This a story about slavery and the appalling way the enslaved were treated but despite the brutal violence of this subject the narrative is gentle and beautifully written.
It is told from Hiram’s point of view a slave whose father is the plantation owner and whose mother is a slave, sold off when he was a young child.
His father brings him up to the house to be raised with his half-brother with the ultimate purpose of and training him to be his half-brother’s personal servant.
Through Hiram’s experience, we encounter the inequality and unfairness of his position and feel his quiet rage.

The understated narrative style made the horror expressed at being sent further South so much more effective, just the phrase ‘The Coffin’ sent a chill of fear through my heart.
I knew the facts of the violent cruelty and vicious splitting up of families but this book brings that to life and made it relevant, made it even more appalling.
One thing that greatly affected me was how some of the ‘Tasked’ spurned the joy of an emotional connection or of creating a family simply from the fear of being separated from those very loved ones due to the whim or financial status of the slave-owner.

The magical realism of conduction didn’t in itself interfere with my enjoyment of the story but it led to several repetitive bouts of introspection which pulled down the flow of the narrative and interrupted the emotional connection with the character.
In addition there was the fact that The Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman herself achieved the miraculous liberation of so many slaves without any magical intervention and I feel that could have been an even more interesting tale though probably more lengthy and complicated.

“For memory is the chariot, and memory is the way, and memory is the bridge from the curse of slavery to the boon of freedom.”

This is a story of love and loss, friendship and courage, memory and personal freedom. It also manages to express a slave’s view of the emotional impact of slavery in a way that is devastatingly understandable.

Second book I’ve read recently on slavery from a mystical perspective, and I must admit I struggle with that side of it. The historical detail is excellent, Hiram a slave born into bondage is integrated into a cell of abolitionists, runaway and free slaves working on the Underground Railroad to free those enslaved putting their own lives at risk., discovering secrets along the way.

Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers Penguin Books for an ARC of this book.

This just wasn't to my personal liking. While I appreciate the importance of the narrative, particularly coming from a BIPOC Own Voices reviewer, I felt as though the story was buried deep beneath a lot of pretty, poetic writing. I didn't realise it was a magical realism novel until about 40% through. I have heard that Coates is a great non-fiction writer, though, so I'll be looking forward to reading some and seeing if that's more my speed!

Interesting read. First third was very involving, after Hiram is taken, I found story harder to follow, with lots of characters and a complicated plot. The concept of conduction was somewhat unreal and added an air of fantasy to the novel. Maybe a little too long for my taste but well written.

In pre-civil war 18th century Virginia, we meet Hiram (Hi) Walker on a tobacco plantation named Lockless. The story centres on Hi's journey as a young man born into slavery, fathered by the plantation-owner, and the impact of his extraordinary powers of memory and intelligence.

Coates' poetic language and the imagery he creates immediately drew me in and transported me directly to Lockless. All of the characters were intriguing and sufficiently developed for me to understand their place in Hiram's story. Other reviews have discussed the somewhat meandering nature of Hiram's journey and this being a negative but for me, this was a positive. The book was just that: a meandering journey, which seemed to me a reflection of the time. During times of slavery, people's journeys rarely fit a story 'template' with a distinct beginning, middle and end with clearly-defined points or characters on a straight line. I can imagine it was a time that created disruption and confusion, torn and repaired connections, twists and turns, all taking place over limited time spans or stretching over decades, for completely unjustifiable reasons. This was what kept me intrigued and kept me reading, eagerly anticipating what might happen. All of that said, there was a section roughly three quarters of the way through where the story felt particularly as if it were in free fall and that was slightly disorientating.

There is a fantasy element to this story and when it appeared, I was definitely surprised and was unsure how Coates might weave this in with the factual underpinnings of The Underground Railroad but I was not disappointed to have it threaded in! Others have mentioned that there are many other books that have focussed on the brutality of slavery -- of which this book does not shy away from either -- but having this shimmering lightness to the dark that is slavery lifted it to a magical level for me.

