attention of Fleance, the young child of a noble. Within minutes of meeting Gilly, Fleance has become so attached that he invites a kitchen boy to join him in his intellectual pursuits. And his sword lessons.
- Receive sword lessons alongside a young noble (Fleance).
- Meet Macduff and Lady Macduff. When Gilly accidentally bumps into their traveling party, the noble and his wife take the time to greet her personally and feed her stew. Never mind the fact that she is a kitchen boy who they have never met before. Within a few minutes, Lady Macduff has become so attached that she invites Gilly to come and live with her at her castle. Do you sense a pattern?
- Eavesdrop on crucial, important conversations involving Macbeth by hiding behind tapestries and inside trunks.
- Discover the body of King Duncan, despite the fact that her role as a kitchen boy has never before granted her access to the private chambers of any of the nobles, never mind the king.
- Meet the extremely handsome Prince Malcolm. Of course, he takes the time to speak with her even though she is a kitchen boy.
- Help Prince Malcolm escape. Because, of course, after their one conversation together, he trusts her (a kitchen boy, remember) so much that she is the only person who can get him out of the castle safely.
- Witness the ambush of Fleance and Banquo. Which occurs on a deserted road at night.
- Leave Banquo's necklace on Macbeth's chair during the middle of a feast. No one notices, of course, despite the fact that the hall is crowded with people. Oh, and this is the first time that Gilly has ever been anywhere near Macbeth's table because she is a kitchen boy and isn't important enough to serve the king's table.
- Be present for
Maybe this type of plot works for some people, but I found it to be unnatural and contrived.
Oh, and let's not forget the fact that Gilly is one of the three witches, so she is also present for all of those scenes, which occur miles away from the castle. I had some problems with the witch scenes. Namely, Gilly and the others insist multiple times throughout the book that they're not real witches, they're just women who live out in the woods and know a lot about herbs. And yet, Nettle can see the future (lots of people can do that! Gilly explains at one point) and they are able to perform mysterious "spells" that don't actually seem to have any effect on the plot, despite them insisting that they will lead to Macbeth's death.
One of the weirdest things about the reimagined witch plot is that the main witch scenes - the ones that actually exist in the Shakespeare play - are told as if Gilly and the other witches are just making the whole thing up as they go along. Gilly supposedly has no magic whatsoever, but she just somehow "knows what to say" when it's her turn to speak. This could be an interesting angle, if it weren't for the fact that the things the witches tell Macbeth are extremely specific prophesies regarding certain characters and events. So when Gilly says a very specific line about Banquo fathering kings and is simultaneously claiming that she has no idea what she's doing, it doesn't ring true. If she's just trying to feed him some random gibberish, why not choose something that doesn't put innocent people (Banquo and his son, Fleance) in immediage danger? Then, later on, she's so shocked and horrified that her "made-up" prophecy resulted in Banquo's death. Wow, shocker.
Also, the lines that the witches speak to Macbeth in the woods are supposedly unplanned and random, and yet they all come true. Very little discussion is ever given to this. Are the witches magical, or not? More importantly, is Gilly magical? She's painted as some random girl who falls in with two wise women, and yet her prophesies to Macbeth are arguably some of the most important of all.
There were also some things that didn't make sense. For example, Gilly is one of the three witches who gives Macbeth the prophecy, but before this happens, she has also been a servant in his castle for weeks. Now normally, this wouldn't be a big deal because she's just a kitchen boy and he would have no reason to notice her. However, because Gilly is such a super-special-snowflake, he noticed her on one of her first days in the castle because of her suddenly-great swordfighting skills. He was so impressed that he singled out her supervisor, the master cook, to discuss how great Gilly is and offered to train Gilly as a warrior one day. So when she runs into him again in the forest, I was a little bothered that the risk of him recognizing her was never really acknowledged.
This brings me to another point that is pretty spoiler-y, so read at your own risk.
I'm getting a little tired of ranting, so I'm going to wrap it up. I was surprised by the book's big reveal, but I also felt like I was forced to wait too long before Gilly's past was discussed. And, as discussed above, I thought the big reveal introduced even more plot holes. Worst of all, the big twist opens up the floor for the biggest Mary Sue moment of the whole book - the final scene.
Finally, I just wasn't a fan of the choice to refer to Macbeth as "He" and "Him" throughout the book. I guess maybe I would have been more on board if Gilly mentioned early on that there was some reason why she refused to say his name, but that isn't the case, so it just felt weird. It was also a little confusing on the rare occasion that God was mentioned, because the He/Him capitalized pronoun was already taken.
December 31, 2021
I have never read MacBeth but after reading this I want to. Gilly has been raised in the woods but she is driven by a need for a revenge. She needs to kill a lord. We don't know why she has the need until much later in the book. Gilly sets out on his quest for revenge and ends up saving a little boy who is in need of protection. Together they get jobs at the castle where Gilly plans on taking her revenge.
I liked how the novel unfolded and I really wanted to find out more about Gilly's backstory. It was a very enjoyable read.
I liked how the novel unfolded and I really wanted to find out more about Gilly's backstory. It was a very enjoyable read.
October 16, 2011
Overwritten in a gratingly earnest, faux-medieval high-fantasy kind of way. By the end I was contemplating a drinking game based on the number of times characters said "'Tis" and "'Twas." Other distinguishing features: long passages in italics and an insistence on referring to one character as He and Him. The plot is fine, but the way the book was written and the ever-increasing Mary-Sue-osity of the main character irritated me beyond belief.
June 1, 2009
I absolutely LOVED this book. It may help that Macbeth was one of my favorite Shakespearan plays, but this wonderful twist on that tale is strong enough to stand on its own. Told by "the third witch" of the "bubble, bubble, toil and trouble" scenes, this is an involving, fast paced tale of revenge -- oh so fitting in Shakespeare's tale of someone who gets exactly what he deserves for his crimes. Of course, it was written by an English teacher who had taught the play for several years. It had to be. Don't let that put you off. Even if you no nothing about Macbeth except "Lead on, McDuff!" pick up this book. If you have read Macbeth, then you absolutely, positively have to read this novel. You can thank me later.
May 22, 2019
I picked this up on a whim at a thrift store many years ago. I am not a fan of fantasy/witches but I am of Shakespeare, so I thought I'd try to expand my horizons a bit. I found the story interesting and the writing good, although I actually thought . Perhaps that would have been a bit much. I was drawn to the characters of Pod and Lisette, although one thing didn't make sense:
I'm a much bigger fan of "Hamlet" than "Macbeth," so I might give Reisert's other novel a try.
I'm a much bigger fan of "Hamlet" than "Macbeth," so I might give Reisert's other novel a try.
December 3, 2020
An inventive and enjoyable adventure based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth, telling the story from the perspective of one of the three witches. It turns out the “witch” is a teenage girl fostered by two women living in the woods after losing her family because of Macbeth. She sets off to Macbeth’s castle to exact her revenge on the murderous lord as the events of Shakespeare’s tragedy start to play out, but, like Hamlet, her plans repeatedly turn awry. The novel, which also draws on historical accounts of Macbeth and his wife, will especially appeal to fans of Shakespeare’s play.
September 2, 2025
I enjoyed this Macbeth retelling-told entirely from the perspective of the youngest witch.
May 7, 2021
The Third Witch Book Review
This novel follows the life of Gilly as she travels in search of her goal, meeting new people along the way such as different friends like Pod and Fleance, mother and father figures, and many others. Gilly is the youngest of the 3 witches. She has been with them from a very young age. Gilly now lives with the witches due to her dark mysterious past. Gilly’s purpose in life is revenge at any cost, that way she can avenge the ones she held dear and more importantly, kill the one who killed the ones she loved. At her young age, what can she accomplish and hope to achieve when going after the greatest warrior in Scotland and more importantly the king.
My pros for this novel are its time and attention to detail, how the witches were not all powerful beings like they were in the play, and the showing of detailed castle and Scotish life. My cons are the rushing towards the end of the play, how different sequences of the novel are not explained as well as they should be, and the ending was not good as it changed themes halfway through.
Towards the end of the novel it began to be rushed as many scenes happened rapidly near the very end. Many scenes were rushed from the time of nettle being taken to the end, especially the fight scene at the end when it just ended with the resolution about it. . What does it matter whether ‘twas you or who did the deed?”p.303. Different parts of the novel were not explained in the ways that they were in the play. It never explained how would be able to kill Him by ways of the foretold prophecies. “Give me the strength of arm to plunge the blade deep into his aespit of a heart. Then I heard Pod cry out from nearby, ‘Gilly save me, same me, please!”p.300. Then, the battle scene was over. The ending did not feel like a true ending to the novel. Her having those three choices as well as being the . Just way to convenient and gave a happily ever after ending to a tragedy. “She looks back and forth from the men kneeling in front of her. p.306.
During the novel there are times of potentially offensive content to some readers. There is a good bit of fighting throughout the novel with detailed descriptions of what’s going on. Also lots of talk of violence from the main character in particular. Very little sexual content, only implied at times. The language is not too bad, with only a few minor curse words scattered throughout.
The time and attention to detail in the beginning is wonderful and sets up the play nicely. Every detail is worded perfectly when setting up who Gilly was, how she acted, and what her end goals with her life were. “I jump up, waist deep in the brook, and fling my arms out like branches. ‘Change me!’ I scream as I close my eyes. Make me a tree. Make me a tree. I will ask nothing else if you only make me a tree”p.2. The witches were not like they were in the play and I preferred reading to the ways they did everything. The only way the witches got their info about Him being the Thane of Cawdor was by luck and coincidence. ?”p.129. Having more of the side characters being more important provided more detail about castle and Scotish life. Pod and Fleance lives were shown on how they were treated, expected to act, and how their specific classes interacted with one another. “Those of us who are noble born - the boys - are sent to other men’s castles to learn to be warriors and noblemen, we are trained at arm, and horsemen, we serve of tables so we can learn manners.”p.94.
I would recommend this book for the average reader , one who has already read Macbeth but isn’t someone who dives deep into every meaning a book has to offer. I would not recommend this book for a book critic looking for accuracies to Macbeth (Shakespeare’s play), or to the time period and location with how the interactions between people happened due to that factor.
