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The Water Dancer: A Novel Kindle Edition

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 23,009 ratings

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK • From the National Book Award–winning author of Between the World and Me, a boldly conjured debut novel about a magical gift, a devastating loss, and an underground war for freedom.

“This potent book about America’s most disgraceful sin establishes [Ta-Nehisi Coates] as a first-rate novelist.”—
San Francisco Chronicle

IN DEVELOPMENT AS A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE • Adapted by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Kamilah Forbes, directed by Nia DaCosta, and produced by MGM, Plan B, and Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films

NOMINATED FOR THE NAACP IMAGE AWARD • NAMED ONE OF
PASTE’S BEST NOVELS OF THE DECADE • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Time • NPR • The Washington PostChicago TribuneVanity FairEsquire Good Housekeeping PasteTown & Country • The New York Public Library • Kirkus Reviews Library Journal

Young Hiram Walker was born into bondage. When his mother was sold away, Hiram was robbed of all memory of her—but was gifted with a mysterious power. Years later, when Hiram almost drowns in a river, that same power saves his life. This brush with death births an urgency in Hiram and a daring scheme: to escape from the only home he’s ever known.

So begins an unexpected journey that takes Hiram from the corrupt grandeur of Virginia’s proud plantations to desperate guerrilla cells in the wilderness, from the coffin of the Deep South to dangerously idealistic movements in the North. Even as he’s enlisted in the underground war between slavers and the enslaved, Hiram’s resolve to rescue the family he left behind endures.

This is the dramatic story of an atrocity inflicted on generations of women, men, and children—the violent and capricious separation of families—and the war they waged to simply make lives with the people they loved. Written by one of today’s most exciting thinkers and writers,
The Water Dancer isa propulsive, transcendent work that restores the humanity of those from whom everything was stolen.

Praise for The Water Dancer

“Ta-Nehisi Coates is the most important essayist in a generation and a writer who changed the national political conversation about race with his 2015 memoir,
Between the World and Me. So naturally his debut novel comes with slightly unrealistic expectations—and then proceeds to exceed them. The Water Dancer . . . is a work of both staggering imagination and rich historical significance. . . . What’s most powerful is the way Coates enlists his notions of the fantastic, as well as his fluid prose, to probe a wound that never seems to heal. . . . Timeless and instantly canon-worthy.”Rolling Stone
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From the Publisher

water dancer;Ta-Nehisi Coates;gifts for dad;gifts for men;historical fiction;underground railroad

water dancer;Ta-Nehisi Coates;gifts for dad;gifts for men;historical fiction;underground railroad

water dancer;Ta-Nehisi Coates;gifts for dad;gifts for men;historical fiction;underground railroad

water dancer;Ta-Nehisi Coates;gifts for dad;gifts for men;historical fiction;underground railroad

water dancer;Ta-Nehisi Coates;gifts for dad;gifts for men;historical fiction;underground railroad

water dancer;Ta-Nehisi Coates;gifts for dad;gifts for men;historical fiction;underground railroad

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of September 2019: Ta-Nehisi Coates is the author of one of the most important nonfiction books of this decade, Between the World and Me, which means that his fiction debut arrives with a great amount of anticipation. Would the urgency of his nonfiction writing come through in a novel? Would he be as nimble in a made-up world? Would it be good? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding yes. Coates’s novel is the story of Hiram Walker, who was born into slavery on a Virginia plantation that is owned by his white father and experiencing a slow decline. Although Hiram is gifted with a photographic memory, his mother—who was sold away when he was young—is the one thing he cannot remember. Indeed, many of the women in his life are taken away from him too early—a fact that will guide his actions later in the novel. The story blends the brutality of history with more imaginative elements: for example, white people are called the Quality, black people are called the Tasked; and Hiram possesses powers that fall into the spectrum of magical realism. As the novel moves north to Philadelphia, where Hiram grows into his own and begins working for the Underground, and eventually turns back to his southern birthplace, the fantastical elements only give greater power to the story. The Water Dancer is a stirring debut, and Coates is the novelist we were hoping he would be. --Chris Schluep

Review

“Coates balances the horrors of slavery against the fantastical. He extends the idea of the gifts of the disenfranchised to include a kind of superpower. But The Water Dancer is very much its own book, and its gestures toward otherworldliness remain grounded. In the end, it is a novel interested in the psychological effects of slavery, a grief that Coates is especially adept at parsing. . . . In Coates’s world, an embrace can be a revelation, rare and astonishing.”—Esi Edugyan, The New York Times Book Review

“The most surprising thing about 
The Water Dancer may be its unambiguous narrative ambition. This isn’t a typical first novel. . . . The Water Dancer is a jeroboam of a book, a crowd-pleasing exercise in breakneck and often occult storytelling that tonally resembles the work of Stephen King as much as it does the work of Toni Morrison, Colson Whitehead and the touchstone African-American science-fiction writer Octavia Butler. . . . It is flecked with forms of wonder-working that push at the boundaries of what we still seem to be calling magical realism.”—Dwight Garner, The New York Times

 “While neither polemical nor wholly fantastical, the story draws on skills [Coates] developed in those other genres. . . . The story’s bracing realism is periodically overcome by the mist of fantasy. The result is a budding superhero discovering the dimensions of his power within the confines of a historical novel that critiques the function of racial oppression. . . . Coates isn’t dropping supernatural garnish onto 
The Water Dancer any more than Toni Morrison sends a ghost whooshing through Beloved for cheap thrills. Instead, Coates’s fantastical elements are deeply integral to his novel, a way of representing something larger and more profound than the confines of realism could contain.”The Washington Post

“The best writers—the best storytellers, in particular—possess the enchanting, irresistible power to take the reader somewhere else. Ta-Nehisi Coates imagines the furthest reach of that power as a means to transcend borders and bondage in 
The Water Dancer, a spellbinding look at the impact of slavery that uses meticulously researched history and hard-won magic to further illuminate this country’s original sin. . . . Exploring the loaded issues of race and slavery has become yet more fuel for today’s culture wars, but an underlying message of liberation through the embrace of history forms the true subject of The Water Dancer. . . . Coates envisions the transcendent potential in acknowledging and retelling stories of trauma from the past as a means out of darkness. With recent family separations at the U.S. border, this message feels all the more timely.”Los Angeles Times

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07NKMZT7T
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ One World (September 24, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 24, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2405 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 417 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 23,009 ratings

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Ta-Nehisi Coates
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Ta-Nehisi Coates is an award-winning author and journalist. His books include The Water Dancer and The Message. He is currently a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and the Sterling Brown Endowed Chair in the English department at Howard University.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
23,009 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book engaging and thought-provoking. They praise the writing quality as exquisite and powerful. Readers describe the storytelling as believable and eye-opening. The characters are described as deeply developed and empathetic. The book interweaves history and slavery in an important way, making it a historical work of fiction.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

555 customers mention "Readability"555 positive0 negative

Customers find the book engaging with its vivid storytelling and realistic imagery. They are invested in the characters and find the book a great contribution to the genre. The book gets better around chapter 8 and improves much later in the book. Overall, readers consider it an amazing work of art that is worth reading.

"...I believe they are missing what makes this novel so magnificent. Much of the writing is really poetry in prose form...." Read more

"Brother Coates has blessed us with a story of love, loss, and beauty. His capacity to transform the slave narratives was a work of art...." Read more

"...Overall, this is a fabulous book. Mr. Coates style may take a little getting used to, but the payoff is worth it...." Read more

"...His rich, verbose prose bursts with insight and vivid imagery that kept me mesmerized in Hiram’s journey...." Read more

485 customers mention "Thought provoking"451 positive34 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and evocative. They say it gives them a deeper understanding of others' journeys. The story is described as enthralling, with vivid descriptions and insights into the human condition. Readers appreciate the author's humanity in portraying the thoughts, emotions, and feelings of the slaves. Overall, they describe it as an interesting novel about slavery and the Underground Railroad.

"...It is the story of the enslavement of a people and the struggle for freedom from the yoke of slavery...." Read more

"Brother Coates has blessed us with a story of love, loss, and beauty. His capacity to transform the slave narratives was a work of art...." Read more

"...Suffice it to say, it is a great story with a great ending that feels earned and almost perfect...." Read more

"...that perpetuated the institution of slavery, he also brings great humanity to the thoughts, emotions, and feelings of the slaves as they endured and..." Read more

444 customers mention "Writing quality"391 positive53 negative

Customers praise the writing quality. They find the prose evocative and the language beautiful. The narration is skillful and powerful, describing the experience well. The author does an important job of elevating the human struggle. The settings are well-crafted and realistic. While it's a hard read, it's redemptive.

