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The Sweetness of Water

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The Sweetness of Water

By: Nathan Harris
Narrated by: William DeMeritt
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About this listen

An Obama Summer Reading Choice and New York Times best seller

An extraordinary novel of life after slavery for listeners of Washington Black, The Underground Railroad and Days without End.

In the dying days of the American Civil War, newly freed brothers Landry and Prentiss find themselves cast into the world without a penny to their names. Forced to hide out in the woods near their former Georgia plantation, they're soon discovered by the land's owner, George Walker, a man still reeling from the loss of his son in the war.

When the brothers begin to live and work on George's farm, the tentative bonds of trust and union begin to blossom between the strangers. But this sanctuary survives on a knife's edge, and it isn't long before the inhabitants of the nearby town of Old Ox react with fury at the alliances being formed only a few miles away.

©2021 Nathan Harris (P)2021 Hachette Audio African American Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Heartfelt War

Critic reviews

"Better than any debut novel has a right to be." (Richard Russo)

"A fine, lyrical novel, impressive in its complex interweaving of the grand and the intimate, of the personal and political." (Observer)

"[A] highly accomplished debut." (Sunday Times)
All stars
Most relevant
I knew this was going to be a good book when I saw it on Barack Obama and Oprah’s recommended reading lists and I was not disappointed.

The characters in this book are so relatable, well developed and well narrated that I felt fully invested in each persons story. The storyline itself was simultaneously heartbreaking, hopeful and inspiring, full of genuine love. I know one day I will listen to this book again and I already look forward to it.

I loved it as much as expected to

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This was a beautiful book to listen to, the characters are well drawn and the theme of the novel was something I hadn’t even thought about, that of freed slaves after the Civil War. The story, not without it’s invariably sad parts, was also totally uplifting.

Beautifully written

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This is a remarkable achievement for a first novel, deserving the many rave reviews - see the main Amazon site. The pleasure of it was so much enhanced by William DeMerritt’s narration, with the wonderful Southern drawl and his vivid characterisations, something I could never have captured by reading the text. First-rate.

Stunning

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The author’s prose is descriptively complex which I enjoyed most of the time but found it got a bit ponderous and heavy in places. The narrator’s voice worked well and was helpful in the main for bringing characters to life although I did struggle listening to John Wayne speaking as one of the people! None the less, I would recommend this book and I’m sure it will be discussed at many a book club for the issues it raised and underlying themes. I think it’s a story that will linger in my mind for quite some time.

Definitely worth reading

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This was a very tender story. It was well written and extremely well read but I was personally disappointed in the abrupt end. Some characters died and there was sadness in separation for others but I would have liked to know what happened to the younger characters. I felt like I’d been left hanging a bit.

Well written and read

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