May 5, 2021
Overall A Very Good Read, But...
Gilly is the main character in this novel. She has lived in a hut for the past seven years in a forest called Birnamwood. She was taken in by Nettle and Mad Helga. Gilly escaped the hut and ventured to her worst enemies’ castle with bad intentions. Gilly finds her way to become a servant in the castle in the kitchen. She works her way into her enemies’ life along with his wife. Gilly does this with the intention of planning their fate. As Gilly manipulates herself into her two worst enemies’ lives, will she be able to overcome the obstacles in place in order to decimate their lives?
In the book, I really enjoyed how the author had an interesting insight of the play in the book. The book was very interesting and very entertaining and there were no low points. I also enjoyed how the author described the characters physical attributes because the play did not do that. However, the end of the story was very abrupt and left the readers very confused. Gilly was extremely annoying about her plot to and there were several plot holes in the story which made it confusing.
The ending of the story was very abrupt which left the readers in shock. The rest of the book was wrapped up in just one chapter with very important details that could have taken longer to explain. (Reisert, 302) There were several plot holes throughout the story which sometimes made it confusing and hard to follow. I felt that the story was weak in the area when two assassins went for and horse reigns were thrown at Fleance in order for him to get away quickly. “Fly Fleance! Fly! Live and avenge.” (Reisert, 217) Gilly was very annoyed about the plot to and it was hard to get the chance to even get to know her and understand her as a character because of this. I would have enjoyed the story more if Gilly was not back and forth about wanting to because of what could happen and what the consequences could have been. “My life is an arrow, over and over, until the fire inside me dies away.” (Reisert, 92)
The author mentions violence, some sexual content, and offensive language in the book which could be offensive to some readers. She goes into detail about the This was an interesting part to read because these parts were not detailed in the play. Gilly and the porter had crude mouths and the porter was inappropriate. These last two details are not as big of a problem because these are not as triggering.
The book gave another interesting insight of the play. In the book, I really enjoyed the details about Macbeth and “Can I squirm my dagger out its pouch, can I spring out of the chest and drive my dagger into His heart now…” (Reisert,115) The book was interesting in that something was always going on and there were not any low points. I enjoyed how Gilly takes the high road and “I thank you sirs, but I must refuse all of your kind offers.” (Reisert, 307) In the book, the author describes the characters physical appearances in more detail. I especially appreciated when the characters physical attributes were described way more than the play does. Gilly was described to have bony shoulders, and to be rebellious and hateful, Nettle was described to have needle like fingers and having second sight, Pod was described to have a turnip nose and having blue eyes and being 8 or 9 years old, and Lady Macbeth was described to be pretty, pale and noble. “He has delicate bones… his tiny handle fumble…” (Reisert, 78)
I would recommend this book for people who want a different side of the play Macbeth, and the people who do not get offended easily when it comes to language and jokes. I would not recommend this book for younger people who are not interested in Macbeth and for people who are interested in higher reading levels.
Gilly is the main character in this novel. She has lived in a hut for the past seven years in a forest called Birnamwood. She was taken in by Nettle and Mad Helga. Gilly escaped the hut and ventured to her worst enemies’ castle with bad intentions. Gilly finds her way to become a servant in the castle in the kitchen. She works her way into her enemies’ life along with his wife. Gilly does this with the intention of planning their fate. As Gilly manipulates herself into her two worst enemies’ lives, will she be able to overcome the obstacles in place in order to decimate their lives?
In the book, I really enjoyed how the author had an interesting insight of the play in the book. The book was very interesting and very entertaining and there were no low points. I also enjoyed how the author described the characters physical attributes because the play did not do that. However, the end of the story was very abrupt and left the readers very confused. Gilly was extremely annoying about her plot to and there were several plot holes in the story which made it confusing.
The ending of the story was very abrupt which left the readers in shock. The rest of the book was wrapped up in just one chapter with very important details that could have taken longer to explain. (Reisert, 302) There were several plot holes throughout the story which sometimes made it confusing and hard to follow. I felt that the story was weak in the area when two assassins went for and horse reigns were thrown at Fleance in order for him to get away quickly. “Fly Fleance! Fly! Live and avenge.” (Reisert, 217) Gilly was very annoyed about the plot to and it was hard to get the chance to even get to know her and understand her as a character because of this. I would have enjoyed the story more if Gilly was not back and forth about wanting to because of what could happen and what the consequences could have been. “My life is an arrow, over and over, until the fire inside me dies away.” (Reisert, 92)
The author mentions violence, some sexual content, and offensive language in the book which could be offensive to some readers. She goes into detail about the This was an interesting part to read because these parts were not detailed in the play. Gilly and the porter had crude mouths and the porter was inappropriate. These last two details are not as big of a problem because these are not as triggering.
The book gave another interesting insight of the play. In the book, I really enjoyed the details about Macbeth and “Can I squirm my dagger out its pouch, can I spring out of the chest and drive my dagger into His heart now…” (Reisert,115) The book was interesting in that something was always going on and there were not any low points. I enjoyed how Gilly takes the high road and “I thank you sirs, but I must refuse all of your kind offers.” (Reisert, 307) In the book, the author describes the characters physical appearances in more detail. I especially appreciated when the characters physical attributes were described way more than the play does. Gilly was described to have bony shoulders, and to be rebellious and hateful, Nettle was described to have needle like fingers and having second sight, Pod was described to have a turnip nose and having blue eyes and being 8 or 9 years old, and Lady Macbeth was described to be pretty, pale and noble. “He has delicate bones… his tiny handle fumble…” (Reisert, 78)
I would recommend this book for people who want a different side of the play Macbeth, and the people who do not get offended easily when it comes to language and jokes. I would not recommend this book for younger people who are not interested in Macbeth and for people who are interested in higher reading levels.
May 5, 2021
Riley Morris
Coach B
ELA
4/29/21
The Arrow That Met Its Target
Gilly is a teenage girl who lives in Birnam Wood. Her caretakers are Mad Helga and Nettle. Gilly cuts her hair and changes her clothes so that she can look like a boy. She then finds a job at the castle where her biggest enemy lives. She begins to create a new life at the castle. Gilly spends her time working, making new friends, and plotting her revenge against her enemy.
I enjoyed the way that Gilly was always in the right place at the right time, however I disliked how the ending was rushed and the details faded. While the book was exhilarating and kept me on my toes, I disliked how long it took to learn the truth about Gilly’s revenge.
When Reisert was ending the book, it was like she was trying to wrap it all up at once and the details started to fade. When Gilly leaves the room where was going crazy, it never specifically tells us what happened to her. We are only left to guess that she is dead. “I do not know if she calls to me or herself.” (Reisert, 294) I would have enjoyed the story more if Gilly would have gotten her revenge that she talks about the whole book. Gilly says she is going to kill throughout the whole book. But when she finally gets the chance, she can’t bring herself to complete the task. “I stop. He thinks I am my mother.” (Reisert, 298) I was disappointed by the fact that we do not get to understand why Gilly is mad at Macbeth until the end of the book. Throughout the book, we are left wondering why Gilly has such a strong hatred, and sometimes fear, for . In the end, we are told why, and it is somewhat of a disappointment. “Should I take it as a sign of approval, that you are willing to have me kill him?” (Reisert, 2)
There is violence that takes place in the book. An example is fighting and death plots that are displayed. Sexual Content is also talked about in the book. We hear about being entangled with several different men. There is also language displayed in the book. Some explicit words were used by and the Porter.
One of the biggest appeals for me was the way the novel followed along with the original play. There are lots of connections we can make between the book and the play. The novel even went into detail and explained the characters more thoroughly than the play. “Now ‘tis time to go to the castle.” (Reisert, 36) I especially enjoyed the way the novel kept me on my seat and how interesting it was. The book kept me on my toes with things like robbing dead bodies, fighting bullies, and even Gilly dressing up as a boy. “It is time to rob the dead” (Reisert, 1) I enjoyed the fact that Gilly is always at the right place at the right time. Many times in the novel, Gilly just happens to stumble upon and others doing things that were very important in the original play. “I raise my head to look at my rescuer. Then I feel sickest of all. It is Him.” (Reisert, 9)
I would recommend this book to any readers who enjoy fan-fiction types of books. I would not recommend this book to any younger children who are not yet exposed to explicit words or violence.
Coach B
ELA
4/29/21
The Arrow That Met Its Target
Gilly is a teenage girl who lives in Birnam Wood. Her caretakers are Mad Helga and Nettle. Gilly cuts her hair and changes her clothes so that she can look like a boy. She then finds a job at the castle where her biggest enemy lives. She begins to create a new life at the castle. Gilly spends her time working, making new friends, and plotting her revenge against her enemy.
I enjoyed the way that Gilly was always in the right place at the right time, however I disliked how the ending was rushed and the details faded. While the book was exhilarating and kept me on my toes, I disliked how long it took to learn the truth about Gilly’s revenge.
When Reisert was ending the book, it was like she was trying to wrap it all up at once and the details started to fade. When Gilly leaves the room where was going crazy, it never specifically tells us what happened to her. We are only left to guess that she is dead. “I do not know if she calls to me or herself.” (Reisert, 294) I would have enjoyed the story more if Gilly would have gotten her revenge that she talks about the whole book. Gilly says she is going to kill throughout the whole book. But when she finally gets the chance, she can’t bring herself to complete the task. “I stop. He thinks I am my mother.” (Reisert, 298) I was disappointed by the fact that we do not get to understand why Gilly is mad at Macbeth until the end of the book. Throughout the book, we are left wondering why Gilly has such a strong hatred, and sometimes fear, for . In the end, we are told why, and it is somewhat of a disappointment. “Should I take it as a sign of approval, that you are willing to have me kill him?” (Reisert, 2)
There is violence that takes place in the book. An example is fighting and death plots that are displayed. Sexual Content is also talked about in the book. We hear about being entangled with several different men. There is also language displayed in the book. Some explicit words were used by and the Porter.