I'm sad to say I'd not heard of Coates until now and so wasn't aware that this was his debit fiction novel and that he'd previously only written non-fiction. The factual details really supported the development of the story, and reading the authors' note at the end has placed The Underground Railroad Records: Narrating the Hardships, Hairbreadth Escapes, and Death Struggles of Slaves in Their Efforts for Freedom by William Still firmly on my 'to read' list.

Overall, this book really drew me in and I didn't really want it to end: I wanted to learn more about what happens to Hi. It only lost that last star for some story freefall part-way through and ending too soon. I would absolutely read Coates' next novel!

I finally finished reading The Water Dancer and the best way I can describe it is a comparison to full bodied heavy Malbec or Rioja that lingers and rolls around your mouth. The language, imagery, plot are well defined, heavy and full of intent.

The story is about Hi, a slave born and raised in Lockless - a tobacco plantation in old decaying and crumbling Virginia. We follow him from the time he loses his mother as a young child, through his growth and how he navigates his relationships with people in and out of Lockless. We are introduced to a wealth of characters that help shape Hi and his actions as he comes to terms with his past and his powers. Yes I said powers because this is no ordinary historical fiction - it mixes in a smidge of fantasy and reimagines the lives of some famous historical characters.

What I really liked about this book is the level of thought and care that went into writing it. As I mentioned there are a wealth of characters in the book but each one is clearly defined and multifaceted - I didn’t feel like anyone was purely 2 dimensional which is a tremendous feat. The book is slow but because it is so rich in depth you sip every word and savour every line.

This fell just shy of 5 stars for me because I wanted more. I enjoyed it till the end but I think he could have taken us a bit further. I want to know what happens to all the characters I met and invested in. Maybe I’m just being greedy because it’s not like there’s a cliff hanger or any unresolved storylines but I want a second book. I wang to dive back into this world and reunite with the characters and see where their stories have taken them.

Im sorry but i gave up at around 30% in tot his book, just found it too slow even though it is beautifully written

This is beautifully written which is brutal in its depiction of slavery whilst offering up some stunning characters who truly come to life from the page. It’s hauntingly poetic and yet it doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of the ‘American dream’ of the mid 1800s, built on the bones and the ashes of so many black lives. In many ways, I would love to give this five stars and if it had stayed within the bounds of the harsh realities, I likely would have. But it falls down when it veers into mysticism, the all too present forays into magical realism which fall flat when placed against the harsh brutality of the slave trade and the real bravery of those engaged in the Underground.

This is a dense novel, filled with character histories and backgrounds which are revealed gradually in a multi-layered narrative that is slowly paced but full of depth and emotion. The complexity of the human psyche is pinned and dissected, the complicated and sometimes paradoxical motivations and emotions of humanity are on full display and this is never as obvious as with the lead character. Hiram is both son and property, he empathises with both his white landowner father and the slaves on which that land is built. Since he was a small child he sought to catch his fathers eye and when he does, he wants to find a sense of belonging in the big house, with people he shares blood if not wealth with, whilst still clinging to the true ties of belonging that he has.

It drew me in from the word go and I found myself captured by the writing and the descriptions. The philosophical tone of the novel is a well drawn counterpart to the harsh brutality of the slave lives. The insecurity and the knowledge that at any moment you could be sold away from your husband, wife or children, that your children can and will be ripped away from you with no warning, that running leads to hell and yet staying is a hell in and of itself. The family dysfunction where the white heir is a waste of space, gambling away what the family has whilst the illegitimate black boy is intelligent and everything that could save the family, if only his colour didn’t hold him in the place of Tasked. The Quality are so often anything but, whilst the Tasked work so hard for something that can never be theirs.

The only thing I found that pulled me out of the expertly woven prose was the idea of Conduction and the way it was utilised. The magical aspects of being able to cover vast distances if not time itself were unrealistic when put aside the all too real experiences of the slaves and those who sought to free them. It felt like a get out of jail free card and took away from what was wonderfully written and beautifully if starkly depicted.

