The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
First of all Coates writing is brilliant. I have read Between the World and Me and several of his Atlantic articles. He is genius. His fiction debut is magical, literally. Hiram is a slave with powers of memory and conduction. The Tasked in this novel are individual in their humanity. They suffer slavery but also pain and love. The Water Dancer is a moving, interesting read. #Ta-NehisiCoates #TheWaterDancer #NetGalley

This is an incredible fiction debut for this author - who is widely known for his nonfiction writing. It is one of the best books I have read this year. I liked the characters, who were well developed, I liked the themes of family and how we define it, the power of water and it’s representation, memories and their importance and magical realism. I did get a bit lost near the end, but it didn’t take away from the story. I found many comparisons to Whiteheads, The Underground Railroad, which only made me like it even more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I was so excited to get the chance to read this book. I picked it up on and off for several months thinking I wasn’t able to get into it because of my mood. I’ve finally given up after reading 25% of the book. I hope I will come back to it someday and feel the way I hoped to feel about it but right now, it feels so slow moving, confusing to follow, and longer than it needed to be.

A moving and lyrical story about a man who uses his fantastic gifts of memory and “conduction” to aid the Underground in its mission to free the souls trapped in bondage in the American south. The writing is pure bliss, so effective and evocative. The plot feels slightly shaggy in places, but overall it’s a sad but triumphant story well told.

I don't think my opinion is really needed in this space, but I will say that I thought this was beautifully written and that I love Coates' voice.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the eARC! This review will be posted on Goodreads and to Amazon's and Barnes & Noble's websites on 9/24.

Hiram is a slave with a special ability. His memory is perfect. He can remember everything he sees or reads. Everything except his mother. After his mother was sold away when he was young, he lost all memories of her. Now 19, Hiram almost dies, but afterwards, he finds the courage to escape his life as a Tasker.

I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting from this novel, but I thought it was going to have a touch of magical realism in it. The synopsis says Hiram is “gifted with a mysterious power,” and that “power saves his life.” But that power is just his exceptional memory.

This is such an important novel, as it takes readers back into the time of slavery and shows how much they were mistreated and how difficult it was for them to have a normal life, or to even have their own family.

The writing was almost poetic, and having Hiram tell the story in 1st person let me be immersed in the lives of people who want their stories to be told. There’s even an appearance from a very famous American Abolitionist whom Hiram meets as he becomes involved with the Underground. At first I thought, “is that who I think it is?” Then when more of her family appears, I realized it was her. So I loved that inclusion of a real person from the US history.

I was actually a little bored for the last half or third of the novel. But the writing was still very good, and the characters felt alive and real. There was also this theme of water that streamed through the novel, which I loved.

Thank you to Netgalley and One World for an e-arc to review!

Seldom have I encountered a book so lyrically beautiful, so breathtakingly compelling, so delineating of "both sides of the story," the lives and travails of both "the Tasked" (slaves) and the privileged planter class of pre-Civil War Virginia. Heartwrenching and heartpounding, there is yet a greater joy in store as the novel unfurls. Author Ta-Nehisi Coates is now a member of my personal pantheon of awe-inspiring geniuses, along with the late Stephen Hawking, Tim Powers, John Connolly, and Victor LaValle.

Using magical realism, and fantasy, Ta-Nehisi Coates weaves a tale about the pain and tragedy of slavery in the mid-1800s. Hiram Walker (Hi) was the son of a Virginian tobacco man and a slave. Hi has a few advantages as the master's son. The most precious to him is that he learns to read from his brother's tutor and has access to his father's library. Hiram has an extraordinary memory and absorbs knowledge from books and from the life he sees around him. Hi's mother was sold after his birth and he was left with little memory of her. He becomes attached to an older woman, Thena, who lives alone. Thena is tough but allows Hi to sleep in the loft of her cabin. Life with Thena is better than living in the underground world called the warrens. The warren is a small city built under the mansion, so the "quality" people as the slaves called them, don't have to see the "tasked" people going about their lives. A precious gift Hi received when he lost his mother was the ability to see things, a kind of vision that helped him in critical periods of his life.

Hi's brother, Maynard, takes little advantage of his opportunities. Drinking and playing the spoiled rich kid takes up most of his time. Hi's job includes keeping an eye out for Maynard and accompanying him on his late-night excursions to town. Late one night as Hi drove the carriage home with Maynard they had a tragic accident. Maynard did not survive. Somehow Hi's vision kept him alive. Now he had to take care of his father in mourning and try to understand what he could make of his life.

The despicable things men did to slaves in Virginia is in full view in this novel. The details are beyond horrific, and it is a miracle that people survived the barbaric treatment of the kind that Hi endured. Historically, we know groups of white men wanted to break the spirit of slaves, saving themselves from the job of hunting them down if they dared to escape. Escape became Hi's obsession when he reached the age of nineteen. The Underground, run by someone called Moses, was Hi's goal. If he could connect with this Underground, he would be free.

TC's brilliant writing makes it possible to read Hi's narrative. The power of his words creates repulsion and guilt for the crimes of slavery in this country. There are no happy endings to this historical era. Reparations could not even begin to address what is owed a race of people stolen from their homeland and bound in chains to build this country into the fruitful land it once was. TC gave me a story that helped me understand even better what the history of the US involved.

ARC provided by NetGalley (Sept.24).

A magical and moving story. The book starts out as Hiram nearly drowns and against all odds is saved by the gift of "the blue light" As the story progresses the reader begins to get a glimpse of the the power of the light and the water dance and Hiram's deep loss of family. It is a story of slavery but unlike any I have read. There is so much hope and resilience as he is determined to escape bondage and bring his family to freedom. His journey takes the reader from the plantations of Virginia to the amazing underground network of the North. Most amazing is how Coates writing brings the story and emotions to life. I felt the depth of love of family, the pain of separation and the shame of not being able to protect those you love. I found myself rereading many sentences for the shear beauty of the words. It is a book to savior and contemplate. I enjoyed the history, including Harriett Tubman mixed into the story as well as the mystery and thrilling escapes. I highly recommend.

Absolutely beautiful, enchanting prose while relaying the deplorable horrors of slavery. The story follows Hiram's (Hi's) life from the time his mother was sold through the time he became what he was meant to be. Magical realism with its roots in Africa gives the story a paranormal twist that is fascinating. This is a powerful story and Coates makes the characters come alive.

It's really hard to believe this is a first fiction attempt for the author. It is so beautifully written and carries the reader into the story and the characters are so well drawn you feel you know them. Kudos to Coates!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group through Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was lucky enough to get an arc of The Water Dancer through Netgalley.

When I heard Ta-Nehisi Coates was writing a fiction book, I knew I had to read it. I purposefully didn't read a synopsis ahead of time as I like to go in with as few expectations as possible. So, I was surprised that it employed magical realism and for me, that was sometimes a struggle as that is not an easy genre for me.

This story is about slavery and is told from the point of view of an orphaned male slave who was born to a slave mother and a white plantation owner in Virginia. We see complicated dynamics of his relationship with his father, his white half-brother (who he serves) and others in Virginia society including other slaves, free men and whites. The themes of exploring the slave narrative, the complicated rules and scenarios they had to navigate with little to no control and what was acceptable behavior is rich, nuanced and thought-provoking.

The writing style employs both flashbacks and magical realism, so several times, I had to go back and re-read a few pages to make sure I was understanding what was going on as the language itself employed in the book was reminiscent of the time period and therefore, not what I'm use to reading either.

The story was compelling and the first half moved a little slowly for me, but once I was invested in the characters and understanding the story more readily, I couldn't put it down. This was not a book that I could have devoured in 1 or 2 sittings, instead I read it over my entire vacation week, taking time to think through and immerse myself in the time period and in the character's voice.

I prefer more of a straight up historical fiction retelling without fantasy elements, but if you loved The Underground Railroad, this is probably right up your ally. And if you haven't read that or didn't love it, I would say that this is an important read and worth fighting through if it feels complicated or difficult. As a white person, I didn't grow up reading narratives from other cultures and as an adult reader, I try to include diverse authors as much as possible - so that I can struggle through trying to relate to another culture, seeing things through their cultural lens, listen to their stories and continue to develop empathy.

I am quite torn on this one. On on hand, it is a beautifully written, lyrical, evocative tale that exposes the truth of slavery in all its ugliness. The main character, Hiram Walker, is born a slave, yet son to the master, part of the Underground, yet 'Tasked' to labor, in love with a woman yet cannot own or control her, son to a dead woman yet is orphaned as she is sold south. It is a powerful story. However, it was a bit of a slog. It is looooong, there are so many characters to keep track of, and while the writing is gorgeous, there's just too much of it. The long, beautifully descriptive paragraphs wore me down at times. Thanks to Net Galley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ta-Nehisi Coates first fiction novel is a powerful and thought-provoking as his non-fiction work. Set mostly in Virginia on a plantation called Lockless, our narrator Hiram is the black son of the plantation owner, and despite his remarkable memory, remember very little about his mother. He also possesses are rather unusual talent, which I won’t get into too much detail about. Hiram soon finds himself called to the Big House to serve his half brother Maynard, and as the boys grow, an incident occurs that shows Hiram his true inheritance and sets him on a path towards freedom.

Coates has crafted a vivid and imaginative slave narrative but does not shy away from the seriousness of the subject matter. He shows the brutality of slavery, the dehumanizing nature in which people were "Tasked" and if they misbehaved or tried to escape were sold and sent "Natchez way.". While The Water Dancer is definitely a heavy and slow read, it is worth the read as he injects knowledge into each carefully crafted and often complex sentence.

I highly recommend grabbing a copy when it comes out next week.

*4.5 stars rounded up. I've read several novels on the subject of American slavery and the Underground Railroad. So what sets this one apart and makes it special? It's the touch of magical realism that Coates utilizes. What makes it a great book is the high quality of language, the complexity of theme, the depth of feeling. This is a book to be read slowly and savored. I won't soon forget these characters.

I've previously read Coates' non-fiction books Between the World and Me and We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy, and rated both 5 stars, so I guess you could say I'm a fan of his writing. So happy to see his first venture into fiction resulted in such a remarkable story. Congratulations are in order.

I was fortunate to receive an arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for my honest review. Many thanks!

Ta-Nehisi Coates is a remarkable and important writer, perhaps one of the most important to emerge in the last few years. His first foray into fiction writing is a heartbreaking, uplifting, lyrical masterpiece. Family is the one thing that can keep people going, even through the hardest of times. Family today can mean many things, and people find family where they can. Coates gives us an intimate view of what family meant to slaves living on plantations in the South in the 19th century, where a child or a parent could be sold and sent away at any time. Try to imagine living under a condition like that. I cannot fathom it, and that makes me more aware of the science and research around post-traumatic slave syndrome.

Here, Hiram loses all memory of his mother when she is sold away, and he spends his life trying to recover from that loss. Along the way, he comes to understand that his people, the Taskers, have a unique relationship to the earth, the sky, the water, and to each other. Coates tells a story imbued with the magic of creation and re-building as we follow Hiram from South to North and back again, driven and guided by his own gifts and spirit.

This is not to be missed. Highly recommended.

A unique, unflinching story. Coates is a talented writer who has penned a thoughtful, brutal slave narrative, and the bones for an excellent tale are present here. However, Coates' elegant prose acts as a double-edged sword by occasionally weighing the tale down, and as a result it was difficult for me to become fully engaged in Hiram's journey. The plot takes several unnecessary detours and while the magical realism elements help set the book apart from others dealing with the same subject matter, they don't feel entirely necessary or add enough to merit their inclusion. Worth reading, but not quite as good as I had hoped.

Outstanding historical novel by one of our greatest contemporary writers. Magical realism and lyrical writing bring a unique perspective to a horrific time in our nation's history. The novel follows Hiram, born into slavery, the son of a slave and the "master" of the plantation. Outstanding characters explore generational trauma and what it means to be "free." Hiram has a special gift, referred to as "conduction," which enables him to become a valuable agent for the Underground Railroad. I really loved this book, beginning to end, and I highly recommend it.
***I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.***

The Water Dancer is Ta-Nehisi Coates first novel and utilizes his deep research into slavery that was such a powerful part of his writing for “The Atlantic.” It is the story of Hiram Walker, a slave who grows up as a companion to his white brother, both fathered by the plantation owner. His mother is sold away and he is raised by Thena, an infamously cantankerous slave woman embittered by the death of her husband and the loss of her five children who were sold away.

It is clear that Hiram is far superior in character and intelligence to the spoiled son who is only mourned by his father when he drowns in an accident that nearly kills Hiram as well. In fact, Hiram is pretty sure he was drowning before something strange happened to carry him from the river. The burden of slavery, the rape of slave women, the separation of families, all the evils of slavery are laid bare.

Hiram escapes and finds himself part of the Underground, conducting people to freedom. He even goes to Pennsylvania and New York and enjoys the liberties of being a free man, but is haunted by those he left behind.

I have read Ta-Nehisi’s columns for “The Atlantic” for years, drawn by his deep dives into the history of the Confederacy, proving undeniably with their own words that the Confederate states seceded because of slavery and for no other reason. He has also done masterful work on redlining, segregation, and other features of American racism. Coates wrote great nonfiction, so I was hopeful that he would do well with a novel.

He surely did. The characters are complex and can be surprising. For example, an Underground Railroad organizer who frees many slaves could easily be written as an unalloyed good person but Coates not only avoids that error, he understands that a cause can create a fanatic and a fanatic can easily sacrifice “for the greater good.”

So does this qualify as magic realism? I think so, there is the fantastical power that saves Hiram, that he is asked to master, but otherwise, it is set in the real world of the antebellum South. There is a political critique of society, not just of the quality and of slavery, but also of the abolitionists. There is a hilarious scene at a gathering of abolitionists with an almost madcap tour of all the other forms of activism popular at the time that is. There is Coates adoption of unusual terms: the quality, the tasked, and the coffin, for example. As such, it is a masterful work of magic realism.

The Water Dancer will be released on September 25th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Water Dancer at One World | Penguin Random House
Ta-Nehisi Coates author site
“Conduction” an excerpt at The New Yorker

How can I review a book that is so powerful? Ta-Nehisi Coates is a brilliant writer and this, his first novel, is pure perfection. Slavery, as a topic, is still so powerful and heartbreaking and Coates captures that pain.

This book is beyond 'best of' lists and awards. It should be required reading for all humans.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with an ARC of Ta-Nehisi Coates first fictional novel, The Water Dancer. In exchange for the arc I offer my unbiased review.

This is a beautifully written story about slavery, family, memory, choices and ultimately Black History. It’s both gorgeous and heartbreaking. Unfortunately I did have a few issues with this book. The use of magical realism is not a trope I enjoy and it felt unsettling in this book. While I thought it worked well in Colson Whitehead’s novel (The Underground Railroad) it seemed a bit gimmicky in this story. And yes, I did find myself comparing the two stories, which ultimately took away some enjoyment from Coates work. ,I felt the story weighing me down. I was often bored and distracted as I felt the author was inconsistent with his pacing. All that being said, this book will definitely receive heaps of praise and accolades. Just because it didn’t work for me doesn’t mean it won’t connect with other readers. There is no denying Ta-Nehisi Coates is a gifted orator and story-maker.