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The Well of Saint Nobody
William Barrow finds himself in lonely retirement in West Cork. Once an internationally renowned pianist, a terrible skin disease has attacked his hands and made it impossible for him to perform.
Tara is a piano teacher with barely enough pupils to pay the month's rent. In the local café, the elegant writing of a job advertisement catches her eye: 'WANTED. HOUSEKEEPER.'
She begins to work in William's house, keeping to herself the knowledge that they have met three times before, encounters that have changed her life. He is oblivious to this, while she spins tales of the well discovered in his back garden and of a mythical saint, of the healing powers of the water and the moss that surrounds it. But as the moss begins to heal William's troubled hands, the lines between legend and reality begin to blur, secrets resurface, and past and present collide in unexpected ways.
Gripping and lyrical, The Well of St Nobody is a marvellous new novel by the author of The Past, Night in Tunisia and Dream of a Beast.
Tara is a piano teacher with barely enough pupils to pay the month's rent. In the local café, the elegant writing of a job advertisement catches her eye: 'WANTED. HOUSEKEEPER.'
She begins to work in William's house, keeping to herself the knowledge that they have met three times before, encounters that have changed her life. He is oblivious to this, while she spins tales of the well discovered in his back garden and of a mythical saint, of the healing powers of the water and the moss that surrounds it. But as the moss begins to heal William's troubled hands, the lines between legend and reality begin to blur, secrets resurface, and past and present collide in unexpected ways.
Gripping and lyrical, The Well of St Nobody is a marvellous new novel by the author of The Past, Night in Tunisia and Dream of a Beast.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published August 3, 2023
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312 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
September 10, 2023
EXCERPT: To see him again, in the small West Cork village, in the windy end of March, at a table outside the coffee shop, one crabbed hand bent around a herbal tea, was quite a shock. The other hand was removing an untidy face mask, to enable him to bring the cup to his lips. So she could see that profile again, above the untidy clump of the blue face covering, tucked like a scarf around his chin. The hair that tumbled down the creased forehead was grey now. She had heard someone had bought the old archbishop's house, a musician of some kind, and had a mental image of some long-haired rock and roll guitarist still clinging to the sartorial style of the late seventies, with a leather pea coat, stacked heels and a pair of dark glasses to disguise those eyes that nobody would have recognized anyway.
But nothing could have prepared her for the sight of him, wrapped in a scarf and parka, the cuffs of his trousers riding too high, revealing unmatched socks and a pair of trainers that any teenager (or pensioner) might wear, looking windswept, irritable and unmistakably old.
ABOUT ' THE WELL OF SAINT NOBODY': William Barrow finds himself in lonely retirement in West Cork. Once an internationally renowned pianist, a terrible skin disease has attacked his hands and made it impossible for him to perform.
Tara is a piano teacher with barely enough pupils to pay the month's rent. In the local café, the elegant writing of a job advertisement catches her 'WANTED. HOUSEKEEPER.'
She begins to work in William's house, keeping to herself the knowledge that they have met three times before, encounters that have changed her life. He is oblivious to this, while she spins tales of the well discovered in his back garden and of a mythical saint, of the healing powers of the water and the moss that surrounds it. But as the moss begins to heal William's troubled hands, the lines between legend and reality begin to blur, secrets resurface, and past and present collide in unexpected ways.
MY THOUGHTS: I was initially enchanted by the writing in The Well of Saint Nobody, by the element of one person knowing all about the other and the other knowing nothing, but the writing seemed to lose impetus and, although I didn't lose interest completely it certainly waned. When Part Two began, I felt as if I was reading a completely different book, although it soon became (sort of) clear what the connection was.
Tara is an enigmatic character. She still had me puzzled at the end of the book. William seems awfully immature in some ways, but quite fey in others. If anything, I like his character more than hers. He was kinder.
I didn't feel any inherent 'Irishness' in The Well of Saint Nobody. Often when I am reading Irish fiction, I can hear the characters clearly in my head. It didn't happen with this read.
There were several niggling things that just didn't make sense to me concerning Tara's treatment of Will's hands. The most glaringly irritating one was that his hands were miraculously clear the day after the application of the moss. This was doubly disappointing after I read about the author's background - I would have expected far more attention to detail.
Overall, an okay read, but there was definitely the potential for this to have been far better.
⭐⭐.5
#TheWellOfStNobody #NetGalley
I: #neilpatrickjordan @headofzeus
X: #neilpatrickjordan @ HoZ_Books
THE AUTHOR: Neil Jordan is an Irish novelist and film director.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Head of Zeus via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Well of Saint Nobody for review. all opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
But nothing could have prepared her for the sight of him, wrapped in a scarf and parka, the cuffs of his trousers riding too high, revealing unmatched socks and a pair of trainers that any teenager (or pensioner) might wear, looking windswept, irritable and unmistakably old.
ABOUT ' THE WELL OF SAINT NOBODY': William Barrow finds himself in lonely retirement in West Cork. Once an internationally renowned pianist, a terrible skin disease has attacked his hands and made it impossible for him to perform.
Tara is a piano teacher with barely enough pupils to pay the month's rent. In the local café, the elegant writing of a job advertisement catches her 'WANTED. HOUSEKEEPER.'
She begins to work in William's house, keeping to herself the knowledge that they have met three times before, encounters that have changed her life. He is oblivious to this, while she spins tales of the well discovered in his back garden and of a mythical saint, of the healing powers of the water and the moss that surrounds it. But as the moss begins to heal William's troubled hands, the lines between legend and reality begin to blur, secrets resurface, and past and present collide in unexpected ways.
MY THOUGHTS: I was initially enchanted by the writing in The Well of Saint Nobody, by the element of one person knowing all about the other and the other knowing nothing, but the writing seemed to lose impetus and, although I didn't lose interest completely it certainly waned. When Part Two began, I felt as if I was reading a completely different book, although it soon became (sort of) clear what the connection was.
Tara is an enigmatic character. She still had me puzzled at the end of the book. William seems awfully immature in some ways, but quite fey in others. If anything, I like his character more than hers. He was kinder.
I didn't feel any inherent 'Irishness' in The Well of Saint Nobody. Often when I am reading Irish fiction, I can hear the characters clearly in my head. It didn't happen with this read.
There were several niggling things that just didn't make sense to me concerning Tara's treatment of Will's hands. The most glaringly irritating one was that his hands were miraculously clear the day after the application of the moss. This was doubly disappointing after I read about the author's background - I would have expected far more attention to detail.
Overall, an okay read, but there was definitely the potential for this to have been far better.
⭐⭐.5
#TheWellOfStNobody #NetGalley
I: #neilpatrickjordan @headofzeus
X: #neilpatrickjordan @ HoZ_Books
THE AUTHOR: Neil Jordan is an Irish novelist and film director.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Head of Zeus via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of The Well of Saint Nobody for review. all opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
August 21, 2023
The Well Od St Nobody is the tenth novel by award-winning Irish film director, screenwriter and author, Neil Jordan. Back in her West Cork hometown of Orran to fix up her late mother’s somewhat ruined cottage, piano teacher Tara Stafford immediately knows the ageing celebrity pianist sitting outside the caff, even if he doesn’t recognise her. Although he can no longer play due to the severe effects of psoriatic arthritis on his hands, William Barrow has lost none of his poise or grace, nor his excess of narcissism.
He's bought The Rectory, and puts up an ad for a housekeeper/cook. Her lessons with the village children don’t bring a lot in, so she answers the ad. They’ve met three times before, but he remains oblivious, “a narcissistic celebrity, who forgot most of those who crossed his path.”
When he stumbles upon the well in the back garden, she tells him about the legend: a girl with a blemish, healing moss, a saint... “it had leapt unbidden into the half-aware bits of her brain, like a frog from a rainy pond. Or the waters of a well, would you believe” and if she’s honest, she’ll admit there might be an element of revenge involved, revenge for what happened after their last encounter.
He should be sceptical, but goes along with it. Then, when the moss from the well begins to heal his hands, Tara half wonders if it might be real. And keeping her silence about their shared history gets harder with every encounter…
When a stranger turns up in the village, several things lead Tara to take him at face value. But what of “the dead one whose name he had taken, whose person he was wearing like a borrowed cloak”?
Jordan gives the reader a plot that initially seems fairly predictable, but soon takes an unexpected turn or two, giving the tale a darker hue. His characters are interesting, much more than one-dimensional, some parts are blackly funny, and he treats the reader to some gorgeous descriptive prose. Readers unfamiliar with Jordan’s work will definitely be seeking out his backlist after reading this wonderfully written novel.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Head of Zeus.
He's bought The Rectory, and puts up an ad for a housekeeper/cook. Her lessons with the village children don’t bring a lot in, so she answers the ad. They’ve met three times before, but he remains oblivious, “a narcissistic celebrity, who forgot most of those who crossed his path.”
When he stumbles upon the well in the back garden, she tells him about the legend: a girl with a blemish, healing moss, a saint... “it had leapt unbidden into the half-aware bits of her brain, like a frog from a rainy pond. Or the waters of a well, would you believe” and if she’s honest, she’ll admit there might be an element of revenge involved, revenge for what happened after their last encounter.
He should be sceptical, but goes along with it. Then, when the moss from the well begins to heal his hands, Tara half wonders if it might be real. And keeping her silence about their shared history gets harder with every encounter…
When a stranger turns up in the village, several things lead Tara to take him at face value. But what of “the dead one whose name he had taken, whose person he was wearing like a borrowed cloak”?
