manonvanhastenberg's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written and a truly mesmerizing story!
pbeeandj's review against another edition
3.0
Let's start with the good. The author does a wonderful job not letting the magic take away from the realism of the struggles of the time. Did Harriet Tubman have a magical ability that aided her in freeing her people? I can't prove she didn't and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pleased with the notion that she did. But the end result is the same. She never lost a passenger.
I enjoyed the analysis of the difference between white abolitionists and black members of the underground, between fighting a war and fighting to save your most important human bonds, between the philosophical/moral and the personal.
I found Hiram, his father, and Corrine to all be interesting characters. Hiram is the son of the master and finds himself wanting approval from his father and an inheritance of some sort. He also balances this feeling with the realities that he is not free, that he will never truly be family and is fated to be denied the opportunity to keep one for himself. Hiram's father is a man at the helm of a sinking ship, losing family, money and trying desperately to hold on to the dying tabacco industry in Virginia. He acknowledges Hiram as his son in some ways, but seems to struggle with why a slave he believes he doesn't treat poorly would run. I particularly liked this note because some ridiculous people like to claim that not all slaves were treated poorly, like it changes the fact that people were stripped of humanity and freedom, bought, sold and separated from loved ones. Hiram's father may not physically abuse Hiram, but he has taken away more than he understands. Corrine is powerful and complex and I wish her drives were discussed a bit more, but regardless she is a force to be reckoned with. I'm not sure I fully understand all of her actions or why she thinks she had to do them.
Finally, novels about escaping slavery deal with some heavy issues and I just wanted to point out that the author didn't make me read the details of the sexual abuse of the women who were enslaved. Women in the book were definitely sexually abused but it was something that was understood and referred to and not something I had to read graphic details about. I'm not sure why authors are always wanting to write rape scenes, but he doesn't here and I am thankful for it.
As for the bad, while I thought Hiram was an interesting character, he seemed to lack empathy for the other enslaved people. He actually wishes to run the plantation himself! He also seemed to just pass through scenes, which I think was because he was written as detached but I was hoping he'd be a little bit more of an actor in his own life later on. The author also uses Hiram to propose the idea that all injustices against humanity are the same, and I just had a hard time with him equating the plight of (white) woman's rights as he hears about it in a NY convention and the experiences of enslaved people. Both were terrible certainly, but I'm not sure I liked the use of Hiram as a mouth peace for the idea that "we're all slaves to something" because he was enslaved by literal people.
My last sticking point is the ending. I was not satisfied by it, but maybe that's just me. The end of the book presents the main character with a difficult choice that I found compelling and I thought the story was hurt by the fact that the consequences of his choice weren't quite what I expected.
I enjoyed the analysis of the difference between white abolitionists and black members of the underground, between fighting a war and fighting to save your most important human bonds, between the philosophical/moral and the personal.
I found Hiram, his father, and Corrine to all be interesting characters. Hiram is the son of the master and finds himself wanting approval from his father and an inheritance of some sort. He also balances this feeling with the realities that he is not free, that he will never truly be family and is fated to be denied the opportunity to keep one for himself. Hiram's father is a man at the helm of a sinking ship, losing family, money and trying desperately to hold on to the dying tabacco industry in Virginia. He acknowledges Hiram as his son in some ways, but seems to struggle with why a slave he believes he doesn't treat poorly would run. I particularly liked this note because some ridiculous people like to claim that not all slaves were treated poorly, like it changes the fact that people were stripped of humanity and freedom, bought, sold and separated from loved ones. Hiram's father may not physically abuse Hiram, but he has taken away more than he understands. Corrine is powerful and complex and I wish her drives were discussed a bit more, but regardless she is a force to be reckoned with. I'm not sure I fully understand all of her actions or why she thinks she had to do them.
Finally, novels about escaping slavery deal with some heavy issues and I just wanted to point out that the author didn't make me read the details of the sexual abuse of the women who were enslaved. Women in the book were definitely sexually abused but it was something that was understood and referred to and not something I had to read graphic details about. I'm not sure why authors are always wanting to write rape scenes, but he doesn't here and I am thankful for it.
