I love Ta-Nehisi Coates. His writing is so beautiful - lyrical and moving. I always feel like I learn something from reading his books and it expands my worldview. The Water Dancer was no exception.

Historical fiction with a magic realism bent. Hiram is born into slavery in 1840s Virginia, the son of the master of the plantation and an enslaved mother who disappeared when Hiram was still very young and whom he can't remember. Given who his father is, Hiram is allowed an education and a relatively high-status position as his half-brother's assistant in running the plantation. But soon enough shit abruptly gets real, and Hiram is forced to face the fact that for all his relative privilege, he's still enslaved: his father sells him, the woman he loves is taken away, he ends up in a slave jail, he's physically and psychologically tortured, he runs away, he gets involved with the Underground Railroad, he meets Northern abolitionists including Harriet Tubman, and many more plot twists. Throughout all of this, Hiram slowly discovers he possesses a power called Conduction, which essentially allows him to teleport from one location to another. Such a power would obviously be hugely useful to the Underground Railroad, among other groups, and while their attempts to push Hiram into gaining better control over Conduction are well-intentioned, they fail terribly at treating him as a full person. Hiram's ability to Conduct ultimately seems to depend on recovering his memories of his mother and reclaiming his own history.

Coates obviously knows his history, and is an incredibly talented, powerful writer, but this is his first venture into fiction and unfortunately I think it shows. For all the details of the setting and insights into the psychology of slavery, the characters and situations just never engaged me. I set this book down in the middle several times and went to read something else, and ultimately had to force myself to finish it. Maybe it's just that I've read several other takes on "escape from slavery + magical realism", but I felt like there was nothing new or exciting in The Water Dancer. It's a very cool premise, and it's not a bad book by any means, but there are better books out there doing very similar things.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3652123083

Amazing! It was a difficult read emotionally because you had to read about the brutality of slavery. There were many times while reading this novel that I had to pause before reading further because of the pain and anguish I felt. But this is the power of Coates writing - he is masterful with words. Each sentence is deep and profound.

Coates' first foray into fiction is a good one, especially since I had not read much featuring Harriet Tubman as a featured character. However, it took a bit to get hooked into the main plot.

A beautiful, lyrical masterpiece that highlights the brutality of slavery and the magic of history and faith.

What an amazing novel! Coates use of language, whether it be fiction or non-fiction, is nothing but beautiful The images he evokes while reading his prose is stunning. 'The themes of survival, persistence and above all, the worth of human lives, is unforgettable. Even though the plot is set in times past, it is so relevant today.
The inhumanity described by the author's beautiful words hit home even more so by its mystical and magical aspects. The term "magical realism" says it all. This is a must-read.

Unfortunately I was unable to finish this novel as I found it hard to read/understand what was happening within the first few chapters. I hope to someday be able to go back and try again, as I've enjoyed Coates' previous novels.

DNF. Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy! I decided to not keep reading this one, it was not for me. Thanks!

The writing in this book was so lovely and evocative (Ta-Nehisi Coates's facility with words is evident in both his nonfiction and fiction!), but for some reason the story here didn't pull me in the way I wanted it to. It was ultimately a DNF for me, although perhaps I'll find my way back to it somewhere down the road.

This book was so beautifully written, but at times hard to follow. I read about 1/3 of it and listened to the rest, and I much preferred the audiobook format (Joe Morton's narration certainly helped!). I particularly enjoyed the final section, and learning what happens with Hiram, Sophia, Caroline, and Thena. I also enjoyed the magical realism mixed into the historical narrative!

This is a fine first novel by a leading public intellectual. Not straightforwardly realistic, he blends magical scenes in with the historic story.

The Water Dancer is a magical story about resilience, strength, and forgiveness. It's lyrical from the beginning, reminding me of that mesmerizing feeling you get while you watch the tide on the shore. I appreciated the magical realism to the book, especially as it is slowly eased in and sort of mystically explained. Hiram was a character who I appreciated getting to know, especially as he begins to examine the things he thought about women, family, and slavery. His journey with the underground railroad was also wonderfully explained. But I found myself getting lost and after the chapters struggling to recount what happened. It was like a book where time passes and you appreciate it, but afterwards struggle to recollect it.

