The Sweetness of Water
- Downloads：5434
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-29 10:16:27
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Nathan Harris
- ISBN：1472274377
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
In the spirit of The Known World and The Underground Railroad comes a profound debut about the unlikely bond between two freedmen who are brothers and the Georgia farmer whose alliance and protection will alter their lives， and his， forever。
In the waning days of the Civil War， brothers Prentiss and Landry---freed by the Emancipation Proclamation---seek refuge on the homestead of white farmer George Walker and his wife， Isabelle。 The Walkers， hoping to bridge the chasm of grief left by the death of their only son， lost to the war， hire the brothers to work their farm。 Despite initial misgivings， Prentiss and Landry consent to the arrangement as a means of saving money for the journey north， which they hope may reunite them with the mother who was sold away from them in childhood。
Parallel to their story runs a forbidden romance between two Confederate soldiers recently returned to the town of Old Ox from the war。 The soldiers， hardly older than boys， hold their trysts in the woods， hiding their union from the unforgiving townsfolk。 When an outsider discovers their secret， however， a sequence of actions that will determine the future of the entire community， including Prentiss and Landry， is unleashed。
With candor and sympathy， debut novelist Nathan Harris creates a cast of unforgettable characters and evokes Georgia in the crucible of Reconstruction-a violent era that nevertheless provides for moments of daring， kindness， and the hope for a better life。 Equal parts beauty and terror， as gripping as it is moving， The Sweetness of Water is an epic whose grandeur locates humanity and love in the most harrowing of circumstances。
In the waning days of the Civil War， brothers Prentiss and Landry---freed by the Emancipation Proclamation---seek refuge on the homestead of white farmer George Walker and his wife， Isabelle。 The Walkers， hoping to bridge the chasm of grief left by the death of their only son， lost to the war， hire the brothers to work their farm。 Despite initial misgivings， Prentiss and Landry consent to the arrangement as a means of saving money for the journey north， which they hope may reunite them with the mother who was sold away from them in childhood。
Parallel to their story runs a forbidden romance between two Confederate soldiers recently returned to the town of Old Ox from the war。 The soldiers， hardly older than boys， hold their trysts in the woods， hiding their union from the unforgiving townsfolk。 When an outsider discovers their secret， however， a sequence of actions that will determine the future of the entire community， including Prentiss and Landry， is unleashed。
With candor and sympathy， debut novelist Nathan Harris creates a cast of unforgettable characters and evokes Georgia in the crucible of Reconstruction-a violent era that nevertheless provides for moments of daring， kindness， and the hope for a better life。 Equal parts beauty and terror， as gripping as it is moving， The Sweetness of Water is an epic whose grandeur locates humanity and love in the most harrowing of circumstances。
Reviews
Marisa Vasselli
，
4。5 stars。 I thought this book was fantastic。 I am struggling to find a flaw， other than I would have loved to learn the final location for Caleb。 The writing was excellent; the pacing， as well as story and characters。 Harris managed to write a book about race and the South without it feeling overwhelming so。 Would highly recommend
Rebecca Rockwood
，
Heartache and Upheaval after the Civil War。 This book captures the breakdown of society in the aftermath of the civil war。 It is the tale of one family’s struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy and domestic harmony following the war。 However， the main character’s decision to integrate two freed slaves into his life eventually leads to destruction and death。 The story is told somewhat casually， and all the characters seem surprisingly modern。 This brings to mind the idea that the events in the b Heartache and Upheaval after the Civil War。 This book captures the breakdown of society in the aftermath of the civil war。 It is the tale of one family’s struggle to maintain a sense of normalcy and domestic harmony following the war。 However， the main character’s decision to integrate two freed slaves into his life eventually leads to destruction and death。 The story is told somewhat casually， and all the characters seem surprisingly modern。 This brings to mind the idea that the events in the book could easily occur today。 。。。more
Amy
，
Two recently emancipated brothers are hired by an eccentric landowner on a farm bordering the plantation where they had been slaves， causing tensions in a small Georgia town full of freedmen and returning Confederate soldiers。 Despite a few unlikely developments， this is a powerful and moving story。
Jp Perkins
，
Another excellent read。 Highly recommended！
Claudia
，
Beautifully written！ Very descriptive language。 Heart breaking and heart warming tale。
Bryn Lerud
，
