What do you think?
Rate this book
Jacob's well: A novel
Originally published in 1984, Stephen Harrigan's passionate, emotionally intense second novel takes readers deep into the mysterious passageways of a Central Texas aquifer--and of the human heart. This edition includes a new afterword by the author.
- GenresFiction
286 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1984
25 people are currently reading
132 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Harrigan
28 books196 followersStephen Harrigan was born in Oklahoma City in 1948 and has lived in Texas since the age of five, growing up in Abilene and Corpus Christi.
He is a longtime writer for Texas Monthly, and his articles and essays have appeared in a wide range of other publications as well, including The Atlantic, Outside, The New York Times Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Audubon, Travel Holiday, Life, American History, National Geographic and Slate. His film column for Texas Monthly was a finalist for the 2015 National Magazine Awards.
Harrigan is the author of nine books of fiction and non-fiction, including The Gates of the Alamo, which became a New York Times bestseller and Notable Book, and received a number of awards, including the TCU Texas Book Award, the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and the Spur Award for Best Novel of the West.Remember Ben Clayton was published by Knopf in 2011 and praised by Booklist as a "stunning work of art" and by The Wall Street Journal as a "a poignantly human monument to our history." Remember Ben Clayton also won a Spur Award, as well as the Jesse H. Jones Award from the Texas Institute of Letters and the James Fenimore Cooper Prize, given by the Society of American Historians for the best work of historical fiction. In the Spring of 2013, the University of Texas Press published a career-spanning volume of his essays, The Eye of the Mammoth, which reviewers called “masterful” (from a starred review in Publishers Weekly), “enchanting and irresistible” (the Dallas Morning News) and written with “acuity and matchless prose.”(Booklist). His latest novel is A Friend of Mr. Lincoln.
Among the many movies Harrigan has written for television are HBO’s award-winning The Last of His Tribe, starring Jon Voight and Graham Greene, and King of Texas, a western retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear for TNT, which starred Patrick Stewart, Marcia Gay Harden, and Roy Scheider. His most recent television production was The Colt, an adaptation of a short story by the Nobel-prize winning author Mikhail Sholokhov, which aired on The Hallmark Channel. For his screenplay of The Colt, Harrigan was nominated for a Writers Guild Award and the Humanitas Prize. Young Caesar, a feature adaptation of Conn Iggulden’s Emperor novels, which he co-wrote with William Broyles, Jr., is currently in development with Exclusive Media.
A 1971 graduate of the University of Texas, Harrigan lives in Austin, where he is a faculty fellow at UT’s James A. Michener Center for Writers and a writer-at-large for Texas Monthly. He is also a founding member of CAST (Capital Area Statues, Inc.) an organization in Austin that commissions monumental works of art as gifts to the city. He is the recipient of the Texas Book Festival’s Texas Writers Award, the Lon Tinkle Award for lifetime achievement from the Texas Institute of Letters, and was recently inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame. Stephen Harrigan and his wife Sue Ellen have three daughters and four grandchildren.
Harrigan is the author of nine books of fiction and non-fiction, including The Gates of the Alamo, which became a New York Times bestseller and Notable Book, and received a number of awards, including the TCU Texas Book Award, the Western Heritage Award from the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and the Spur Award for Best Novel of the West.Remember Ben Clayton was published by Knopf in 2011 and praised by Booklist as a "stunning work of art" and by The Wall Street Journal as a "a poignantly human monument to our history." Remember Ben Clayton also won a Spur Award, as well as the Jesse H. Jones Award from the Texas Institute of Letters and the James Fenimore Cooper Prize, given by the Society of American Historians for the best work of historical fiction. In the Spring of 2013, the University of Texas Press published a career-spanning volume of his essays, The Eye of the Mammoth, which reviewers called “masterful” (from a starred review in Publishers Weekly), “enchanting and irresistible” (the Dallas Morning News) and written with “acuity and matchless prose.”(Booklist). His latest novel is A Friend of Mr. Lincoln.
Among the many movies Harrigan has written for television are HBO’s award-winning The Last of His Tribe, starring Jon Voight and Graham Greene, and King of Texas, a western retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear for TNT, which starred Patrick Stewart, Marcia Gay Harden, and Roy Scheider. His most recent television production was The Colt, an adaptation of a short story by the Nobel-prize winning author Mikhail Sholokhov, which aired on The Hallmark Channel. For his screenplay of The Colt, Harrigan was nominated for a Writers Guild Award and the Humanitas Prize. Young Caesar, a feature adaptation of Conn Iggulden’s Emperor novels, which he co-wrote with William Broyles, Jr., is currently in development with Exclusive Media.
