The Water Dancer: A Novel | 
pickLoved the magical realism of this novel of Hiram‘s journey from tasked to freedom and back! Hiram is the child of a Virginia slave owner. He possesses perfect long-term memory; a gift that moves him to the owner‘s house to learn and then to serve his half-brother. After a terrible accident, Hiram seeks freedom and finds much more as he seeks to master his gifts and save his enslaved family. Beautiful narration and prose made this a 4 ⭐️ pick.
The narrator, Joe Morton is a force. I am transported when he sings a song from the field.
pick23-6 Jul 23 (audiobook)
A soft pick. Whilst certainly interesting and well written, I struggled with the magic realism. I similarly struggled with Colson Whitehead‘s The Underground Railroad. I appreciate the desire to mythologise Harriet Tubman and the railroad agents - they were clearly heroic. I expect my views are impacted by the fact that I have only limited knowledge of their stories and perhaps should read a non-fiction account.
pickHiram is a young enslaved man in Virginia, a son of the plantation owner. His special task is to babysit Maynard, his white brother, a fool of a grown man who consistently wreaks havoc throughout the town. Then one night an accident kills Maynard and reveals to Hiram that he has a magical power involving teleportation.
That is a really simple-sounding set-up for this very complicated novel. I won‘t forget it anytime soon.
My Black History Month stack. Let‘s see how many of these I get through.
Part of my BAM haul a couple years ago when I learned the local store was closing. Not part of #bigjunereadathon but it could always come up in a future month. #dance
so-soBook #8 of the year: “The Water Dancer” by Ta-Nehisi Coates
It wasn‘t my favorite but still a good book. Normally I like a good fantasy and historical fiction, but this one was slower and a little more meandering than I expected. It has a generally happy ending.
Featuring: Jake the Dog
pickI was curious about this novel as Ta-Nehisi Coates is primarily known for his award winning nonfiction. Here, Coates uses both historical fiction and magical realism to tell a harrowing and very original story of slavery in America. There‘s a lot to keep up with but I loved the gorgeous writing and unexpected adventure.
pickIn this remarkable telling, Coates pens a spellbinding story of slavery and the fight for freedom, or at least, a form of freedom. Coates uses magical realism to tell the story of Hiram, an enslaved person who realizes an ability that may take him away from the atrocities he witnesses in his life.
It‘s thought provoking, beautifully written, and deeply engrossing. This is also a book that is not a fast read…plan to take your time with it!
pickIt took me a few chapters to get into this one, but ultimately I liked it quite a lot. I think the magical realism element was well done it just a touch too close to the “magical negro” trope. It was subtle but pivotal and really worked for me. This was a good twist on an underground railroad story and I liked the nuance in outlook of the different characters.
#dogsofLitsy #Greta
so-soThis one was nice but with a bit of an uneven pacing. It took me a while to get really connected to the characters. Some parts of the book are a bit long-winded, or maybe unnecessary even? I felt the magical realism took away a bit from the historical fiction side of the book, and that part might've been more impactfull without the magical side of things.
Not bad, but not a stellar read for me
#mondayreading #readingbuddy
pickThis wasn‘t entirely what I was in the mood for but it was nevertheless quite moving. A story about slavery and freedom, it incorporates elements of fantasy in a way that, rather than departing from history into the speculative, actually heightens the feeling of truth.
pickThis was magnificent. In its writing, pacing, imagining, depth of plot and of characters. I loved every second. 5/5
pickThis book started out very slowly for me m I struggled with the writing style for a good long bit, probably 100 pages or more. But I kept reading, and as I did, became more invested in Hiram's story, and the story of the Underground.
In the end I found it a compelling read, so I'm glad I stuck with it and didn't bail. It's a 4 star book for me.
pickWhat if the Underground Railroad had some help from incredible magic powers? I really enjoyed this book. The characters were interesting, and the book really took a hard look at the lives of enslaved black people in US history. I also liked that the story worked magic into the amazing work of the Underground Railroad without being reductive. #HistoricalFiction #Fantasy
A nice sunny day equals mom getting some reading in while some serious jumping is happening! #momlife #sunshine #trampoline
pickThis was gorgeously written. Slow-paced for sure, but beautiful. My book group had mixed feelings about the magical realism, but I loved the way its magical elements wove together past & present in a uniquely African mythology. I‘m still unsure how I feel about mixing magical realism into a historical novel, blurring distinctions between the historical and the magical. But it was a beautiful read—and rich for discussion.
so-soI liked parts of this. You can tell Coates is a non-fiction writer first and foremost. It‘s hard to get through at times. And I have some reservations about this mythification of Harriet Tubman. But overall, I liked it.
This one is hard to get through. But the good weather helps.
pickThis #audiobook is awesome. There's singing and stuff. It's next level.
On another topic, it took me an absolutely stupid amount of time to realize that Harriet Tubman is one of the characters. Am I the only one that never reads more than a sentence or 2 of a book description before diving in?
#BookSpinBingo free space
@TheAromaofBooks
#TBRPile 📚 Hiram Walker is born into bondage on a Virginia plantation. But he is also born gifted with a mysterious power that he won‘t discover until he is almost a man, when he risks everything for a chance to escape. One fateful decision will carry him away from his makeshift plantation family and into the covert heart of the underground war on slavery...
pickI wish I was good at writing book reviews. This book deserves an excellent review. From the minute I started this audiobook I was pulled into Hiram‘s world . This is a tough read but also very important . Truth meets magical realism. Full of love, hate, life, death , beauty, ugliness, magic and tragedy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
pickVery much reminded me of The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, but more magical. I don't love magical realism, but there wasn't too much that it took me completely out of the story.
#lmpbc @KatieB @TheKidUpstairs @Read-y_Picker
so-soI've had a somewhat troubled time with this book. It came as part of my Fantasy Book Box, but had doon to realise that it's more Magical Realism than Fantasy. So I had a whole wrong picture in mind, wgen starting it. That might be the reason why I never really got into the story. But it's still an important book, addressing important topics, therefore it's still good that I've read it.
@TheAromaofBooks #BookSpinBingo
pickFinished the last 25 pages this morning. I really liked this story even though some of the situations were hard to fathom. I connected with the characters and the writing was so good. Weaving in the magic of Conduction and the inclusion of Harriet Tubman were my favorite parts. #LMPBC - it will be on its way today. #100Years100BOOKS #BookSpinBingo #5 #DS and a Bingo! #WinterRespite
pickThis novel was intense, beautiful, heartbreaking and powerful. A dark side of history but a beautiful story of the compassion and tenacity some are gifted with.
#thewaterdancer #ta-nehisiCoates #2021books #lovedit
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pick#BookSpin complete for February! (It helped that this was my current read.)
Really enjoyed this poetic, magical lense look at “historical fiction” - a reimagining of the Underground Railroad & Harriet Tubman. The back quarter dragged a bit but overall, a really unique & inspired story.
pickYoung Hiram and his beloved Sophia are part of the Tasked who serve the Quality on a tobacco plantation in Virginia, but he‘s discovering within himself the strange power of Conduction, which will allow him to free his people.
Read January 14-19
Rated 4/5 ⭐️
Book 5/60
pickFinished this at work tonight and will mail to @Allylu early next week. Not my typical read, but it‘s always good to try new things. No spoilers for my group 😉 @Hazel2019 @Hestapleton @suvata 3/5💧s
pickWow. The narrative of the main character, the stories within the story... this book was just incredible and I‘ll be recommending it to all of my history teacher friends.
Thank you so much to @shellleigh33 for my #LittleChristmasSwap gift. I absolutely loved everything and cannot wait to read this book! And a huge thanks to @bookish_wookish for hosting!!
pickFell behind in posting my last few completed reads of 2020...because I was busy eloping 👰🏻 and moving 🏡(all with extensive COVID precautions, of course). But this was one of my five star reads of the year, largely because it wove together true history and magic realism so well. There‘s also a lot of attention paid to slavery‘s emotional brutalities — like the horror of family separation — and the unhealable wounds that come from such evils.
so-soI finished this month‘s #lmpbc (which happens to have Christmas scenes!) and it wasn‘t quite what I expected, but still enjoyable! Lovely writing. @Wife I‘m sending this to you this week. I mailed FALLEN LAND on 12/9 but it set as “arriving late - in transit” so we will see when it shows up. 🙃
so-soToo much to say for the world limit here. You can find my full review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2811209575#_=_
TL;DR Great ideas & characters. What the hell happened to his writing? Disappointed.
Sloth was literal death for us, while for them it was the whole ambition of their lives.
Hi #GroupX ! Here are some picks from my own #TBR. I‘m sure some you must‘ve read. Let me know if any pique your interest! I have a fresh pack of coloured Pens that Papermate assures won‘t bleed through paper... #LMPBC