The Sweetness of Water was a really lovely novel about the end of slavery and the beginning of the Reconstruction Era in Georgia。 It concerned a white husband and wife， George and Isabelle， and their son Caleb who were misfits in the town of Old Ox。 It also concerned 2 former slaves， Landry and Prentiss， who came to live on their property。 There were a host of other characters - plantation owners， men pretending to uphold the law， cowardly white people of all types， brave black prostitutes。 The The Sweetness of Water was a really lovely novel about the end of slavery and the beginning of the Reconstruction Era in Georgia。 It concerned a white husband and wife， George and Isabelle， and their son Caleb who were misfits in the town of Old Ox。 It also concerned 2 former slaves， Landry and Prentiss， who came to live on their property。 There were a host of other characters - plantation owners， men pretending to uphold the law， cowardly white people of all types， brave black prostitutes。 The novel uses stereotypical characters and stereotypes of good and evil actions in its depiction of the proponents and opponents of slavery and racism。 It uses literary tropes that are almost like a Greek tragedy; meaning that the reader knows that some characters will be sacrificed when they defend the good because it's a novel about the evil of slavery and some characters will be too good to be true as in creating a utopia of cooperative farming with blacks and whites working together。 It's a novel dealing with an evil too huge for anyone to really pretend to understand。 It's a novel that follows a tradition of storytelling and it does it really well。 I loved the symbolism of water as life giver and the beast in the forest as life taker。 。。。more
Susan Wieck
，
Listened to the book on Audible and the narration was excellent and enhanced what is an extraordinary story of post-Civil War Georgia， the people of the South， white and colored， and the long-standing prejudices that continue today。 The book illustrates a realistic tale that brings some of the characters to places， physical and/or psychological， that they likely never imagined。 Great character development。 Wonderful story。 Unlike The Nickel Boys， this novel is entirely fictional， but I find them Listened to the book on Audible and the narration was excellent and enhanced what is an extraordinary story of post-Civil War Georgia， the people of the South， white and colored， and the long-standing prejudices that continue today。 The book illustrates a realistic tale that brings some of the characters to places， physical and/or psychological， that they likely never imagined。 Great character development。 Wonderful story。 Unlike The Nickel Boys， this novel is entirely fictional， but I find them similar in not glossing over harsh realities of the lives of the characters but also in how well the authors balance the telling of the truth in such a way to allow the reader to keep reading/listening。 I find it interesting to compare this book with one written 85 years ago…Gone with the Wind。 One written by a female， Margaret Mitchell， and this one by a young black male author， Nathan Harris。 I think this book reflects how far we’ve come in the intervening years in our ability to delve into topics such as the reality of LBGTQ as a part of humanity and also recognizing what life was really like for our black population…and continues to be to far too great a degree。 I expect this book to have a future similar to Gone With the Wind。 It is painful and true and hopeful。 。。。more
Holly H
，
Great auto book。 The narrator was excellent。
Lucinda
，
Excellent book。 It was moving and horrific as well as tender and loving。 I highly recommend it。
Sahil Pradhan
，
Hopeful。 Intimate。 Lyrical。Reading "The Sweetness of Water" is like taking a dive into the vast， endless ocean of human hope。 It's not often that you keep a novel written about such dark times and filled with heavy triggers， with so much hope in your heart。 As you close the book， with tears welling up in your eyes， you see the resilience to survive that humanity has shown， time and again， even at the face of the darkest of terrors。As you read the story of George Walker， a white man owning a plan Hopeful。 Intimate。 Lyrical。Reading "The Sweetness of Water" is like taking a dive into the vast， endless ocean of human hope。 It's not often that you keep a novel written about such dark times and filled with heavy triggers， with so much hope in your heart。 As you close the book， with tears welling up in your eyes， you see the resilience to survive that humanity has shown， time and again， even at the face of the darkest of terrors。As you read the story of George Walker， a white man owning a plantation yet no slaves separated by a dense forest to the racist atmosphere of Old Ox Town， you are dropped into a familiar literary territory。 When Prentiss and Landry， two freedmen， in the waning days of Civil War set across a journey of freedom and redemption and as the fate of the Walkers and them intertwine， what follows is a debut novel that is so heightened by its sense of craftsmanship it feels even temporary to feel this elated， almost like ink on water。 