Without reading the book jacket, one would never guess Rebecca Reisert's \The Third Witch"" is a new and imaginative rendition that recounts the famous story of King Macbeth's insanity. The book opens with scenes from the daily life of three hermit witches before the reign of Shakespeare's Macbeth. The imaginative language and gothic descriptions paint the perfect medieval landscape for the setting.
The focus of the story is immediately on Gilly, the youngest and spriest of the three witches, and her quest to avenge a mysterious crime. Her determination drives her away from her strange forest home and leaves her struggling to stay alive. She finds shelter working incessantly in the grimy kitchen of a castle. Posing as a boy, she befriends the prince and finds a family and home with her fellow servants in the kitchen.
Gilly's obsession with revenge against an unknown man forces her to endure cold, starvation, exhaustion and humiliation. However, she endures anything to stay alive so that she can kill the man who has done an unknown injustice to her.
Not knowing what this injustice is adds a pinch of suspense to the story, but leaves the reader wondering exactly why Gilly is putting herself through such torture. Reisert creates a few dry spots in the book by not informing the reader of Gilly's motives. The reader is rewarded in the end, however, when the plot reveals who and what Gilly is avenging.
The ending thoroughly and clearly explains the beginning of the story. The reader has time to enjoy what is unfolding in the story before the satisfying end of the book.
It might be helpful to review or try to recall several of the key scenes from Shakespeare's ""Macbeth"" while reading this story. The novel does a wonderful job of entwining the two stories and evoking a sense of the period. If you connect the two stories, it can be seen that Gilly's actions account for Macbeth's famously strange behavior. This imaginative twist is truly the most intriguing aspect of the book, and not acknowledging the connection denies Reisert's creativity. However, one does not need to read ""Macbeth"" before diving into this story - Reisert's story holds its own without reliance on Shakespeare's work.
Reisert adds depth and background to both her and Shakespeare's stories by using a new and unexpected perspective. This book can be enjoyed as a quick and easy read, or as a companion to ""Macbeth."" Despite a few dry spells in the story, Reisert does an imaginative and horrifying job of breathing new life into an old story.