"...I was so captivated by the story and the skillful and powerful narration that I ended up buying both the Kindle version and the hardback...." Read more

"...style and if you pay careful attention, this book is just as beautifully written as any one of Mr. Coates’s essays or memoirs...." Read more

"...The Water Dancer reads with a fluidity of page-turning anticipation and heart-racing dread...." Read more

"...This is a historical work of fiction, but the author is evocative in the way his words call to mind contemporary racial issues that are still a..." Read more

124 customers mention "Storytelling"124 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the storytelling style and descriptive writing. They find the characters engaging and the narrative believable, with many secrets revealed. The story is told in first person, providing an honest glimpse into the lives of black slaves. Readers appreciate the author's skill at weaving together different stories without losing focus on the main plot. Memorable dialogues and seamless transitions between scenes are also mentioned as positive aspects.

"...His rich, verbose prose bursts with insight and vivid imagery that kept me mesmerized in Hiram’s journey...." Read more

"...I cared about Hiram and was interested in his story in the beginning, waiting for it to pick up and form into something solid. But it didn’t...." Read more

"...Coates is a gifted storyteller who writes exquisite prose - true literature - in this powerful coming-of-age story about slavery that so many of us..." Read more

"...What became clear to me was that stories and their storytellers matter...." Read more

104 customers mention "Character development"90 positive14 negative

Customers find the characters well-developed and relatable. They appreciate the realistic settings and supporting characters. The story portrays a sad and distressing time effectively, making Hiram an allegory figure. Readers feel every gut-wrenching and joyful moment with the protagonists and experience the crunch of the story. However, some feel the narrative becomes repetitive.

"...Hiram Walker is an interesting character because he floats like a leaf on a pond, rather than moving like a river...." Read more

"I loved that this story was told from the main characters point of view using terms not usually associated with the way we have learned about..." Read more

"It shines a whole new light upon the heroine. Very interesting read." Read more

"...that may be used, we feel every gut-wrenching and joyous moment with the protagonists, we experience the crunch of the frozen grass beneath the..." Read more

101 customers mention "History"101 positive0 negative

Customers find the book's history fascinating. They appreciate the interweaving of real events with a fictional story based in slavery times. The author uses historical writings while interweaving the supernatural into the story. Readers appreciate the true moments and futuristic take on events related to the Underground Railroad. Overall, they say the book is relevant today and well-written.

"...The Water Dance is historical fiction with a strong mystical and magical thread...." Read more

"...difficulty with the magical realism as it was seamlessly woven into a type of historical fiction with a composite of recognizable figures like..." Read more

"...This is a historical work of fiction, but the author is evocative in the way his words call to mind contemporary racial issues that are still a..." Read more

"...I loved how this story offered a futuristic take on a set of events related to the Underground Railroad during the times of slavery in the US...." Read more

91 customers mention "Educational value"91 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and engrossing. They appreciate the fresh commentary and consider it an important contribution to the discourse about what it means to be an American. The story is described as moving and a way to understand the workings and complexity of the world.

"...the first chapter it gets better and in fact makes for a lively page-turner at times...." Read more

"...have darker aspects of the time (abuse and other violence) recounted in a less graphic, less traumatic way without losing the meaning and poignancy." Read more

"Really gripping read in part because it is told with fresh commentary of the kind we expect from this writer...." Read more

"...Such an important book, even more so being based on historical writings...." Read more

53 customers mention "Reading level"32 positive21 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book. Some find it uplifting and inspiring, providing an insightful perspective on slavery. They appreciate the depiction of courage, strength, resilience, joys, and love for family. However, others feel the subject matter is difficult to read and reduces the significance of what slaves endured.

"...Moreover, Coates brilliantly intersects gender and bondage...." Read more

"...and prose take some adjustment at first, but the painting of slavery are heart-rending...." Read more

"...This book is about loss, suffering, love, and humanity...." Read more

"...He also flirts with a strong feminist message as well in the story writing very strong, self assured, and intelligent women, and some the things..." Read more

Readable, but small damage
3 out of 5 stars
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I bought these books as a gift and delivered separately. This one has some slight damage to it but no damage on the actual packaging.
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2020
    Ta-Nehisi Coates is well known for his nonfiction works. I read and very much enjoyed Between the World and Me, which I reviewed on Amazon in 2016. He has also written his memoir, The Beautiful Struggle, and another nonfiction work, Eight Years in Power. Coates’ comic book endeavors are less well known. I recently found out that he has worked on a Black Panther comic book for Marvel Comics.

