Amazingly written, beautiful passages you just want to highlights and go back to, creative story and fantastic characters. Coates' foray into fiction does not disappoint.

I wanted to write a coherent review of The Water Dancer which is released next week, because it is a book that absolutely deserves that best sort of review, but the truth is, my current schedule is crazy, and so here is a quick review for this book.

Ta-Nehisi Coates is an author that always makes me think. Agree with him, disagree with him, uncertain one way or another, he makes me think, and I really, really appreciate that. I want to read this novel in an African American literature class, or in a book club. I want to read this novel with people who can ask good questions, and make me think about it again and even more. I love the way this book uses magical realism and that it plays with themes that I feel like were also super present in the Black Panther films. Identity and family, what it means to have that identity or not have that identity and how we create it, or deal with the absence of it. For me the ways in which slave owners were portrayed in this book, illustrated so clearly the ways in which, when we create systems of injustice they harm both the victims and the perpetrators of the systems. There are villains but there are also people caught in something they are almost blind to because their privilege blinds them, and from your position through the eyes of the narrator, you see the ways in which they could get free if only they could see that they too are held in chains by the system they use to chain others.

I thought when I sat down to read it that it might be too much for me this summer, no matter how much I wanted to read it, because mostly I've picked-up bubble gum romances, because the world is bleak, and my ability to deal with serious topics in literature has been kind of all time low. But I read it in less than a weeks time, in the end, and it wasn't dark and depressing how I feared. Instead it was thought provoking and honest, and in my view - hopeful.

So my review in the end was an easy 5 stars. I want to read this book again, preferably with minds that will poke at me and help me think about it, or see the characters and themes and stories in a new way. So, go, read this book, it's well worth your time.

I still Think about Coates’ Between the World and me, so was anxious for this fictional work. It was very good. It would make an excellent book club choice.

The Water Dancer is very much literary fiction—how else do you explain the pomp and circumstance surrounding a publishing darling imbuing a novel about slavery with magical realism? Ta-Nehisi Coates is (and will hopefully remain) an auto-read author for me, but I wasn't in the right headspace—nor do I think I was even the right audience—for this book. It was beautifully written, but reading it also felt, at times, like walking through wet sand. Dense ideas packed so tightly into expertly wrought sentences that the effort it took to comprehend what was being written almost took me out of the story itself.

Will I recommend you read this book? Absolutely. If you're a fan at all of Coates's writing or of literary fiction or just take Oprah at her word, you should definitely pick up The Water Dancer. But this is a novel about slaves, and slavery, and the horrible inhuman ways black bodies were treated and how those same bodies had to crawl up out of darkness to sometimes just get the chance at agency.

As much as I was awed by the unique reimagining of the term 'conduction' (and also that utterly beautiful cover), you can't read The Water Dancer in bits and pieces. It's a novel that demands your concentration and all of your mental energy. Coates reminds you on every page that, although his story is fiction, the people and stories on which it is based are not. To give anything less than your full attention is to rob the novel of its potential—a potential that's worth exploring, even if the process is painful.

Quite simply, one of the most compelling novels of this or any year. Coates' firstforay in to fictikon has all the strength, complexityh, craft and emotional engagement of his prevkiously lauded nonfiction. Hiram Walker, who was Tasked to the plantation owned by his own father, is a young man of singjular talent, and even when this otherwise grimly realistic novel of Virginia plantations before the Civil War veers in to magic realism to explain Hirawm's inherited gift for making memories come to life, it doesn't seem like fiction. Together with Colson Whitehead's novel, the Nickel Boys, a portrait of our blood-spattered hbistorical past emerges that cannot be forgotten.

This book was sooo good!!! It follows a slave named Hi(ram) whose mother is taken away from him as a child. Hi has a special ability to remember every thing down to the smallest detail. This journey takes him to the Underground where he works with Harriet Tubman herself. She also possesses the unique gift Hi has. She helps aid in his getaway but the journey takes him back to his owner who is also his father. Through his trials Hi learns to hone his gift and use it to reconnect people while trying to remember his own mother.
There are sooo many gems in this book. Coates brings a unique perspective on slavery by adding a magical realism twist. Not only does Hi witness classism among white people but he gets a glimpse at women's suffrage and the plight of Native American people as well. Though the story of slavery has been told MANY times, Coates holds his own fresh take on a dark time that we are still dealing with today.

I can't say this was exactly what I was expecting, but it was definitely an interesting read. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more (and appreciated it more) if I weren't in such a busy time in my life and could have read it in fewer sittings. Coates brought a different perspective to slavery (or "the Task"), escape, and freedom from any other book I've read, including by African-American authors. The magical element of "Conduction" was especially strange, and because of that in particular I never felt like a had a complete grasp of the novel; the whole thing had an almost dreamlike feel from the first page. I think this is one of those books you "have" to read, but I for one am going to have to read it again when I can give it more attention because I feel like I missed a lot of the currents running beneath the surface, if you'll forgive my poor wordplay.

We know Ta-Nehisi Coates for his nonfiction, but his fictional debut, The Water Dancer, is just as stupendous as his previous books. He builds the details of his world drop by drop, layer by layer. By the end, I felt fully immersed, although in some ways I was drowning in sadness.

The story is age-old, and yet told in a completely new way. Set mostly in pre-Civil War Virginia, the main character is an enslaved man named Hiram Walker. Hiram is also the son of his home plantation’s owner, which affords him both minor advantages and major scrutiny.

What Hiram doesn’t quite know is what happened to his mother. He’s 18 years old, and thinks she was sold. But he’s blocked the traumatic particulars. Nevertheless, another woman raises Hiram, despite her own traumas. His life exists at Lockless—in the Fields, the House, the Street, and the Warrens—all places where the enslaved people live and work.

As he grows older, and proves himself both smart and responsible, he becomes the main caretaker of his younger half-brother, the Master’s son. And this young man, Maynard, is a foolish and privileged young man. One night, coming home from a night “on the town,” Hiram and Maynard end up in the Goose River. Maynard is lost, presumed dead. And Hiram finds himself in unexpected places, rather than simply the riverbank.

That night on the Goose shows interested folks that Hiram may have a special talent. The ensuing details of how Hiram becomes part of the Underground Railroad make up most of the book’s story. And, like his ancestors, he may be able to bend time and space to conduct passengers North on the river of memory. He just needs to understand how. All kinds of people have an interest in Hiram fully developing his talent. And yet he still feels tied to Lockless, so it’s up to him to resolve his conflict and decide how to go forward.

My conclusions
Hiram is relatable and multi-dimensional. He’s an ideal and strong narrator, primarily because he’s thoughtful and willing to examine character and situation, starting with his own. I cheered for Hiram and the people he loves at Lockless and in the Underground. I also shared Coates’s hesitations about the white characters, even those who are involved in the Underground Railroad. Their agendas aren’t very far away from the concepts of enslavement.

Coates introduces so much sadness into the story. In the history of slavery, families are almost always ripped apart. Men, women, and children suffer pain, both physical and emotional. The whole of an enslaved person’s life is a combination of forgetting and remembering.

This novel correlates strongly to Coates’s nonfiction, and his ongoing topic of what the bodies of black people bear. But The Water Dancer is also about what their souls bear, and this applies both then and now. And, as hard as this reality is, Coates sprinkles hopeful notes in the story, too. There are moments of joy, closeness, and even some eventual reunions. His main characters have tremendous warmth amidst the sorrows.

This book drew me in like a whirlpool in great raging river rapids. It’s exciting, intense, and unputdownable. In fact, if I wished for more resisters in Margaret Atwood's The Testaments, this book delivered them. And then some! Please go track a copy down and read it soon.

Acknowledgements
Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, One World, and the author for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

The story is written as if you're coming in and out of the fog. There are moments of opacity, all worth it when the picture clears.

This ARC was provided for review, but in no way affects the following impartial and unbiased review:
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4*
Pros: Heartbreaking and extremely important story about slavery. Beautiful narrative style. PoC leading characters. Includes a fantastic introduction of Harriet Tubman as well. Powerful and heart-wrenching, it wilo immerse you into the lives, cultures and traditions of Southern enslaved Black people during the abolition period.
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Cons: Too descriptive at times, which interrupted the full immersion in the story.