One of the biggest appeals for me was the way the novel followed along with the original play. There are lots of connections we can make between the book and the play. The novel even went into detail and explained the characters more thoroughly than the play. “Now ‘tis time to go to the castle.” (Reisert, 36) I especially enjoyed the way the novel kept me on my seat and how interesting it was. The book kept me on my toes with things like robbing dead bodies, fighting bullies, and even Gilly dressing up as a boy. “It is time to rob the dead” (Reisert, 1) I enjoyed the fact that Gilly is always at the right place at the right time. Many times in the novel, Gilly just happens to stumble upon and others doing things that were very important in the original play. “I raise my head to look at my rescuer. Then I feel sickest of all. It is Him.” (Reisert, 9)
I would recommend this book to any readers who enjoy fan-fiction types of books. I would not recommend this book to any younger children who are not yet exposed to explicit words or violence.
December 12, 2013
The concept for the book is very interesting. Using one of the witches to narrate the story of Macbeth is a completely novel idea, and with the proper execution, it could be a spectacular story.
There were a lot of things that I really enjoyed about the novel. I absolutely loved Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and I thought it was clever and imaginative of Rebecca Reisert to merge her story with the classic tale. It is a daunting task to transform the mystical into plausible events, and the author’s ability to realistically tell both stories was extremely impressive.
The rest of the novel, however, is less than satisfactory. The main character is very single-minded and unappealing. Her arrogance and rudeness make her difficult to relate to, and her obsession with revenge is repulsive. The character development is ineffective as she is quick to relapse at the slightest opportunity for revenge, and there is not even an attempt to develop any of the other characters. Aside from the lackluster characters, the pacing was appalling. The scenes dragged on interminably in some places, while the exciting and important scenes took place all at once, allowing no time for the significance of the events to permeate with the reader. It became difficult to follow the plot at some points, and the tedium that came between made it increasingly challenging to continue. The vast majority of the novel was spent waiting for something interesting to happen, which becomes very boring after the first thirty pages or so. While it does make sense that the author had to include the proper spacing to cause it to fit in with Macbeth, there are far too many useless scenes that do not develop the characters or further the plot, which cause it to be boring.
There were a lot of things that I really enjoyed about the novel. I absolutely loved Shakespeare’s Macbeth, and I thought it was clever and imaginative of Rebecca Reisert to merge her story with the classic tale. It is a daunting task to transform the mystical into plausible events, and the author’s ability to realistically tell both stories was extremely impressive.
The rest of the novel, however, is less than satisfactory. The main character is very single-minded and unappealing. Her arrogance and rudeness make her difficult to relate to, and her obsession with revenge is repulsive. The character development is ineffective as she is quick to relapse at the slightest opportunity for revenge, and there is not even an attempt to develop any of the other characters. Aside from the lackluster characters, the pacing was appalling. The scenes dragged on interminably in some places, while the exciting and important scenes took place all at once, allowing no time for the significance of the events to permeate with the reader. It became difficult to follow the plot at some points, and the tedium that came between made it increasingly challenging to continue. The vast majority of the novel was spent waiting for something interesting to happen, which becomes very boring after the first thirty pages or so. While it does make sense that the author had to include the proper spacing to cause it to fit in with Macbeth, there are far too many useless scenes that do not develop the characters or further the plot, which cause it to be boring.
March 10, 2014
I was hooked from page 1 and couldn't put this book down. I did not lose interest in a single paragraph.
The author who has been teaching William Shakespeare's Macbeth for decades has provided an exciting flip side if you will of the play, with the story of Gillyflower, a teenage girl, who is adopted by two old crones who live in the woods and are involved in herb lore and the like. This is not the first time , having viewed several movie versions of Shakespeare's Macbeth where the third witch is young and fairly attractive.
Gill is obsessed by her singleminded quest to kill Macbeth in revenge for the destruction of her homestead and the end of her idyllic childhood when she was a little girl. We are to find out a great secret of her parentage later in the book.
Gilly gets herself a job as a kitchen hand after disguising herself as a boy, the girl being disguised as a boy a common theme in many of Shakespeare's comedies.
Thereby we get to see something of what life would have been like for common folk, including the servants and serfs of the castle which Macbeth lived in, at the time
The narrative weaves in and out of the play , but in all parts we are rapt with attention to see that happens next until it all comes together like a jigsaw puzzle.
Gilly's plans help to put some very horrific acts by Macbeth into place, including murders and destruction of those she cares for.
It was quite difficult getting to grips with the benign presentation of the witches in Macbeth giving their own long speeches and dialogue which present a different story. but the author too has an explanation for this.
The author who has been teaching William Shakespeare's Macbeth for decades has provided an exciting flip side if you will of the play, with the story of Gillyflower, a teenage girl, who is adopted by two old crones who live in the woods and are involved in herb lore and the like. This is not the first time , having viewed several movie versions of Shakespeare's Macbeth where the third witch is young and fairly attractive.
Gill is obsessed by her singleminded quest to kill Macbeth in revenge for the destruction of her homestead and the end of her idyllic childhood when she was a little girl. We are to find out a great secret of her parentage later in the book.
Gilly gets herself a job as a kitchen hand after disguising herself as a boy, the girl being disguised as a boy a common theme in many of Shakespeare's comedies.
Thereby we get to see something of what life would have been like for common folk, including the servants and serfs of the castle which Macbeth lived in, at the time
The narrative weaves in and out of the play , but in all parts we are rapt with attention to see that happens next until it all comes together like a jigsaw puzzle.
Gilly's plans help to put some very horrific acts by Macbeth into place, including murders and destruction of those she cares for.
It was quite difficult getting to grips with the benign presentation of the witches in Macbeth giving their own long speeches and dialogue which present a different story. but the author too has an explanation for this.
June 12, 2010
I'm a sucker for Shakespeare tie-ins, so when I saw The Third Witch was written from the perspective of one of the witches in MacBeth, I was intrigued.
I'm about halfway through, and have been nibbling at it for a few weeks now, a few pages at a time. That says something, I think - it's not driving me to gulp it down in one sitting.
It's an intriguing concept with lovely writing, but for me at least, the intrigue falls short. I figured out the "twist" in the first little bit of the book, and the laid down clues weren't intriguing enough to keep me hungrily going back to it.
Not a bad book at all, but it didn't light any fires for me.
EDIT: Set this aside, probably permanently. It just didn't draw me back to it, even when I was out of reading material. Not bad, just nothing that caught me and made me want to come back.
I'm about halfway through, and have been nibbling at it for a few weeks now, a few pages at a time. That says something, I think - it's not driving me to gulp it down in one sitting.
It's an intriguing concept with lovely writing, but for me at least, the intrigue falls short. I figured out the "twist" in the first little bit of the book, and the laid down clues weren't intriguing enough to keep me hungrily going back to it.
Not a bad book at all, but it didn't light any fires for me.
EDIT: Set this aside, probably permanently. It just didn't draw me back to it, even when I was out of reading material. Not bad, just nothing that caught me and made me want to come back.
May 22, 2013
It got better towards the end, but overall was very disappointing. The main character was whiny and annoying, and I only liked her in that one flashback scene when she was a little girl, but even then she managed to get on my nerves. The way the main Gilly viewed Lady Macbeth and her husband seemed really rude an unnecessary to me, but maybe i'm biased because Lady Macbeth is my favorite character. I do like, however, how Macbeth and his wife's relationship was portrayed. The entire story was pretty much boring, but it did pick up in the last 40 pages or so. Overall, not what I was expecting (in a bad way).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2008
This was a great quick read. Love when another author tries to step into an established story - the new layers can either be intriging or cumbersome.
I enjoyed the read! Although, I thought the ending did not do justice to the entire work, in fact, I thought the last three pages ruined the entire toil of Gilly's journey. Her choice was the good one, just the options! Come on!
I enjoyed the read! Although, I thought the ending did not do justice to the entire work, in fact, I thought the last three pages ruined the entire toil of Gilly's journey. Her choice was the good one, just the options! Come on!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2021
Third Witch: My Opinion
Gilly, a young teenager has lived with two old women for 7 years. After encountering Him, Gilly vowed to seek revenge after what He did to her family. Gilly is warned not to kill the man who saved her. So will Gilly find a silly way to get revenge or will there be a bloodily satisfying end to her vindictive quest?
The third witch’s retelling of Macbeth is a story of great character development, likable characters and a satisfying ending. There could have been some corrections with plot holes, repetition and a draw out story that could end without a few chapters.
Third witch can be slow at times but has a satisfying conclusion that explains why Gilly is so angry . In the beginning, Gilly is consumed with rage demanding that Macbeth be killed at all costs, even if she dies. She thinks that Nettle’s potions will seduce Him into madness but Gilly knew He was power hungry all along. Gilly’s family background is revealed to be of royalty making her extremely wealthy. Also, Macbeth is basically her step dad as Roah is Gilly’s mother who had been having an affair with Him for years. Macbeth being killed is great justice for Gilly as her father was burned to death at Macbeth’s hand.
To give credit where it is due, the author developed likable characters in Lady Macduff Pod and Lisset. Lady Macduff sees through Gilly’s descise, now that “he” was a she. Lady Macduff tells Gilly about her sister and how she was also dressed as a boy . Lady Macduff tries to give Gilly a better life where she can feel free to express herself. Pod is a character that I fell in love with when we first met him. He is an orphaned and handicapped young boy hoping for the best outcome. He is often bullied and beaten up throughout the book needing Gilly to save him. His innocence was often manipulated by Gilly to further her plan to get revenge. Pod is taught how to make wafers and how to serve which is tough for him because of his disabilities. Lisset is about to retire after years of serving at Macbeth’s castle. She is kind enough to show Pod how to make wafers and cover for him and Gilly multiple times, allowing them to get jobs in the castle. She takes Pod in saying ‘My little marrow bud had the I time that I could do. I taught it to my Jimmie, my third child who is like thee…”(p52,Reisert).
