Nathan Harris

In the spirit of The Known World and The Underground Railroad, a profound debut about the unlikely bond between two freedmen who are brothers and the Georgia farmer whose alliance 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, wracked by the loss of their only son to the war, hire the brothers to work their farm, hoping through an unexpected friendship to stanch their grief. Prentiss and Landry, meanwhile, plan to save money for the journey north and a chance to reunite with their mother, who was sold away when they were boys. Parallel to their story runs a forbidden romance between two Confederate soldiers. The young men, recently returned to the town of Old Ox from the war, hold their trysts in the woods. But when their secret is discovered, the resulting chaos brings convulsive repercussions for the entire community. With candor and sympathy, debut novelist Nathan Harris creates an unforgettable cast of characters, depicting Georgia in the violent crucible of Reconstruction. Equal parts beauty and terror, as gripping as it is moving, The Sweetness of Water is an epic whose grandeur locates humanity and love amid the most harrowing circumstances.

A Novel

The Sweetness of Water

This book was beautifully written and unfurled not at all how I thought it was going to. Very interesting, flawed characters who’s journeys of growth were surprising at times, in a very welcome way. It’s been a long time since I read a straight fiction book, and a piece of literature at that, and this was a good one to do that with. I understand why it was a Booker Prize finalist. 

Katie Allard

Stefanie  Uwah

I’m going to have a difficult time putting into words all the ways in which I hated this book. Would have never finished were it not a book club pick. Truly astounding that a Black person wrote this.

Cheri McElroy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Abeautiful story set in a fictional town in Georgia the first year of Reconstruction. This is the story of love, loss, reconciliation and resiliency. I was invested in each character and their journeys will stay with me.

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER / AN OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK PRESIDENT OBAMA’S SUMMER 2021 READING LIST In the spirit of The Known World and The Underground Railroad, “a miraculous debut” (Washington Post)​ and “a towering achievement of imagination” (CBS This Morning)about the unlikely bond between two freedmen who are brothers and the Georgia farmer whose alliance will alter their lives, and his, forever—from “a storyteller with bountiful insight and assurance” (Kirkus) A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice A July Indie Next Pick In the waning days of the Civil War, brothers Prentiss and Landry—freed by the Emancipation Proclamation—seek refuge on the homestead of George Walker and his wife, Isabelle. The Walkers, wracked by the loss of their only son to the war, hire the brothers to work their farm, hoping through an unexpected friendship to stanch their grief. Prentiss and Landry, meanwhile, plan to save money for the journey north and a chance to reunite with their mother, who was sold away when they were boys. Parallel to their story runs a forbidden romance between two Confederate soldiers. The young men, recently returned from the war to the town of Old Ox, hold their trysts in the woods. But when their secret is discovered, the resulting chaos, including a murder, unleashes convulsive repercussions on the entire community. In the aftermath of so much turmoil, it is Isabelle who emerges as an unlikely leader, proffering a healing vision for the land and for the newly free citizens of Old Ox. With candor and sympathy, debut novelist Nathan Harris creates an unforgettable cast of characters, depicting Georgia in the violent crucible of Reconstruction. Equal parts beauty and terror, as gripping as it is moving, The Sweetness of Water is an epic whose grandeur locates humanity and love amid the most harrowing circumstances.

The Sweetness of Water (Oprah's Book Club)

Fraser Simons

For every interesting thing about it I encountered a cliché. It’s predictable and feels like it takes a view of heavy plotting and making the characters fit the larger movements desired by the author, and My taste doesn’t range that way. A pet peeve is when a queer relationship is plot related as well. So, this notched up a bunch of subjective things I just plain don’t like in my fiction. 

I got it on audio and the narration was alright, but it became a bit difficult to tell the characters apart, adding to the reading of it being far too plotty for my taste. Might have got on with it better in physical format, but I can tell I won’t remember much of this. The only impression it left, until I bailed at 40%, was all negative, as you can tell. No reason, then, to try in a physical format when there are so many books out there to try. I did give it two stars instead of 1, which I usually do for DNFs because it did feel like I wasn’t able to accept the novel on its own terms, and I don’t think it’s “bad”, just not right for a reader like me.

**LONGLISTED FOR THE 2021 BOOKER PRIZE** A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER, OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK, AND BARACK OBAMA SUMMER READING 2021 SELECTION 'A fine, lyrical novel, impressive in its complex interweaving of the grand and the intimate, of the personal and political' Observer An extraordinary novel of life after slavery for readers 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 . . . '[A] highly accomplished debut' Sunday Times Readers have been swept away by The Sweetness of Water: 'Such a powerful, magnificent book; I urge you to read it. The comparisons with Colson Whitehead are justified' ***** 'A staggering debut and a story that stays with you' ***** 'Thought-provoking and moving . . . a gripping and compelling novel that exposes flaws, mixed emotions and imperfect relationships, and yet it holds on with determination and hope. It fully deserves a 5-star rating' ***** 'Outstanding . . . A book that deserves widespread recognition and a wide audience' *****

Longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize

Floofyflower

The writing was absolutely beautiful, and the story is very important and gut wrenching. I wish there was more connection between the characters which is why I gave it 4 stars. 

This reminded me of Lonesome Dove, but needing more editing. I feel like the overall plot was great, the characters were a little unrefined but they were interesting, and I liked the settings. I just think the ending dragged on and could have been cleaner cut.

The Sweetness of Water A Novel

Reviews