Inside this story is a story of a forbidden romance between two Confederate soldiers and also the story of Isabelle， a woman who heals a land wrought with division and hatred and of what follows as this vortex of change hits a conversative society。 Nathan's story shows the aftermaths of all this。These images are simple， yet have so much， so much power in them。 The power not of awe but to just touch you， deeply inside your heart。 It is rare for a book to feel this intimate。Harris's writing is a mirror， a celebration almost like an amalgamation of the many brilliants writers that have walked before him。 The best I can say is that Harris's language has the ostentatious feel of Colson Whitehead's words and the brimming hope that Toni Morrison's work are a blazing pillar of。 For a novel that charts such an important part of history， Nathan deliberately doesn't populate his novel with much imagery or with much gamut factor。Empathy， the empathy of many kinds is what is shown here。 The empathy that the sweet water shows when it doesn't differentiate as it quenches thirst of a human。 Empathy is that sweetness of the water， that hope the water shows to one， because "sometimes， just sometimes， hope is enough。"5⭐/5 。。。more
Mercedes Gorham
，
Great book！ Couldn't put it down。 Beautifully written and never a dull moment。 Great book！ Couldn't put it down。 Beautifully written and never a dull moment。 。。。more
Peter Gibb
，
A real story of forgotten people， from nowhere to hopeThe writing is lovely， the story is gripping， the characters are memorable， and the struggle continues。 I’d never thought much about the lives of the freedmen in post bellum South。 What was it like for someone who had known nothing but slavery， to suddenly have “freedom” but not much else。 Now the question “what is Freedom” will rattle inside my brain。 A remarkable novel by an extraordinary writer。 Another question， how did he get to be so go A real story of forgotten people， from nowhere to hopeThe writing is lovely， the story is gripping， the characters are memorable， and the struggle continues。 I’d never thought much about the lives of the freedmen in post bellum South。 What was it like for someone who had known nothing but slavery， to suddenly have “freedom” but not much else。 Now the question “what is Freedom” will rattle inside my brain。 A remarkable novel by an extraordinary writer。 Another question， how did he get to be so good so young 。。。more
Edward Kohn
，
Glad to know compassion was alive back then In a timely of so much hate and mistreatment I was glad to see that compassion existed。 The depth of characters and relationships was realistically portrayed。 Human emotions are complicated。
Suzanne
，
It feels like a betrayal to give this book such a low rating; but after a promising start， Harris took it somewhere that I struggled to follow。At least it wasn't a kill your queers novel。。。？ It feels like a betrayal to give this book such a low rating; but after a promising start， Harris took it somewhere that I struggled to follow。At least it wasn't a kill your queers novel。。。？ 。。。more
Topher
，
This novel takes on the story of two freed slaves whose lives become intertwined with a family in a small town。 There are a greatly many flawed characters。 I like the topics this book tackles like racism， masculinity/cowardice， gay sex， family， and redemption。 I liked the straight forward story telling and simply delivery。 I think that sometimes novels can overdo plot twists and make the reader figure out too much， which ultimately takes away from the reading pleasure。 I also enjoyed the poetic This novel takes on the story of two freed slaves whose lives become intertwined with a family in a small town。 There are a greatly many flawed characters。 I like the topics this book tackles like racism， masculinity/cowardice， gay sex， family， and redemption。 I liked the straight forward story telling and simply delivery。 I think that sometimes novels can overdo plot twists and make the reader figure out too much， which ultimately takes away from the reading pleasure。 I also enjoyed the poetic and emotive language used throughout the book。 I give this one a 4。1/5。 。。。more
Amy Brown
，
A beautifully written， elegiac and lyrical book。 While sad at times and painful at times， it was ultimately life affirming。 Highly recommended。
Sue
，
Just as the Civil War is coming to an end， southern land owners George and Isabelle await the return of their soldier son Caleb。 When Calebs friend， also a soldier， comes home with devastating news George and Isabelle prepare to live their new lives。 They form a friendship with two recently freed brothers Prentiss and Landry and things are set in motion that are， if not entirely unexpected， not without recasting consequences for all involved。 This book has everything I look for in five star hist Just as the Civil War is coming to an end， southern land owners George and Isabelle await the return of their soldier son Caleb。 When Calebs friend， also a soldier， comes home with devastating news George and Isabelle prepare to live their new lives。 They form a friendship with two recently freed brothers Prentiss and Landry and things are set in motion that are， if not entirely unexpected， not without recasting consequences for all involved。 This book has everything I look for in five star historical fiction - well researched historical details， interesting characters and great writing。 So I can’t say where this one fell a little flat for me but I just never really connected with any of the characters。 I did really like the book， 4 stars is a great review from me but something kept me from loving it。 I think the writing style just wasn’t for me， although I would absolutely try another book by this author （ this is a debut）。 。。。more
