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Sweet Water
Kline's first novel is a captivating read.
When a grandfather she never knew bequeaths her a house and 60 acres of land in Sweetwater, Tenn., a restless young artist leaves New York to recover her past and rethink her future. Cassie Simon's mother Ellen died when Cassie was only three; raised in Boston by her grieving father, she never knew her maternal relatives. Unprepared for the thick veil of mystery that surrounds them, Cassie is especially bewildered by her brusque grandmother, whom rumor credits with hiding a terrible secret about Ellen's death. In alternating sections told from their respective points of view, Cassie and her grandmother fight their separate battles to cope with the truth about the tragedy. Kline perfectly renders each woman's voice: Cassie's, probing and often uncertain, propels the narrative and creates an appropriate level of psychological suspense; the grandmother's quavers with the weight of memory as Cassie's search forces her beyond family myth to a painful and perhaps dangerous truth.
The result is a powerful, immensely readable tale of loyalty and betrayal, family and memory, made fresh by Kline's often beautiful and always lucid prose.
When a grandfather she never knew bequeaths her a house and 60 acres of land in Sweetwater, Tenn., a restless young artist leaves New York to recover her past and rethink her future. Cassie Simon's mother Ellen died when Cassie was only three; raised in Boston by her grieving father, she never knew her maternal relatives. Unprepared for the thick veil of mystery that surrounds them, Cassie is especially bewildered by her brusque grandmother, whom rumor credits with hiding a terrible secret about Ellen's death. In alternating sections told from their respective points of view, Cassie and her grandmother fight their separate battles to cope with the truth about the tragedy. Kline perfectly renders each woman's voice: Cassie's, probing and often uncertain, propels the narrative and creates an appropriate level of psychological suspense; the grandmother's quavers with the weight of memory as Cassie's search forces her beyond family myth to a painful and perhaps dangerous truth.
The result is a powerful, immensely readable tale of loyalty and betrayal, family and memory, made fresh by Kline's often beautiful and always lucid prose.
285 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1993
1094 people are currently reading
7242 people want to read
About the author
Christina Baker Kline
24 books7,100 followersA #1 New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, including The Exiles, Orphan Train, and A Piece of the World, Christina Baker Kline is published in 40 countries. Her novels have received the New England Prize for Fiction, the Maine Literary Award, and a Barnes & Noble Discover Award, among other prizes, and have been chosen by hundreds of communities, universities and schools as “One Book, One Read” selections. Her essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in publications such as the New York Times and the NYT Book Review, the Boston Globe, the San Francisco Chronicle, LitHub, Psychology Today, Poets & Writers, and Salon.
Born in England and raised in the American South and Maine, Kline is a graduate of Yale (B.A.), Cambridge (M.A.) and the University of Virginia (M.F.A.), where she was a Hoyns Fellow in Fiction Writing. A resident of New York City and Southwest Harbor, Maine, she serves on the advisory boards of the Center for Fiction (NY), the Jesup Library (Bar Harbor, ME), the Montclair Literary Festival (NJ), the Kauai Writers Festival (HI), and Roots & Wings (NJ), and on the gala committees of Poets & Writers (NY), The Authors Guild (NY) and Friends of Acadia (ME). She is an Artist-Mentor for StudioDuke at Duke University and the BookEnds program at Stony Brook University.
Born in England and raised in the American South and Maine, Kline is a graduate of Yale (B.A.), Cambridge (M.A.) and the University of Virginia (M.F.A.), where she was a Hoyns Fellow in Fiction Writing. A resident of New York City and Southwest Harbor, Maine, she serves on the advisory boards of the Center for Fiction (NY), the Jesup Library (Bar Harbor, ME), the Montclair Literary Festival (NJ), the Kauai Writers Festival (HI), and Roots & Wings (NJ), and on the gala committees of Poets & Writers (NY), The Authors Guild (NY) and Friends of Acadia (ME). She is an Artist-Mentor for StudioDuke at Duke University and the BookEnds program at Stony Brook University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 929 reviews
April 28, 2014
WHAT IN THE EVER-LOVING CRAP IS THIS.
I can't remember the last time I got this angry about a book without DNFing it. I couldn't DNF it, you see. The WTFery is all right at the very end. I can't really call it an end. This book doesn't end. It just stops. You think you might be easing into the denouement and you hit the page turn button and the next page is...a preview of the author's other book.
