historical fiction, fantasy
In The Water Dancer, Hiram is a slave in Kentucky. His mother was sold away and
his father is the master of the estate upon which he toils. Hi dreams of a
different life for himself.
Hi is a lovable character and the reader rejoices whenever his
difficult life takes a pseudo-positive turn. Some of Hi’s story is magical
fantasy which is a really unexpected surprise in this novel. The way Ta-Nehisi Coates
includes a famous hero of the Underground Railroad within the magical storyline
is creative and fun.
I felt that this novel wasn’t as brutal as many novels
depicting the life of slaves. But it centered around the heartbreaking
separation of slave families due to transfers and sales profits. I had not
heard of slaves referred to as “the tasked” or as slave-owning families called
“the quality”. The descriptions of the
workings of the Underground Railroad were educational.
The narrator was Joe Morton and he was excellent. He has a large voice repertoire, does terrific accents, and his acting was perfect. Not only that but he actually SINGS when there are song lyrics, unlike most audiobook narrators. And he has a lovely voice! A+!
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