The Prose in this novel is vibrant and detailed. The journey transcendent. I was pulled in by the lyricism in the writing from the beginning. I would probably read anything this author writes.

Absolutely loved this book. The imagery leapt off the pages. My heart was with the narrator. I loved the magiacal realism. This is a truly beautifully written book

***I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

In 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!

I highlighted this book on my Booktube channel. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/Vuk6cDTe9tU

Coates's writing style is just so fluid and beautiful and evocative. He really knows how to grab a reader's attention and hold it with the perfect combination of words. Though this was a hard read at times due to the subject matter, I loved that it celebrated the lives of the "tasked" in ways both big and small and didn't just show them enduring pain and suffering; we also got to experience their joy and love and the ways they supported one another through the "task." I loved the supernatural/folkloric aspects of the story, especially that Hiram and Harriet's power was connected both to water and stories themselves.
I loved Thena the most, I think. Though she could be hard and brittle, it was all too easy to see why she had become so. And there was still love and tenderness underneath her hard shell.
That is one thing this book does well with all of its characters: the intricacies of their motivations, desires, and wills. There are very few, if any, one-layer characters (maybe Ryland and his hounds); everyone else seems to be fairly complicated and complex in their actions and what drives them. Corrine Quinn, proper southern lady with a host of secrets, is one of the more complex characters within the novel, at turns noble and ruthless in achieving her goals. I both admired and disliked her even as she was trying to help right certain wrongs. While she and Hiram often find themselves working in tandem, they are just as often at odds with each other. I enjoyed the interactions between them, especially as Hiram found himself respecting Corrine more and more despite their disagreements.
Overall, if you love a lush, lyrically written historical novel with touches of magical realism, give The Water Dancer a try.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me early access to this title in exchange for an honest review.

A good book that I would find more enjoyable under the right circumstances, like reading it on paper, with lots of time and focus and, ideally, with a book club to delve, discuss and exchange ideas. I was excited about the magical realism, having grown up with Latin American authors, but this one felt long and hard to get through.

Not having read any previous Ta-Nehisi Coates books, I read The Water Dancer as a work of fiction. It’s the story of Hiram, black slave son of his master and a mother who was sold “Natchez way” when he was nine. Made a house slave at a young age, Hiram was tasked to perform parlor tricks and micromanage his white half-brother. The story follows Hiram in his journey for freedom and his unique role as an agent in the Underground Railroad. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. 4 ⭐️

I had read Ta-Nehisi Coates' non-fiction before and loved his writing. I was very excited to read his fiction work and I was not disappointed. The elements of this work juxtaposing the horrors of American slavery with the magic that Hiram has in connection with his mother work really well. A must read!

While a grand first novel, it was a little too verbose. Overall a well spoken and powerful novel, soft spoken yet with power and meaning. Highly recommended,

I wanted to like this book, but it just didn't stick for me, and I had to DNF around halfway through. Generally speaking, this was because I found myself constantly wanting to put it down and read something else instead. It wasn't that the book was bad; objectively, I know the writing is skillful and the story is one that was full of important social statements (and probably would be even more so if I could have stuck the rest out). Since putting it down over a year ago, I keep saying I'll come back to it, and I never feel compelled to do so. Every time I do, I give up on it again, and at this point, I really think I need to call it quits. I'm sure this is a powerful story, so I really think it's just a case of "it's not you, it's me"--the writing style and pacing don't quite gel with me, unfortunately.

I'm still giving it 3 stars because I do recognize the objective importance and technical merit of it as a narrative.

I absolutely love Coates' range! This book is so unlike the others of his that I have read but it was a wonderful story. I have recommended it to students and have bought copies for the library.

This book is not for someone looking for something fast-paced, for someone looking for a book without magic in its realism, or for someone who is looking for realism in their magic. Though Coates's prose is lovely, what is missing from this book is any sense of motion. Perhaps a stronger sense of connection with the characters would make it more difficult to read this well-researched book, but it might also contribute to a more enthusiastic turning of pages.

[2.5/5 stars]

Slavery, mysterious gift, family... the premise of THE WATER DANCER had me intrigued. However, unfortunately this book fell flat for me.

Blending magical realism and historical fiction, I appreciated the themes approached but I thought it was poorly executed. I mean, the writing is beautiful and the atmospheric setting is quite immersive, nevertheless, the plot felt dry and lacked direction and momentum. It felt like I was meandering and I was often distracted. Not much happens to the narrative and I honestly didn't know what to expect from it. Furthermore, I just couldn't get invested into the characters, however relevant I know they could be. This is a story that you have to pay attention to every detail in order to recollect your thoughts.

DNF @21%

A powerful and poignant novel focusing on slave era Virginia and the Underground. The brutality of the South and it’s horrifying past, the strength of an oppressed community, the beauty of human relationships, and a touch of supernatural, really meld together poetically is this story.

This novel is so many things: powerful, magical, imaginative, necessary. I loved how Coated weaved magic in with the Underground Railroad, which also highlighted the history and family that slaves lost when they were stolen from their homeland. This book exists on so many levels that I’m sure there are new things to be discovered every time you read it.

In The Water Dancer, Coates creates an honest-to-god masterpiece. This book reinvents the power of memory and transcends reality with incredible depth. Made all the more prevalent by 2020's resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, The Water Dancer puts a sort of mythical spin on history, even as the story speaks to the present.

(full review on Pencils & Pages: https://juliettesebock.com/the-water-dancer-by-ta-nehisi-coates-review/)

A riveting blend of history and fantasy that lingers. I thought about it night and day and it will stay with me for a long time. It has a rhythm just like the water.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for sharing this with me in exchange for an honest review! I loved the fantasy/historical combination, very unique.

I enjoyed this book, and had to mindfully work through it because of the beautiful and prose like writing. I've been a fan of Coates for a long time, so I was pleased to pick this one up. Memory and liberation are important themes in the lives of Black people in this country, which was so perfectly captured here through the experience of Hiram. What I especially loved were the magical realism and fantastical elements, which were incredibly unique in that they draw on the collective to source power. When you think about the ways in which history has been written by and about white colonial and genocidal legacy, it seems fitting for the characters in this novel (as well as Coates) to take back that power by anchoring it within collective and inherited memory.

This was an engaging read from the beginning and one that I have been recommending to patrons wholeheartedly.