A 1971 graduate of the University of Texas, Harrigan lives in Austin, where he is a faculty fellow at UT’s James A. Michener Center for Writers and a writer-at-large for Texas Monthly. He is also a founding member of CAST (Capital Area Statues, Inc.) an organization in Austin that commissions monumental works of art as gifts to the city. He is the recipient of the Texas Book Festival’s Texas Writers Award, the Lon Tinkle Award for lifetime achievement from the Texas Institute of Letters, and was recently inducted into the Texas Literary Hall of Fame. Stephen Harrigan and his wife Sue Ellen have three daughters and four grandchildren.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 25, 2018
Just finished the first of my Christmas books, Jacob's Well by Stephen Harrigan. This is a story that is based around a fictionalization of a very real place, the once mysterious Jacob's Well in Wimberly, TX. As a caver I have known about the Well for years, mostly because of the often gruesome accident/fatality reports I would often read. Gruesome events, yes, but they're the sort of things that occasionally inspire someone to write a book, and if we're fortunate, it's a good one and we get to read it.
Now as it happens, author Harrigan was one of the divers who had the sad duty to participate on a body recovery in Jacob's Well many moons ago, and he turned the memories of this unfortunate experience into a really remarkable story. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this is just the sort of book that reminds me how much I enjoy reading, and how much I wish I could write so well...it really is that good. That it revolves around diving and particularly cave diving is purely incidental, unlike other such books I've read...I'm thinking David Poyer's Down to a Sunless Sea here, where the locale and the activity is central to the progression of the story. In Harrigan's work the interest is in the characters and their often complex relationship to one another. The characterization is as deep as the well itself, and the primary antagonists are all fascinating and not at all cliche'd. Nicely done.
As to the story itself, I must confess this is one of those works that once you get to the end, you are tempted to rush through it, especially if you're approaching the finish at 11 PM as I did. DON'T DO IT! Trust me, put the book down and finish it when you're lucid! The last thirty or forty pages are as gripping as any contemporary suspense novel you've ever read...this despite the fact that Harrigan's work was originally published in 1984. You're going to want to enjoy this denouement, savor it.
Jacob's Well has aged remarkably well, and maintains its sense of mystery throughout as much as the real Jacob's Well has through the years. Of course the fact is that the Well has been explored rather completely over the course of the past ten to fifteen years...weirdly, that original sense mystery still remains. What's around the next corner? Can we squeeze past that obstruction? Does the passage end, or will it continue for miles and miles? Life can be like that, I suppose.
At any rate, it's marvelous stuff and comes highly recommended. You can purchase the reprint (complete a very appropriate and informative afterword by Harrigan) through Amazon.
Now as it happens, author Harrigan was one of the divers who had the sad duty to participate on a body recovery in Jacob's Well many moons ago, and he turned the memories of this unfortunate experience into a really remarkable story. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this is just the sort of book that reminds me how much I enjoy reading, and how much I wish I could write so well...it really is that good. That it revolves around diving and particularly cave diving is purely incidental, unlike other such books I've read...I'm thinking David Poyer's Down to a Sunless Sea here, where the locale and the activity is central to the progression of the story. In Harrigan's work the interest is in the characters and their often complex relationship to one another. The characterization is as deep as the well itself, and the primary antagonists are all fascinating and not at all cliche'd. Nicely done.
As to the story itself, I must confess this is one of those works that once you get to the end, you are tempted to rush through it, especially if you're approaching the finish at 11 PM as I did. DON'T DO IT! Trust me, put the book down and finish it when you're lucid! The last thirty or forty pages are as gripping as any contemporary suspense novel you've ever read...this despite the fact that Harrigan's work was originally published in 1984. You're going to want to enjoy this denouement, savor it.
Jacob's Well has aged remarkably well, and maintains its sense of mystery throughout as much as the real Jacob's Well has through the years. Of course the fact is that the Well has been explored rather completely over the course of the past ten to fifteen years...weirdly, that original sense mystery still remains. What's around the next corner? Can we squeeze past that obstruction? Does the passage end, or will it continue for miles and miles? Life can be like that, I suppose.
At any rate, it's marvelous stuff and comes highly recommended. You can purchase the reprint (complete a very appropriate and informative afterword by Harrigan) through Amazon.
August 4, 2021
Harrigan writes a novel as if it is the truth. Very good storyline and reading.
February 12, 2022
Jacob's Well mania is sweeping Central Texas in the year 2022.
March 4, 2020
Unbelievably and Deeply Moving
Can’t remember why I bought this book, more than a year ago; can’t remember why I decided to read it a week ago. All I can say is, ”How glad I am that I did.” The book’s tone, the depth of characterization, the descriptions of setting, of diving, every aspect rings so true. The author’s revelations in the Afterword, written decades after finishing the book, as well as his words when I met him 3 days ago, while I was still deeply involved with his novel—all combined to make this a truly memorable read. He has just published Big Wonderful Thing, a history of Texas. I want to plunge into those 900+ pages right now. But I want to read all of his earlier novels. What to do? What to do?
Can’t remember why I bought this book, more than a year ago; can’t remember why I decided to read it a week ago. All I can say is, ”How glad I am that I did.” The book’s tone, the depth of characterization, the descriptions of setting, of diving, every aspect rings so true. The author’s revelations in the Afterword, written decades after finishing the book, as well as his words when I met him 3 days ago, while I was still deeply involved with his novel—all combined to make this a truly memorable read. He has just published Big Wonderful Thing, a history of Texas. I want to plunge into those 900+ pages right now. But I want to read all of his earlier novels. What to do? What to do?
