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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Nathan Harris is a young author to celebrate and watch. I was amazed when I learned this was his first novel. He has the voice of a much older writer and the wisdom of a seasoned minister.
In The Sweetness of Water Harris has created a community of characters in the fictional town of Old Ox, Georgia, all of whom are struggling with the new order of life after the end of the Civil War. Most of his characters are imbued with a complexity of kindness and cruelty, yet a desire to redeem themselves from their most sordid acts still resides within them — even within the most menacing characters.
There are about five to six main characters in the novel. Farmers George and Isabelle Walker are committed to helping freed slaves work and buy their own parcels of land. The Walkers hire two brothers, Prentiss and Landry, to plant a peanut crop in their fields. Both of the brothers are cautiously leery as to how to interact with this new employer and his wife. Flummoxed townspeople immediately turn away from the Walkers after hearing they've employed the former slaves, including one of the brothers' former masters who accuses George of stealing his "property'.
George Walker is a peculiarity among his neighbors; born and bred partially in the North, he did not grow up steeped in the segregated world of white owners and Black slaves.
The first half of the book presents the chaos and confusion all Southern residents experienced as they began adapting to the new world of reconstruction. Union soldiers were posted in town to make certain the shift of power between whites and slaves was not abused, while plantations begin to crumble without the slave labor to care for the plantation mansions, crops and animals. The fear felt on both sides is described in palpable detail -- from minor daily confrontations on Main Street to brutal hunts and attacks at night.
The second half of the book features three strong female characters: The first two are friends Isabelle and Mildred, who are both eager to help struggling and newly freed slaves with employment. They eagerly volunteer parcels of land to freed slaves to help them start their own food gardens. The third woman, Clementine, is relieved to be moving on to settle elsewhere as a free, African-American woman who no longer has to earn her living as a prostitute-in-hiding at Old Ox.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Longlisted for the Booker Prize 2021. ‘The Sweetness of Water’ by Nathan Harris is a scintillating debut. The strength of this novel is the great storytelling, reminding me of great books like ‘The Underground Railroad’ and even ‘The Grapes of Wrath’. Set towards the end of the Civil War, freedmen Prentiss and Landry must find their place in an uncertain world. Beyond these two characters is a forbidden romance, the psychological effects of war, and the power of familial love. Harris doesn’t dazzle with overly literary prose or grand visions, he succeeds with a simple and powerful story that will touch the hearts of many and be rewarded for its originality.
Slow-moving but good story. I really enjoyed it...the only negative was that the last few chapters just sort of fizzled out. Overall, a great read.
The story is interesting, but I cannot read an emotional story at this time.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Slavery
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
*3.5 stars
The author's writing was very beautiful and there were quite a few great quotes that made you think about important matters, but I just couldn't connect with any of the characters.