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shyster's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
maryganska's review
5.0
I very much like the way this book had such a woven story. It's one I will continue to ponder for more than a few days.
deehawkins74's review against another edition
4.0
Good Read
This was a really good book. I read it in less than 2 full days during the Coronavirus quarantine. Bernice L McFadden did a wonderful job of weaving the characters’ stories together, history, and the spirit. I would definitely recommend to others.
This was a really good book. I read it in less than 2 full days during the Coronavirus quarantine. Bernice L McFadden did a wonderful job of weaving the characters’ stories together, history, and the spirit. I would definitely recommend to others.
meeks3's review
3.0
I read this book as part of a book club and did not read anything about it prior to reading. That's probably why a few chapters in when I got to the part where Doll's 5 year old brother is fingering her that I literally had the thought "What the fuck am I reading?!?" I wish I could say that the story gets lighter or happier, but it really does not. This is not to say that the book is bad because it is a very well written story. Ms. McFadden also poses a lot of thought provoking points especially in light of what is currently happening in this country in regards to racial tensions.
I really enjoyed the fact that the town of Money is the narrator of this story. I don't think I have ever read a book before where the city narrated so it was a nice change. What I liked most about it, though, is the fact that Money is able to see and hear all over many generations so we, the reader, also are able to see and hear all. It's a nice perspective.
One issue I had with the book is the mixing of fact and fiction. Obviously Emmett Till was a real person who was murdered in Money, Mississippi but did he actually have a love connection with a girl named Tass? I don't believe so. Normally this is not a big issue for me, but it started to become confusing as to what was fact and what was fiction. If aspects of this story point are real and parts are not what else in the book is real and what was just Ms. McFadden's imagination? By the time I got to the end of the book I felt like I had to fact check a lot of what I read (which I spent some time doing).
My other main thought on this book is that when you strip the story down to the bare bones, it's literally a story about an evil spirit that messes up everybody's lives. Esther inhabits Doll's body and makes her sleep around and break up marriages. Then when Doll dies Esther inhabits J.W. Milam who goes on to violently kill Emmett. By the end of the story Esther is Hurricane Katrina. I can get behind the idea of spirits/souls staying, watching over others, and being a force for good or evil. What I do not understand is Esther's motivation. Yes, she was treated terribly in life but why is she so vindictive in death that she has to ruin the lives of all these people? By 2005 these are definitely people she never knew in life so why does she continue to be angry? I guess I wish that I had more of an understanding of who Esther was and the reasoning behind her actions since she is the impetus behind everything in the book.
I really enjoyed the fact that the town of Money is the narrator of this story. I don't think I have ever read a book before where the city narrated so it was a nice change. What I liked most about it, though, is the fact that Money is able to see and hear all over many generations so we, the reader, also are able to see and hear all. It's a nice perspective.
One issue I had with the book is the mixing of fact and fiction. Obviously Emmett Till was a real person who was murdered in Money, Mississippi but did he actually have a love connection with a girl named Tass? I don't believe so. Normally this is not a big issue for me, but it started to become confusing as to what was fact and what was fiction. If aspects of this story point are real and parts are not what else in the book is real and what was just Ms. McFadden's imagination? By the time I got to the end of the book I felt like I had to fact check a lot of what I read (which I spent some time doing).
My other main thought on this book is that when you strip the story down to the bare bones, it's literally a story about an evil spirit that messes up everybody's lives. Esther inhabits Doll's body and makes her sleep around and break up marriages. Then when Doll dies Esther inhabits J.W. Milam who goes on to violently kill Emmett. By the end of the story Esther is Hurricane Katrina. I can get behind the idea of spirits/souls staying, watching over others, and being a force for good or evil. What I do not understand is Esther's motivation. Yes, she was treated terribly in life but why is she so vindictive in death that she has to ruin the lives of all these people? By 2005 these are definitely people she never knew in life so why does she continue to be angry? I guess I wish that I had more of an understanding of who Esther was and the reasoning behind her actions since she is the impetus behind everything in the book.
shannon222's review
5.0
I tried to come of with a reason NOT to give this book 5 stars, and couldn't. I love the way the book is written. It tells an amazing story, and the ending had me in tears! I usually get halfway through a book, and get bored. This book had my attention from beginning to end. Ms. McFadden did a great job! This is definitely a "Good read".
kutklose302's review
5.0
I just love Bernice McFadden's work! Her books get me so emotionally invested in the characters.
readincolour's review
5.0
I worried that there would be no one to take J. California Cooper's place. I thought Bernice McFadden might be the one when I read Glorious. After reading Gathering of Waters, I'm sure of it!
I've often said that reading a J. California Cooper book is like sitting on the porch listening to your grandmother tell you a story. Using lush words and phrases that make you long for those days, McFadden's latest will leave you breathless from start to end. Once you start Gathering of Waters, you won't want to put it down until you've finished it.
Warning: When I read and write about really good books, the words I'm looking for don't always come out right. So even if you can't feel it while reading this review, know that I was gushing over the greatness of this book while writing it.
Through narration by the town of Money, Mississippi, the reader is taken on a journey that explains the evil spirit that inflicted Roy Bryant, one of the men responsible for the murder of Emmett Till. Surely one would have to be evil to harm an innocent child the way the Bryant and his accomplices did, right?
We're first introduced to the spirit, which belonged to the town's recently deceased whore, early on when it comes back in the form of a little girl. When that child's mother can no longer control the monster that her daughter has become, she sends her to live with a preacher's family where her destructive ways reach far and wide. Eventually the spirit finds its way to another innocent child, this one a white boy brought back from the dead, who would eventually become the Roy Bryant who murdered Emmett Till.
Weaving history with fiction with surrealism left me absolutely fascinated with the way the author tied the stories of each person affected by this evil spirit together and then went a step further and tied it into water. Water is used often in literature to symbolize life, transformation, chaos or a cleansing. In Gathering of Waters, water is present at each milestone: Doll's transition, Roy's re-birth, Emmett's transition, Emmett's rebirth (of sorts), and Tass' transition. The culmination of the last two events brings forth one of the most chaotic events of present time. Water...who would have thought it could wreak such havoc.
I've often said that reading a J. California Cooper book is like sitting on the porch listening to your grandmother tell you a story. Using lush words and phrases that make you long for those days, McFadden's latest will leave you breathless from start to end. Once you start Gathering of Waters, you won't want to put it down until you've finished it.
Warning: When I read and write about really good books, the words I'm looking for don't always come out right. So even if you can't feel it while reading this review, know that I was gushing over the greatness of this book while writing it.
Through narration by the town of Money, Mississippi, the reader is taken on a journey that explains the evil spirit that inflicted Roy Bryant, one of the men responsible for the murder of Emmett Till. Surely one would have to be evil to harm an innocent child the way the Bryant and his accomplices did, right?
We're first introduced to the spirit, which belonged to the town's recently deceased whore, early on when it comes back in the form of a little girl. When that child's mother can no longer control the monster that her daughter has become, she sends her to live with a preacher's family where her destructive ways reach far and wide. Eventually the spirit finds its way to another innocent child, this one a white boy brought back from the dead, who would eventually become the Roy Bryant who murdered Emmett Till.
Weaving history with fiction with surrealism left me absolutely fascinated with the way the author tied the stories of each person affected by this evil spirit together and then went a step further and tied it into water. Water is used often in literature to symbolize life, transformation, chaos or a cleansing. In Gathering of Waters, water is present at each milestone: Doll's transition, Roy's re-birth, Emmett's transition, Emmett's rebirth (of sorts), and Tass' transition. The culmination of the last two events brings forth one of the most chaotic events of present time. Water...who would have thought it could wreak such havoc.
mrshoneygirl's review
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
In summary: A story about the effects our actions can have in others lives, even if we think our actions are insignificant, they can have a significant or long lasting impact to both loved ones and strangers alike.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Child death, Racism, Child abuse, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
There is a female black child, named "Doll", who is possessed by a grown promiscuous adult soul/spirit named Esther since birth that controls Dolly's body and does some unthinkable thingsmegea's review
2.0
This feels like it is either the wrong format or it is underdone. There is a lot in it that could be good, but, unfortunately, as a novel it is not good.