The Water Dancer follows the tumultuous life of Hiram Walker, a man born to slavery by his slave mother and white tobacco plantation-owner father. Hiram is gifted with the ability of perfect memory, and maybe something even more extraordinary, and thus becomes a target for involvement in "The Underground," an organization rumored to free black men and woman from "the task" all over Virginia.

There is so much in this book to unpack, that I think I would need to read it at least two more times to really feel like I know the book, and that in itself is a strength. Nearly every page, Coates's eloquent writing uncovers a new perspective, a new way of thinking about slavery, about the relationships between the people of the task and the people of quality, about the efforts of those abolitionists that would see slavery destroyed, but perhaps with not the best of intentions.

On my first reading, because I will read this book again, I was struck by the personal character development of Hiram, who starts off so young and in many ways naive despite his tasked upbringing, and begins to see that his motives are not everyone's motives. He learns that just because he remembers everything that he's been told does not mean he has listened, that freedom looks different for every person of the task based on their own experiences. Coates brings not just Hiram, but a whole cast of characters to full color through his tale, none of them true heroes (except maybe Harriet Tubman, because of course she is), many of which are part-villian, depending on where you stand in relation to Hiram.

I also LOVED that Harriet Tubman appears throughout the narrative as a guiding light for Hiram. Many stories based on slavery would not dare to bring an actual historical figure into a purely fictional, sometimes fantastical setting, but Coates does this in away that is both entertaining and respectful of the history.

My only criticisms is that at times I struggled with the pacing of the novel, and occasionally the prose felt repetitive, but given how much there is to love about this novel (which I could not even fully go into in the space I have here) I'm happy to excuse a few lulls. This is the kind of novel that can be studied, that can be picked through over and over for new gems and new layers of insight, should you be up to the challenge.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Water Dancer is about a young black boy (Hiram Walker) growing up on a plantation in Virginia. He is the illegitimate son of the owner who has another son (Maynard) who grows up on the plantation as well. The writing is lush and imbued with magical realism. Hiram is recognized by his father for his exceptional cleverness and brightness. He then takes lessons with Maynard's tutor and is delighted by this until he realizes that he was being raised to grow up alongside and be his brother's keeper. In the wake of an accident that results in Maynard's death in the opening chapter of the book, he discovers that he has the magical ability to water dance.

I enjoyed the lush writing style and the juxtaposition that despite his impressively photogenic memory, Hi is unable to remember any facts about his mother. I thought the setting was beautifully set. I enjoyed the irony of the names in the book - that the slaves were referred to as The Tasked, the plantation was named Lockless.

However, I struggled with the magic realism elements. I also found the pacing of the book to be slow and with my extensive tbr list, just did not find myself excited to pick this book up and continue reading. I find that in general, I think magical realism can be one of my favorite genres but one that I also struggle with the most in terms of reading and immersion. I also felt that the cast of characters outside of Hiram were not as painted out and did not find any affinity with any of them other than his surrogate mother character Thena.

Ultimately, I DNF'ed this book at 23% and may come back to it at a later date.

Recommended if: you enjoy magic realism, beautiful prose, slow(er) character development

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

[[DNF at 23%]]

This book is beautiful. Lyrical. Magical. And it makes it possible to read about a very difficult subject. I am not a huge fan of magical realism. I’m also not a huge fan of historical fiction. I’ve pretty much stopped reading anything about the Civil War and slavery, just as I don’t read much about the Holocaust any more. If I thought I had avoided it along the way, then I might feel bad, but I’ve read so many books on those subjects that I just can’t do it anymore.

But I’m a huge Ta-Nehisi Coates fan, and I’ll read pretty much anything he writes (except for the comic books) so I wasn’t going to skip this, even though it’s about enslaved persons (called “the Tasked” in the book) and the Underground Railroad. And even though Colson Whitehead did a magical realism take on the Underground Railroad (and did it very well). Coates has been working on this book for over a decade, and while Whitehead may have beat him to market, both books can coexist as fantastic and fanciful takes on the subject.

