"My mother was never easy in the world of houses. She was a tinker, a traveler girl who had married a wealthy man. Her name was Agatha Sheehy....T...
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reviews
Feb 02, 2011
Christie
rated it: 
Emily White of the New York Times Book Review says “Regina McBride writes in a shimmering and often hypnotic prose style, one that’s full of incantatory repetition…The Nature of Water and Air has an urgent melancholy about it — it casts an undeniable spell.”
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I thought McBride managed to capture a particular time and place (1970s Ireland) extremely well. I was intrigued by the book’s opening lines: “There are silences all around m More...
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I thought McBride managed to capture a particular time and place (1970s Ireland) extremely well. I was intrigued by the book’s opening lines: “There are silences all around m More...
Apr 17, 2010
Noelle
rated it: 
This is not my review. It is a review from Luan Gaines but much better than I could write:
Indeed, the young Clodagh lives in thrall of her beautiful if distant mother, Agatha Sheehy, one come from the world of itinerant tinkers, who listens carefully to the call of the wild land where they live, at the edge of the sea. Agatha's actions are shrouded with secrecy and sexual intimation, and she drifts just beyond her daughter's knowing, unwilling to be caught by time or place.
Clod More...
Indeed, the young Clodagh lives in thrall of her beautiful if distant mother, Agatha Sheehy, one come from the world of itinerant tinkers, who listens carefully to the call of the wild land where they live, at the edge of the sea. Agatha's actions are shrouded with secrecy and sexual intimation, and she drifts just beyond her daughter's knowing, unwilling to be caught by time or place.
Clod More...
Aug 15, 2010
Keri
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 26, 2010
Diana
rated it: 
I thought this book was beautifully written. I think that people are getting too distracted with what was admittedly a very disturbing and taboo twist. I did not love the twist, but I do not think the author's intent was to disgust the reader, but more to fully relay to you the core of the story. This is about Clodagh trying to figure out herself and even more than that, her mother. She is essentially so fascinated by her mother and the story that she does not know, that she is brought to a
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Dec 01, 2008
Grace
rated it: 
This book is an example of how a well-written book can go awry. From the first page, I was hooked on the writing style. The author seemed to be a pro at beautiful prose poetry style writing. And although the first segment of the plot, with the protagonist, her sister, their mother, and a housekeeper all living in a house by the sea, seemed to go on far too long, the book later picked up pace and began being quite good.
But then came the ending.
I had heard that this book More...
But then came the ending.
I had heard that this book More...
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Sep 16, 2010
chris
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Jan 25, 2008
Angela
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This is a sordid tale of love, passion and destiny. I am not one for sordid twisted plots, but her style of writing is remarkable. It was a riveting read. If not for the twisted end I would have rated the book a five star.
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Dec 17, 2009
Carrie
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Set on the Irish coastline, this book is hauntingly beautiful, sad, sensitive, and thought-provoking. I love books with an ironic (even if it's heart-breaking) twist and surprise. She is a beautiful storyteller.
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Jan 30, 2009
Diane
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This book is beautifully written, almost poetic. Regina McBride tells a gripping story that revolves around love, folklore, and the ability to find yourself.
Clodagh is on a journey to discover herself and the secrets of her family. She wants only to find some acceptance and love. She does find it but only to realize that other darker things are at work here.
The atmosphere in this story is what helps to make it so compelling. We can almost see the buildings, the water and the More...
Clodagh is on a journey to discover herself and the secrets of her family. She wants only to find some acceptance and love. She does find it but only to realize that other darker things are at work here.
The atmosphere in this story is what helps to make it so compelling. We can almost see the buildings, the water and the More...
Jan 22, 2012
Emilia
rated it:
As disturbing as this book was, I still really liked it. Readers might feel that it moves slowly, since the author spends a lot of time establishing the setting and characters who exit the story less than halfway through. Personally, I was mesmerized enough by the gorgeous language and descriptions to never be bored. I also felt the different phases of the story were meant to blur together, with dead characters playing as solid (or more solid) a role as living ones. The setting is an especially
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Jan 24, 2008
Robert
rated it:
Regina McBride, The Nature of Water and Air (Simon and Schuster, 2001)
Wow.
Okay, now that my first impressions are out of the way, this is one hell of a ride. All the more so because most books that have that effect on me are your typical big budget thrillers that, were they to go to the big screen, would be directed by John McTiernan or someone along those lines who uses a lot of pyrotechnics. The Nature of Water and Air is anything but; stuff doesn't blow up here at all. In More...
Wow.
Okay, now that my first impressions are out of the way, this is one hell of a ride. All the more so because most books that have that effect on me are your typical big budget thrillers that, were they to go to the big screen, would be directed by John McTiernan or someone along those lines who uses a lot of pyrotechnics. The Nature of Water and Air is anything but; stuff doesn't blow up here at all. In More...
Jun 11, 2010
Victoria
rated it:
Wow. I did enjoy this book, but it was QUITE unsettling... disturbing, even. I just didn't see the end coming at all. While not an uplifting book, it does have moments of beauty. The shock of the end really overshadowed the majority of the book. The haunting quality of it is really lingering... and I have no idea of what I will read next! I did really like it, even if it was so shockingly upsetting.