As for the bad, while I thought Hiram was an interesting character, he seemed to lack empathy for the other enslaved people. He actually wishes to run the plantation himself! He also seemed to just pass through scenes, which I think was because he was written as detached but I was hoping he'd be a little bit more of an actor in his own life later on. The author also uses Hiram to propose the idea that all injustices against humanity are the same, and I just had a hard time with him equating the plight of (white) woman's rights as he hears about it in a NY convention and the experiences of enslaved people. Both were terrible certainly, but I'm not sure I liked the use of Hiram as a mouth peace for the idea that "we're all slaves to something" because he was enslaved by literal people.
My last sticking point is the ending. I was not satisfied by it, but maybe that's just me. The end of the book presents the main character with a difficult choice that I found compelling and I thought the story was hurt by the fact that the consequences of his choice weren't quite what I expected.
shiradest's review against another edition
3.0
I'll have to let my updates stand as the review, in this case, because I have very conflicting feelings about this book. I'm shocked that we get a HEA, as the romance subplot comes to dominate the ending. That, and other points, in my updates as I read, simply did not jibe, for me.
lakabracha's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
chamblyman's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars (8 outta 10) I hope this book doesn't end up suffering due to sky-high expectations coming from Coates' stellar, challenging non-fiction work. IMO this is a very solid, effective work taking on a slavery narrative in the gritty-meets-magical vein of works like Octavia Butler's Kindred or Esi Edugyan's Washington Black. It's very engaging and makes a painful historical setting into something quite suspenseful and exciting. It's just that it's almost impossible to not compare this to Colson Whitehead's Underground Railroad, which I thought more inventive in its style and approach, and which uses fantastical elements in a way that strengthened the racial injustice themes. The Water Dancer uses a different kind of fantastical element, and it is interesting, but, for me, also came close to undercutting the power of the true history that it is in conversation with. Then, of course, there is Toni Morrison's near-perfect Beloved, whose shadow this books also resides in. So, when it comes to magic-realist slavery novels I'd go Beloved > Underground Railroad > Water Dancer, but make no mistake: that is great company to keep.
rcvane's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
yellowhighwaylines's review against another edition
4.0
I was lucky enough to pick this up at the airport before I headed home from Texas - the UK edition isn’t published until February next year.
I was first introduced to Coates’ body of work with his stunning ‘We Were Eight Years in Power’ - his collection of essays and reflections written for each year of Barack Obama’s presidency, and another US-based purchase, picked up from the wonderful Bluestocking Books on my trip to NYC last year.
Coates’ first foray into fiction, The Water Dancer is set during the slavery era and draws obvious comparisons to Colson Whitehead’s Underground Railroad, as it too takes on the historical Railroad, in this instance with the magically relastic Conduction.
I loved this book; the central conceit, the small cast of main characters, Coates’ poetic use of language, and its gender politics - the female characters were well drawn, imperfect, and very much had their own agency. I’m tempted to reread Whitehead’s book in order to compare them properly, but suffices to say, I was hooked early and am looking forward to what Coates does next.
I was first introduced to Coates’ body of work with his stunning ‘We Were Eight Years in Power’ - his collection of essays and reflections written for each year of Barack Obama’s presidency, and another US-based purchase, picked up from the wonderful Bluestocking Books on my trip to NYC last year.
Coates’ first foray into fiction, The Water Dancer is set during the slavery era and draws obvious comparisons to Colson Whitehead’s Underground Railroad, as it too takes on the historical Railroad, in this instance with the magically relastic Conduction.
I loved this book; the central conceit, the small cast of main characters, Coates’ poetic use of language, and its gender politics - the female characters were well drawn, imperfect, and very much had their own agency. I’m tempted to reread Whitehead’s book in order to compare them properly, but suffices to say, I was hooked early and am looking forward to what Coates does next.
pkatiebetter's review against another edition
2.0
I got to 25% of this book; it wasn't fully grabbing my attention. However, I loved this book's beautiful language and developing story. I might be able to return to this book later when I have less going on, but for now I'm letting it go