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    Gathering of Waters
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    Gathering of Waters
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    Gathering of Waters
    Ebook285 pages4 hours

    Gathering of Waters

    By Bernice L. McFadden

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

  • McFadden's last novel was a hit with book clubs, and this new novel should have an even stronger reception.
  • McFadden has a strong appeal to African American women, while also appealing to a broader literary audience.
  • Prominent reviews expected.
    • LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAkashic Books
    Release dateJan 31, 2012
    ISBN9781617751103
    Unavailable
    Gathering of Waters
    Author

    Bernice L. McFadden

    Bernice L. McFadden is the author of nine critically acclaimed novels including Sugar, Loving Donovan, Nowhere Is a Place, The Warmest December, Gathering of Waters (a New York Times Editors' Choice and one of the 100 Notable Books of 2012), Glorious, and The Book of Harlan (winner of a 2017 American Book Award and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work, Fiction). She is a four-time Hurston/Wright Legacy Award finalist, as well as the recipient of three awards from the BCALA.

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    Reviews for Gathering of Waters

    3.5/5

    15 ratings26 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I was looking for a book for my book club next month. This was not it. While I do not feel the last 3 evenings have been a waste I just did not enjoy this book like I thought I was going to since so many people gave it 4 to 5 stars and great praise. I really had a hard time figuring out the connection to all the different characters and what really was the purpose of the story. I like ghost stories but that never really came to fruition. The tie in to the murder of Emmett Till was very loose. If the point was the intersecting of white people and black people and the issues that exist well I didn't feel like I was supposed to choose a side except for the stupid and unnecessary killing of Emmett. This gave me the most emotion during the whole book. Maybe it was bad timing since I just finished 2 books that I really loved.
    • 5/5
      Gathering of Waters by Bernice L. McFadden; an ER/ARC; thank youThis book.........this book is hauntingly lovely while the subject matter is mostly not. The building of the characterization & subject material was not rushed so this reader had plenty of time to acclimate herself to the book, the people & the events of the story.It is a novel based on the murder of Emmett Til in Mississippi back in the 1950s, a hate crime that would most likely have turned out much differently in this day. But in that day the black people of our Southern communities had much to fear even in their innocence.The love story is small, short & yet HUGE. There is a daily violence & perversity within most of the families depicted here that may be difficult for some to imagine. But the story flows smoothly from event to event. I really liked the main character of the book when I finally figured out who it was for this is a generational story. And I did appreciate the bits of mystical surrealism that accompanies this story. In fact I found myself looking forward to the next bit that I knew As an ARC/ER, Gathering of Waters did exactly what it needed to do, what it was meant to do and what many ARC/ER books do not. It sold me on Bernice L. McFadden as an author and I cannot wait to read something else by her. I highly recommend this one.
    • 4/5
      This was a wonderfully wrought story which delved into the world of a family line in the prescient town of Money, Mississippi. There is something magical that moves through the entire length of the narrative, and I appreciated the mix of the fantastical and worldly. I read this book quite quickly - its size is deceptive and the story moves along at a quick pace. In fact, that was the main thing I disliked - I wished more time and attention had been taken with the characters. It seemed that just as we got to know them a little bit, they were gone. People's motives were spelled out because they were in and out of the story so quickly and if we had lingered on them longer, their actions would have seemed somehow more natural.
    • 5/5
      This is a very fast read and very enjoyable. I read it, at work, over the course of several hours. I found myself interested in nearly all of the characters and wondered how the author would tie them all together. Before I knew it all loose ends were firmly knotted and the book was over. One of my favorites so far this year!
    • 4/5
      Wonderfully worded and crafted. The story has a very well put together flow about it. It was an enjoyable enough book that I could recommend it to people- if any of the people I know express interest in this type of story.
    • 2/5
      Ick. Beautifully written, and I wanted to love it. Perhaps I would've liked it better if the lynching of Emmett Till had been replaced by a made-up lynching. Once she got to the hard historic facts, the writing style seemed to make a shift. It wasn't well woven with the rest of the book. Furthermore, I disagree completely with the premise of the book. Stop reading now if you think you are going to read it. MAJOR SPOILER ALERT: The book seems to be trying to say something about female sexuality and male violence, and to me is a form of denial or shifting the blame from where it belongs to some primordial force. IMHO, the blame for Emmett Till's death belongs to three specific individuals and a town/time with police-condoned racism, not some angry spirit that flows through the world looking for sex, power and blood. I can deal with ghosts. I liked the Animism. However, when you shift the blame of Emmett Till's murder to the spirit of some dead whore, I'm not buying it.
    • 5/5
      Gathering of Waters is a beautifully written, utterly engrossing novel about spirituality. Don't let the "back of the book" description about a love story between Emmett Till and Tass Hilson fool you. Neither character even makes an appearance until well over the half-way mark. This is a story about the endurance of the soul (human and otherwise) and the capacity for good and evil. No this is not Emmitt's story. It is the story of Esther the Whore and the incredible amount of physical and emotional damage she leaves in her capricious wake.I absolutely loved it.One note of caution, however for the easily offended - this book can be shockingly lewd at times.
    • 5/5
      This book took a long time coming. Was a Jan. ARC choice, received on April 4th. Had never read anything by Bernice L. McFadden so I had no idea that the book was going to be so worth the wait.This is a hard book to review, as much ado is made about believablity in what we read. This is a story that took me back to my youth, a time when stories were believable enough to "almost" seem real, yet fantastic enough to let the mind go all kinds of places that "real" doesn't often allow for.The main events are, for the most part, true. They cover a dark disturbing era of American history or perhaps one should say, a time we would like to see as "historical" rather than current. There is a timelessness about this novel that is disturbing and sadly very current. Because we seem to allow history to repeat itself, no matter the consequences, to my way of thinking, this is an important novel. A book that should be read, mulled over in one's mind and then discussed. Ms McFadden infuses her writing with the mystical, a bit of the fantastic and a touch of surrealism that was so a part of those long ago stories which were responsible for "hooking" me into my reading habit in the first place. I loved it ! I loved how one's mind was led by the author to a place where things can be what we dream them to be. Make no mistake, this is an adult novel and the topics covered are often dark but Bernice L. McFadden doesn't depress, she informs us, gives just enough dark to make an impact and then infuses her readers with hope and beautiful images in the form of a well written story. Images that make one think, feel and hope, just as we did as children listening to the tales of old, that maybe, just maybe, the fairy tale could come true. That eventually good will triumph over bad.Finished this book in one day. After reading the last page and closing the cover, I had to sit a while, take it in, rethink the beauty of some of the passages. Was awestruck actually. I read a lot of books and this one qualifies to go on the list as "one of the best". Will be reading more novels by this author. Will also do a fair amount of jabbering about it as well. The word will be out.Thank you Ms McFadden for the beautiful story ! Nice to be "rehooked" at this stage of my life.
    • 4/5
      Lyrically told, a haunting, mystical tale. This book sucked me in and didn't let go until it spit me out at the end. I didn't know until after I read it that Emmet Till was a real person, but whether or not I knew this, the tragedy of it has an authenticy that was sadly borne out over & over in the Jim Crow era. The prose frequently made me gasp and tear up, it told a succession of stories of with such poignant beauty and sadness. It was really gripping and I could barely put it down, read it in two days; in between taking care of the kids and working! A really interesting perspective, to have the story told from this point of view, it freed the narrative to be incredibly creative. I would certainly seek out another book, or two by this author. If it was reminiscent of anything that would be "Beloved" by Toni Morrison.