The development of the story is relatively good as Macbeth is proven to be power hungry and more ruthless than in Shakespeare’s play. Pod was constantly begging for his mom in the beginning but once Gilly left the castle he realized his mom was not looking for him. He focused on wafers and serving the guests , becoming somewhat at peace within himself. Gilly also became less mad at the world and started to care for those who were in her life. She uses her wealth to open an orphanage and gives pod and Lisset a place to stay and a job for the rest of their lives.
There were many points in the story that got repetitive and made me lose interest in the story. Gilly uses the phrase “My life is an arrow… and he is the target” all throughout the story. Then nothing would happen. She goes on a rant and quests to get revenge but once see “poisons” Macbeth she leaves and has little interest in killing. Then a few chapters later she will change her mind and lie to Pod and Lisset about why she left. This makes Gilly an unlikable character as she is back and forth between Nettle’s hut and Inverness plotting whether or not to get involved with or to move on with life screaming “..so when shall we kill Him.”(p10, Reisert)
In a few scenes the author creates plot holes that seem confusing if thought about realistically. For example when Gilly is shaking the drunken guards why didn’t he wake up a little fuzzy or show any movement. I’m sure that anyone who is asleep will wake up after being touched or held long enough. She was close for the murders to hear her help Fleance yet they didn't listen.
The story seemed to be slow paced as Gilly contemplated getting involved with the killing of Macbeth. She is all “I am an agent of hate” or she is trying to find ways to help friends get through life.
A warning for younger readers there is a lot of war violence including decapitation and placing the heads on spikes. The back stories of Lady Macbeth and Mad Helga elude to sex and rape with Mad Helga being abused and left for dead by a group of soldiers. Gilly is girt of using a few curse word in her rants .
After reading this book I would recommed the book to young teens who enjoy or are interested in Shakespeare’s work. And would recommend older fans of Shakespeare to stay away because many questions we had in Macbeth are not answered as they may like, every answer is Gilly.
Gilly, a young teenager has lived with two old women for 7 years. After encountering Him, Gilly vowed to seek revenge after what He did to her family. Gilly is warned not to kill the man who saved her. So will Gilly find a silly way to get revenge or will there be a bloodily satisfying end to her vindictive quest?
The third witch’s retelling of Macbeth is a story of great character development, likable characters and a satisfying ending. There could have been some corrections with plot holes, repetition and a draw out story that could end without a few chapters.
Third witch can be slow at times but has a satisfying conclusion that explains why Gilly is so angry . In the beginning, Gilly is consumed with rage demanding that Macbeth be killed at all costs, even if she dies. She thinks that Nettle’s potions will seduce Him into madness but Gilly knew He was power hungry all along. Gilly’s family background is revealed to be of royalty making her extremely wealthy. Also, Macbeth is basically her step dad as Roah is Gilly’s mother who had been having an affair with Him for years. Macbeth being killed is great justice for Gilly as her father was burned to death at Macbeth’s hand.
To give credit where it is due, the author developed likable characters in Lady Macduff Pod and Lisset. Lady Macduff sees through Gilly’s descise, now that “he” was a she. Lady Macduff tells Gilly about her sister and how she was also dressed as a boy . Lady Macduff tries to give Gilly a better life where she can feel free to express herself. Pod is a character that I fell in love with when we first met him. He is an orphaned and handicapped young boy hoping for the best outcome. He is often bullied and beaten up throughout the book needing Gilly to save him. His innocence was often manipulated by Gilly to further her plan to get revenge. Pod is taught how to make wafers and how to serve which is tough for him because of his disabilities. Lisset is about to retire after years of serving at Macbeth’s castle. She is kind enough to show Pod how to make wafers and cover for him and Gilly multiple times, allowing them to get jobs in the castle. She takes Pod in saying ‘My little marrow bud had the I time that I could do. I taught it to my Jimmie, my third child who is like thee…”(p52,Reisert).
The development of the story is relatively good as Macbeth is proven to be power hungry and more ruthless than in Shakespeare’s play. Pod was constantly begging for his mom in the beginning but once Gilly left the castle he realized his mom was not looking for him. He focused on wafers and serving the guests , becoming somewhat at peace within himself. Gilly also became less mad at the world and started to care for those who were in her life. She uses her wealth to open an orphanage and gives pod and Lisset a place to stay and a job for the rest of their lives.
There were many points in the story that got repetitive and made me lose interest in the story. Gilly uses the phrase “My life is an arrow… and he is the target” all throughout the story. Then nothing would happen. She goes on a rant and quests to get revenge but once see “poisons” Macbeth she leaves and has little interest in killing. Then a few chapters later she will change her mind and lie to Pod and Lisset about why she left. This makes Gilly an unlikable character as she is back and forth between Nettle’s hut and Inverness plotting whether or not to get involved with or to move on with life screaming “..so when shall we kill Him.”(p10, Reisert)
In a few scenes the author creates plot holes that seem confusing if thought about realistically. For example when Gilly is shaking the drunken guards why didn’t he wake up a little fuzzy or show any movement. I’m sure that anyone who is asleep will wake up after being touched or held long enough. She was close for the murders to hear her help Fleance yet they didn't listen.
The story seemed to be slow paced as Gilly contemplated getting involved with the killing of Macbeth. She is all “I am an agent of hate” or she is trying to find ways to help friends get through life.
A warning for younger readers there is a lot of war violence including decapitation and placing the heads on spikes. The back stories of Lady Macbeth and Mad Helga elude to sex and rape with Mad Helga being abused and left for dead by a group of soldiers. Gilly is girt of using a few curse word in her rants .
After reading this book I would recommed the book to young teens who enjoy or are interested in Shakespeare’s work. And would recommend older fans of Shakespeare to stay away because many questions we had in Macbeth are not answered as they may like, every answer is Gilly.
May 4, 2015
An entertaining story. Macbeth through the eyes of one of the witches.
May 5, 2021
Gilly, the main character in the novel, has lived in a hut for seven years in Birnam Wood, ever since she was taken in by Nettle and Mad Helga. She escapes from the hut and goes to her worst enemy's castle. As she distinguishes herself as a young servant boy, she finds work in the kitchen of her enemies castle. She then puts herself into her enemy’s life, along with His beautiful, and highly dangerous wife, in hopes of governing their fate. As Gilly gets closer to her enemy, will she be able to succeed in her objective of manipulating His and His wife’s lives?
There were many advantages and disadvantages of this novel. There will be a few of each—pro’s and con’s—listed below. The book is very fun to read, but can be quite difficult to understand at some points throughout.
I personally felt as if the story was weak in the area of how some sequences ended. Especially at the end of the novel. An example of this is how the book was based firmly On page 300 it says, ‘Give the strength of arm to plunge the blade deep into His cesspit of a heart. Then I hear Pod cry out from nearby, “Gilly, save me! Save me, please!”’ Then, it skips to page 301, where it says “I come seeking the kitchen lad, Gilly, who saved the life of the King.” I would have enjoyed the story more if Gilly would not have kept repeating “My life is a dagger and He is my sheath.” Every time she (Gilly) doubts herself or there is an inconvenience in her life, she says this. On page 6, at the beginning of the novel, she says “He doesn’t deserve to die in battle! Let Him wait for me. I must be the one to kill Him! He is mine, mine to kill, not the prize of some lucky soldier. Let Him wait for me. I have marked Him, and He is mine.” The story would have been better for me if Gilly was not always changing His mind. For a main character, she is quite scatter brained. She wants this and wants that, so many things, but will change her mind like an arrow coming from a bow. On page 22 it says “I can not afford to think these things. If I soften, I am lost. A tree must not yearn to become a feather, nor can a stone afford to long to become a bubble. I am not a girl but a thing, a thing made only of revenge, hate, and a fierce, wild will.”
Violence: Sexual Content: Language: Gilly, Porter.
I felt the story was especially strong in the fact that a lot of events from the play, lined up with the novel. For instance, Banquo’s death and Fleance escaping from being killed himself. On page 217, Gilly says “I toss the reins to Fleance. Then I slap the rump of his horse. ‘Fly!’ I whisper. ‘Go as fast as you can.’ ‘But my father needs—‘ Fleance begins. His father cries, ‘Fly, Fleance! Fly! Live and avenge—' The biggest appeal for me was the fact that are still just as evil in the novel as they were in the play. An example would be On page 209, says “’So both of you now understand that Banquo is your enemy?’ He asks. ‘Aye, my good lord,’ says the low voice, and the thin voice echoes, ‘Aye.’ ‘You both understand,’ He asks, ‘that ‘‘twas Banquo who caused your misfortune?’” I especially appreciated the fact of how more characters were added to the novel then there was in the play. Examples of this would be:
I would recommend this book for: people over the age of 16. Violence/sexual content/language are all included in this move. This is for mature audiences and ones who are interested in old Shakespearean novels. I would NOT recommend this book for: people under the age of 16, for mostly the reason they are not mature enough for the violence/sexual content/language.
There were many advantages and disadvantages of this novel. There will be a few of each—pro’s and con’s—listed below. The book is very fun to read, but can be quite difficult to understand at some points throughout.
I personally felt as if the story was weak in the area of how some sequences ended. Especially at the end of the novel. An example of this is how the book was based firmly On page 300 it says, ‘Give the strength of arm to plunge the blade deep into His cesspit of a heart. Then I hear Pod cry out from nearby, “Gilly, save me! Save me, please!”’ Then, it skips to page 301, where it says “I come seeking the kitchen lad, Gilly, who saved the life of the King.” I would have enjoyed the story more if Gilly would not have kept repeating “My life is a dagger and He is my sheath.” Every time she (Gilly) doubts herself or there is an inconvenience in her life, she says this. On page 6, at the beginning of the novel, she says “He doesn’t deserve to die in battle! Let Him wait for me. I must be the one to kill Him! He is mine, mine to kill, not the prize of some lucky soldier. Let Him wait for me. I have marked Him, and He is mine.” The story would have been better for me if Gilly was not always changing His mind. For a main character, she is quite scatter brained. She wants this and wants that, so many things, but will change her mind like an arrow coming from a bow. On page 22 it says “I can not afford to think these things. If I soften, I am lost. A tree must not yearn to become a feather, nor can a stone afford to long to become a bubble. I am not a girl but a thing, a thing made only of revenge, hate, and a fierce, wild will.”