All in all, this was an excellent read but I can’t help but feel it would have been that much better if Coates had stayed in reality rather than veering off and suddenly demanding the suspension of belief that the magical realism aspects needed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.

Thanks to Penguin Books and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

This almost felt like two different books to me, and I liked one a lot better than the other.

Hiram is a young slave raised on a failing tobacco plantation in Virginia. His father is the owner of the plantation and sold Hiram's mother some years previously. Hiram has an interesting talent in that he remembers everything he has seen. This talent is brought to the attention of his father which in turn brings him into contact with characters who will be instrumental in his fate.

The second part of the story concerns a supernatural teleportation type ability Hiram has which is referred to as "conduction". I didn't really feel this worked within the context of the novel and it really didn't add anything to the story. I found my eyes glazing over and the burning desire to skip pages whenever the conduction parts came around.

I also didn't feel that I got much, if any, insight into the other characters. I really liked Hiram as a protagonist, but I like to get a feel for the motivations of the other characters too and I don't feel like I did with this book.

The story started strong but when the plot moved onto Hiram and The Underground Railway I mostly lost interest. It's a shame as it's such an interesting subject, but I couldn't engage with how it was presented in this novel.

2 stars seems overly harsh but I didn't quite think it was up to 3 stars either. 2.5 in reality, rounded up to 3

I received an ARC copy of this book via net galley in exchange for an honest review. I have read some of this author's non fiction and found something to love in them. I feel he has a real handle on what can and cannot be achieved.

This is my first fictional offering from him and I am finding it difficult to sum up what i feel. I avoid slave fiction like the plague. I find it too depressing, despite its truth I don't read to come way feeling sickened by a book This book however has a mystery of lyricism and prose and whilst it does have some elements of the suffering of these people it wraps it up in their struggle to come through it. It is not an easy read, I found I could only do so much at a time but it is a representation of slavery that brought me a real understanding of the people and the places.

The "fantastical" conduction elements just added another dimension. I felt as if i was there. I have long resisted reading The Underground Railroad a book about essentially the same subject but I am so glad that I picked up Coates' offering. The feelings, evocation and emotion will stay with me for a long time.

This is a beautifully written book, and there is some really compelling and even, almost action-packed, political (well, antebellum political) narrative taking place alongside, this magical realism metaphor for the power of memory and storytelling.

I liked a lot about it, but it didn't move me in the way Beloved did. Maybe because the narrator is a young man? Maybe because the only potent voice in the book is Hiram's with only brief glances of many interesting others around him? I'm not sure.

Maybe the 'conduction' devise just didn't speak to me as well as it will for others. What I did love was the storytelling around the Underground railroad, which isn't something I know much about. And the mythologizing of Harriet Tubman was gorgeously done. I was so transported (pun intended) by that part of the book and I definitely wanted even more.

I think this is probably a great novel, it just didn't connect with me as well as it will with others.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the arc to review.

A powerful tale of the Underground Railroad with an intriguing twist of magical realism, The Water Dancer by Ta- Nehisi Coates is a moving and memorable account of the life of Hiram Walker, born into slavery, the son of his mother's owner. He has had a difficult life, his mother sold away when he was just a young boy, and while his father sees the potential of his prodigious memory, it seems like his only use will be to keep the mans legitimate son and heir on the right path, to act as a protector of sorts. Hiram however may have inherited his mother's strange ability to "conduct" , a magical power that seems to pass through his blood line from the water dancers of their native Africa, and this ability if he can learn to control it could prove to be of enormous value to the Railroad.
This is not an easy book to read, but understandably and rightfully so. The account of life in slavery , or as Hiram describes it , as one of the Tasked , does not flinch in its honest depictions of the brutality and harshness of their day to day existence. The characters are well written and it is easy to feel for them in their circumstances and in the tough dilemmas they face, most notably when Hiram is forced to chose between the greater good of the Underground Railroad or returning to save the woman he loves and the one who raised him. The writing is absolutely beautiful , it is clear that the author truly does have a wonderful way with words.
I read a review copy courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Many thanks to Netgalley and One World publishing for an ARC version of this book. I really loved it hence the five star write up. I usually find books about slavery very hard to read and a reminder of the horrific abuse some of my ancestors would have faced. However, this was not too disturbing. Cruelty was hinted at though nothing new there. It is about a boy whose mother is sold away from him when he is nine and through an accident, which leaves his half brother dead he finds that he has the magical skill of conduction.