Donna
，
This is Historical Fiction set in Georgia right after the Civil War ended。 The MC， George， hires two newly freed slaves and he and his wife are then ostracized from society for doing that especially since those jobs could have gone to returning soldiers instead。 The author painted that picture well。。。。the emotional strife， the blackballing， the threats， the judgement。 The writing was my favorite part。 It was beautifully done。 I liked this one。 I was hooked from the opening scene。 The whole first This is Historical Fiction set in Georgia right after the Civil War ended。 The MC， George， hires two newly freed slaves and he and his wife are then ostracized from society for doing that especially since those jobs could have gone to returning soldiers instead。 The author painted that picture well。。。。the emotional strife， the blackballing， the threats， the judgement。 The writing was my favorite part。 It was beautifully done。 I liked this one。 I was hooked from the opening scene。 The whole first half pulled me in as it ebbed and flowed。 The latter half picked up speed and it felt like it lost its focus。 Things unraveled quickly。 Overall， this was a solid 4 stars。 I can't wait to see what this author puts out next。 And a shout out to the narrator， William DeMeritt。。。。the audio version was incredible。 。。。more
Janet Clark
，
Harris writes with an unusual understanding of black and white--good and evil--and compromise。 His characters are ordinary yet fully developed and interesting。 Strong writing。 Beautiful storytelling。
Tiki
，
What a wonderful debut！ This novel crept on me gathering force and moving me as though I was right there living in the post civil war south。 Kept imagining who would play the roles in the film！
Susan
，
This debut novel by Nathan Harris is beautifully written。 The story takes place right after slaves are freed in Alabama and revolves around two black brothers and the white farming family who takes them in much to the displeasure of the conservative， racist small town they live in。 The characters are complex yet each struggles in their own way to find happiness and freedom despite terrible challenges and setbacks。 As both families are torn apart physically through circumstance each finds a way f This debut novel by Nathan Harris is beautifully written。 The story takes place right after slaves are freed in Alabama and revolves around two black brothers and the white farming family who takes them in much to the displeasure of the conservative， racist small town they live in。 The characters are complex yet each struggles in their own way to find happiness and freedom despite terrible challenges and setbacks。 As both families are torn apart physically through circumstance each finds a way forward filled with hope。 Highly recommended。 。。。more
Margaret
，
The sadness of reconstruction depicting the many people who were kind and welcomed freed ex slaves into their lives，is personalized in this wonderful novel。 A beautifully written novel exploring the time period after the civil war where freed slaves were left wondering how to proceed thru their new freedom。 Socks on the clothes line intrigued me as it becomes the inception to the acquaintance with George and Isabelle ， a couple ，landowners who moved to Georgia， with more open minded ideas than t The sadness of reconstruction depicting the many people who were kind and welcomed freed ex slaves into their lives，is personalized in this wonderful novel。 A beautifully written novel exploring the time period after the civil war where freed slaves were left wondering how to proceed thru their new freedom。 Socks on the clothes line intrigued me as it becomes the inception to the acquaintance with George and Isabelle ， a couple ，landowners who moved to Georgia， with more open minded ideas than their hostile and prejudiced neighbors。The novel explores family relationships， gay love， returning soldiers and anger and hatred。 It seems to cover a lot but it does so beautifully。 The character depictions are superb and the historical sense of the time ， are moving， real and heartbreaking 。 A must read for current events。 。。。more
KBuck
，
Really interesting story and well written。 Surprised that it was his first novel。
Linda Palazzolo
，