Mar 09, 2010
Dana
rated it: 
This book made me ANGRY! I give it one star, because I was so disappointed with the disgusting ending. The writing style was beautiful - the premise was intriguing - and then the author had to go and ruin it with the ending. She could have taken the storyline in a less hideous direction and she would have written an amazing book....yucko!! I may never read another unrecommended work of fiction again...
Aug 31, 2010
Pinpin
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 27, 2010
January
rated it:
i was caught by the book cover and was able to read a few lines before i bought it, i fell in love with her prose. i'm always drawn to beautiful stories about ireland and the lyrical way the place was described here would just draw you deeper into the story. in the end, i was wishing that the truth wasn't so. heart-rending, really. the love story was almost beautiful...
Jul 12, 2009
Megan
rated it:
I was really hooked on the eerie, lyrical atmosphere the author created with her characters. You knew, likely, from the beginning that nothing good would come from these characters and I wasn't all surprised by the morbid twist at the end of the story, but still a tad shocked by it. It was an easy read and, in spite of the dark material, I enjoyed it.
Jul 28, 2009
Mum
rated it:
It's dark, and hovers on the myths of Ireland. I'm not sure it's truly magical realism, but it dances nearby, particularly in the beginning. The novel seeks to weave a cloth between combining forces that must be torn apart. In the pages you hear the desperation to bind the threads into cloth, and the heart-wrenching agony of the cloth unraveling and returning to its separateness.
Sep 18, 2011
Cindy
rated it:
What a waste of time. Seemed promising. Tinkers and selkies in Ireland. Begins sliding downhill with the mother's suicide and ends up with incest. The back of the book says "delightful, lyrical and beautifully sad." Pleeese! The author did not have to sink this low to write a meaningful story.
Mar 02, 2010
If I read this it is b/c I am attracted to the writing style. Many people don't like the "gross" ending, whatever that means! About a girl trying to understand who her mother, a tinker's daughter, really was. Also about the girl's choice to abandon her promising musical talent.
Jul 08, 2008
Mary-Beth
rated it:
The characters in this book infuriated me constantly. I think that's a biased and fairly unhelpful opinion, but there it is. The characters lie to one another constantly and as a result end up in a morally questionable situation. I'm not going to explain any further than that because it would ruin the story, such as it is, but this tale isn't for the squeamish. As a result of these constant lies the worst always happens to the characters, to the extent that I basically said, "oh come on,"
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Aug 08, 2010
Alyssa
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One of the more intriguing books I've ever read. Touchy subject matter, but what I rally liked about it was that I never could guess ahead of time where the author was going with something and something always surprised me. Definitely not predictable.
Jul 28, 2010
Jamie
rated it:
Absolutely repulsive. The author has skills, it's just too bad she took such a dark road...she could have taken this story a million different ways...I really enjoyed her writing skills just not the story~ if that makes any sense.
Jul 28, 2009
Melissa
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I wholeheartedly agree with everything Sidhe said in her review. I was hooked from the start - it especially helped that I was traveling through Ireland at the time - and then the ending was such a disappointment.
Jul 24, 2011
Debra
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I loved this book. I have never read a book like this. Beautifully written and magical. Bogs, gypsies, Ireland, cold and rigid aunts, boarding schools, it has it all. Loved it. Great language and storytelling.
Sep 13, 2009
Sara
rated it:
This was a recommendation from my dear friend Keri who prefaced the suggestion with a warning that she really wasn't sure I'd like it.
McBride's style is definitely more lyrical and flowery than I generally like - I prefer my prose clean and direct. It's the story of a family, but it comes together in pieces, mixed up with Irish folk myth, tinker-gypsy culture and a coming-of-age experience. The twisted nature of the plot and the complicated and secretive relationships of the charac More...
McBride's style is definitely more lyrical and flowery than I generally like - I prefer my prose clean and direct. It's the story of a family, but it comes together in pieces, mixed up with Irish folk myth, tinker-gypsy culture and a coming-of-age experience. The twisted nature of the plot and the complicated and secretive relationships of the charac More...
Mar 12, 2011
Nell
rated it:
I loved it. But not for those with very conservative views or who might be easily offended. Looks like people either loved it or hated it.
Jul 26, 2009
Carol
rated it:
McBride mesmerizes one with her outside the box Oedipus-like story. The background of Ireland is told in fascinating prose. A good read.
Feb 22, 2011
Carly
rated it:
I'm enjoying this as much as I did The Marriage Bed. I look forward to everything this author has, or will have to offer.
I've been reading some of the reviews here - I don't really know what happens at the end, but I doubt I'll be that shocked.
Better wait till I get there, I guess but I doubt I'll change my rating.
I've been reading some of the reviews here - I don't really know what happens at the end, but I doubt I'll be that shocked.
Better wait till I get there, I guess but I doubt I'll change my rating.
Nov 06, 2011
Lin
rated it:
This is the only novel i ever chose to read twice. It remains my favorite ever.
