Comments (61)

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Mar 07, 20248anayam rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Poetic beautiful writing. A well woven historical/magical narrative. I can't wait to read Coates' next novel.
Jan 16, 2024Matthew412 rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
The mix of the historical reality of slavery and the "Underground Railway" with the magical aspects of the story just didn't sit well with me. By combining the very real conditions of slavery with the unreal (unnatural???) magical aspects…
Jul 31, 2023tomr46 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I can't add any more accolades to Coates' reviewers' comments other than to say this book adds to my understanding of Coates as a powerful voice in our world today. Between the World and Me and his book based on growing up [can't think of…
Sep 12, 2022HPL_Teen_Volunteer2 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The Water Dancer is an enthralling and poetic novel chronicling the life of Hiram Walker, a slave who escapes his plantation and joins the Underground Railroad. Blending history with magical realism, this book contains powerful themes…
Sep 12, 2022uncommonreader rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
The author uses the metaphor of "conduction" as memory as a way to move toward freedom thereby shifting the narrative to the subjectivity and agency of the enslaved. There are interesting ideas presented in this too long novel.
May 04, 2022katjespin rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Definitely written more like poetry than a novel. The central concept was superb, but the execution was just so-so. There were long passages with very little forward momentum. Use of different terms for certain words was insightful,…
Apr 14, 2022claragaston rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
large print at berwyn
Mar 26, 2022JudyMcCord_47 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The life of Hiram Walker, if taken in its too-real horror, would be hard for me, a white stranger to the experience of Black Americans, to see. The magic of the Water Dancers allowed me to reach in and feel what was a horrible blight on…
Feb 22, 2022FANGWOLF rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
I liked the story until page 271 when they walk on water & transport to another place. Found the character of Moses totally unbelievable and then the story just went downhill until the end. The fantasy parts ruined the book for me.
Dec 29, 2021
Recommended by Lacey Luce 12/19.
Nov 04, 2021Ghettostone rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Ghettostone (Comic Book) Company, editor/chief Michael Brown, is leader of "THE BEST SELLERS BOOKCLUB"...., now reviews Ta-Nehisi Coates book "The Water Dancer". A historic fictional account of the organizational development of the art of…
Nov 04, 2021m0mmyl00 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I was rapturous in my recommendations of this book to my friends. “It’s poetry.” When I finished, I read the comments on the Tournament of Books website — both those of the judge and of the commentariat — and I wondered how my assessment…
Sep 27, 2021hilln rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I have never read a book like this, and I am so glad I picked up this marvellous outing from Ta-Nahesi Coates. It’s history told by the underdogs, Africans kidnapped from their homes and sold into slavery. However, the story is much more…
Aug 27, 2021Singflower rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Story of conquering horrid circumstances, of dreams, trials, and nearly magical spiritualism, story of slavery.
Jul 05, 2021mnack_0 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written! I particularly love the 'magical realism' aspects of the story. It is a dense story worthy of being read twice. The first time to get the overall view of where the plot takes you and where the characters are going; the…
Apr 28, 2021SmallSnapper rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This powerful and magical novel is set in civil war Virginia on a slave plantation called Lockless, where the wealth of the slave owners are dying, their land worked dry. With their power slipping, it gives chance for a young slave, Hiram…
Mar 25, 2021TJH1229 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Read it!
Mar 18, 20211tarheel rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Such a great yarn, so beautifully written, with this mystical twist that I love. Huge fan of Coates' writing: he manages to use just enough words to paint the scene but never more. And, yes, I appreciate this clear-eyed look at slavery…
Mar 13, 2021Appledaylee rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written, this book was one of the best I’ve read in quite some time. Highly recommended
Mar 11, 2021denville rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Really engrossing book. Wished for a little less magical mystery, but it is a book that I’m still carrying around in my memory. Impactful and enlightening.
Jan 09, 2021Cidherman rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
THE WATER DANCER is a beautifully written book that speaks from the heart about the ravages the institution of slavery wreaked upon the human spirit and decency itself. I loved UNCLE TOM'S CABIN and years after reading it, it remains my…
Nov 28, 2020IndyPL_JoniMK rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
After reading a three-star review of Water Dancer, I had to write my own and give Water Dancer five stars: Though he usually writes non-fiction, Coates ‘attempt’ at historical science fiction is better than many other books by many other…
Sep 20, 2020Bookworm1136 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
4 1/2 star read. This Oprah book club selection was a very different and engrossing read. Coates tells the story of Hiram Walker, a slave on the fabled Lockless plantation in Virginia. Hiram is a servant to his half brother Maynard and…
Sep 16, 2020mighty_mom rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Not a fan if the mystical elements woven into this story, as it seems to downgrade the work of Harriet Tubman. There are nice poetic turns, but I was surprised that the author didn't tell us what the protagonist looked like until the end…
Sep 14, 2020LPL_ShirleyB rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Read an immersive tale to celebrate the Underground Railroad. Ta-Nehisi Coates’s first work of fiction is as beautiful and wise as his essays!