And screeching to a halt like that meant the author hadn't gotten me as a reader, yet, to buy into forgiving Clyde for but gah, gah, gah.
And Cassie tells us she's made a decision about
I don't know, maybe this is a parody of those books where someone moves to their little hometown and finds happiness? She moves there and instead pretty much everyone is a horrible person and her "romance" sucks?
Also, what's with the random lesbian scene that seems copypasta'd from the wrong book? You guys know me, I'm not a homophobe, this just had nothing to do with the story.
I feel bad even saying anything because I got this off the Kindle free list, so I feel like I'm demanding my zero dollars and zero cents back, but I do wish I had my however many hours back. It's a reprint of an older book so maybe the author has improved since.
I can't remember the last time I got this angry about a book without DNFing it. I couldn't DNF it, you see. The WTFery is all right at the very end. I can't really call it an end. This book doesn't end. It just stops. You think you might be easing into the denouement and you hit the page turn button and the next page is...a preview of the author's other book.
And screeching to a halt like that meant the author hadn't gotten me as a reader, yet, to buy into forgiving Clyde for but gah, gah, gah.
And Cassie tells us she's made a decision about
I don't know, maybe this is a parody of those books where someone moves to their little hometown and finds happiness? She moves there and instead pretty much everyone is a horrible person and her "romance" sucks?
Also, what's with the random lesbian scene that seems copypasta'd from the wrong book? You guys know me, I'm not a homophobe, this just had nothing to do with the story.
I feel bad even saying anything because I got this off the Kindle free list, so I feel like I'm demanding my zero dollars and zero cents back, but I do wish I had my however many hours back. It's a reprint of an older book so maybe the author has improved since.
May 1, 2014
I would have given this a solid three stars if the author would have actually ended the book. Seriously. I kept thinking there was an issue with my Kindle copy and something didn't download.
November 7, 2014
Cassandra Simon had been living and working with Adam for so long, her life felt stale; she was stuck in a rut and didn’t know what to do about it. Cassie was an artist – sculpting with clay was relaxing and gave her a sense of peace. New York had been her home for her whole life – living with her father after her mother had died when she was three years old was all she remembered; she didn’t know her mothers’ family at all…
When she discovered her grandfather – a man she had never known – had left her the family farmhouse and acreage back in Sweetwater, Tennessee, she was initially going to sell it. But then she decided that this was the life change she needed – she could find herself, and meet the family she had never known at the same time. The farmhouse would be ideal as a studio for her sculpting – the peace and quiet of the countryside would give her some peace.
But what she found when she arrived in Sweetwater to stay with her reticent and bitter grandmother, Constance (whom everyone called Clyde) was a family surrounded by secrets, mystery and intrigue. Every member of the family, from her mother’s siblings and their children, through to the gossiping townsfolk made her wonder if she had done the right thing. After all, it was obvious that Clyde didn’t want Cassie there – no-one else in the family had much of a welcome for her either.
As the suspense and tension tightened around Cassie, she was determined to discover the long held secrets; she wanted to find out all she could about a mother she could barely remember. Would she drive a wedge between herself and her newly found family? Or would this bring them all closer?
I thoroughly enjoyed Sweet Water; the suspense and intrigue were gripping, the plot was great. But I was a little disappointed in the ending, as it felt like it was left up in the air – no resolution either way. I actually had to go back a bit to see if I had missed anything! But I still have no hesitation in recommending this novel, and thank Vicki for her recommendation to me.
When she discovered her grandfather – a man she had never known – had left her the family farmhouse and acreage back in Sweetwater, Tennessee, she was initially going to sell it. But then she decided that this was the life change she needed – she could find herself, and meet the family she had never known at the same time. The farmhouse would be ideal as a studio for her sculpting – the peace and quiet of the countryside would give her some peace.
But what she found when she arrived in Sweetwater to stay with her reticent and bitter grandmother, Constance (whom everyone called Clyde) was a family surrounded by secrets, mystery and intrigue. Every member of the family, from her mother’s siblings and their children, through to the gossiping townsfolk made her wonder if she had done the right thing. After all, it was obvious that Clyde didn’t want Cassie there – no-one else in the family had much of a welcome for her either.
As the suspense and tension tightened around Cassie, she was determined to discover the long held secrets; she wanted to find out all she could about a mother she could barely remember. Would she drive a wedge between herself and her newly found family? Or would this bring them all closer?
I thoroughly enjoyed Sweet Water; the suspense and intrigue were gripping, the plot was great. But I was a little disappointed in the ending, as it felt like it was left up in the air – no resolution either way. I actually had to go back a bit to see if I had missed anything! But I still have no hesitation in recommending this novel, and thank Vicki for her recommendation to me.
March 19, 2018
This was a fascinating family mystery (with a somewhat slow start). At its core are the two narrators, the grandmother and a granddaughter, both grieving for the woman between them who had died 20 years before. In dying, the grandfather surprises everyone by bequeathing the old family homestead to his granddaughter; she further surprises everyone by accepting so she can get to know the family she's never known. Family and small town secrets nearly destroy all the characters, past and present, before mysteries are faced and revealed.
P.S. I don't recommend the audible/CD version. The MC narrator has a very flat somewhat irritating voice and the grandmother, although having an interesting voice, is recorded at a quieter volume. I really got caught up in the book despite the recording, which says a lot for the story.
P.S.P. As a puppy owner, I was distracted by the MC's lack of preparation for taking care of her puppy when she wasn't at home. A young puppy can't just be left alone for 8+ hours. I'm sure the writer was hoping we didn't notice that.
P.S. I don't recommend the audible/CD version. The MC narrator has a very flat somewhat irritating voice and the grandmother, although having an interesting voice, is recorded at a quieter volume. I really got caught up in the book despite the recording, which says a lot for the story.
P.S.P. As a puppy owner, I was distracted by the MC's lack of preparation for taking care of her puppy when she wasn't at home. A young puppy can't just be left alone for 8+ hours. I'm sure the writer was hoping we didn't notice that.
September 6, 2014
This is the first book written by Kline, who wrote The Orphan Train. They're giving away the ebook version now, I think mainly to provide an intro to that other book in case you're one of the few yet to read it. Many typos and unintended bolding of random words were a bit distracting.
I felt the writing style was inconsistent, and it seemed the author wasn't sure what kind of book she wanted this to be. It is touted as a mystery, but the mystery wasn't that great, and it seemed a little Harlequiny to me in parts. I liked the main character, Cassie, who leaves NYC to go live in a house she inherited in Tennessee among her mother's folk, hoping to get to know the family and the story behind the night her mom died in a car accident. She tells her side of the story in alternating chapters with her grandmother, a very unhappy, disturbed old woman.
A solid 3 stars.
I felt the writing style was inconsistent, and it seemed the author wasn't sure what kind of book she wanted this to be. It is touted as a mystery, but the mystery wasn't that great, and it seemed a little Harlequiny to me in parts. I liked the main character, Cassie, who leaves NYC to go live in a house she inherited in Tennessee among her mother's folk, hoping to get to know the family and the story behind the night her mom died in a car accident. She tells her side of the story in alternating chapters with her grandmother, a very unhappy, disturbed old woman.
A solid 3 stars.
July 11, 2009
Wow, I've lucked out recently with good books. I hope that doesn't mean I'm due for some boring ones soon. This was excellent - so interesting and the suspense part of it had me totally absorbed. I love this writer (thanks for telling me about her Katie!) and I'll definitely read her other books. I think she's only written three books since 1994 and one is due out next month. The writing is superb and Kline has that great storyteller quality that makes for my favorite kinds of books.
June 28, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. It was women’s fiction with a little mystery too. 27-year old Cassie Simon inherits land and a house in Sweetwater, Tennessee from her grandfather. She is currently living in New York and her life is at a cross roads so she decides to move to Sweetwater and get to know her mother’s family who she hasn’t had much to do with since her mother died 24 years ago. The story is told by Cassie and by her grandmother, Clyde, so we learn about the past and present. I really enjoyed the entries from Clyde as they kept hinting at a mystery hidden in Cassie’s inheritance and this kept me riveted. I stayed up late last night to finish and while the ending wasn’t quite as satisfying as I had hoped, it was still good. I liked the characters and the easy flow to the writing and I look forward to reading more by this author, especially her book, Orphan Train.
October 4, 2017
I read this book for I absolutely loved Orphan Train - which I highly recommend you reading! It was WONDERFUL... this book- not so much -
July 10, 2025
I enjoyed the story and the family dynamics but this isn’t a book that will stick with me for long.
May 1, 2014
I had trouble deciding on a rating for this book.
The premise and the writing kept me captivated throughout. I did not want to put it down. I really enjoyed the read. On that basis, I would have given it 5 stars.
The problem came with the details. The writing did not convey the setting to me. I did not get the feeling from the dialogue that this family came from TN. I don't think there was one "bless your heart" in the whole book. These people felt more like they belonged in the Northeast. They seemed to lack the strong connection that seems to be so prevalent in southern families.
Another detail that did not seem right was that the daughter, Ellen was buried in the cemetery by date of death. Her father owned a mill. The family seemed rather well off. The family also had over 100 acres of land. In TN with that much land, they should have a private family cemetery and if they did not they should have a plot in the cemetery so their daughter would not have been buried by date.
The other major problem was the steamy sex scenes. They seemed to be a set up, like they would somehow contribute to the mystery. Instead they turned out to be worthless. They seemed out of character for the heroine, they did not contribute to the plot, and while there was a hint at some connection it was just suddenly dropped and never again addressed.
At the end of the book, there seemed to be some questions left unanswered. The basic mystery has been cleared up, we finally get how the main event played out, but we seem to leave a lot of characters hanging.
Because of the issues, I finally decided a safe rating was three stars.
The premise and the writing kept me captivated throughout. I did not want to put it down. I really enjoyed the read. On that basis, I would have given it 5 stars.
The problem came with the details. The writing did not convey the setting to me. I did not get the feeling from the dialogue that this family came from TN. I don't think there was one "bless your heart" in the whole book. These people felt more like they belonged in the Northeast. They seemed to lack the strong connection that seems to be so prevalent in southern families.
Another detail that did not seem right was that the daughter, Ellen was buried in the cemetery by date of death. Her father owned a mill. The family seemed rather well off. The family also had over 100 acres of land. In TN with that much land, they should have a private family cemetery and if they did not they should have a plot in the cemetery so their daughter would not have been buried by date.
The other major problem was the steamy sex scenes. They seemed to be a set up, like they would somehow contribute to the mystery. Instead they turned out to be worthless. They seemed out of character for the heroine, they did not contribute to the plot, and while there was a hint at some connection it was just suddenly dropped and never again addressed.
At the end of the book, there seemed to be some questions left unanswered. The basic mystery has been cleared up, we finally get how the main event played out, but we seem to leave a lot of characters hanging.
Because of the issues, I finally decided a safe rating was three stars.
May 9, 2015
Okay...so I was really into the book through I'd say, Part IV....but when I got to the end, I thought, WHAT?! So many loose ends. First of all, there's no way in the world that raging psycho grandma breaks her hip and suddenly loves this mysterious granddaughter she never knew. Second, as soon as they mention the whirlpool in the pond I knew where this was going. Just so much about this family was messed up that I wanted to know more and was left SO wanting. Also, what happens with her and Troy? (Which, adopted or not, I still found it pretty odd that it was her cousin)...You learn nothing about the gay cousin which could have been a great sub-story about his relationship with his mom and Bible-bellowing dad. Her friend Drew drops off the face of the earth. What does her dad think of her relationship? Does she tell him what she learned? Is she going to keep the house or move to the city with Troy? Of course, if every question was answered, I'd probably be complaining that it was too neatly wrapped up. But this...this was just such a dead ending. I guess, being a girl from Brooklyn, I expected her to mouth off a little more and stand up to her looney-toon relatives and granny-miserable-a**. Am I the only one??
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2014
I'm not sure what to think of this book. I found it a compelling read but SPOILER ALERT, it contained a very creepy side plot with Cassie falling for her cousin. Yes, I get he's adopted so they technically aren't related and they'd never met so it wasn't like they grew up together, but seriously. Ewwww. It wasn't like they were long, lost 5th cousins or anything that never knew the other existed. First cousins. Who knew about each other, albeit, again, never met. I found that a little skeevy.
Two stars because the rest of the story in terms of love, loss, betrayal, fear and secrets tearing families apart was interesting. And the ultimate redemption in forgiveness and letting go kept me going until the end, which felt more like it just stopped vs. an actual ending. But I still had a hard time getting into Cassie and Troy's "love" story.
And two stars because, well, I'm a sucker for stories with dogs. :)
I downloaded it for free, so I guess you get what you paid for?
Two stars because the rest of the story in terms of love, loss, betrayal, fear and secrets tearing families apart was interesting. And the ultimate redemption in forgiveness and letting go kept me going until the end, which felt more like it just stopped vs. an actual ending. But I still had a hard time getting into Cassie and Troy's "love" story.
And two stars because, well, I'm a sucker for stories with dogs. :)
I downloaded it for free, so I guess you get what you paid for?
September 30, 2011
Cassie Simon returns to her mother's hometown in Sweet Water, Tennessee when she inherits a home and land from her grandfather. There, Cassie reconnects with her estranged family and tries to find out what happened the day her mother died in a car accident when Cassie was only three years old. The past is revealed in alternating chapters richly told by Cassie's grandmother and present chapters with Cassie doing her own investigating. I'd been stuck in a rut of starting books that lacked movement; but this one had it. Good story and writing that had both simplicity and beauty.
April 25, 2013
I liked pieces of it but other things - little side stuff that didn't affect the story line but did affect my feelings about this book popped up every once in a while and soured the book for me.
August 7, 2021
The ending was incomplete. The book was a story of family secrets. I think the ending is another secret.
November 3, 2022
The past is never dead. It's not even past.
- William Faulkner
_______
Memory believes before knowing remembers. Believes longer than recollects, longer than knowing even wonders.
- William Faulkner
_______
But in order to make you understand, to give you my life, I must tell you a story -
and there are so many, and so many.
-Virginia Woolf, The Waves
Sweet Water is the debut novel by Christina Baker Kline. The beginning of greatness for the now acclaimed author of historical fiction: Orphan Train, The Exiles, A Piece of the World
I would recommend Sweet Water only for Christina Baker Kline completionists. It's a good enough book, but pales in comparison to her other novels.
Favorite Passages:
I saw his imprint on women I didn't even know. He left negatives of himself all over town.
_______
When I opened the door to the study I could sense the heat of my father across the room in the darkness, a solid black bulk amid the dim outlines of furniture. I saw or imagined that I could see the whiteness of his knuckles, like teeth in a skull, sitting on the desk. When he spoke it was as if the desk spoke; the voice was deep and level, and seemed too large to have come from a man, even a man as substantial as my father.
_______
I should have known that death doesn't end anything, no, not even when you want it to. And memory is funny; it doesn't do what you tell it.
_______
"The mystery. The transformation."
_______
"Maybe they're ghosts."
- William Faulkner
_______
Memory believes before knowing remembers. Believes longer than recollects, longer than knowing even wonders.
- William Faulkner
_______
But in order to make you understand, to give you my life, I must tell you a story -
and there are so many, and so many.
-Virginia Woolf, The Waves
Sweet Water is the debut novel by Christina Baker Kline. The beginning of greatness for the now acclaimed author of historical fiction: Orphan Train, The Exiles, A Piece of the World
I would recommend Sweet Water only for Christina Baker Kline completionists. It's a good enough book, but pales in comparison to her other novels.
Favorite Passages:
I saw his imprint on women I didn't even know. He left negatives of himself all over town.
_______
When I opened the door to the study I could sense the heat of my father across the room in the darkness, a solid black bulk amid the dim outlines of furniture. I saw or imagined that I could see the whiteness of his knuckles, like teeth in a skull, sitting on the desk. When he spoke it was as if the desk spoke; the voice was deep and level, and seemed too large to have come from a man, even a man as substantial as my father.
_______
I should have known that death doesn't end anything, no, not even when you want it to. And memory is funny; it doesn't do what you tell it.
_______
"The mystery. The transformation."
_______
"Maybe they're ghosts."
July 6, 2014
From New York City to Tennessee?
Was Cassie making the right move? She thought so, but meeting family members she hadn't seen since she was three was frightening as well as disillusioning. She had to find out her roots, to find out what happened to her mother, and to find out why her mother really didn't want to live in Sweetwater, Tennessee, and why her grandfather left her the family home and 60 acres. What could the reason possibly be when she never knew him?
Cassie is an interesting character that you will love and one that pairs up with an absorbing story that unfolds as alternating voices from one generation to the next tell their tale in this splendid story. SWEET WATER smoothly flows from Grandmother Clyde's narrations to Cassie's retelling, reliving, and revealing of the secrets the Clyde family held.
Ms. Kline has this time written a marvelous book about families, roots, and life-changing secrets. Every family member was good at keeping secrets especially the one that Grandmother Clyde kept for 20 years and the secret that ate at her for her entire life. Did Grandfather Clyde want Cassie to find something out? Perhaps the secret?
I really enjoyed SWEET WATER because of the characters and the way Ms. Kline just pulled you in with her terrific, creative, thought-provoking storyline.
My rating is a 4/5 because SWEET WATER is a read you won't want to stop reading once you get going. If you have read any of Ms. Kline’s other books, you know what a treat you are in for when you read SWEET WATER.
The only thing that is holding me back from giving the book a 5/5 is that it was difficult to figure out who the one narrator was until a number of pages into the book and also because of the peculiar love story. I am not sure how this love story fits in with the storyline except perhaps to prove how dysfunctional the Clyde family was.
Don't miss reading this newest addition to Ms. Kline's already fantastic lineup.
I received this book free of charge and without compensation from the publisher in return for an honest review.
October 15, 2011
Twenty seven year old Cassandra Simon is lost. Her life in NYC is mundane at best. Both her professional and personsal lives are lacking. Cassie isn’t sure what is lacking. So when an unexpected bequest from Amory Clyde, she decides to go to Sweet Water TN. Her father warns her that she may not find what she’s looking for. Her friend Drew cautions, “Sometimes we are running from something or we are running towards something.” For Cassie the truth may be both.
Haunted by the death of her mother 24 years, she is running from the unspoken grief that she and her father shares and toward answers to the questions she desperately needs. Her Grandmother, Constance Clyde is afraid of those answers too. Clyde is beyond forgiveness. She just wants to forget. Betrayal, revenge, and guilt are best forgotten. Clyde understands why Cassie is coming back after all of these years, but she can’t allow her to find out her secret – she is responsible for her daughter’s death. Amory knew Cassie would come to claim the family’s old homestead and the land. But she searched the house and the land. Even her Aunts and Uncles are wary of Carrie…Why is she coming after all this time? As Cassie settles in the old house, her grandmother becomes distant and hostile, especially when her grand-daughter discovers Bryce Davies. And Cassie wonders could one grandparent be responsible for his daughter’s death, while the other murdered her best friend? Could Mae be right? Sometimes family secrets are best left buried.
Christina Baker Kline weaves together a fine Southern family saga and mystery by alternating Cassie and Clyde as narrators. Both are very strong characters and their telling of their own stories adds suspense to the novel. Readers will need to suspend belief of a subplot concerning one of Cassie’s cousins though. I had to scratch my head on that one and looked at my cat saying, “Huh? Really? She went there? Other than that SWEET WATER is a good read.
Haunted by the death of her mother 24 years, she is running from the unspoken grief that she and her father shares and toward answers to the questions she desperately needs. Her Grandmother, Constance Clyde is afraid of those answers too. Clyde is beyond forgiveness. She just wants to forget. Betrayal, revenge, and guilt are best forgotten. Clyde understands why Cassie is coming back after all of these years, but she can’t allow her to find out her secret – she is responsible for her daughter’s death. Amory knew Cassie would come to claim the family’s old homestead and the land. But she searched the house and the land. Even her Aunts and Uncles are wary of Carrie…Why is she coming after all this time? As Cassie settles in the old house, her grandmother becomes distant and hostile, especially when her grand-daughter discovers Bryce Davies. And Cassie wonders could one grandparent be responsible for his daughter’s death, while the other murdered her best friend? Could Mae be right? Sometimes family secrets are best left buried.
Christina Baker Kline weaves together a fine Southern family saga and mystery by alternating Cassie and Clyde as narrators. Both are very strong characters and their telling of their own stories adds suspense to the novel. Readers will need to suspend belief of a subplot concerning one of Cassie’s cousins though. I had to scratch my head on that one and looked at my cat saying, “Huh? Really? She went there? Other than that SWEET WATER is a good read.
February 15, 2018
Well this was definitely one of the most depressing - and dysfunctional - books I have ever read. I had a hard time wrapping my brain around so many decisions made in this book, and was really frustrated with so many poor choices everyone in this family seemed to make. And what's with women always being so willing to throw each other under the bus - even when they are best friends - all for some man that truly has no redeeming qualities? No loyalty to the sister-hood whatsoever! And don't even get me started on the ending! I gave 5 stars to one of this author's other books (Orphan Train) - so I was really disappointed I didn't like this one even just a little.
August 2, 2009
Liked the way the story is told by both grandmother and granddaughter with each chapter featuring one or the other. After being disillusioned with her life in New York, a young woman moves to Tennessee after the maternal grandfather she never met leaves a home and land to her. Since her mother died when she was 3, she is eager to meet the extended family for the first time in hopes of learning details about her mother's terrible accident, which leads to some very dark discoveries & well-kept secrets.
July 23, 2019
A book about secrets and how they can destroy a family. Was a good story and could have ended on a high note, instead it ended rather abruptly and that was it, no closure.
December 29, 2024
I read this as part of a condensed series book, and let me say, it was NOT good. The plot was objectively interesting, but the execution was terrible. Not for me!
August 7, 2015
It is no secret that I, like so many others, loved Christina Baker Kline's Orphan Train, which was her most recent novel. Sweet Water was her first novel, and it shows how much she's grown as a writer.
That's a polite way of saying this book is downright painful.
First off, a warning...I will probably tiptoe into spoiler territory. I try to avoid that when I write reviews, but I'm kind of in the "why bother" mode in this one. So, if you still want to read this book at this point, you may want to tune out now.
I will say that Kline's writing talent is evident here. Her prose is readable and mature, but not heavy-handed. The problem with this book is not in the writing, it is in the construction. The plot is barely there and ill-defined. Is it about Cassie trying to "find what she's looking for" with her mother's family? Is it about Cassie's Grandmother's secret? Is it about Cassie's quest to find out what happened to her mother? The answer to all those is this: um, kinda, sorta? I don't think Kline ever had a clear idea of what this book was about and the reader certainly doesn't as they make their way through the story.
Then there are the stereotypes of southerners. Let's see...we have the catty frenemies, the holier than thou preacher's wife, the wild child (there are a couple of those), the old drunk, and the town gossip. All of these characters have shown up in any number of superficial Southern novels, movies, or TV shows. And, if that wasn't enough, there is probably one of the most offensive (and, really, inaccurate) Southern stereotypes out there. I'll give you a second....yep. We have a fair dose of explicit cousin on cousin action. Now, Kline does try to diffuse the situation by stating that they aren't "real cousins" because one of them is adopted. But, then she includes a few post-coital observations about how much the two look alike--very pointed observations (which are both yucky and annoying because she never closes that loop...).
Yes, I know...you need a shower now.
As I said, the one positive aspect was Kline's language. It was the one thing--well, that and the fact that I knew what she could do in Orphan Train that kept me going. However, I'm not going to let this book turn me off Kline's writing. As I said, this was her first novel and, when you compare it to her latest, you can see how much she has grown. If anything, it makes me more likely to read her next book. But, save yourself from the experience of this book and just take my word on it, okay?
That's a polite way of saying this book is downright painful.
First off, a warning...I will probably tiptoe into spoiler territory. I try to avoid that when I write reviews, but I'm kind of in the "why bother" mode in this one. So, if you still want to read this book at this point, you may want to tune out now.
I will say that Kline's writing talent is evident here. Her prose is readable and mature, but not heavy-handed. The problem with this book is not in the writing, it is in the construction. The plot is barely there and ill-defined. Is it about Cassie trying to "find what she's looking for" with her mother's family? Is it about Cassie's Grandmother's secret? Is it about Cassie's quest to find out what happened to her mother? The answer to all those is this: um, kinda, sorta? I don't think Kline ever had a clear idea of what this book was about and the reader certainly doesn't as they make their way through the story.
Then there are the stereotypes of southerners. Let's see...we have the catty frenemies, the holier than thou preacher's wife, the wild child (there are a couple of those), the old drunk, and the town gossip. All of these characters have shown up in any number of superficial Southern novels, movies, or TV shows. And, if that wasn't enough, there is probably one of the most offensive (and, really, inaccurate) Southern stereotypes out there. I'll give you a second....yep. We have a fair dose of explicit cousin on cousin action. Now, Kline does try to diffuse the situation by stating that they aren't "real cousins" because one of them is adopted. But, then she includes a few post-coital observations about how much the two look alike--very pointed observations (which are both yucky and annoying because she never closes that loop...).
Yes, I know...you need a shower now.