    • 4/5
      Bernice McFadden is a wonderful story teller. Bright, vivid characters and writing that really flows. However, parts of the story felt almost hurried, trying to get to the bigger storyline.
    • 4/5
      Gathering of Waters was a very easy and enjoyable read. The book was set in the south and the characters were well developed. The story is told from the voice of the town (Money, Mississippi) which I thought was a very clever narrative device. Having the town as the narrator allowed the relationships of the townspeople to be presented over most of the 20th century in a non-biased way.
    • 4/5
      Gathering of Water is ostensibly about the 1955 murder of Emmett Till. In reality, the book recounts the racial relationships in the deep South throughout the 20th century. The story is told through the voice of the town, Money, Mississippi. The town's spirit and the spirit of other inhabitants flow through the book, giving it a light fantasy quality. Although a serious subject, Bernice L. McFadden infuses the story with humor and warmth. The many richly drawn characters will haunt me for a long time.
    • 5/5
      Wow! Just finished "Gathering of Waters" and found it to be a mysteriously wonderful novel! It is highly engaging and a quick, easy read. However easy to read, the characters are highly complex and woven together by thoughtful, historical events which span from the early 1900s to 2005, when Hurricane Katrina destroyed most of Southern Mississippi and Louisiana. Reminiscent of Gloria Naylor's writing style, this book incorporates spirits of the dead (Esther the whore and Emmett Till), with the living refusing to be forgotten. The past is richly brought to life, through the lavish use of details, especially familiar to anyone who has lived in either of Mississippi or Louisiana.Beginning in the 1900's "Gathering of Waters" introduces the events and people, which led to the horrific murder of Emmet Till, and ending with hours before Hurricane Katrina's landfall upon the shores of Mississippi and Louisiana. "Gathering of Waters" also explores the complex and intertwined relationships between Southern Whites and Blacks - the love and hate that continues to exist between these two races. Bernice McFadden has embraced the honestly horrific, but true essence of Mississippi's past, as well as the people who lived there. McFadden is masterful with her use of imagery and truly gifted as a storyteller.
    • 4/5
      Overall, I loved the story of this book. The characters leaped off the page, and the situations were realistic and touching. I could have done without some of the saltier language, and this probably was really the only true downfall of the book. Liked the historical backbone of the novel and the long ranging storytelling. Best part: the town as the narrator. Worst part: descriptions of stuff I'd rather not read about.
    • 5/5
      "Gathering of Waters" is the first book I have read this year, and my first Member Giveaway as well. I am disappointed to say the least. Disappointed to say that I fear nothing else will compare to this sensational book!! From the very first page to the very last, I was only sad when I had to occasionally put this one down. There is not a reader out there who will not relate to some character within the tale of Money, Mississippi. From the charming Hemmingway to the outrageously cocky Cole, I was hooked! Miss McFadden has captured my attention with her incredible dialogue, amazing character development and expert storytelling. Love, betrayal, passion, action.... This one has absolutely everything I could ask for. I would be more than happy to suggest this title to absolutely any and everyone who reads this review! If you have a chance to snag this one, do not do yourself the injustice of passing on it! I thank you, Miss McFadden, for sharing this wonderful book with me!
    • 5/5
      I truly enjoyed this book. The story as told by the town it was written about, a voice not oft heard, is told in mystical, delicate, detail. The characters evolve and breathe life into this novel. I love McFadden's style of writing that is both blunt and poetic at times.
    • 3/5
      Set in Mississippi during the early 20th Century, Gathering of Waters is a fantastical story of several generations of a family of black women who live in the small town of Money. Told from the point of view of the town itself, the family and indeed the town itself is haunted by the vengeful ghost Esther, who was a prostitute. Gathering of Waters is highly unique, totally riveting and a very fast, very engaging read. Personally I found it a bit jarring how the author worked in the death of Emmett and Till and even Hurricane Katrina into the story. As Emmett Till and the Katrina are not fictional, but fact and are such famous and tragic moments in American history, it just felt somehow unsettling to have them featured in this story, in the way that they were. That Emmett Till was somehow a victim of this enraged ghost and that Katrina was a manifestation of it. To me it just felt wrong and I can't help but feel that for me it would have been a better story had the author used a fictional character and natural disaster in place of these real ones.
    • 4/5
      I stayed up until 4:00 a.m. this morning reading this look. I was tired but I couldn't set it down. I am almost ashamed to admit that I had not heard of Bernice McFadden before reading this. I have an intense love for Black women's literature. I am overjoyed that I have finally found her and that she has an impressive body of work out there for me to dig into! I was skeptical about the book at first because I am a history geek and feel weird about history being used in fiction but McFadden brought a beautiful magic to Emmett Till's story. I do feel that her story went way too easy on Bryant and Milam, and by extension those whites who participated in terrorism against Black communities under Jim Crow. It just lets them off easy to explain their bloodlust with magical realism. The fact is that it was ordinary human beings who tortured and murdered their fellow human beings. We can't let them off the hook. I am also really conflicted about Esther and the use of her spirit as the cause of so much sorrow. It feels a little victim blaming. I'm not otherwise opposed to the use of magic or history here. It's a great story. I'd also like to mention that Akashic has produced a physically beautiful book here, especially for a paperback. Really nice.
    • 3/5
      I found the book "Gathering of Waters" to be engaging and evocative. The story is narrated by the town of Money Mississippi, which allows the view point to be from several places at once. The town relates it's history from the beginning of the 1900s to the winds and waters of Katrina and covers Emmett Till's murder and other atrocities of the Jim Crow era. I was disturbed that the evil spirit that invaded the towns people was made to be at fault for the murder of Emmett, preferring that the blame be rested squarely on the men who committed the murder and the society that allowed it. This is the first book that I read by McFaddden and i will look for more.
    • 4/5
      I have very mixed feelings about this book. I loved McFadden's use of language, I loved the intricate plots and subplots, and the way she developed her characters. Her use of the city of Money, Mississippi as a narrator was brilliant. That was why I was so disappointed in her last page. After pages of this beautiful, magical prose, the last 2 paragraphs felt like I'd been hit over the head. The book ended like one of Aesop's fables, with the narrator telling us exactly what we were suppose to glean from the pages, and so just as suddenly the magic disappeared. The character development no longer mattered because ..... well, you read it and figure it out
    • 4/5
      Sometimes a book that you are reluctant to read turns out to be a real surprise. Always reading the same type of book gives you a happy sense of familiarity but it doesn't stretch your reading assumptions in any way. Bernice McFadden's Gathering of Waters is definitely a different book than my usual reads and it pushed me in ways that things that are immediately appealing to me don't always do.Narrated by the town of Money, Mississippi, the town where Emmett Till was murdered, this novel purports to tell the stories of people and place that led up to that terrible, nation changing event and the stories of those left broken in the wake of the tragedy. Opening with an explanation of the concept of animism, the idea that everything in this world is inhabited by souls, some benevolent and others malevolent, which move on to other bodies, animate and inanimate, when their shells die or are destroyed, the novel draws a straight line through characters, material things, and events predicated on this belief. Then introducing the family around whose lives the narrative swirls, the town recedes into the generational story of the Hilson family and starts its march to the tragedy of Emmett Till's short life and on far past it to the arrival of Hurricane Katrina.This is a quick and compelling read that swirls with questions of inborn goodness and evil and of fate threaded through with a history of racial tension and civil rights. Although the cover blurb focuses on the murder of Emmett Till, the novel is much more expansive than just this single event which, in fact, doesn't occur until quite late in the novel. The narration of the town of Money didn't totally work, not least because allowing Money to continue the tale in Chicago thanks to the potted flower that Tass takes with her was a stretch, although the continued narration of Tass' life up north was certainly necessary to the plot. But over all, this not easily categorized novel was gripping and rich.