Violence: Sexual Content: Language: Gilly, Porter.
I felt the story was especially strong in the fact that a lot of events from the play, lined up with the novel. For instance, Banquo’s death and Fleance escaping from being killed himself. On page 217, Gilly says “I toss the reins to Fleance. Then I slap the rump of his horse. ‘Fly!’ I whisper. ‘Go as fast as you can.’ ‘But my father needs—‘ Fleance begins. His father cries, ‘Fly, Fleance! Fly! Live and avenge—' The biggest appeal for me was the fact that are still just as evil in the novel as they were in the play. An example would be On page 209, says “’So both of you now understand that Banquo is your enemy?’ He asks. ‘Aye, my good lord,’ says the low voice, and the thin voice echoes, ‘Aye.’ ‘You both understand,’ He asks, ‘that ‘‘twas Banquo who caused your misfortune?’” I especially appreciated the fact of how more characters were added to the novel then there was in the play. Examples of this would be:
I would recommend this book for: people over the age of 16. Violence/sexual content/language are all included in this move. This is for mature audiences and ones who are interested in old Shakespearean novels. I would NOT recommend this book for: people under the age of 16, for mostly the reason they are not mature enough for the violence/sexual content/language.
May 7, 2021
The Modern Re-telling of Macbeth
Gilly is a teenage peasant girl who has lived in Birnam Wood with two women, Nettle and Mad Helga, for roughly 7 years. She makes a point that her life goal is to kill “Him,” as she claims her life was ruined by his actions. After harassing Nettle to help in her scheme, Gilly, Nettle, and Mad Helga meet with Him in an important confrontation. From this point, Gilly disguises herself in order to infiltrate His castle. Along the way she rescues a boy, Pod, of whom she is pretending to be the brother. Will Gilly be able to kill Him? Or will her past cut her down before her plan has a chance to blossom.
This book was not perfect; it had pros and cons, as any work does. My cons include the rush of the book after the climax, Gilly’s revelation of her true self being so over-hyped that the truth was disappointing, and Gilly making painfully irrational decisions until the very end of the novel. My pros include working in pieces from the original Macbeth, explaining unexplained events from Macbeth, and giving minor characters more detail than the play did.
Starting with the cons, I would have enjoyed the book more if it was not as rushed. After the climax of the book it seems as if the author remembered there was a deadline. The exposition was incredibly detailed, so detailed it took nearly half the book. “I know what I must do now,” (Reisert pg 219) at this point in the novel which set off the chain of Gilly rushing to be at every pivotal event of the play. This physically would not be possible for her and just made the novel less cohesive. I was also disappointed by the fact that Gilly’s hidden life was built up so much that the reveal was honestly a major let down. The ‘reveal’ was basically Nettle saying She’s daughter that makes her a (Reisert pg 302). Finally, Gilly’s only smart choice throughout the entire novel was at the very end. This decision took place when offer Gilly choices to accompany them in different situations and she decides to go on her own. “I thank you, sirs, but I must refuse all your kind offers,” (Reisert pg 307).
Before I list my pros I must mention some potentially offensive content featured in this novel. There are many graphic scenes in this novel, many of which involve gory details. Most of these events are executions, there is also mention of poisoning. Another triggering event is mentions of rape and the sexual abuse of minors, there are also a few cases of foul language but nothing too graphic.
I enjoyed that the author worked in Shakespeare’s original work (Macbeth) and tied in events from the original play. During the murder of manages to escape. “His father cries, ‘Fly, ! Fly! Live and avenge-’”(Reisert pg 217). I also enjoyed that the novel gave us a closer look at characters we were not truly familiar with in the play. In the novel we are given many back stories such as which were not touched on in the play. (Reisert pg 279). The biggest appeal for me was the explanation of unexplained events from the play, such as how the witches knew information about , how escaped, who the third murderer was, as well as the messenger at the house, etc. Another example is how is was possible for , when in the play they remove all dangerous items from the room. “She leans towards me as if she wishes to embrace me, but instead she snatches my dagger,” (Reisert pg 294).
I would recommend this book for people who have read Macbeth and are looking for a fun continuation. However, I would not recommend this for someone who has not read the original play as many details will not make sense, but if you are expecting a flawless ‘behind the scenes’ this is not the book for you.
Gilly is a teenage peasant girl who has lived in Birnam Wood with two women, Nettle and Mad Helga, for roughly 7 years. She makes a point that her life goal is to kill “Him,” as she claims her life was ruined by his actions. After harassing Nettle to help in her scheme, Gilly, Nettle, and Mad Helga meet with Him in an important confrontation. From this point, Gilly disguises herself in order to infiltrate His castle. Along the way she rescues a boy, Pod, of whom she is pretending to be the brother. Will Gilly be able to kill Him? Or will her past cut her down before her plan has a chance to blossom.
This book was not perfect; it had pros and cons, as any work does. My cons include the rush of the book after the climax, Gilly’s revelation of her true self being so over-hyped that the truth was disappointing, and Gilly making painfully irrational decisions until the very end of the novel. My pros include working in pieces from the original Macbeth, explaining unexplained events from Macbeth, and giving minor characters more detail than the play did.
Starting with the cons, I would have enjoyed the book more if it was not as rushed. After the climax of the book it seems as if the author remembered there was a deadline. The exposition was incredibly detailed, so detailed it took nearly half the book. “I know what I must do now,” (Reisert pg 219) at this point in the novel which set off the chain of Gilly rushing to be at every pivotal event of the play. This physically would not be possible for her and just made the novel less cohesive. I was also disappointed by the fact that Gilly’s hidden life was built up so much that the reveal was honestly a major let down. The ‘reveal’ was basically Nettle saying She’s daughter that makes her a (Reisert pg 302). Finally, Gilly’s only smart choice throughout the entire novel was at the very end. This decision took place when offer Gilly choices to accompany them in different situations and she decides to go on her own. “I thank you, sirs, but I must refuse all your kind offers,” (Reisert pg 307).
Before I list my pros I must mention some potentially offensive content featured in this novel. There are many graphic scenes in this novel, many of which involve gory details. Most of these events are executions, there is also mention of poisoning. Another triggering event is mentions of rape and the sexual abuse of minors, there are also a few cases of foul language but nothing too graphic.
I enjoyed that the author worked in Shakespeare’s original work (Macbeth) and tied in events from the original play. During the murder of manages to escape. “His father cries, ‘Fly, ! Fly! Live and avenge-’”(Reisert pg 217). I also enjoyed that the novel gave us a closer look at characters we were not truly familiar with in the play. In the novel we are given many back stories such as which were not touched on in the play. (Reisert pg 279). The biggest appeal for me was the explanation of unexplained events from the play, such as how the witches knew information about , how escaped, who the third murderer was, as well as the messenger at the house, etc. Another example is how is was possible for , when in the play they remove all dangerous items from the room. “She leans towards me as if she wishes to embrace me, but instead she snatches my dagger,” (Reisert pg 294).
I would recommend this book for people who have read Macbeth and are looking for a fun continuation. However, I would not recommend this for someone who has not read the original play as many details will not make sense, but if you are expecting a flawless ‘behind the scenes’ this is not the book for you.
May 5, 2021
May 4th/2021
Third Witch Book Review
Gilly is a half savage heroine who is on the edge of womanhood. She lives in a Scottish forest with two other women. These women are apparently witches and have raised her most of her life. They spend their time scraping a living from scavenging in the woods and robbing the dead. Gilly only lives for revenge against the man and woman who destroyed her young life and drove her to be an outcast. Disguising herself as a boy, she finds a way to the man and womens castle, known as the Macbeth’s, just as they prepare to seize the throne of Scotland.
In Rebecca Reiserts book; The Third Witch, there are many things I liked and disliked about the book. I disliked all of the confusion with Gilly and her indecisiveness and loved the addition of new characters in the book. The pros and cons of this book made it enjoyable and annoying throughout the time we read it.
To achieve her ambition of revenge upon , Gilly hacks off her long hair and dresses as a boy. Yet in the sixth paragraph of chapter five, before Gilly leaves their forest home Nettle says to Gilly, “You are almost a woman now”. Even after Gilly manages to be invited to have sword fighting lessons alongside a prince, nobody discovers the truth of her, which seems crazy. During the first several chapters of the book, she spends most of her time shouting about her need for revenge, (pages 21,27,34);ignoring side characters and knocking items out of peoples hands. The reader is supposed to understand Gilly is desperate for revenge. Gilly is supposed to be independent yet she acts like a young child throwing a constant temper tantrum. Gilly’s need for revenge was inconsistent. At the beginning of the book, it felt like she had no character traits other than. And then over the course of the book, she flip flops multiple times. (Pages 42,50) Sometimes she feels like she does not really care if she him, other times she acts like accomplishing her goal is the only thing that matters,even if she had to
Third Witch Book Review
Gilly is a half savage heroine who is on the edge of womanhood. She lives in a Scottish forest with two other women. These women are apparently witches and have raised her most of her life. They spend their time scraping a living from scavenging in the woods and robbing the dead. Gilly only lives for revenge against the man and woman who destroyed her young life and drove her to be an outcast. Disguising herself as a boy, she finds a way to the man and womens castle, known as the Macbeth’s, just as they prepare to seize the throne of Scotland.
In Rebecca Reiserts book; The Third Witch, there are many things I liked and disliked about the book. I disliked all of the confusion with Gilly and her indecisiveness and loved the addition of new characters in the book. The pros and cons of this book made it enjoyable and annoying throughout the time we read it.
To achieve her ambition of revenge upon , Gilly hacks off her long hair and dresses as a boy. Yet in the sixth paragraph of chapter five, before Gilly leaves their forest home Nettle says to Gilly, “You are almost a woman now”. Even after Gilly manages to be invited to have sword fighting lessons alongside a prince, nobody discovers the truth of her, which seems crazy. During the first several chapters of the book, she spends most of her time shouting about her need for revenge, (pages 21,27,34);ignoring side characters and knocking items out of peoples hands. The reader is supposed to understand Gilly is desperate for revenge. Gilly is supposed to be independent yet she acts like a young child throwing a constant temper tantrum. Gilly’s need for revenge was inconsistent. At the beginning of the book, it felt like she had no character traits other than. And then over the course of the book, she flip flops multiple times. (Pages 42,50) Sometimes she feels like she does not really care if she him, other times she acts like accomplishing her goal is the only thing that matters,even if she had to
April 8, 2024
I was intrigued to read this retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth told from the perspective of one of the three witches.
Having been rescued by Nettle and Mad Helga, Gilly has lived with the two women in Birnam Wood for seven years. She then decides it is time to take revenge against Him whom she considers responsible for destroying her entire family. (It does not take a genius to figure out that Him is Macbeth.) Disguised as a boy, Gilly gets a job in the castle kitchen, hoping she will find an opportunity to take vengeance. While some of the people she encounters (Pod and Lisette) are works of the author’s imagination, some are familiar from Shakespeare’s play: Fleance, Prince Malcolm, and the Macduff family. Despite her lowly position, Gilly witnesses most of the play’s most crucial events and even has an active part in others like the appearance of Banquo’s ghost.
I enjoyed the connections between the play and the novel. Sometimes actual dialogue from the play is incorporated into conversations. The language certainly evokes Shakespeare’s: “I am a gapeseed, a strutting hobbledee horse, full of fury and threats but able to do nothing but playact.” Some of the characters like Fleance are developed more than in the play. Lady Macbeth certainly emerges as a fully developed character with an interesting backstory. As in the play, blood imagery is used extensively: at one point Lady Macbeth “stands stiffly wrapped in that cloak stiff with blood.” I liked the explanation for the witches’ first prophecy that Him will become king, though the prophecies in Act IV are explained less credibly.
Gilly does not behave consistently. At the beginning she is obsessed with revenge; she keeps repeating that “My life is an arrow, and its target is his death.” Despite warnings from Nettle and Helga, she is determined to kill Him. It’s amazing that she has carried such passionate hatred for seven years. Then she flip flops and decides that killing Him is not important and then reverts to plotting his death once again. Some vacillating is not unexpected but multiple total reversals are unconvincing.
I did like the parallels between the avenging Gilly and her enemies. Nettle warns Gilly that it’s “’easier than anything – easier than breathing, easier even than death – to find that you yourself have become the very thing you hate most.’” And Gilly does admit that “My hunger for blood will burn out any thread of softness in my soul.” One time, she gets blood on her hands and she scrubs and scrubs, “determined to get my hands clean of every bit of blood” just as Lady Macbeth does in the play.
There is a lot of reliance on coincidence that requires readers to be credulous. A member of the kitchen staff which “occupies the next to lowest rank of servants in the castle” manages to befriend and assist noblemen and have contact with a king? More than once Gilly finds herself in a position to overhear revealing conversations? And the ending is a problem. The three options Gilly is given belong in a fairy tale.
In my 30-year teaching career, I taught Macbeth many times so I enjoyed reading this retelling. Though not without its shortcomings, it provides an interesting perspective on the events and suggests interesting discussion topics for students studying the play.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DCYakabuski).
Having been rescued by Nettle and Mad Helga, Gilly has lived with the two women in Birnam Wood for seven years. She then decides it is time to take revenge against Him whom she considers responsible for destroying her entire family. (It does not take a genius to figure out that Him is Macbeth.) Disguised as a boy, Gilly gets a job in the castle kitchen, hoping she will find an opportunity to take vengeance. While some of the people she encounters (Pod and Lisette) are works of the author’s imagination, some are familiar from Shakespeare’s play: Fleance, Prince Malcolm, and the Macduff family. Despite her lowly position, Gilly witnesses most of the play’s most crucial events and even has an active part in others like the appearance of Banquo’s ghost.
I enjoyed the connections between the play and the novel. Sometimes actual dialogue from the play is incorporated into conversations. The language certainly evokes Shakespeare’s: “I am a gapeseed, a strutting hobbledee horse, full of fury and threats but able to do nothing but playact.” Some of the characters like Fleance are developed more than in the play. Lady Macbeth certainly emerges as a fully developed character with an interesting backstory. As in the play, blood imagery is used extensively: at one point Lady Macbeth “stands stiffly wrapped in that cloak stiff with blood.” I liked the explanation for the witches’ first prophecy that Him will become king, though the prophecies in Act IV are explained less credibly.
Gilly does not behave consistently. At the beginning she is obsessed with revenge; she keeps repeating that “My life is an arrow, and its target is his death.” Despite warnings from Nettle and Helga, she is determined to kill Him. It’s amazing that she has carried such passionate hatred for seven years. Then she flip flops and decides that killing Him is not important and then reverts to plotting his death once again. Some vacillating is not unexpected but multiple total reversals are unconvincing.
I did like the parallels between the avenging Gilly and her enemies. Nettle warns Gilly that it’s “’easier than anything – easier than breathing, easier even than death – to find that you yourself have become the very thing you hate most.’” And Gilly does admit that “My hunger for blood will burn out any thread of softness in my soul.” One time, she gets blood on her hands and she scrubs and scrubs, “determined to get my hands clean of every bit of blood” just as Lady Macbeth does in the play.
There is a lot of reliance on coincidence that requires readers to be credulous. A member of the kitchen staff which “occupies the next to lowest rank of servants in the castle” manages to befriend and assist noblemen and have contact with a king? More than once Gilly finds herself in a position to overhear revealing conversations? And the ending is a problem. The three options Gilly is given belong in a fairy tale.
In my 30-year teaching career, I taught Macbeth many times so I enjoyed reading this retelling. Though not without its shortcomings, it provides an interesting perspective on the events and suggests interesting discussion topics for students studying the play.
Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DCYakabuski).
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May 5, 2021The Third Witch: the Downfall of Macbeth
Gilly, a teenage girl, has one goal. She is out for vengeance against the man who murdered her family, and destroyed her home. She exerts a tremendous amount of effort and takes an unreasonable amount of risks all to get revenge. She is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her goal. Will Gilly get her revenge, or will she die trying?
This novel was full of surprises. It really had its ups and downs. There were several very good parts, but also some bad ones. Here, I will share my opinion on these ups and downs.
Some scenes were simply unnecessary, like Gilly and Fleance’s conversation about sea charts. “Come with me to ramparts. I need to fill in this night's information on my charts about the tides. You can help me?” (Reisert,pg.163). This scene just added information that did not necessarily apply to the main story line. I also was not a fan of how often Gilly failed. Throughout the story she had several smaller goals yet almost never achieved them, such as saving family. She tries to save them but is thrown into the river. “Then a third man lunges toward me and grabs at the toddler… I am jerked by the neckband of my tunic, and then I am falling… Falling over the ramparts!” (Reisert pg 253). The ending was also a weak part of the Novel. received three great offers, yet refused them all. “I thank you,sirs,but I must refuse all your kind offers”.(Reisert,pg.307) I feel that it made the ending of the book to good to be true.
This novel does have some potentially offensive content. There is some unnecessary violence. Some scenes are too graphic or detailed such as There is some unneeded sexual content as well. The Master Cook takes preference to young boys and is also implied throughout the story.
We also see some vulgar language throughout the story. Words such as “bitch” are used frequently.
I felt the story was very strong in the area of character background information. Almost every character had an interesting backstory, such as Nerida, the sister of Lady Macbeth. “My favorite sister,Nerida-the eldest of us all-she wanted to be a boy.”(Reisert,pg.146). The biggest appeal for me was how the novel filled plot holes from “Macbeth” the play. In the play Lady Macbeth would talk about killing her child, and in the novel we see that this “Her mother makes a sound like a wounded animal and sinks to her knees.” “After a while they ride away leaving the child alone in the ruined castle.”(Reisert,pg.263). I especially enjoyed the foreshadowing and dramatic irony in the novel. The author leaves clues such as Gilly trying on a gown and feeling like a “I am am drawn to that wondrous dress just like a moth to a rushlight.”(Reisert,pg.112).
I would recommend this novel for fans of Shakespeare, but also readers who like a little bit more of a captivating story. It’s essentially Shakespeare with a twist.
Gilly, a teenage girl, has one goal. She is out for vengeance against the man who murdered her family, and destroyed her home. She exerts a tremendous amount of effort and takes an unreasonable amount of risks all to get revenge. She is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her goal. Will Gilly get her revenge, or will she die trying?
This novel was full of surprises. It really had its ups and downs. There were several very good parts, but also some bad ones. Here, I will share my opinion on these ups and downs.
Some scenes were simply unnecessary, like Gilly and Fleance’s conversation about sea charts. “Come with me to ramparts. I need to fill in this night's information on my charts about the tides. You can help me?” (Reisert,pg.163). This scene just added information that did not necessarily apply to the main story line. I also was not a fan of how often Gilly failed. Throughout the story she had several smaller goals yet almost never achieved them, such as saving family. She tries to save them but is thrown into the river. “Then a third man lunges toward me and grabs at the toddler… I am jerked by the neckband of my tunic, and then I am falling… Falling over the ramparts!” (Reisert pg 253). The ending was also a weak part of the Novel. received three great offers, yet refused them all. “I thank you,sirs,but I must refuse all your kind offers”.(Reisert,pg.307) I feel that it made the ending of the book to good to be true.
This novel does have some potentially offensive content. There is some unnecessary violence. Some scenes are too graphic or detailed such as There is some unneeded sexual content as well. The Master Cook takes preference to young boys and is also implied throughout the story.
We also see some vulgar language throughout the story. Words such as “bitch” are used frequently.
I felt the story was very strong in the area of character background information. Almost every character had an interesting backstory, such as Nerida, the sister of Lady Macbeth. “My favorite sister,Nerida-the eldest of us all-she wanted to be a boy.”(Reisert,pg.146). The biggest appeal for me was how the novel filled plot holes from “Macbeth” the play. In the play Lady Macbeth would talk about killing her child, and in the novel we see that this “Her mother makes a sound like a wounded animal and sinks to her knees.” “After a while they ride away leaving the child alone in the ruined castle.”(Reisert,pg.263). I especially enjoyed the foreshadowing and dramatic irony in the novel. The author leaves clues such as Gilly trying on a gown and feeling like a “I am am drawn to that wondrous dress just like a moth to a rushlight.”(Reisert,pg.112).
I would recommend this novel for fans of Shakespeare, but also readers who like a little bit more of a captivating story. It’s essentially Shakespeare with a twist.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2021
This arrow may have hit its target
Our main character is Gilly. She has been wandering all around the woods. She's a teenage girl who has swore to get revenge. Gilly's whole reason for living is to kill a man who has taken everything away from here. She's an arrow and he is the target. Will she be able to get revenge or will she fall short and be swallowed by her own plan.
This book was very good. It would always keep me engaged. But there is also some stuff that holds this story back. I'm going to share my thoughts about them with you.
I felt the story was weak in the way that Gilly would always talk about her goals but would never achieve them. Gilly would talk about dying for her revenge. But in the end she “Home! Home? Creep home like thwarted grave robbers? Like whipped hounds? I am outraged. “If we go home, we will not see the spell unfold” (Reisert, pg.137). Some of the events took way too long to get through. The event of Gilly and Fleance talking about the sea charts felt unnecessary. “Come with me to ramparts. I need to fill in this night's information on my charts about the tides. You can help me?” (Reisert, pg.163). I was disappointed by the ending of the book. I didn’t like the choice Gilly made because it felt too corny. She is given three excellent options
Violence, there is a lot of killing. They also kill a lot of little kids and describe the events. Sexual Content,They talk about male and females having sex. They also touch on the subject of Rape. Language, they call the females bad names. They also use violent words when they talk to people.
I especially enjoy that the characters have a lot of background information. Like with Lady Macduff's sister Nerida and how it related to Gilly. “My favorite sister, Nerida-the eldest of us all-she wanted to be a boy.”(Reisert, pg.146) The events of the book lining up with the play and also filling in some plot holes. When The biggest appeal for me was how they left the reader clues. When Gilly is drawn to a dress and says she feels like a princess. “I am drawn to that wondrous dress just like a moth to a rushlight”(Reisert, pg.112).
I would recommend this book for people who like books with a thick plot. I would also say the same for people who like to read thrillers because there are many shocking revelations in this book. I would not recommend this book for people who don't like characters that contradict themselves. And also to people who don't like slow storylines.
Our main character is Gilly. She has been wandering all around the woods. She's a teenage girl who has swore to get revenge. Gilly's whole reason for living is to kill a man who has taken everything away from here. She's an arrow and he is the target. Will she be able to get revenge or will she fall short and be swallowed by her own plan.
This book was very good. It would always keep me engaged. But there is also some stuff that holds this story back. I'm going to share my thoughts about them with you.
I felt the story was weak in the way that Gilly would always talk about her goals but would never achieve them. Gilly would talk about dying for her revenge. But in the end she “Home! Home? Creep home like thwarted grave robbers? Like whipped hounds? I am outraged. “If we go home, we will not see the spell unfold” (Reisert, pg.137). Some of the events took way too long to get through. The event of Gilly and Fleance talking about the sea charts felt unnecessary. “Come with me to ramparts. I need to fill in this night's information on my charts about the tides. You can help me?” (Reisert, pg.163). I was disappointed by the ending of the book. I didn’t like the choice Gilly made because it felt too corny. She is given three excellent options
Violence, there is a lot of killing. They also kill a lot of little kids and describe the events. Sexual Content,They talk about male and females having sex. They also touch on the subject of Rape. Language, they call the females bad names. They also use violent words when they talk to people.
I especially enjoy that the characters have a lot of background information. Like with Lady Macduff's sister Nerida and how it related to Gilly. “My favorite sister, Nerida-the eldest of us all-she wanted to be a boy.”(Reisert, pg.146) The events of the book lining up with the play and also filling in some plot holes. When The biggest appeal for me was how they left the reader clues. When Gilly is drawn to a dress and says she feels like a princess. “I am drawn to that wondrous dress just like a moth to a rushlight”(Reisert, pg.112).
I would recommend this book for people who like books with a thick plot. I would also say the same for people who like to read thrillers because there are many shocking revelations in this book. I would not recommend this book for people who don't like characters that contradict themselves. And also to people who don't like slow storylines.
May 5, 2021
Gilly is trying to take revenge on her family on the man that farmed her family. She is willing to do anything to achieve this goal. Gilly is trying to find the man that did it all to her and because of this. She became a boy to do all the stuff that she has to become a servant just to get closer to him. In all of the revenge that she is looking for her enemy no matter what happens to those of the ones that she loves.
There were a lot of plot holes in the book.like when gilly would tell them to fly but people can not fly. when is is Mcduffs family being killed and gilly says fly. I would want there to be detail in the story. when they would talk about someone for like 2 sec and then not mention them again.I would want more about their early lifeI would want there to be a better ending.
The ending was not good, they would not just end when they left. I would like to add more to the ending of the story. I would want a better ending. I liked all the fights and other fights in the book. Her protecting pod and like when she fought Macbeth.I liked the little battles. I liked the back stories of madhelga and nettles back stories.The back torys of them both were interesting. Mad helga and nettles made a lot more sense to me. There were a lot more characters in the third witch book. I liked all the diff people in it, like all the characters in the novel.
Con1 there were a lot of plot holes in the book.like when gilly would tell them to fly but people can not fly.
when is is Mcduffs family being killed and gilly says fly.
Con2 I would want there to be detail in the story.when they would talk about someone for like 2 sec and then not mention them again. I would want more about their early life. Con3 I would
want there to be a better ending. The ending was not good. They would not just end when let’s go home.I would want to add more to the ending of the story. I would like a better ending to the novel.
There is offensive content in it like violence was war and fighting. There were many fight/ battles Spence in the novel, the third witch. Sexual content was Lady Macbeth and Mad Helga's back story’s. It talks about how bad things happened to them while they were younger. offensive language like cussing was used in the novel too. There were not many spots where it was used but not too many times.
Pro1 I liked all the fights and other fights in the book.her protecting pod and like when she fought Macbeth.I liked the little battles parts. Pro2 I liked the back stories of mad helga and nettles back stories. The backstories of them both were interesting. mad helga and nettles made a lot more sense to me. Pro3 there were a lot more characters in the third witch book. I liked all the diff people in it .I liked all the characters in the novel.
I recommend this book to people that like Macbeth and story’s like that and have some English background. I would not recommend this novel to any English majors or scholars that have a background in Shakespeare’s.
There were a lot of plot holes in the book.like when gilly would tell them to fly but people can not fly. when is is Mcduffs family being killed and gilly says fly. I would want there to be detail in the story. when they would talk about someone for like 2 sec and then not mention them again.I would want more about their early lifeI would want there to be a better ending.
The ending was not good, they would not just end when they left. I would like to add more to the ending of the story. I would want a better ending. I liked all the fights and other fights in the book. Her protecting pod and like when she fought Macbeth.I liked the little battles. I liked the back stories of madhelga and nettles back stories.The back torys of them both were interesting. Mad helga and nettles made a lot more sense to me. There were a lot more characters in the third witch book. I liked all the diff people in it, like all the characters in the novel.
Con1 there were a lot of plot holes in the book.like when gilly would tell them to fly but people can not fly.
when is is Mcduffs family being killed and gilly says fly.
Con2 I would want there to be detail in the story.when they would talk about someone for like 2 sec and then not mention them again. I would want more about their early life. Con3 I would
want there to be a better ending. The ending was not good. They would not just end when let’s go home.I would want to add more to the ending of the story. I would like a better ending to the novel.
There is offensive content in it like violence was war and fighting. There were many fight/ battles Spence in the novel, the third witch. Sexual content was Lady Macbeth and Mad Helga's back story’s. It talks about how bad things happened to them while they were younger. offensive language like cussing was used in the novel too. There were not many spots where it was used but not too many times.
Pro1 I liked all the fights and other fights in the book.her protecting pod and like when she fought Macbeth.I liked the little battles parts. Pro2 I liked the back stories of mad helga and nettles back stories. The backstories of them both were interesting. mad helga and nettles made a lot more sense to me. Pro3 there were a lot more characters in the third witch book. I liked all the diff people in it .I liked all the characters in the novel.
I recommend this book to people that like Macbeth and story’s like that and have some English background. I would not recommend this novel to any English majors or scholars that have a background in Shakespeare’s.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2021
I’ve been having these weird urges to read all the medieval literature I can get my hands on. So of course I’ve been turning to my old friends, Pillars of the Earth, Catherine Called Birdy, The Midwife’s Apprentice, and The Third Witch. That leads me here, to this review.
I don’t have too much to say about the book in relation to Shakespeare’s Macbeth, only because the last time I read Macbeth was over five years ago. I recognized characters such as Lord Banquo, the three witches, and of course Macbeth. I couldn’t distinguish the scenes from the play from scenes to the book. That’s just my lack of knowledge about Shakespeare.
The book itself was fine. Gilly was an interesting character, and I think that keeping her motives in wanting Macbeth dead was sly, as it kept me reading. However, this quote sticks in my mind.
“I snort in disgust. ‘‘Tis indecent to think of Him at His age still panting after her like a hound in heat. It disgusts me.’
Lisette laughs again. ‘Have you never had a sweetheart, Gilly?’
I jerk back in disgust. ‘I will never love! I have seen what love can do. I have seen too much death in the service of love, so there will be no love in my life.’”
The repeated use of the same word is annoying- there are two other instances I can think of in which the author chooses to use the same descriptive thrice. And the insistence on capitalizing Him, He, and His is frankly annoying. The cursing was creative though, and I will be borrowing such insults as “Lily-livered yellow-bellied coward” to use in my day to day life.