I couldn't get into this book. I read the first chapter and ended up having to reread it, because I set the book down for so long that I couldn't remember what happened. I would still like to read this book one day, but it likely won't be any time soon. Just didn't hit the right time/mood for me.

Love, Love, Love! I love this title and I love this cover! He is a brilliant writer and what a moving story!

I had high hopes for Ta-Nehisi Coates' debut novel. It had a wonderful premise and I was genuinely curious about the element of magical realism woven into a historical setting.

The first half of the book was great. Lush descriptions, nuanced characters, and a very clear picture of slavery made me turn the page. Hiram was well-written. A slave with a photographic memory, so that he is unable to forget the horrors he experiences? I'll take it.

Unfortunately, the plot turned glacial by the second half. The story moved way too slow, partly because Hiram would launch into an internal dialogue every time the plot attempted to advance. He would introspect and ruminate on ideas that he'd previously introspected and ruminated on. I don't have a problem with the ideas themselves--- I realize its importance--- but I thought they didn't help with the plot much. In fact, I think they would have better belonged to a non-fiction book.

An interesting read that nevertheless seemed to keep me at arms length throughout. I appreciated getting a better perspective of the different experiences slaves endured, and I wondered if because the characters had to section off their emotions if the author was writing in a way to create that same experience in the reader. I cared, but it was as if I was held back from being able to care too much. Not sure if that makes sense. The magical realism aspects were creative, but kind of took me out of the story. It was an interesting way to consider Harriet Tubman, but I almost felt it discounted the bravery and cleverness and strength required to actually cover all the miles that she trudged by foot. All in all - definitely worth reading, and probably a good choice for a book club because there are lots of things to discuss. And the bonus of listening to it on audiobook is the reader actually sings the snippets of songs--a definite plus.

A beautiful book in many ways that lost me about halfway through. At that point, it became more predictable, more fantastical and I was less interested. I'm glad I finished though as the ending was satisfying. Lots to talk about in this book.

This was a beautifully written story, weaving in so many pieces and details that brought it to life. I really enjoyed it, and even though parts of it were sad and hard to read, there was always an underlying message of hope. It did take me a while to get through - more because I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Definitely worth the read.

Thanks to #netgalley and Random House for a copy of this book.

Perfect in every way! Magical, and beautifully written. The characters are well developed, and the story arc is timed perfectly.

Everyone should read and enjoy this book. Then read The Underground Railroad as a companion book!!!

There is no way I am going to be able to do justice to The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It not only is a gorgeous story of survival, family, and love but also a story that forces you to rethink everything you knew about slavery. With prose that makes you wish you had his skill with a pen, The Water Dancer haunts you long after you finish.

Some people might catalog The Water Dancer into a Magical Realism category simply because of Hiram's special powers, and you can make a good argument for it. However, given the origins of that power and the history behind it, to me, his power is one more element of his character and a reminder of the traditions of all the enslaved, something that most novels all-too-easily forget.

Another striking aspect of The Water Dancer is the verbiage used to describe the enslaved. Mr. Coates does use the term slaves every once in a while, but mostly when describing the relationship as it pertains to white people. When discussing himself or his family, Hiram mostly uses the word Tasked rather than slaves or the enslaved and The Task in lieu of slavery. It is a simple change but one that has huge ramifications for the way you see Hiram and his family. The usage of that one word forces you to recognize their family bonds as well as their humanity. It makes you recognize all of the Tasked as individual people on a level that is easy to ignore when someone uses the word slave. This is my first time experiencing such a profound shift in thinking about this time period and truly looking at it for what it was.

The Water Dancer is the perfect novel to usher you into a growing awareness of the insidiousness of white supremacy for anyone wanting to educate themselves and work towards becoming anti-racist. Mr. Coates' lessons are palatable, made even more so by his storytelling and the vibrancy of his characters. More than that, The Water Dancer is a damn good story about the Underground Railroad and the risks all participants faced as well as one that puts a personal spin on the trauma that comes with the separation of families that was the everyday life of the Tasked. The Water Dancer is one of the most human novels I have read in a very long time.