    The Water Dancer is a New York Times best seller and was number one in the Hardcover Fiction and the Print and E-book Fiction categories when it was first published in September 2019. Oprah Winfrey selected it for her Oprah’s Book Club on Apple TV. According to Wikipedia, Oprah has said that The Water Dancer is one of the best 5 books she has ever read. I was excited to find out that Oprah Winfrey and Brad Pitt are now producing a film version of The Water Dancer.

    Originally, I listened to The Water Dancer on Audible. Sometimes a poor narrator can ruin a book, but this was definitely not the case here. Joe Morton is an exceptional narrator. I was so captivated by the story and the skillful and powerful narration that I ended up buying both the Kindle version and the hardback. The hardback is to keep and treasure, for this is a book that I would cherish and hand down to my children and grandchildren.

    The Water Dance is historical fiction with a strong mystical and magical thread. It is the story of the enslavement of a people and the struggle for freedom from the yoke of slavery. The main protagonist is Hiram Walker, who was born into slavery on the Lockless plantation in Virginia. When he was 9 years old, his mother was sold, and he was so devastated that he lost all memory of her. Although his mother was a slave, he knew he was the son of the plantation owner, Nathaniel Walker. When his father invites him to the main house to work as a servant instead of leaving him to toil in the fields, he is at first delighted. He pictures a bright future. However, that future is not realistic and is certainly not the future Hiram envisioned. He is still a slave and has to serve the whites’ agenda. He is one of the Tasked, not one of the Quality, who are all white.

    Note that Ta-Nehisi Coates uses the terms ‘Tasked’ and 'Quality' instead of ‘Master’ and ‘Slave’. What is revealing here is that the 'Slave' is dependent on his 'Master'. On the other hand, the 'Quality' are dependent on the 'Tasked' (slaves). Coates maintains that the 'Tasked' support the 'Quality', for the Tasked do the work and keep the plantation operating smoothly. The 'Quality' are dependent on the 'Tasked' to take care of them and are pretty much helpless without them.

    Hiram is called to entertain the Quality at parties, for he is exceptionally bright and is gifted with a photographic memory. His gifts make him a hit with the card playing whites. He is the boy wonder, but he is also a slave and is taught to know his place. As one of the Tasked, he has been told to watch over the all-White Maynard, his irresponsible, degenerate half-brother. Maynard frequently commands Hiram to take him to town to drink and visit prostitutes. On the drive home one dark night, the carriage overturns and throws Hiram and Maynard into the Goose River. Hiram is struggling in the water, when he hears Maynard call out for help. Maynard had never had the discipline to learn to swim, although Hiram had tried hard to teach him. The night of this carriage accident Maynard disappears under the water and is pulled away by the current. Hiram is unable to save him. As Hiram sinks into the deep water and fights for his life, he sees a blue light and images of what he thinks must be his mother dancing in the water with a jar upon her head. Miraculously, he soon finds himself onshore and safe. This is Hiram’s first experience with the power of conduction.

    Now what is conduction? It is a tapping of energy with a strong memory of place or person, an intention to transport oneself or others to another physical place. We all have had times when we dream of being in another place. We can visualize it vividly. In our dreams and sometimes even when we are awake, our yearnings take us there in our imagination. Ta-Nehisi Coates takes this a step further to a surrealistic traveling to another physical location. It is a journey that takes very little time at all, but requires a tremendous outpouring of energy from the conductor. In The Water Dance, there is always a blue light that appears and the presence of water for conduction to occur. All of this is surreal, of course, but Ta-Nehisi Coates uses this power of conduction effectively for his story. When Hiram remembers his mother vividly, when he deepens his memory of time and place, his powers of conduction increase, and he uses this power to transport slaves to freedom. Hiram partners at times with the master of conduction, Harriet Tubman. He works for the Underground Railroad and the freedom of his people.

    There are many 4 star reviews out there. However, without a moment’s hesitation, I gave this book a 5 star rating. I have read criticisms of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ so-called narrative gaps that lead to confusion for the reader. Have we forgotten that many of our contemporary well-respected and often prize-winning authors go back and forth in time to follow the protagonist’s memories of events? Yes, many other authors do this, and certainly Ta-Nehisi Coates uses the power of memory as a strong theme. There are also those reviewers who object to the surrealistic aspect of the book. Some even say the less magical parts deserve the most attention. These people are only concerned with the narrative (who did what etc.) I believe they are missing what makes this novel so magnificent. Much of the writing is really poetry in prose form. Poetry takes us beyond the words to heights of emotion that touch our souls. Ta-Nehisi Coates achieves this depth in his novel. The Water Dancer is incredibly powerful and evocative; it is heartbreaking and gorgeous.
    50 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2024
    Brother Coates has blessed us with a story of love, loss, and beauty. His capacity to transform the slave narratives was a work of art. This book reminds me of the infinite possibilities for us—the descendants of American slavery.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2021
    Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of the preeminent voices on race in America today having explored the topic through essays for “The Atlantic” Andy is two nonfiction books “The Beautiful Struggle” and “Between the World and Me.” But in his debut novel, Mr. Coates shows that he is just as capable of writing fiction as he is at writing fiction.