Coates’ book will make you think about family, and love, and race, and history — all in a way you may never have considered it before. I couldn’t read it all in one setting, due to the intensity, but it still kept me engaged throughout. This is definitely a don’t miss, and one I hope contends for some serious literary awards.

I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

freaking incredible. Ta-Nehisi is a genius and i will read anything he writes fiction or non-fiction, this is going to be something that sticks with me for a long long while

4 1/2 stars when I saw that Ta-nehisi Coates was writing his first novel, I knew I wanted to read it right away. And so I was thrilled to receive the ARC through netgalley. It took me nearly a month to read the first half and then I read the last half in a day (mostly because of personal circumstances).
The writing is poetic and the story is raw with the trauma of enslavement and families torn apart. I love the mystical aspect of it and the connection with African ancestors but I wonder if it takes away from the courage of those who traveled the Underground Railroad and against all odds made it to freedom.

I found myself highlighting phrases on almost every page savoring each word. Looking forward to his second novel.

3.5 stars
This one took a while to get started for me, but ended up being a solid read. There are quite a few novels depicting the brutality and hell that was the life of a slave. The deep psychological aspect and the nebulous nature of the past make this one unique.

This is a book that is not to be rushed - give yourself time to be immersed in it and the story. This is a book that tells a great story, but it takes it time getting there [that is what kept this from being 5 stars - there are moments where is is VERY slow and I had a hard time staying engaged. Once the audiobook came out and I switched to that, it became much easier as the narrator was fantastic] and you have to be patient and just let the story unfold. And if you can do that, then this beautiful, gorgeous, scary, horrible, life-changing, magical book will just seep into you and stay with you.

I cannot say that I loved every minute of this book, but I did love most of it and like I said, the narration is just lovely.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unpopular opinion alert, please don't hate me! I just did not <i>enjoy reading this book.</i> I agree that objectively, it's an inventive, important, moving story. Hiram, a young man enslaved by his white father, has a mystical power that allows certain people to be lifted and carried across bodies of water. He is recruited to become a conductor of the Underground Railroad and help others escape the confines of the slavery; he is given the opportunity to confront his past and come back to rescue two of the women he loves most at his former plantation in Virginia.

At times, I found the writing to be beautiful and powerful. But for most of the book, I couldn't get a grip on the plot, the characters, or the conceits of the magical realism. I could definitely tell that this is Coates' first foray into novel-writing, because I alternately found his pacing too slow and too fast, or too convoluted and focusing on the beauty of the prose rather than moving the plot forward. I just could not get invested in the characters, especially Hiram, the protagonist. Paradoxically, I almost think the vehicle for this story should have been a graphic novel, informed by Coates' work on <i>Black Panther.</i> I can definitely see the influence of the supernatural power, the complex villains, the brilliant settings and environments. I didn't find the density of words packed into this novel compelling.

You know, when I was reading this, I found it reminiscent of reading a "classic" in high school - a book that you know is acclaimed and celebrated for many reasons, but that you just didn't enjoy. I have no doubt that this book will become famous, maybe even becoming required reading in high school, but sadly, it just didn't work for me.

Having read [book:Between the World and Me|25489625], I was both excited and nervous to read this book. Have you ever had a reading experience that made your skin tingle and left you speechless? Well that was how reading Coates's memoirs were for me. I had such a visceral response and found myself revisiting them time and time again. Although I knew Coates's writing to be poetic yet engaging I feared that I may not connect with a work of fiction as I had with his rendering of his life experience. Now that I have the pleasure to have read <b>The Water Dancer</b> I can say that it is as moving, lyrical, relevant and profound as his other works. I think I'll just sit here for a minute and bask in its glory.

<i>Special thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House and Ta-Nehisi Coates for access to this book.</i>

Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote one of the most important books of the past decade ("Between the World and Me") and so I picked up his first novel with high expectations. It's really, really good. "The Water Dancer" follows one man's life in "the coffin" of slavery and, later, as an agent of the Underground Railroad. With touches of magical realism and an epic sweep that stretches from African myths to Philadelphia's streets, the novel is ambitious. It mostly fulfills that ambition, though I found the opening a little slow and the ending far too abrupt.