Enter Three Witches

by Caroline B. Cooney

A fresh perspective on Macbeth from one of today's foremost YA writers. Three girls witness the action of Shakespeare's play firsthand - and their lives are forever changed because of it.

Lady Mary is a ward of Lord and Lady Macbeth whose life is forever changed when her father, Lord Cawdor, betrays the Scottish king - and is hanged as a traitor. In an instant, Mary has lost both her father and future. Now she's trapped in a castle with a power-hungry couple who will do anything to get what they want - and are willing to crush anyone in their way. Including Mary. As the murderous events of Shakespeare's play unfold around her, Mary must struggle to survive - and do what she can to prevent more deaths. But can a lone girl save lives when a legion of Scottish lords cannot?

Genres: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Retellings, Fiction, Shakespeare, Historical

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2007

About the author

Caroline Cooney knew in sixth grade that she wanted to be a writer when "the best teacher I ever had in my life" made writing her main focus. "He used to rip off covers from The New Yorker and pass them around and make us write a short story on whichever cover we got. I started writing then and never stopped!"
When her children were young, Caroline started writing books for young people -- with remarkable results. She began to sell stories to Seventeen magazine and soon after began writing books. Suspense novels are her favorites to read and write. "In a suspense novel, you can count on action."
To keep her stories realistic, Caroline visits many schools outside of her area, learning more about teenagers all the time. She often organizes what she calls a "plotting game," in which students work together to create plots for stories. Caroline lives in Westbrook, Connecticut and when she's not writing she volunteers at a hospital, plays piano for the school musicals and daydreams!
- Scholastic.com

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caroline B. Cooney strikes again! I began this book a little warily, because I am used to Cooney's realistic fiction. In this novel,Cooney uses Shakespeare's Macbeth as a springboard for her own story peopled with characters she makes up who experience the events in the play. The author's note at the end of the book encourages her readers to read Shakespeare's play (and tells them the way to get the most out of the reading). I am already itching to reread Macbeth with fresh perspective, and I hope this book has a similar affect on young readers.

[Samm | Sassenach the Book Wizard · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 stars

pretty much what I expected from a YA Macbeth retelling but the author didn't do a great job of making it her own (which...is kind of the point of retellings)

[TheSaint · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novelization of Macbeth, from the point of view of an attractive peripheral player in the drama might be a good introduction to Shakespeare for some motivated readers. The plot is full of action as well as romance, so it might appeal to both boys and girls.
I have a quibble with some of the characters. Author Cooney has a very long dramatis personae (longer even than the original), so she uses some stereotypes as shortcuts.

[Martina Kernosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I had no idea it was Shakespeare retelling until about 30 pages in, which I’m glad because I probably wouldn’t picked it up if I had known.

The beginning was a tad slow, probably just slightly under explained because the author assumes readers have knowledge of the play. The same goes for the witches, whose presence and workings are quite confusing, but I’m not sure if that’s even explained in the original work.

Each character is complex and interesting. The story is compelling, and keeps you interested with twists and realizations throughout. The relationships are another strength of the story, as different perspectives are revealed and explored.

The story itself is a classic, so good I may even try to read the original play!

[Yu-chi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coming from someone who has basic knowledge of Shakespeare's Macbeth, Cooney did a great job building her own story on the play while keeping in line with the general plot. There were several instances where specific lines and scenes were described as a kind of timeline that tied Enter Three Witches to Macbeth.

Cooney told the story from many perspectives - almost too many, in my opinion. Thankfully, the whole book was in third person limited. I don't think I would be able to stand it if it had been in first person. Anyway, as I continued on with the book, I realized why so many POVs were included. Each character shed a different light on King Duncan's murder, much like how some mysteries allow the reader to discover what really happens by combining the knowledge of all the characters.

Very slight
For me, the real the real strength of this book can be found in the unique mindset of each POV. You have Lady Mary: a meek(until the end, at least), religious girl who is very conscious of her status as a traitor's daughter. There's Swin: a rough, no-nonense kitchen servant/butcher, but who has a softer side that she doesn't hide(but she doesn't make it known either). Ildred is a slightly older girl who is treated as a servant as is a stickler for proper protocol and resents that she cannot be a Lady. Seyton is a flirt who lusts for power and an obedient wife. Fleance is a weak-willed, prideful son who, out of the narrators, is the most changed out by Duncan's death and the events that follow.


Each POV is distinct to that character, something that is not quite so easy as it sounds. The plotline itself left something to be desired, but the characterization was so strong I gave this book 4 stars out of 5.

[Salsabrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Narrated by Charlotte Parry. In this retelling of Shakespeare's "Macbeth," young people witness the power-hungry rise and fall of Lord and Lady Macbeth. There is Mary, daughter of the traitor Cawdor and lady-in-waiting to Lady Macbeth. Illdreth (excuse mispellings; I listened to the book) is maid to Mary and keeps a dark secret involving Seaton. Seaton is Macbeth's lackey, facilitating murders of those who would be in Macbeth's way. Fleance is son of Banquo and seeks to avenge his father's murder at Seaton's hands. And Swin is a scullery maid, keenly aware of the goings-on at Inverness castle. It was a bit of a slog to get through and I was at first distracted by the frequent insertion of lines from the play which interrupted the flow of the story (would have made sense to me in print). But Charlotte Parry's Scottish accent work is superb and gives the story atmosphere.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into this book (and I actually put it down for a few days and read other things, which is unusual for me) because it jumps between narrators so much. I never got to know any of the characters very well, which may have been a good thing--Lady Mary is pretty stupid and boring. The other characters are right about her. Fortunately, some of the people around her are more interesting. (Also, what is it about Fleance in Macbeth fan fiction? What makes him so desirable?)

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book more than I thought that I would . . . I'm not a big fan of Shakespeare. The story of Macbeth told from the perspective of three women was engaging, and the language used wasn't as archaic. {My daughter loves the language of Shakespeare, but I'm not a fan :} ) Altogether, I was pleasantly surprised.

[Kittiya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished writing a small review on The Goddess of Yesterday, and I had said I didn't feel the draw to her other books like that one. Well I was wrong! lol I really enjoyed this one as well. I don't think I've been able to relate to a MacBeth character as well as the main heroin in this.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A spin-off from Shakespeare's Macbeth. Very fun and entertaining, but I could only give it three stars since it ultimately demonstrates the author's devastatingly confused and inaccurate understanding of Shakespeare.

[Veronica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I generally like retellings, but there was nothing original in this one. It was a slog trying to stay engaged when I already knew (literally verbatim, oftentimes) what to expect as the story swung amongst the characters.

[Amanda Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great read! I've never read MacBeth, but I think I will give it a try now.

[Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m rating this four stars because I don’t wanna be the 40 year old man tanking the rating of a children’s book. This seemed like it would be a pleasant read for someone in the 10-12 year old range, so despite not enjoying it myself, I’ll throw it a bone ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

You know how sometimes a book or a movie is ostensibly created for a young audience but there are easter eggs and double entendres and allusions that keep adults interested as well? This is not one of those. I picked up this book on a whim thinking it would be like a middle-grade “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead” or at least “Rosalind,” but it was neither.

This book was simultaneously too true to Shakespeare and not true enough.

The plot offered no surprises; it was a faithful retelling of “Macbeth” through the eyes of several new minor characters. Because Cooney was so intent on being true to the plot, there wasn’t much for those new characters to *do*. They mostly just *think*. They dream and wish and desire to do things that they never end up doing, which becomes tedious quickly. I can only read that a character wants to run away a dozen or so times before I get bored that they haven’t actually tried to run away yet. For most of the book, you know that when one of these new characters is the focus, that nothing new is going to happen. Only the characters who exist in Shakespeare’s play actually move the plot forward, and if you know Shakespeare’s play, you know what’s going to happen.

The prose itself is annoying as hell. Cooney makes the confusing choice to work as many phrases and quotes from Shakespeare into the narrative and description of the book while going the No Fear Shakespeare route with the actual dialogue.

Overall I think this book would’ve been more enjoyable if Cooney had taken more liberties with the plot and fewer with the language.

But, like I said, I’m too old to be the target audience for this book and I’m sure it would serve as a good introduction to Shakespeare’s play for young students, especially girls.

[Matthew Connolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is sort of a Macbeth fanfiction, letting the plots of the well-known plots of the play unfold, while focusing on different characters throughout the novel. Lady Mary is a main character,not in the play, though she is the daughter of the Thane of Cawdor, who preceded Macbeth and was executed. She was a ward of the Macbeths, and was betrothed to Asleep, who she loved greatly, but Asleif was murdered in battle. Her father, thane of Cawdor, is executed and she becomes a scullery maid. She witnesses the three witches meeting with Macbeth and Banquo, and her thumbs frequently prick, which reveals witchcraft is in a action. Then there is Swin,a kitchen maid who slaughters animals for meals, and is good with a knife. She steals food for her poor blind grandfather, the only family she has left. And then there is Ildred,a servant to Lady Macbeth, an unwed nineteen-year old, who had a baby sometime before the book, whose fingers are used for the witch's potion. The only one who loves her is her dog,Dirle.She despises Lady Mary.Fleance, Banquo's son, is developed more, he is scared, uncertain fourteen year old who witnesses is father's murder, and joins King Duncan's sons in England, to raise an army against Macbeth, for murdering King Duncan. Seyton, a character from the original play is given more prominence and revealed to be the third murderer, and is buried alive by Fleance. It was an enjoyable read, though I wish the witches were given more prominence. A line of their original dialogue, is put before each chapter, so you get the feeling they're always in the background watching everything. Thankfully, its not written in Olde English, but doesn't put modern dialogue in, thankfully.