March 1, 2020
An eloquent story circling around a natural well waiting for relationships to grow, curiosity to thrive, and the trials of life.
November 22, 2024
Jacob's well: A novel Stephen Harrigan
Author Stephen Harrigan knows Texas. He knows the topography, and how it varies across the miles. He knows the birds and the plants and the music and the people. In this book he takes us to a place I've never been and will never go—an underwater cave. It's thrilling. And it's a giant metaphor for what is going on in the lives of the three main characters: Sam, Libby, and Rick.
"From a wetsuit pocket she pulled out her slate and its tethered pencil and wrote, 'How deep does it go?'
Libby held the slate up to Rick. He read her question, then took the slate from her and began to write. When he handed it back she read his answer, Deep.'"
At its heart this story is a love triangle—a love triangle that is in no way a Hallmark movie. These are grownups, all with their own pain, loving the best they can. It has an ending that is both sad and happy, in which the dead are always with us and always welcome.
before panic, a pale creature
all gills and snout–
nothing to see here
Author Stephen Harrigan knows Texas. He knows the topography, and how it varies across the miles. He knows the birds and the plants and the music and the people. In this book he takes us to a place I've never been and will never go—an underwater cave. It's thrilling. And it's a giant metaphor for what is going on in the lives of the three main characters: Sam, Libby, and Rick.
"From a wetsuit pocket she pulled out her slate and its tethered pencil and wrote, 'How deep does it go?'
Libby held the slate up to Rick. He read her question, then took the slate from her and began to write. When he handed it back she read his answer, Deep.'"
At its heart this story is a love triangle—a love triangle that is in no way a Hallmark movie. These are grownups, all with their own pain, loving the best they can. It has an ending that is both sad and happy, in which the dead are always with us and always welcome.
before panic, a pale creature
all gills and snout–
nothing to see here
December 13, 2023
marvelous story
Wonderful character development, engaging narrative on scuba diving and deep depth diving, surprising effects of nitrogen narcosis. There are an array of love stories here, although most of them are short-term, even the ones that last have issues. Important to note that the romance aspect is ancillary to the story of human endeavor to better understand how they work to achieve excellence in their chosen fields. Just read it.
Wonderful character development, engaging narrative on scuba diving and deep depth diving, surprising effects of nitrogen narcosis. There are an array of love stories here, although most of them are short-term, even the ones that last have issues. Important to note that the romance aspect is ancillary to the story of human endeavor to better understand how they work to achieve excellence in their chosen fields. Just read it.
December 20, 2018
Just realized that I had not added this book to my "read" shelf. I read it when it first came out. I remember liking it a lot and the title stayed with me.
July 30, 2024
Took me a few pages to get into this book but once I did I was hooked. For me, the parts where they are diving into the well were very tense. I can't imagine going scuba diving!
May 27, 2024
I was unprepared for how much this novel would grip me. The author writes so lovingly about Texas that I feel homesick for it and I still live here.
March 31, 2025
Stephen Harrigan is a very good writer. He is also a very good Texas writer. That specific qualification is important to remember since he for many years has written about his adopted state from his home in Austin. And he writes beautifully about Texas and the majesty of its so often varied scenery. But Harrigan is really most effective when he populates his novels. His characters seem like people you can readily identify with. They are not the two dimensional souls you too often find in novels today. My advice is to read Stephen Harrigan if you like well written novels. Jacob's Well is a very good one to start with. The story itself is a multifaceted tale of romance, family dysfunction, and personal redemption. The novel's setting moves from the southwest Texas mountains, to Austin and its environs. The real geographical center is Jacob's Well near Austin, a deep cave where the dangerous subsurface has claimed a number of cave diving explorers. Enter Sam, Libby, and Rick. They are the three characters in a desperate triangular romance. But, it is the exploration of Jacob's Well that provides the core focus for this engrossing tale. As I said earlier, Harrigan is a very good writer. This novel is a truly engrossing tale, with well-developed and fully believable characters, and a well-deserved conclusion. This is a novel you'll likely read more than one time. I believe I've read it at least three times. And I learn more with each reading.
November 4, 2010
I tried, really tried to like this book. But I just didn't. Not a one of the characters did I care much about. The plot was slow to be revealed, sadness, inability of any of them to get on with their lives, general disinterest in which of them paired up or why. I live near Jacob's Well which is why the book title caught my eye. I collect rocks, love to hike, backpack, explore. Am interested in the art of the curandero/a, all elements in the novel. The writing is literate, descriptive, even insightful at times. I flipped to the end to see if he killed anybody off. I turned it in to the library three weeks late, unusual for me. Guess it shows that I hate to give up on a book.
July 21, 2010
Interesting short novel set in Austin and surrounding areas, and it gets that all very right. Author has good, easy-to-follow style that mostly captures characters well, although it's a bit difficult to understand how two guys who are very interested in the same woman can be willing to spend so much time together with her, and get along so well. Overall, however, it's a bit too sad and depressing, with characters who are rarely very happy.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews