The Water Flowers

by Edward Gorey

Book by Gorey, Edward

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Graphic Novels, Picture Books, Childrens, Comics, Art

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Born in Chicago, Gorey came from a colourful family; his parents, Helen Dunham Garvey and Edward Lee Gorey, divorced in 1936 when he was 11, then remarried in 1952 when he was 27. One of his step-mothers was Corinna Mura, a cabaret singer who had a brief role in the classic film Casablanca. His father was briefly a journalist. Gorey's maternal great-grandmother, Helen St. John Garvey, was a popular 19th century greeting card writer/artist, from whom he claimed to have inherited his talents. He attended a variety of local grade schools and then the Francis W. Parker School. He spent 1944–1946 in the Army at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, and then attended Harvard University from 1946 to 1950, where he studied French and roomed with future poet Frank O'Hara.

Although he would frequently state that his formal art training was "negligible", Gorey studied art for one semester at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 1943, eventually becoming a professional illustrator. From 1953 to 1960, he lived in New York City and worked for the Art Department of Doubleday Anchor, illustrating book covers and in some cases adding illustrations to the text. He has illustrated works as diverse as Dracula by Bram Stoker, The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells, and Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Eliot. In later years he illustrated many children's books by John Bellairs, as well as books in several series begun by Bellairs and continued by other authors after his death.

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not about flowers, aquatic or otherwise. Maybe "water flowers" is a euphemism with which I am unfamiliar. In any case, the cover is not representative of the contents.



It is difficult to describe what the story is "about" if anything, but it seems to accord with my view that reading and painting are excellent while snow and white sauce should be avoided if possible.

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally, we get a proper story in this last collection. A woman is reading while it’s snowing. She needs to go out and get dinner, but it’s snowed so much she can’t get out. All she has is crackers for dinner and she makes a white sauce. Someone dies of course and so they paint their Christmas ornaments black. It’s an odd story, for certain. It’s wacky and unexpected and that’s why I enjoy this one.

Edward loves to draw elaborate fur coats for men to wear. There are 3 men in this story and each is bundled in a fur coat. He takes great pains to draw every detail of them.

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty funny story of a woman making way too much white sauce.

[Tiuri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engrossed in reading. So much snow. Too deep to go to the village for dinner. What should she make? Lots of white sauce over crackers. Much and more white sauce is made as it is perfected, not too thick, thin, or lumpy. It is eaten and eaten over many meals. Then comes a sudden death and a time of mourning. And more snow.

Why is this called The Water Flowers? No one knows.

[Catherine Corman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just after the meal concluded Henry suddenly died.
It was Christmas Eve as it happened.
Jane, Anne, George, and William painted all the ornaments a dull black.

-Edward Gorey, The Water Flowers

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second reading: I love how the entire book shifts once she finishes her book. Like the world had vanished for her that little while.

Read August 30, 2011

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Odd. Totally consumed with the making and eating of this white sauce.

[Georgie · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Edition signed. Best. Gift. EVER.

[reveurdart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully odd. I always like those small everyday occurrences in Gorey's work and the play with words.

"Jane settled herself on the sofa with a novelette in a yellow paper cover."

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a word - odd.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was alright. Weird book like all his other works. I literally yelled, "WHAT!", at one part because I was so shocked. The illustrations are alright too. Was not a fan of the ending. I was surprised and thought that's it? And indeed it was. I did laugh at the amount of white sauce though.

[Hal Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just because there has been expressed some confusion over the title, I'd like to contribute my theory: water/flowers is a homophonous pun on water and flour, the two ingredients in white sauce.

[Carlos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, the dresses! Oh, the coats!

[K.S. Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another gem from Edward Gorey, perfect for the Winter Solstice.

[Kleineleopardin · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up I guess

[TJ Wilson]

Whoa.

[Rick Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading Edward Gorey 2023. In The Water Flowers, things progress as they inevitably must, but one carries on, regardless.

Favorite quote:
This went on until there was so much white sauce, it filled every available receptacle.

[Allison]

I am fascinated by Edward Gorey. He attended all the performances of the New York Ballet Co.