    • 3/5
      McFadden's novel takes it title from "many gathering of waters," the translation for the Choctaw word Mississippi. The tale of Gathering of Waters is narrated by the town of Money, Mississippi, most noted for the slaying of Emmett Till in 1955. While Emmett is at the center of the novel, the novel sweeps through the entire 20th century with the history of the Hilson family who settled in Money after the race riots in Tulsa in 1921. While I loved the first two-thirds of this novel leading up to the climactic death of Emmett Till, the last third seemed to dwindle away in a somewhat cliched denouement.
    • 5/5
      This novel was outstanding. I like that “Money” was a fly on the wall of 3 generations of a family, following the troubled spirit of Ester. This story has very strong heroines. Doll, who had Ester’s spirit within her, was very troubled. It was as if she was the only character that Ester’s spirit entered who had small bouts of her true self show through. They were far and few between which made it quite easy to dislike her and how she treated her daughter, Hemmingway.With a mother like Doll, Hemmingway had no choice but to grow up quick, which made her seem like a cold individual. Hemmingway managed to become a mother due to “immaculate conception” (according to the town folk). She had a daughter named Tess who fell in love with Emmitt Till.By this time, Ester’s spirit had been living though a white man who had died in a flood as a young child but was brought back to life by Ester’s sinister spirit. Ester’s spirit turned that boy/man into a blood thirsty murderer who was only happy when killing human beings (or did her spirit just make his nature worse?).Two years after Emmitt’s murder, Tess agreed to marry, moved to Detroit and had 12 children. All the while, Emmitt’s spirit followed, unbeknown to her. When she was 62, she headed back to Mississippi to finally sell her mothers home, where she eventually died in her sleep and was reconnected with her first love, Emmitt Till. This was in the Summer of 2005, just as Katrina rolled in….I read this book over the weekend and could not put it down until it was done. GREAT story telling from a GREAT story teller. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      Gathering of Waters is a mystical, eerie, captivating fictional story of Emmett Till, his famous murder in 1955, and the characters of Money, Mississippi, told by the soul of Money. The story flows wonderfully, I was captivated without stumble until the final few chapters, when Tass comes back to Money and things change for her. I wasn’t sure at first that I liked it, but it soon fit. This is an edgy book also in that it brings back so well the hatred, but also the beauty, from that time in our history. Bernice McFadden writes masterfully, reminding me of Toni Morrison’s writing. I received this through Librarything.com giveaways, and I loved this book! This would make a great book club read
    • 3/5
      I finished it but I didn’t like it. She spent too much time on the families in the beginning and they were only to get to the Emmitt Till story. I liked the narrator being the town. I also liked the writing but not so much the story or that she brought in magic at the end. 3/6/12
    • 4/5
      Gathering of Waters begins with provocative insights into the human spirit: “…your body does not have a soul; your soul has a body, and souls never, ever die”; and, the Native and African American’s concept of animism: “… the idea that souls inhabit all objects, living things, and even phenomena “, they fly from one home to the next, as each is destroyed or dies. The author, Bernice McFadden, then informs the reader as to the definition of, the Mississippi River: the translation comes from the Chippewa meaning "great river" or "gathering in of all the waters". From there McFadden creates the evil spirit of Esther, connecting “her” to the horrific murder of Emmett Till, and finally, Hurricane Katrina. McFadden begins with a strong narrative, combining her spiritual premise within her character development. However, with the introduction of each new character and time period, her story-line begins to feel choppy and episodic. The reader waits for that moment when all elements will be pulled together, but it never happens. The novel ends abruptly with a brief synopsis devoted to Emmett Till and a few lines to Hurricane Katrina. That promised moment, when all comes together does not occur. The reader is left unfulfilled.There is little doubt Bernice McFadden is a well-tuned writer. She writes with sympathy and emotion and defines her characters adroitly. She researches her work and builds an interesting plot. This novel has great potential (a novel in progress?); it simply does not feel complete.