The Underground that slaves used as a way to escape is mentioned here though with an interesting twist.

I love the way the author wrote this book and would definitely read other books by him.

Review
This book is set around the plantation owner’s slave son Hiram and his magical abilities. Born into slavery, he enters a covert underground world of secret agents.

I loved the blurb and I desperately wanted to love this book. I tried to read it and enjoy it but sadly it just wasn’t for me.

I rate this book 2 stars 🌟🌟

Thanks

Thank you to the author and publishers Penguin Books for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an independent review.

Ta-Nehisi Coates has a way with words that I haven't experienced since reading James Baldwin or Arundhati Roy. Though the book is long, and at times I got a bit lost in the twists of the tale and sometimes fell out of my emotional connection with the characters, it is still incomparable in the way it tells the tale of one man's life, Hiram Walker.

There aren't many stories that you feel can really touch the pain and suffering that was experienced by slaves during the 400 years of the slave trade, especially now with no people writing first-hand about their experience, but Ta-Nehisi Coates seems to manage to bring these people's experiences to the page effortlessly and with the greatest respect.

This book is at once honest, compelling and emotive and is about freedom, captivity, memory and family.

I would definitely recommend this to any fans of Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Arundhati Roy, as it sits among these authors as a transporting, literary work of fiction.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for the opportunity to read an review the Water Dancer.
This is a real slow-burner of a novel for me. Ta-Nehisi Coates has a very lyrical style of prose which didn't always work for me and perhaps slowed down the plot a little too much in places. It also reminded me a little too much of Colson Whiteheads The Underground Railroad, ( and the latter flowed much better than this does).
Coates is unquestionably a gifted writer but for me, I am more interested to see what he does in future than I was in the actual course of this novel. Just my opinion and this is still worth looking at

Hiram is born into slavery. He finds himself an agent of the underground. While the people he works with are focused on ending the institution of slavery, they have little interest in helping him to rescue the people he loves who are still trapped. They want him to move on, but as Hiram comes to realise, it’s crucial that he doesn’t forget the past. The Water Dancer isn’t an easy read, but it stays with you.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for a galley copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this book but felt the pacing and development of minor characters could’ve been better.

The writing style was beautifully lyrical which made the book a very pleasing read. However, I felt that this was sometimes at the expense of the plot.

Despite being a book about slavery there was little detail about the experiences of the characters and their lives. Things just kind of washed over me probably because of the repetition of thoughts or Hiram ruminating about his feelings.

I did like the alternative presentation of the ‘underground railroad’ and found the way it was described in the book a nice diversion from the usual way it has been described in other books about slavery.

Definitely worth a read if you’re more interested in writing style than a pacy plot driven story.

To be honest this book did not quite work for me.

I found the premise of the book too reminiscent of other books I have read in recent years for example "Washington Black" and particularly "Underground Railroad".

However I preferred the steam-punk elements of the latter and particularly the science fiction elements of the former to the more mystic/magic realism aspects of this book.

There is doubting the author's writing ability - but I think he still needs to find a more original voice and concept in his fiction.

I may revisit this book in future but for now it did not quite work for me - albeit I am sure others would appreciate it.

A beautifully written and moving book..
Set in Virginia before the civil war, it focuses on the story of Hiram a slave yet the son of the plantation owner.He has an incredible photographic memory which is wheeled out as a party trick in his younger years. On reaching his majority his father farms him out as a manservant to his brother. The pair have an accident which results in Hiram being gifted with the power of Conduction. This is the ability to be able to transport yourself and other to another place.. The Water Dancer brings alive the different aspects and ramifications of slavery while we the reader see it through Hirams eyes. This is a book that stays with you long after you have finished it.