Jordan gives the reader a plot that initially seems fairly predictable, but soon takes an unexpected turn or two, giving the tale a darker hue. His characters are interesting, much more than one-dimensional, some parts are blackly funny, and he treats the reader to some gorgeous descriptive prose. Readers unfamiliar with Jordan’s work will definitely be seeking out his backlist after reading this wonderfully written novel.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Head of Zeus.
August 3, 2023
William Barrow finds himself in lonely retirement in West Cork. Once an internationally renowned pianist, a terrible skin disease has attacked his hands and made it impossible for him to perform.
Tara is a piano teacher with barely enough pupils to pay the month's rent. In the local cafe, the elegant writing of a job advertisement catches her eye: 'WANTED. HOUSEKEEPER.'
She begins work at William's house, keeping to herself the knowledge that they have met three times before, encounters that have changed her life. He is oblivious to this, while she spins tales of the well discovered in his back garden and of a mythical saint, of the healing powers of the moss and the waters that surround it.
The pace is steady, the plotline was interesting, and the characters were well developed. I like to read something different to my normal thrillers and this book fitted in perfectly. This is a well written, mythical tale that held my attention throughout.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HeadofZeus #Apollo and the author #NeilJordan for my ARC pf #TheWellOfSaintNobody in exchange for an honest review.
Tara is a piano teacher with barely enough pupils to pay the month's rent. In the local cafe, the elegant writing of a job advertisement catches her eye: 'WANTED. HOUSEKEEPER.'
She begins work at William's house, keeping to herself the knowledge that they have met three times before, encounters that have changed her life. He is oblivious to this, while she spins tales of the well discovered in his back garden and of a mythical saint, of the healing powers of the moss and the waters that surround it.
The pace is steady, the plotline was interesting, and the characters were well developed. I like to read something different to my normal thrillers and this book fitted in perfectly. This is a well written, mythical tale that held my attention throughout.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HeadofZeus #Apollo and the author #NeilJordan for my ARC pf #TheWellOfSaintNobody in exchange for an honest review.
July 9, 2023
An old pianist moves into an old rectory after he can no longer perform due to a severe skin disease. A woman in the town, Tara, who lives alone has met the pianist three times before, but he has never remembered. And in the yard of the rectory is an old well that Tara creates a legend for. This is how the story pretty much begins and I was drawn in both by the writing and the curious scenario. I found it hard to put down as the story travels in some unexpected directions. An excellent read.
August 14, 2023
Neil Jordan is probably best known as a film director and there are distinct visual qualities throughout The Well of Saint Nobody. As a writer, he knows how to frame a scene without labouring it: this results in a subtle novel. Essentially, this is the story of Tara, a piano teacher, and William, a concert pianist who is suffering from arthritic eczema. But a love story this is not. At the centre of the story is a holy well, a darkness that represents the hidden depths in the two main characters, a metaphor that Jordan handles skilfully. A story-teller creates fictions and, as the novel progresses, Jordan allows Tara to become her own story-teller, spinning tales that others fabricate, but never fill in: like the well, her narrative deepens, grows, and flows through subterranean depths to a place where truth outs. The Well of Saint Nobody is clever, without being showy, and is a polished performance piece worthy of William, the maestro.
August 3, 2023
“ Do eyes change over the years, she wondered, and when the door finally creaked open, she realized his had not.”
This story is unlike others I have read. It shows the mystery of life, the ups and downs and the magic one can create if they start to believe in it.
I really liked this unique story, well written with realistic and relatable characters. It shows how a well known pianist loses his strength and is depended on a woman , her feelings he broke years ago. It also shows how a heart broken woman, still in love with that famous pianist, makes up a legend just to give hope to him.
How magic and mystery unravel in this unique story. I really loved it!
This story is unlike others I have read. It shows the mystery of life, the ups and downs and the magic one can create if they start to believe in it.
I really liked this unique story, well written with realistic and relatable characters. It shows how a well known pianist loses his strength and is depended on a woman , her feelings he broke years ago. It also shows how a heart broken woman, still in love with that famous pianist, makes up a legend just to give hope to him.
How magic and mystery unravel in this unique story. I really loved it!
August 6, 2023
An enjoyable tale that’s full to the brim with Irish folksy charm and more than a hint of myth (or is that blarney?) It’s refreshingly unconventional compared to much of the standard trope these days and I enjoyed its contemporary, cultural, and linguistic allusions. This was also the first novel I have read since the pandemic to have referenced face masks.
It did take a little while to get going and might have benefitted from being more clipped, less loquacious. That said, a pleasant weekend read.
My thanks as ever to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for granting this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It did take a little while to get going and might have benefitted from being more clipped, less loquacious. That said, a pleasant weekend read.
My thanks as ever to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for granting this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 4, 2023
I’m always a little wary of books that seem to include an element of magical realism but in this case I was pleasantly surprised – although others may be disappointed – that it features relatively little in the story, or none at all depending on how you feel about the seemingly healing powers of the moss that grows on the walls of the ancient well. For me, it was much more a story about relationships although, later in the book, it briefly takes a more dramatic turn.
There’s a strong theme of storytelling in the book. For example, Tara’s recounting of the legend of the well takes on a life of its own as people become enthralled by the story and invest in its seemingly preternatural powers. Tara herself is, in a way, yearning for discovery of her own story, hoping to provoke a memory that, for a long time, seems unlikely to happen. Storytelling often involves invention and that too features in the book. If this is all sounding rather cryptic then that’s because I don’t want to give too much away.
The Well of Saint Nobody is a gentle, touching story about healing: physical, mental and emotional. Whether there’s magic involved I leave up to you to decide.
There’s a strong theme of storytelling in the book. For example, Tara’s recounting of the legend of the well takes on a life of its own as people become enthralled by the story and invest in its seemingly preternatural powers. Tara herself is, in a way, yearning for discovery of her own story, hoping to provoke a memory that, for a long time, seems unlikely to happen. Storytelling often involves invention and that too features in the book. If this is all sounding rather cryptic then that’s because I don’t want to give too much away.
The Well of Saint Nobody is a gentle, touching story about healing: physical, mental and emotional. Whether there’s magic involved I leave up to you to decide.
March 29, 2023
The Well of St Nobody started well. I was interested in William and Tara and their relationship. However, once Part Two began, I found my interest waning as the story descended into melodrama. It just all felt too over the top and too sudden after the slow start that focused on the characters and their emotions. In the afterword, the author noted the influence of two films on the story, and I wonder if some of the problem was trying to stitch both sources of inspiration together. Had the story continued in the same vein as Part One throughout, I would likely be giving it four stars, but because of the turn taken in Part Two, it was only a three-star read for me overall.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 14, 2024
the story took a strange direction about halfway in which I found disconnected me from a book I was enjoying very much up to then
April 8, 2023
I enjoyed this at the beginning, the interplay between two musicians, one successful, one less so, the apparent cat-and-mouse element to the plot, the atmosphere of the West Cork village. But the story took a different direction from what I was expecting (can't really say what without spoilers) going a bit mystical and (for me) losing momentum. Nice writing but I struggled to stay engaged in the story.
November 11, 2024
I don’t write reviews on here but I’ve made an exception for this book. The premise sounded really interesting, but unfortunately the execution was just bizarrely bad but particularly in terms of the way this author writes his female characters.
I’ve got no idea why he thinks that a woman would want to lick the crusty “old man saliva” from the corner of an elderly man’s mouth. The female protagonist describes an unhappy past relationship as “a mild version of rape”. Multiple descriptions of a grown woman looking like a “teenage girl” in her raincoat, the only thing giving her away plenty of references to her greying hair. One of the characters seeing the female protagonist riding her bike thinking “she cycles like a mother”?!
What even is this book. Has this author met a woman before. What does mother cycling look like?
The dialogue was also very painful. No indication of who was saying what. Conversations void of emotions. A painful read.
Would not recommend.
I’ve got no idea why he thinks that a woman would want to lick the crusty “old man saliva” from the corner of an elderly man’s mouth. The female protagonist describes an unhappy past relationship as “a mild version of rape”. Multiple descriptions of a grown woman looking like a “teenage girl” in her raincoat, the only thing giving her away plenty of references to her greying hair. One of the characters seeing the female protagonist riding her bike thinking “she cycles like a mother”?!
What even is this book. Has this author met a woman before. What does mother cycling look like?
The dialogue was also very painful. No indication of who was saying what. Conversations void of emotions. A painful read.
Would not recommend.
October 16, 2023
It’s a bit of a creeper. The story seems much smaller at the outset and then deepens and expands, as all great stories do, into a kind of modern fable.
It’s set in a West Cork village and concerns a middle-age piano teacher who realizes a new arrival in town is a former lover—a professional concert pianist—who doesn’t recognize her. From this middle age meet-cute springs a magical tale about secrets we keep from ourselves, the stories we share with the world, and an ancient well that might hold the secret to everything.
Jordan has a knack for dialogue and I loved it when his characters got to talking with each other. I listened to the audio book read by the Irish actor Stephen Rea, and if that Jordan-Rea combination seems familiar it should. They both worked together 30 years together on The Crying Game, which Jordan wrote and directed and Rea starred in, and have collaborated many times since, and here they are still working together, which fills me with a kind of hope I'm powerless to name.
It’s set in a West Cork village and concerns a middle-age piano teacher who realizes a new arrival in town is a former lover—a professional concert pianist—who doesn’t recognize her. From this middle age meet-cute springs a magical tale about secrets we keep from ourselves, the stories we share with the world, and an ancient well that might hold the secret to everything.