Excellent audiobook。 The narrator was spot on。 I loved the characters in this book。 The author made them relatable and diverse。 He took the time to describe them physically。 Better yet， to allow us to really understand where each individual came from and how they were feeling aT any given time。 The dialogue was spot on for the Deep South just at the very end of the civil war。 Everyone is confused and learning how to exist amongst each other。 George， Isabell， Landry， Prentiss， Caleb and August ar Excellent audiobook。 The narrator was spot on。 I loved the characters in this book。 The author made them relatable and diverse。 He took the time to describe them physically。 Better yet， to allow us to really understand where each individual came from and how they were feeling aT any given time。 The dialogue was spot on for the Deep South just at the very end of the civil war。 Everyone is confused and learning how to exist amongst each other。 George， Isabell， Landry， Prentiss， Caleb and August are all changed persons， what was once predictable is not。 The 6 of them are angry and hopeful suspicious。 It takes unknown courage to be yourself， and learn from others as they are truly themselves。 The author and narrator set every scene so realistic I could feel it。 I appreciate a book that gets in my head and leaves me feeling like I have to find a portal to get back to reality。 。。。more
Tracy Towley
，
So excellent。 I loved Richard Russo's review which said， in part， "Harris has， in a sense， unwritten Gone with the Wind， denoting its phony romanticism， its unearned sympathies， its wretched racism。" This is a book that makes me want to give up writing because nothing I do could even touch this。 And in a debut！ What's a non-cliche way of explaining that I put this book down and understood for the first time what people mean when they call something an "instant classic"？ Bravo， Nathan Harris， I'm So excellent。 I loved Richard Russo's review which said， in part， "Harris has， in a sense， unwritten Gone with the Wind， denoting its phony romanticism， its unearned sympathies， its wretched racism。" This is a book that makes me want to give up writing because nothing I do could even touch this。 And in a debut！ What's a non-cliche way of explaining that I put this book down and understood for the first time what people mean when they call something an "instant classic"？ Bravo， Nathan Harris， I'm grateful you've shared your talents with the world。 。。。more
Kristen Cunningham
，
Well-written， moving story
Greta Goldberg
，
This book was stunningly written， I became attached to characters and the story was raw。 It was written to show truth in fiction rather than to romanticize the Antebellum。
Kim Lockhart
，
Oh， Nathan Harris， you built those heartstrings in my chest， tightened them， and then snapped them in half and dared me to stand。 You made me feel so much。 You write beautifully and painfully， and make me care about every character。 This novel is by far my top pick of the Booker nominations， so far， though I have not yet read them all。 I'm gonna be upset if this one and Rachel Cusk's Second Place don't make the shortlist。 Oh， Nathan Harris， you built those heartstrings in my chest， tightened them， and then snapped them in half and dared me to stand。 You made me feel so much。 You write beautifully and painfully， and make me care about every character。 This novel is by far my top pick of the Booker nominations， so far， though I have not yet read them all。 I'm gonna be upset if this one and Rachel Cusk's Second Place don't make the shortlist。 。。。more
GinnyP
，
Best book I've read this year。 Lyrical phrasing， long sentences that， for a change， pulled me in rather than confused me。 PROs: Writing; Time period is immediately at the end of the civil war in the South when slaves have just been freed; Characters are not numerous and for the most part are complete and rounded， whose secrets made me vested in them and want to know them （except the Weblers， truly die-hard Southerners who love a lynching）; how the relationship Isabelle's relationship with her h Best book I've read this year。 Lyrical phrasing， long sentences that， for a change， pulled me in rather than confused me。 PROs: Writing; Time period is immediately at the end of the civil war in the South when slaves have just been freed; Characters are not numerous and for the most part are complete and rounded， whose secrets made me vested in them and want to know them （except the Weblers， truly die-hard Southerners who love a lynching）; how the relationship Isabelle's relationship with her husband George changed。 CONs: none。 Drew me in from the start and left me satisfied with the end。 。。。more
Nancy
，
Harris really tries to accomplish a lot in his envisioning of post Civil War emancipation in the south， and though his storytelling is quite good， I felt that I didn’t get a full experience。 NPR said about the book: “It's warm and absorbing， thought provoking and humane。 But ultimately uneven in its ideas — a book whose resonance ever so slightly exceeds its art。” Harris really tries to accomplish a lot in his envisioning of post Civil War emancipation in the south， and though his storytelling is quite good， I felt that I didn’t get a full experience。 NPR said about the book: “It's warm and absorbing， thought provoking and humane。 But ultimately uneven in its ideas — a book whose resonance ever so slightly exceeds its art。” 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Sweetness of Water
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Sweetness of Water&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft