Greenwitch

Book 3 of The Dark Is Rising Sequence

By: Susan Cooper

Narrated by: Alex Jennings

Length: 4 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Simon, Jane, and Barney, enlisted by their mysterious great-uncle, arrive in a small coastal town to help recover a priceless golden grail stolen by the forces of evil, the Dark. They are not at first aware of the strange powers of another boy brought to help, Will Stanton - nor of the sinister significance of the Greenwitch, an image of leaves and branches that for centuries has been cast into the sea for good luck in fishing and harvest.

Their search for the grail sets into motion a series of disturbing, sometimes dangerous events that, at their climax, bring forth a gift that, for a time at least, will keep the Dark from rising.

Listen to more in the Dark Is Rising Sequence.

©2007 Susan Cooper (P)2007 Random House, Inc. Listening Library, an imprint of the Random House Audio Publishing Group.

Critic reviews

"Alec Jennings does a superb job of reading this tale....His expression and pacing suit the story well, and he is at ease with Cornish names and words." (School Library Journal)

Puuls me into the story every time I listen to it.

this is such a great series, one of my all time favorites ! I highly recommend this whole series!

Worth the revisit

I read this series as a child and loved it. Returning to it as an adult but read to like a child has been thrilling.

The narrator is very talented. He is able to embody both male and female characters as well as giving the sensing of young and old.

My favorite of the series

I can't say enough good about this series. It's a piece of my childhood. And this book was my favorite of the series. Each story has a slightly different tone. I think this may have been the most personal of the stories that Susan Cooper wrote, since she said she identified with Jane, which this story follows more closely than the others.

Fun team up of characters

This isn't the strongest of the Cooper books but it is fun to see the team up of Merriman and Will with the Drew children from the first book.

Nice blast from the past

Loved it, brought me back to my childhood. I found it very amusing to hear the narrator dabble with varying accents... Impressed with his American/British hybrid accent! They should totally contract a studio ghibli project for this entire series!

Whimsical Fun

This series is highly underrated as a place holder between C.S. Lewis and Harry Potter, but in many ways it's every bit as good as both. Where those series rely heavily on fantasy this series uses actual history to flesh out the narrative.

Although originally aimed at young adults these books are a must read for anyone interested in Arthuriana or anyone who just enjoys well written fantasy.

Great Story weird editing.

I give it a 4 only because of how it was edited,. The chapters cut off almost in the middle of the last words which makes it feel rushed. They also crammed multiple chapters of the book into single chapters in the app.

Couldn't stop listening! :-)

I love Susan Cooper's books, have read this series many times over the years since I first discovered it - it's excellently crafted! Such a delight to find it in audio, and narrated by Alex Jennings: a TERRIFIC voice, exactly right for The Dark Is Rising tales. ... I know I'll get just as much enjoyment every time I listen to these stories in future. Many thanks to all involved!

fantastic

The book kept me interested alkthe way through. The readers voice was relaxing and interesting. I couldn't wait each day for time to listen to more.

Power from the Greenwitch...

Susan Cooper delivers yet another solid installment in the Dark is Rising sequence. Greenwitch opens with the thheft of the priceless golden grail recovered by the three Drew children in Over Sea, Under Stone. The culprits are the forces of the Dark, who are reeling from their midwinter defeat at the hands of Will Stanton and Meriman Lyon, but still determined to prevent the Light from achieving a final victory. Lyon enlists the Drews as well as Will to journey to Cornwall in an effort to reclaim the grail. As it happens, they arrive just in time for Jane to witness an ancient ceremony performed by the women of Cornwall every Spring, the making of the Greenwitch. This strange fashioning of leaves and branches is believed to bring good fortune when cast into the sea, but it soon becomes apparent that there may be more to this mysterious being than meets the eye. Things become complicated when Jane forms a strange bond of sympathy with the enigmatic being and even more so when the creature warily shows Jane its most prized possession, a small leaden case lost at the time of the finding of the grail. This case contains the only manuscript capable of deciphering the strange engravings on the surface of te golden grail, and the Dark are also after it. Will the Drews and Will succeed in recovering the grail? And even if they do, how will they persuade the Greenwitch to part with its treasure?
Once again Susan Cooper delivers a solid story and narrator Alex Jennings more than does it justic. I couldn't put it down for long.