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The Sweetness of Water

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The Sweetness of Water

By: Nathan Harris
Narrated by: William DeMeritt
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About this listen

An Obama Summer Reading Choice and New York Times best seller

An extraordinary novel of life after slavery for listeners 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.

©2021 Nathan Harris (P)2021 Hachette Audio African American Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction War

Critic Reviews

"Better than any debut novel has a right to be." (Richard Russo)

"A fine, lyrical novel, impressive in its complex interweaving of the grand and the intimate, of the personal and political." (Observer)

"[A] highly accomplished debut." (Sunday Times)
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The dialogue & performance captivated me and then the plot unfolds and I will never forget the tsunami of of emotions the events of the story unleashed in me. Never before had I been confronted with such raw feelings about the events in a novel. This is a beautiful story with characters whose actions result in a conflagration of selfish behaviour. And how much the human spirit can endure to steadfastly pursue a life with purpose with little prospect of success.

The most gut wrenching story I have ever experienced.

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Beautiful prose, beautifully read. Each character is drawn from and reveals our human frailty. ♥️

heartfelt truths

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I read it twise as the first time my brain wasn't working properly but defanatly enjoyed it second time aroung Thank you everyone

The sweetness of water by Nathen Harris

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This is a great story and beautifully narrated. The various voices were performed very well.

Wonderfully read and written

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.