Jordan has a knack for dialogue and I loved it when his characters got to talking with each other. I listened to the audio book read by the Irish actor Stephen Rea, and if that Jordan-Rea combination seems familiar it should. They both worked together 30 years together on The Crying Game, which Jordan wrote and directed and Rea starred in, and have collaborated many times since, and here they are still working together, which fills me with a kind of hope I'm powerless to name.
September 13, 2024
A bit of a slow start, but things gradually become clearer and you want to keep reading.
September 26, 2023
Tara is working as a piano teacher in a small village in West Cork, when she starts a new job as a part-time housekeeper to William Barrow, an international pianist forced into retirement, following an illness which means he can no longer play. Tara and William – although he doesn’t remember – have history, and as the story progresses unexpected secrets and lies come to the surface with some surprising twists. A slow burn, but I love this authors writing and the unexpected turn that the novel takes its latter part. I’ll be looking for other novels by this author. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel in return for an honest review.
August 10, 2023
A very different tale well told. Tara is a vey interesting character. It is hard to decide whether she is a good person or someone happy to do cruel and illegal things. Tara's treatment of William - deserved or not! - is suspect to say the least. Her plans seem to indicate she wants to fleece him and uses her ex-partner achieve this even more. Her invention of a myth both benefits William - and others - and show how belief in something affects so many. Does it show gullibility or what faith can achieve? William is too trusting or too gullible?
A little too neatly finished? Three and a half stars for me!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Neil Jordan/Head of Zeus for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
A little too neatly finished? Three and a half stars for me!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Neil Jordan/Head of Zeus for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
September 26, 2024
I had high hopes for this story. I love folklore and mythology and ancient sacred sites such as wells.
But sadly, the references to Covid and mask-wearing on almost every page were highly annoying, and actually making it part of the storyline and dialogue was extremely distasteful. Like the author is a mouthpiece for the State, subliminally promoting the nonsense.
I also found the dialogue weird and difficult to follow.
I won't be reading any more of this author's work.
But sadly, the references to Covid and mask-wearing on almost every page were highly annoying, and actually making it part of the storyline and dialogue was extremely distasteful. Like the author is a mouthpiece for the State, subliminally promoting the nonsense.
I also found the dialogue weird and difficult to follow.
I won't be reading any more of this author's work.
September 27, 2023
Well this was only the kind of book that made me wonder why I'd not read this author in about thirty years. His not exactly being prolific is, of course, a defence, but all the same. She is middle-aged, the inheritor of a cottage in Co Cork, Ireland. He is slightly older, an English ex-pianist, whose concert-giving days are over. She spots him – an event which is not returned – and finds that he has asked for domestic help in his old but newly-bought rectory. She is perfectly happy to stop teaching piano to greasy kids, and attend to him – him and his horrendously wrecked hands. For she and he have a past – three times they met, three times more maturely and more intimately, over her formative years, and yet three times he completely forgot her. As she wonders how much of her changed between each encounter, this one is sustained, especially as he practically stumbles on a way for her to pay attention to said hands – the hidden well of the title, which she immediately declares is health-giving. But his health and his hands are not what she is there for, as something must be avenged…
This is just a most readable book – a serious subject, played seriously, but done with a lightness and breeziness about the language that it all feels tight and relevant and engaging, however flashbacky and mystical it might end up getting. He is a narcissist, we're often told, and yet while his hands are crook our attitude to him is one of varying sympathy. She is not a showy character either, despite what we are told are fine legs under her omnipresent red jacket, and the fact she is still forming a new balance to her relationship with the builder she has just kicked out. Oh, and then, what's this? Part Two, with a huge rug-pulling shift? Oh, well, then – let's run with that.
This might not be one of the books I absolutely love unreservedly, but damn it, every time I see it in a bookshop I will want to pick it up in admiration, flick the pages, perhaps read the blurb and put it down happy, as if having met once more an old friend. Full of unshowy invention – much like the Satie Gnossienne #1 mentioned so often – this might be familiar and understandable (especially as it starts with concerns about effing covid face nappies) and yet it's really rich, adaptable, and open to personal interpretation. To repeat, I found depths in this that utterly contrasted with the ease of the page turning, and for that I was really appreciative of my time between these covers. It has to be four and a half stars, and might be more, so put it in your messages and get a copy.
This is just a most readable book – a serious subject, played seriously, but done with a lightness and breeziness about the language that it all feels tight and relevant and engaging, however flashbacky and mystical it might end up getting. He is a narcissist, we're often told, and yet while his hands are crook our attitude to him is one of varying sympathy. She is not a showy character either, despite what we are told are fine legs under her omnipresent red jacket, and the fact she is still forming a new balance to her relationship with the builder she has just kicked out. Oh, and then, what's this? Part Two, with a huge rug-pulling shift? Oh, well, then – let's run with that.