As I said, the one positive aspect was Kline's language. It was the one thing--well, that and the fact that I knew what she could do in Orphan Train that kept me going. However, I'm not going to let this book turn me off Kline's writing. As I said, this was her first novel and, when you compare it to her latest, you can see how much she has grown. If anything, it makes me more likely to read her next book. But, save yourself from the experience of this book and just take my word on it, okay?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2025
Very good, excellent characters and use of setting. A woman inherits a home in rural TN and returns to investigate her family's secrets and her mother's death.
17 years later, is that possible? I listened to the audiobook. Did not love the narrator. Overall it was pretty good, but I didn't like it as much as the first time. I wanted a twist at the end, for one thing. And the descriptions of the Tennessee countryside felt lackluster.
17 years later, is that possible? I listened to the audiobook. Did not love the narrator. Overall it was pretty good, but I didn't like it as much as the first time. I wanted a twist at the end, for one thing. And the descriptions of the Tennessee countryside felt lackluster.
March 26, 2014
All the build up to this big mystery only to be let down in the end. I like the way the story was told but I just expected too much for the ending I guess.
May 10, 2017
Interesting and excellent read. Good character development. I like how the story is told with the main character and then through journal entries of the deceased mother and living grandmother. I like that the main character is searching for answers. As a sculptor, she designs an art piece with many different body parts that are hollow inside. She ultimately plans to put the pieces together to form three women. In my opinion, this references her need to discover the other two important women in her life. She believes that once her hollow pieces all come together, the women will be made whole together as well. At the end, while searching for her own inner peace, the grandmother destroys the pieces before they can be put together. After doing this, she is able to begin opening up to her granddaughter and you finish the book hoping that the granddaughter will get the answers she needs to connect her families past and feel whole inside.
There are many other symbolic references in this book as well. For example, The fact that she decides to make the clay from the ground rather than buy from the store. This References her need to get to the root of her origin, find out why the women in her family act the way they do and ultimately why she does herself. Personally, although not needed to tell the story, I would have liked a little bit more character development and insight on the character Elaine.
There are many other symbolic references in this book as well. For example, The fact that she decides to make the clay from the ground rather than buy from the store. This References her need to get to the root of her origin, find out why the women in her family act the way they do and ultimately why she does herself. Personally, although not needed to tell the story, I would have liked a little bit more character development and insight on the character Elaine.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2024
I love real, human characters, and that means - just like in real life - there will never be a perfect person.
But OMG.
Clyde has got to be one of the most awful characters I've ever come across, and that's saying a lot considering I read "Leave the World Behind". I understand that this was intentional to a point by the author, but my intense dislike for her and how she treated people made me want to skip over her sections altogether. She complained the entire book about not having a life of her own and then when she finally had it...she somehow got worse? Like, knit some cuss words or go on an old people cruise or something, dang.
Everyone in this book is living in the past while simultaneously attempting to ignore and not talk about their past and that makes for some A+ family toxicity if that's what you're looking for in a book. And I don't mean that as a knock, because genuinely the author did a good job of exposing all these flaws (overbearing mom? sleeping with your cousin? small town homophobia? that's just a sampling...)
Overall I liked the writing style, just not the characters as written. But can't recommend enough another one of this author's books, "Orphan Train"
But OMG.
Clyde has got to be one of the most awful characters I've ever come across, and that's saying a lot considering I read "Leave the World Behind". I understand that this was intentional to a point by the author, but my intense dislike for her and how she treated people made me want to skip over her sections altogether. She complained the entire book about not having a life of her own and then when she finally had it...she somehow got worse? Like, knit some cuss words or go on an old people cruise or something, dang.
Everyone in this book is living in the past while simultaneously attempting to ignore and not talk about their past and that makes for some A+ family toxicity if that's what you're looking for in a book. And I don't mean that as a knock, because genuinely the author did a good job of exposing all these flaws (overbearing mom? sleeping with your cousin? small town homophobia? that's just a sampling...)
Overall I liked the writing style, just not the characters as written. But can't recommend enough another one of this author's books, "Orphan Train"
September 24, 2017
I enjoyed A Piece of the World, the author's most recent work, so when I was looking for something new to listen to, I thought I'd give this a try. Let's just say she's gotten a lot better since 1993.
May 18, 2017
I enjoyed this book for the most part. It did get confusing towards the end though & I didn't like how she ended it. Good read.......up until the last 50 pages 🙄
April 29, 2019
Love how this author tells a story. Great read.
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