[Brandy Cheney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enter Three Witches is a fun reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, told through the eyes of a teenage girl caught in the middle of political chaos. Set in 11th-century Scotland, the story follows Lady Mary, the current young ward of Lord and Lady Macbeth. As the events of the original play unfold, Mary witnesses betrayal, power plays, and the undoing of those around her. The narrative is shaped primarily by Mary’s point of view, but also weaves in the stories of other young characters connected to the original play, giving a youth-centered take on familiar material. Overall, the novel acts as a coming-of-age story.

As an English teacher, I appreciate how Enter Three Witches offers students a way into Shakespeare’s Macbeth that feels accessible. Cooney captures the high stakes and dark atmosphere of the original play while centering the voices of young people. Something that I hope would help students engage more deeply with the source material. Mary’s internal conflict and the added dimension to lessern known characters provide valuable discussion points about perspective and narrative voice. I could see this working well in a unit on Shakespearean adaptations or as an independent read for students interested in strong female protagonists. While it’s not perfect, Enter Three Witches offers a creative bridge between classic literature and contemporary young adult storytelling and is a very fun audiobook listen.

[Judson C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enter Three Witches by Caroline B. Cooney is a retelling of Macbeth from the perspective of Lady Mary. During the novel she tries to survive in a patriarchial world and system that is currently a deadly and dangerous time for even the highest Scottish lord. She is between two forces of incredible power that are causing a wrecking though the countryside.

Enter Threw Witches is another retelling of a shakespeare tale that I just honestly can't say I wanted or needed. I will go as far as to say that adapting shakespeare's work into modern language is as impactful (for good or bad) as adapting a novel into a movie. It's an incredibly evasive procedure that removes and changes the medium of a story. And fairly quickly in storyelling you learnt that the medium is just as important as any narrative rule, characterization, or production quality. By taking away the language of shakespear's work you are effectively stripping away how it maximinized the medium it was told in. And some storyellers are just such masters of their medium that you can never hope to replicate them across mediums. Alan Moore's Watchmen should never have been made into a movie, The wheel of time should never have attempted to have a live action tv series, and Lilo and Stitch never should have been made into live action. I get it from an industry perspective but I ulitmately believe that stories in the past should remain unaltered regardless of their good intentions.

[Hannah Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this. I am not really a fan of Shakespeare or historical fiction, but I am a fan of stories with depth and detail, which this has in spades. Cooney tells the story through the eyes of characters of her own invention- a scullery maid, a noblewoman, Macbeth's lackey- and the focus of the story is on their thoughts and stories. There's some fun historical detail- though Cooney admits in a note at the end that much of the setting is a mishmash between Macbeth's eleventh century and Shakespeare's time.

My one caution is that the book is kind of an inverse of Macbeth's play. The focus is on the extras, not Lord and Lady Macbeth, and the real brilliance of it is the characters' interiority, not the action of the story. For those who aren't familiar with the play, the book may seem a bit confusing or distanced from the action. The later predictions of the three witches, which drive Macbeth's later actions, are mentioned only in passing a few pages from the end.

[Shanna Klutts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this version. I did not give it five stars because the storyline was not accurate. I am a die-hard Shakespeare's Macbeth fan, and usually end up reading the play about once a year. I was excited to read this extension of the play. She did not make it her own story, and was faithful to the characters and her portrayal of them. I was extremely intrigued with how she developed Seyton as a major character, giving him more dimensions than his small part in the play. I did not like the liberties she took with the timeline. It confused the plot and made some of the devices a bit contrived. This would be an excellent companion for high school students looking to better understand Shakespeare's Macbeth. It does not replace the play for me, but instead, adds an extra layer and gives more dimension and color to the lesser characters in the play.

[Mrs. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This retelling was just okay. I recently read Macbeth and loved it, so I was excited, yet a bit hesitant, to read a retelling so soon. Caroline B. Cooney sticks closely to the original plot of Macbeth, making this a good companion read for those struggling to get into or understand the Old English play. 


In general, I felt this book lacked the creativity and originality that I look for in retellings. Lady Mary, Ildred, and Swin were nice female additions to the story, but I do not feel I gained anything substantial by seeing this story through their eyes. I wish Cooney had been a bit more daring with these characters and had taken more creative liberty with the original characters.

This is a decent story to segue middle-grade readers into the world of Shakespeare, but for anyone else, I recommend just reading the original play.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this perspective on Macbeth, as I was reading this with an eye on appeal to my 7th grade class during our Shakespeare unit. Yes, it simplifies the character of Macbeth to merely “the bad guy” and Lady Macbeth to the “never-satisfied wife”, but I found it refreshing to have a young female protagonist in a version that does not include any “unsexing” and “dashing of baby brains” as in the original text—makes it more appealing to include as reading for middle school girls from both the perspective of sexism, as well as graphic violence. Still a bloody affair, but creatively woven into adolescent tale.

[Sue Benn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Shakespeare's Macbeth from other viewpoints. Witches didn't feature heavily, and yet they were ever present. Looking at history (albeit in this case reinvented history) from the viewpoints of more ordinary people - lesser aristocracy in this case, and servants too -puts in place some of the more mundane and practical elements, that add to the story in a most basic way, and explain on occasion how and why events go the way they do. The body count was obviously as high as ever, and yet there were some happy endings for those around the main characters. A very gothic feel - fogs and bogs, darkness and mystery. And discomfort, and fear ... and treachery, and courage.

[Carol Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cooney is one of my favorite authors but this is not one of my favorite books from her. It is a retelling of Macbeth, with the same basic story line and a few embellishments. It has been a long time since I've read the original Macbeth so I'm not sure where the embellishments are, but I don't recall anything by Shakespeare told from the viewpoint of a 14 year old girl (Lady Mary) who has been abandoned in the court of Lord and Lady Macbeth. Mary is thought of as dull, but it turns out she is pretty sharp. There are a series of murders, you may recall if yu've read the original. It is Mary who figures out who killed who and rights everything by the end.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enter Three Witches is a take on Macbeth. Cooney took the historical aspect along with Shakespeare's play, and created a YA novel focused on Mary (the thane of Cawdor's daughter), Swin (a scullery maid), and Ildred (Lady Macbeth's servant).

The novel shifts between the perspectives of these three women, plus Fleance. As an English teacher who has taught Macbeth several times, I loved this new take on a story I know well. It was so interesting to see other characters on the fringes of everything - and how they may have influenced the story.

Glad I read this one!

[Stephanie]

I have decided to no longer use star ratings. They are too arbitrary to me. Instead, I will be ranking an author's books against their other books. This does not mean that I do NOT like their books, just in what order I enjoy them most.

1) Wanted
2) Fatality
3) Hush Little Baby
4) Driver's Ed
5) Enter Three Witches
6) Flash Fire
7) Burning Up
8) Twins
9) Code Orange
10) Losing Christina Trilogy
11) The Terrorist

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 A retelling of Shakespeare's Macbeth as seen from the viewpoint of Banquo's son, Fleance, and Lady Mary, a ward in Macbeth's court. It follows the events of the play closely with plenty of quotations from the play. Although Rebecca Reisert's The Third Witch is still my favorite YA Macbeth retelling, this is an entertaining introduction to Macbeth that will be appreciated by readers who enjoy YA swashbuckling historical fiction.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, inventive take on The Scottish Play through some invented characters and some background players elevated to center stage (Hello, Seyton aka Satan!). Cooney moves through the story with skill and clarity, hovering around themes of betrayal and abandonment. The Macbeths are in the background, so we only see glimpses of them, but Cooney captures the panic and the nihilism as the royals realize "what's done cannot be undone."

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although slow at times, Caroline B. Cooney's Enter Three Witches is impressive in that it weaves an engaging teen story throughout Shakespeare's Macbeth. I imagine it was quite challenging to create a retelling with new characters that also follows the play's timeline and plot.

Also enjoyed the use of Macbeth quotes to introduce new settings and plot twists and to transition between chapters.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate people who love Shakespeare and want to make him accessible to wider audience. But often, I think, they underestimate the ability of their audience to handle the beauty and the grandeur of Shakespeare's language.

I've seen some juvenile adaptations of Shakespeare that stray far enough from the original that it works. But those that try to keep too close always seem to end up a disappointment.

This one isn't a keeper, unfortunately.

[Mizzy Mint · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book as an overstock item at a dollar tree (back when it was still a dollar and I was still in middle school). I loved this book and I think it is to blame on why The Tragedy of Macbeth is my favorite play by Shakespeare. If I hadn't read this I may not have formed such a deep connection to that play and may have liked something more basic like Romeo and Juliet. It is a phenomenal telling of the classic story and is well worth your time.

[Destiny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Enter the Three Witches is a very good book in my opinion because of the how the plot changes but still stick to it's meaning. I also like this book because of how it has fiction but yet still sticks to the medieval nonfiction way. I really do recommend this book to people who like to read about the time when witches were feared and Kings and Queens ruled the land.