This might not be one of the books I absolutely love unreservedly, but damn it, every time I see it in a bookshop I will want to pick it up in admiration, flick the pages, perhaps read the blurb and put it down happy, as if having met once more an old friend. Full of unshowy invention – much like the Satie Gnossienne #1 mentioned so often – this might be familiar and understandable (especially as it starts with concerns about effing covid face nappies) and yet it's really rich, adaptable, and open to personal interpretation. To repeat, I found depths in this that utterly contrasted with the ease of the page turning, and for that I was really appreciative of my time between these covers. It has to be four and a half stars, and might be more, so put it in your messages and get a copy.
October 20, 2023
The Synopsis of the book captured my imagination: I was browsing in the bookshop at Dublin airport and I needed another book to read on my holidays. I like magical realism. The synopsis explained that the story was taking place in a West Corkian village and the magical element of a healing well was intriguing. However, it turned out to be a bad attempt at mixing modern narratives with classical mythology or legend.
The novel is divided into 2 parts. The first part is very slow-paced and delves into the emotions of two main characters: William, a retiring internationally acclaimed pianist suffering from psoriasis, and Tara, a middle-aged piano teacher who had a one-night stand with William. William does not remember her. The writing is beautiful, there is no question about this (though not simple) and I could feel I was getting invested in the characters. Jordan has indeed done a good job at portraying the dichotomy in Tara and I am still pondering whether she is a good person or not. There is an attempt at bringing in the magic with the hares, the moss, the well but to be honest, it didn't work very well for me. It lacked texture and depth.
As for the second part of the book, it is like reading a different book. The fast-paced plot turns into a real soap opera type of melodrama, really stretching my credibility. I got really bored and I struggled to finish the book. The characters were not believable, neither was the plot. Very disappointed.
The novel is divided into 2 parts. The first part is very slow-paced and delves into the emotions of two main characters: William, a retiring internationally acclaimed pianist suffering from psoriasis, and Tara, a middle-aged piano teacher who had a one-night stand with William. William does not remember her. The writing is beautiful, there is no question about this (though not simple) and I could feel I was getting invested in the characters. Jordan has indeed done a good job at portraying the dichotomy in Tara and I am still pondering whether she is a good person or not. There is an attempt at bringing in the magic with the hares, the moss, the well but to be honest, it didn't work very well for me. It lacked texture and depth.
As for the second part of the book, it is like reading a different book. The fast-paced plot turns into a real soap opera type of melodrama, really stretching my credibility. I got really bored and I struggled to finish the book. The characters were not believable, neither was the plot. Very disappointed.
July 5, 2023
On one hand, this is almost a fable about how a 'legend' can take flight. On the other hand it is a story about the relationship between William and Tara. William is - or was - a concert pianist who is now unable to play because of a skin disease that has attacked his hands and so has isolated himself to an old rectory in Cork. Tara is a piano teacher who answers William's advert for a housekeeper. what she does not tell him is that they have previously met - not once but three times - meetings that have changes her life although he is unaware. She tells him a tale about a newly discovered well at the bottom of the garden, a tale about healing powers and saints - a fabrication. However when William's hands start to heal, the boundaries between truth and fiction start to blur and secrets start to be revealed. This is a charming little tale and in the beginning, I found both characters unlikeable. I resented the way that Tara was 'playing' with William and I was annoyed - on Tara's behalf - that William didn't recognise her. However, as the story develops, different sides of these two emerge and by the end, I was a fan of William. Just as the well healed William, so my emotions were transformed by the end.
July 27, 2023
The Well of Saint Nobody is a slow burn of a book. Written by Neil Jordan (yes, that multi-hyphenate Neil Jordan, writer and director of The Crying Game, among others), we know we're in for some drama, some thrills, some twists.
We get to know William, with his cracked and flaky and almost useless hands (not great for a pianist), and Tara, local piano teacher, as the layers of their stories are gradually revealed. They discover the titular well in William's unkempt garden, driving the narrative.
This part of the story flits back and forth between the two perspectives, sometimes in rapid succession. The thoughts of William are immediately contrasted with those of Tara. They're captured perfectly as they dance around their discovery of each other.
Things take a turn in part 2 with the introduction of a third character who propels the rest of the story. The direction is unexpected and kept me guessing through the end.
I liked the rich character development, the dense prose, the moody setting (lots of wind and rain in the spring in West Cork). Turns out Jordan has written several novels. The TBR pile keeps getting bigger...
My thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus / Apollo Fiction for the ARC. The Well of Saint Nobody will be published in August 2023.
We get to know William, with his cracked and flaky and almost useless hands (not great for a pianist), and Tara, local piano teacher, as the layers of their stories are gradually revealed. They discover the titular well in William's unkempt garden, driving the narrative.
This part of the story flits back and forth between the two perspectives, sometimes in rapid succession. The thoughts of William are immediately contrasted with those of Tara. They're captured perfectly as they dance around their discovery of each other.
Things take a turn in part 2 with the introduction of a third character who propels the rest of the story. The direction is unexpected and kept me guessing through the end.
I liked the rich character development, the dense prose, the moody setting (lots of wind and rain in the spring in West Cork). Turns out Jordan has written several novels. The TBR pile keeps getting bigger...
My thanks to NetGalley and Head of Zeus / Apollo Fiction for the ARC. The Well of Saint Nobody will be published in August 2023.
September 30, 2023
William Barrow, an internationally acclaimed pianist, is forced to go into retirement when his hands are ruined due to an acute attack of psoriasis. He retreats to a house in rural West Cork, Ireland and advertises for a housekeeper. Tara is a middle-aged piano teacher who instantly recognises that she has met William before, on three occasions, the last resulting in a one-night stand. She applies for the position but William doesn’t recognise her. When they discover an old well in the garden, they become more closely drawn to each other and gradually the reader learns more about their pasts and watches as their relationship develops. The first half of the book worked for me. I was invested in what was happening and wanted to accompany them on their journey. But the second half of the book was a let-down, with the plot evolving into something of a soap opera and with some of the incidents stretching my credulity. It’s a well-written book, well-plotted although perhaps a little slow, but the conceit of the eponymous well didn’t work for me and the hint of melodrama that comes in towards the end negated the promise of the early chapters. I quite enjoyed it overall, and wanted to know how everything panned out, but was let down by the sentimental ending.
July 26, 2023
I loved the concept for this story and the role the well played in the plotlines: the way Jordan blends the harshness of reality with the wish-granting, miracle-working element that the characters just accept as part of the odd world. It becomes so normal in a story that explores the everyday way people shrug in and out of different characters throughout life and I loved that. Life is multi-layered and bizarre and this felt like a celebration of that. I particularly liked the main character, Tara, who epitomised the many-lives within one idea.
I would say the plot was a little disjointed and didn't quite flow like I would have liked, but the biggest problem for me in this book was the English aspect. William is English and he spoke like he was in the 1800s...also, some of the book is set in Brighton and, having lived in Brighton, I kept being jarred out of the story by walking through a city I didn't recognise at all. As an English ex-Brightonian, I wasn't convinced. Neither by the setting, nor the Englishness. Generally, this wasn't a big deal, but it was annoying as it kept pulling me out of the story.
I would say the plot was a little disjointed and didn't quite flow like I would have liked, but the biggest problem for me in this book was the English aspect. William is English and he spoke like he was in the 1800s...also, some of the book is set in Brighton and, having lived in Brighton, I kept being jarred out of the story by walking through a city I didn't recognise at all. As an English ex-Brightonian, I wasn't convinced. Neither by the setting, nor the Englishness. Generally, this wasn't a big deal, but it was annoying as it kept pulling me out of the story.
August 3, 2023
Tara spots William drinking tea outside her local café, she is taken aback. He doesn’t recognise her of course, although he has met her three times previously in life. But she has always remembered him. He used to be a famous pianist, she wasn’t famous, that’s probably why.
William advertises for a housekeeper, Tara applies. This will be her fourth encounter with William, will he remember her this time around?
The book is written in the time period towards the end of the Covid pandemic,
It does move back in time recalling the previous times their paths had crossed.
William finds a Well in the garden of the Rectory, his new home.
Living in a small coastal Town, Tara soon has word of this well spreading like Chinese whispers. It wasn’t her intention.
Was story telling of years gone by started this way? I presume so, with perhaps alterations along the way as stories carry. It had me wondering as I was reading this.
The book is not all about the Well, it is about people, life choices. A strong vocabulary of words, very descriptive writing. I enjoyed reading it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.
William advertises for a housekeeper, Tara applies. This will be her fourth encounter with William, will he remember her this time around?
The book is written in the time period towards the end of the Covid pandemic,
It does move back in time recalling the previous times their paths had crossed.
William finds a Well in the garden of the Rectory, his new home.
Living in a small coastal Town, Tara soon has word of this well spreading like Chinese whispers. It wasn’t her intention.
Was story telling of years gone by started this way? I presume so, with perhaps alterations along the way as stories carry. It had me wondering as I was reading this.
The book is not all about the Well, it is about people, life choices. A strong vocabulary of words, very descriptive writing. I enjoyed reading it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for an advanced e-book copy. Opinions about the book are entirely my own.
August 20, 2023
Set in West Cork, Tara is living in a house left to her in her mothers will. She is a musician and now teaches children the piano. In a cafe, she is suprised by a man who has been part of her past, who is living in the old rectory . When he advertises for a housekeeper, she offers to fill the position and is in some ways upset that he does not recognize her. They discover an old well in the grounds which is also involved in the story .Tara has a big secret which relates to their past and which is revealed . This has repercussions on their lives.
I found the writing style easy to read, although told from multiple points of view, the plot could be followed and made sense. It is set during lockdown, so that adds an extra dimension to the first part of the book. The characters are interesting. The location is not really described in great detail, though you do get an impression of life in the area by the description of where events take place and reactions of others in the village . It might help to have some understanding of life in Ireland , the humour there and Irish mythology .
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
I found the writing style easy to read, although told from multiple points of view, the plot could be followed and made sense. It is set during lockdown, so that adds an extra dimension to the first part of the book. The characters are interesting. The location is not really described in great detail, though you do get an impression of life in the area by the description of where events take place and reactions of others in the village . It might help to have some understanding of life in Ireland , the humour there and Irish mythology .
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
June 8, 2023
[Provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review]
The Well of Saint Nobody is a captivating book with gripping characters. Readers will find themselves immersed in the lives of this unlikely family. The flashbacks throughout the story add depth and intrigue to the narrative. The book is slightly spooky in a refreshing way. This is a series of very unlikely events, but they do not feel gimmicky. With its fast-paced nature, it proves to be a quick and engaging read. However, I feel like the description of the well lacks depth, leaving readers with an incomplete understanding of its significance, and some sentences could benefit from a clearer purpose. Despite these minor drawbacks, The Well of Saint Nobody remains an enjoyable and captivating tale.
The Well of Saint Nobody is a captivating book with gripping characters. Readers will find themselves immersed in the lives of this unlikely family. The flashbacks throughout the story add depth and intrigue to the narrative. The book is slightly spooky in a refreshing way. This is a series of very unlikely events, but they do not feel gimmicky. With its fast-paced nature, it proves to be a quick and engaging read. However, I feel like the description of the well lacks depth, leaving readers with an incomplete understanding of its significance, and some sentences could benefit from a clearer purpose. Despite these minor drawbacks, The Well of Saint Nobody remains an enjoyable and captivating tale.
July 30, 2023
When a newcomer to the small town in Cork puts an advert in the café for a housekeeper, he had no idea that the woman who would take the job knew him from before and has a secret.
William is a famous pianist, but cannot play anymore due to sever psoriasis on his hands, Tara becomes his housekeeper and rescues him when he falls in a hidden well in his garden. Under a ruse she tells him that the well has a legend of healing and convinces him to let her put the moss from the well on his hands. She is dumbfounded when it works, but it attracts other people.
Meanwhile, the things that she hasn't told him are going to cause problems for them and she has to come clean.
This is a tale of revenge, retribution and rehabilitation. A nice easy read.
William is a famous pianist, but cannot play anymore due to sever psoriasis on his hands, Tara becomes his housekeeper and rescues him when he falls in a hidden well in his garden. Under a ruse she tells him that the well has a legend of healing and convinces him to let her put the moss from the well on his hands. She is dumbfounded when it works, but it attracts other people.
Meanwhile, the things that she hasn't told him are going to cause problems for them and she has to come clean.
This is a tale of revenge, retribution and rehabilitation. A nice easy read.
June 22, 2024
This is an astonishing novel. I didn't even know that Neil Jordan was a novelist until I read a Guardian interview with him. It is, unsurprisingly, packed with story and imagery. What sets off as a rather literary, pastoral type of story about two ageing individuals who meet in Ireland and are drawn together soon becomes something much bigger. One, a famous concert pianist, the other, a lowly piano teacher who never 'made the grade'. The writing is exquisite and there's just a touch of magic in the air with a lost well and healing moss. But then, at the halfway point, the story changes and becomes gritty, real, almost threatening. Some folk didn't like this change but it is symptomatic of the very best story-telling. The reader is forced to confront subjects that are uncomfortable and unwelcome. I can't recommend this enough. If you don't like it, then we can't be friends.
January 12, 2025
I read a review of this novel which attracted me. When I began reading it I found that I already knew what happened in the first hundred pages or so from that review. But, then the story changed radically and the book became a different kind of novel, more like the screenplay for a film. However, I persisted, finding it an easy and quick read. I didn't like Neil Jordan's perpetuation of the cliché of the wily and mendacious Irish peasant gulling and fleecing the educated, wealthy, but ultimately naive Englishman. I don't want to believe that this form of racism, which is inherently insulting to both the Irish and the English, is still thriving in southern Ireland. But, in the novel the author actually contrives for both sides to be duped themselves by none other than a wily Scot! This said, I did enjoy the novel, and would be interested in seeing it made into a movie or television drama where its plot might work better.
July 29, 2023
This started off slowly and I wasn't sure I would enjoy it. The language at the start was a bit confusing also. But as the story moved along, I warmed to the rhythm and embraced the quirky nature of the plot and characters. It was refreshing to delve into a plot that didn't sound like a million others I've read before. The characters were described in a way that led me to accept them as they were, faults included. Part 1 could have stood alone as a book by itself but the inclusion of Part 2 really elevated this novel to a more fascinating and complex tangle of lives.
I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
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