One last complaint, and I’ll go. At the beginning of the book, it is quite obvious that Nettle and Mad Helga don’t love Gilly. By the end, they do. It doesn’t feel like this relationship is earned. We don’t even see Nettle and Mad Helga until Gilly needs to seek revenge on Macbeth. Suddenly Nettle is tender and full of love where before she was hard and difficult. I can believe that of Lisette and Pod, but not Nettle. Oh! Okay, really this is the last thing. Lisette at one point tells Gilly that if she ever runs off again and abandons Pod, she won’t fend for her anymore, and help with excuses. And then Gilly abandons Pod for a 12 moon, which I think is a year? When she comes back, the point is that they both forgive her at the drop of a hat. Everyone in this novel is too quick to make exceptions for Gilly, even the guards at the doors. (I’m beginning to think that the reason so many kings were killed was due to their incompetence in actually guarding.) Anyways, Gilly hasn’t earned this, so their love and forgiveness feels bought. The end.
I don’t have too much to say about the book in relation to Shakespeare’s Macbeth, only because the last time I read Macbeth was over five years ago. I recognized characters such as Lord Banquo, the three witches, and of course Macbeth. I couldn’t distinguish the scenes from the play from scenes to the book. That’s just my lack of knowledge about Shakespeare.
The book itself was fine. Gilly was an interesting character, and I think that keeping her motives in wanting Macbeth dead was sly, as it kept me reading. However, this quote sticks in my mind.
“I snort in disgust. ‘‘Tis indecent to think of Him at His age still panting after her like a hound in heat. It disgusts me.’
Lisette laughs again. ‘Have you never had a sweetheart, Gilly?’
I jerk back in disgust. ‘I will never love! I have seen what love can do. I have seen too much death in the service of love, so there will be no love in my life.’”
The repeated use of the same word is annoying- there are two other instances I can think of in which the author chooses to use the same descriptive thrice. And the insistence on capitalizing Him, He, and His is frankly annoying. The cursing was creative though, and I will be borrowing such insults as “Lily-livered yellow-bellied coward” to use in my day to day life.
One last complaint, and I’ll go. At the beginning of the book, it is quite obvious that Nettle and Mad Helga don’t love Gilly. By the end, they do. It doesn’t feel like this relationship is earned. We don’t even see Nettle and Mad Helga until Gilly needs to seek revenge on Macbeth. Suddenly Nettle is tender and full of love where before she was hard and difficult. I can believe that of Lisette and Pod, but not Nettle. Oh! Okay, really this is the last thing. Lisette at one point tells Gilly that if she ever runs off again and abandons Pod, she won’t fend for her anymore, and help with excuses. And then Gilly abandons Pod for a 12 moon, which I think is a year? When she comes back, the point is that they both forgive her at the drop of a hat. Everyone in this novel is too quick to make exceptions for Gilly, even the guards at the doors. (I’m beginning to think that the reason so many kings were killed was due to their incompetence in actually guarding.) Anyways, Gilly hasn’t earned this, so their love and forgiveness feels bought. The end.
May 7, 2021
The Second Best Macbeth
In The Third Witch, we follow a wandering teenage girl, who is set on getting revenge in the one who hurt her most. She wants to inflict as much harm to the man who hurt her. She suffers a lot of emotional and physical distress from the man who distraught her. All she wants is for him to suffer for it. The main character endures many hardships, but will persevere or die trying.
The novel has a lot of abrupt endings and sequences. The characters, especially the main character, having a lot of repetitive dialogue. The main character also has a large amount of plot armor, which is relevant through the novel. The novel does fill in some blanks from the play, some of which the reader would have never known.
I didn’t enjoy the prolific amounts of repetitive phrases and actions, especially within the main character. “My life is an arrow, his heart my sheath”(pg.14) is said by a main character, in the novel on many occasions. A lot of sequences in the novel end very abruptly and don’t have any reason to end as they do. The main character also cannot keep her mind straight, and is very reluctant. “She looks back and forth, hesitant.”(pg.306) She always seems out of focus and scatterbrained, which shows an inconsistency in character. “Which offer should she take? Any of these would be a good one.”(pg.306)
The novel does have some mildly gory and elicit content scattered throughout. There are memories told of a female character being sexually assaulted, along with boys being touched wrong. There is also a lot of fighting, poisoning, and some crude references.
A lot of events from Shakespeare’s play line up with the novel. Many events and actions are canon to the original play which is nice for the reader, because the viewer may stay more adherent to the novel. ”We seek two travelers, two captains and thanes.”(pg.128) I like that some of these questions aren’t answered until later in the novel, such as one of the character’s backstory, “After a while they ride away, leaving the child alone in the ruined castle.”(pg.263) Shakespeare’s ”Macbeth” left a lot of questions unanswered, and this novel leaves many answered.
I wouldn't recommend this novel to many people. If someone has to read “Macbeth”, but wants more after it, then i would recommend it. In any other case, the probability is slim.
In The Third Witch, we follow a wandering teenage girl, who is set on getting revenge in the one who hurt her most. She wants to inflict as much harm to the man who hurt her. She suffers a lot of emotional and physical distress from the man who distraught her. All she wants is for him to suffer for it. The main character endures many hardships, but will persevere or die trying.
The novel has a lot of abrupt endings and sequences. The characters, especially the main character, having a lot of repetitive dialogue. The main character also has a large amount of plot armor, which is relevant through the novel. The novel does fill in some blanks from the play, some of which the reader would have never known.
I didn’t enjoy the prolific amounts of repetitive phrases and actions, especially within the main character. “My life is an arrow, his heart my sheath”(pg.14) is said by a main character, in the novel on many occasions. A lot of sequences in the novel end very abruptly and don’t have any reason to end as they do. The main character also cannot keep her mind straight, and is very reluctant. “She looks back and forth, hesitant.”(pg.306) She always seems out of focus and scatterbrained, which shows an inconsistency in character. “Which offer should she take? Any of these would be a good one.”(pg.306)
The novel does have some mildly gory and elicit content scattered throughout. There are memories told of a female character being sexually assaulted, along with boys being touched wrong. There is also a lot of fighting, poisoning, and some crude references.
A lot of events from Shakespeare’s play line up with the novel. Many events and actions are canon to the original play which is nice for the reader, because the viewer may stay more adherent to the novel. ”We seek two travelers, two captains and thanes.”(pg.128) I like that some of these questions aren’t answered until later in the novel, such as one of the character’s backstory, “After a while they ride away, leaving the child alone in the ruined castle.”(pg.263) Shakespeare’s ”Macbeth” left a lot of questions unanswered, and this novel leaves many answered.
I wouldn't recommend this novel to many people. If someone has to read “Macbeth”, but wants more after it, then i would recommend it. In any other case, the probability is slim.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2020
For this I read "The Third Witch" by Rebecca Reisert.
Gilly has been obsessed with getting revenge on Macbeth for the last seven years so when the two "witches" who have taken her into their care finally agree to help her, she is ready. She disguises herself as a boy to become a kitchen lad for Macbeth and soon her plan is underway. But it doesn't take long for her to realize that in order for her to destroy Macbeth, many more people will fall.
I had high hopes for this book but found it a little disappointing. For one, I found the writing itself a little bland and wordy. For another the author really, really, REALLY wanted you to know that Gilly wanted revenge. The obsessiveness got annoying really quickly. The characters were fun but a little underdeveloped. It was neat, however, to see the story of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" unfold from a different perspective. It was a decent little story that other Shakespeare fans would appreciate.
Gilly has been obsessed with getting revenge on Macbeth for the last seven years so when the two "witches" who have taken her into their care finally agree to help her, she is ready. She disguises herself as a boy to become a kitchen lad for Macbeth and soon her plan is underway. But it doesn't take long for her to realize that in order for her to destroy Macbeth, many more people will fall.
I had high hopes for this book but found it a little disappointing. For one, I found the writing itself a little bland and wordy. For another the author really, really, REALLY wanted you to know that Gilly wanted revenge. The obsessiveness got annoying really quickly. The characters were fun but a little underdeveloped. It was neat, however, to see the story of Shakespeare's "Macbeth" unfold from a different perspective. It was a decent little story that other Shakespeare fans would appreciate.
October 21, 2021
It seems that I've started this three years in a row and now I've finally finished it.
Fair is Foul, and foul is fair
Hover through the fog and filthy air.
This is the story of the third witch, the youngest witch. It is a YA story of revenge. Under it all is an intriguing story which I wish was further developed and tied together more tidily.
Themes are touched on but never fully developed as women's vulnerability at the time, and danger for women branded as witches, inequity and hunger. I would have enjoyed the book more if issues of love, family and loyalty were better examined or if the consequences of youthful angst and impulsivity were examined by the main character.
As for what would truly have made this book better is eliminating 19 out of 20 times the word revenge was used.
Fair is Foul, and foul is fair
Hover through the fog and filthy air.
This is the story of the third witch, the youngest witch. It is a YA story of revenge. Under it all is an intriguing story which I wish was further developed and tied together more tidily.
Themes are touched on but never fully developed as women's vulnerability at the time, and danger for women branded as witches, inequity and hunger. I would have enjoyed the book more if issues of love, family and loyalty were better examined or if the consequences of youthful angst and impulsivity were examined by the main character.
As for what would truly have made this book better is eliminating 19 out of 20 times the word revenge was used.
May 11, 2022
Gilly lives in Birnam Wood with two "witches"--Nettle and Mad Helga. She seeks revenge against Macbeth for killing her father. She disguises herself as a boy to get work in the castle. The three women also play the roles of seers to set him on his path to destruction. But the body count grows higher than Gilly planned. In the end, however, Macbeth is destroyed--along with Lady Macbeth, who is Gilly's mother. Gilly's real name is Roah, and she is restored to her rank of princess. She also saves Fleance, Prince Malcolm, a boy named Pod and Lisette--bringing those last two into her new family with Nettle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2017
Wow this was great! What a smart novel to write. I felt like I was right back inside Macbeth as if Shakespeare wrote this himself. I think he would agree completely with the events of this novel. Even though you should read Macbeth and definitely need it to really appreciate his novel, I also think this can function independent of the original play. The only reason this isn't 5 stars is that Gilly annoyed me throughout the whole thing, was pretty obnoxious and ungrateful for everything she was putting everyone through. But I guess in the end she did good.
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