    Set in Antebellum Virginia, this book follows Hiram Walker, the son of a slave and a slave-master or a Tasked and a Quality as Mr. Coates calls them. Through freak accident, Hiram learns that he has a power known as Conduction that, if he can control it, could help bring himself and many other Tasked people to freedom. Soon he finds himself involved in the Underground, a secret resistance movement to slavery, that wants to help him control his power, but also use him for their own purposes. To say more would be to give away too much. Suffice it to say, it is a great story with a great ending that feels earned and almost perfect.

    Ta-Nehisi Coates’s style does take some time getting used to. The pace can be slow at the beginning and even a bit confusing. I honestly didn’t know what exactly had happened to Hiram in the first chapters that made him and others aware of his powers. That said, once you get used to the style and if you pay careful attention, this book is just as beautifully written as any one of Mr. Coates’s essays or memoirs.

    Overall, this is a fabulous book. Mr. Coates style may take a little getting used to, but the payoff is worth it. I highly recommend this novel to fans of books such as Colson Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad” and similar stories.
    9 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2020
    Hiram Walker is born into slavery in antebellum Virginia. He is the son of his White slave master, and as a child he sees his mother sold down “Natchez-way.” After this tragedy, Hiram’s father wants him reared to care for his errant and despicable White brother, Maynard. During an accident with Maynard in the Goose River, Hiram discovers his powers of memory and conduction, whereby he enters a realm of transport through the use of blue light, mist, and water.

    Upon reaching adulthood, Hiram decides to run, but he is betrayed and caught and then rescued and installed as an agent with the daring cohorts of the guerrilla “Underground” and their war against slavery. Hiram utilizes his intelligence, skills, and powers to assist the Underground in smuggling out those still held in bondage. His covert labors and his abilities of conduction bring him into contact with “Moses” herself, the legendary Harriet Tubman. When he returns to Lockless, the plantation of his upbringing, as part of a mission to rescue Sophia, his beloved, and Thena, the woman who raised him, he knows the dangers ahead and the possibility exists of his re-enslavement.

    The Water Dancer reads with a fluidity of page-turning anticipation and heart-racing dread. Coates delivers a propulsive and illuminating epic of struggle, survival, and magical realism. His rich, verbose prose bursts with insight and vivid imagery that kept me mesmerized in Hiram’s journey. Coates not only exposes the cruelty and mindset that perpetuated the institution of slavery, he also brings great humanity to the thoughts, emotions, and feelings of the slaves as they endured and confronted the tragedy of enslavement. Among the many novels I admire that tackle the monstrosity of American slavery, The Water Dancer is one of the best, and for me it has become an instant favorite.
    6 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Inge Worbs
    5.0 out of 5 stars Ergreifend
    Reviewed in Germany on December 1, 2024
    Sehr ergreifend
  • Rachel Berrios
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 26, 2022
    Such a unique story line and so beautifully written. I was totally conducted into Hiram's life and memories and loved every minute of it.
  • sylvie dandonneau
    5.0 out of 5 stars The water dancer
    Reviewed in Canada on July 1, 2020
    Je l'ai acheté pour l'offrir à mon mari. Il avait lu un résumé dans un journal (The Record) de Sherbrooke et m'avait dit qu'il aimerait bien lire ce livre. Il adore ce livre alors, je suis très satisfaite de mon achat. Surtout que la livraison s'est faite plus rapidement que mentionné. Merci beaucoup.
  • Cliente de Amazon
    2.0 out of 5 stars Repetitivo
    Reviewed in Mexico on January 3, 2020
    Me gusto, que llego muy rápido por Amazon Prime. No me gusto el desarrollo del libro, con un lenguaje racial.
  • V
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic journey
    Reviewed in India on August 16, 2020
    The books slows down once in a while but it gives a sneak peak of a another world and another time.

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