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326th out of 675 books
—
2,033 voters
Swim to Me
by
Betsy Carter (Goodreads Author)
More at home in the water than in the company of her own family, a young woman fulfills her unlikely dream of becoming a mermaid.
Welcome to Weeki Wachee Springs, located on the beautiful Gulf Coast of Florida. Hailed as the City of Live Mermaids, the fabled Springs has been attracting tourists since 1947, but as of late, business is drying up. As if paying the bills, mak...more
Welcome to Weeki Wachee Springs, located on the beautiful Gulf Coast of Florida. Hailed as the City of Live Mermaids, the fabled Springs has been attracting tourists since 1947, but as of late, business is drying up. As if paying the bills, mak...more
Hardcover, 280 pages
Published
August 1st 2007
by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
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Weeki Wachi Springs was the vacation destination that Delores Walker would never forget: a place devoted to living "mermaids."
When Delores's father walks out on her family, she remembers WWS and decides to apply for a job. Leaving the Bronx for Tampa, FL, Delores leaves an unhappy family situation and starts anew. At WWS, Delores shines, with her combination of strong swimming skills and irresistible good looks.
And just when Delores's life is looking up, an unexpected family reunion changes he...more
When Delores's father walks out on her family, she remembers WWS and decides to apply for a job. Leaving the Bronx for Tampa, FL, Delores leaves an unhappy family situation and starts anew. At WWS, Delores shines, with her combination of strong swimming skills and irresistible good looks.
And just when Delores's life is looking up, an unexpected family reunion changes he...more
Nov 29, 2007
Lucy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
swimming fans, popular culture fans, mother/daughter fiction lovers,
Shelves:
justread
Betsy Carter is one of those authors whose books seem deceptively simple. Delores leaves her stifling Bronx apartment and her sad frustrated mother and goes to Florida to become a weekie Wachie mermaid at 17.As a period marker, Walt Disney World is just becoming popular in another part of Florida.
The roles of women are explored within the mermaid troupe and the character of Delores's mother is wonderfully complex. But the eccentric director of Weekie Wachie is a character I'd love to see portra...more
The roles of women are explored within the mermaid troupe and the character of Delores's mother is wonderfully complex. But the eccentric director of Weekie Wachie is a character I'd love to see portra...more
My daughter gave me this book. It is set in Weeki Wachee where the mermaid show has
been an old time Florida attraction for decades. My daughter and I have gone swimming in the
springs many times so it caught both of our interest. The spring is now a state park, and luckily they kept the mermaid show.
Delores' family takes a Florida vacation and Delores is intrigued by the mermaids.
Back in New York, she frequents the YMCA and becomes a skillful swimmer. Then her father
walks out on his family.When...more
It was a simple, but delicate story. An easy read, but gave you food for thought afterwards. It was a growing up story for all the characters, even the parents. It has a good feel to it. The main character, Delores, is so grown up for a young age, but she also is young in a way that she still doesn't understand her family completely and the fact that she confides in a puppet named Hugo. I believe the only reason that she didn't leave her family for her dream job and never look back, keeping wha...more
Ever since she saw the wonderful mermaid show on vacation in Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida, Delores Walker has dreamed of becoming a mermaid. Now, boarding a Greyhound bus to take her far away from the Bronx and to the unknown in Florida, Delores is leaving her mother and beloved younger brother for a dream. Her father took off two years ago and hasn't been heard from since and now Delores is solely responsible for herself. After making her way to Weeki Wachee, her dream is realized in ways she...more
This was a really easy read, but I did enjoy. Not great writing and it seemed to end without resolving some issues, but that may have been the point.
The book takes place in 1972 in Florida at Weeki Wachi Springs (which is a real place)where 16 yr old Dolores has landed after leaving NY City to follow her dream of becoming a mermaid. She leaves behind her overworked mother and toddler brother. Her father left them recently and she has no idea where he ended up until a little later in the book.
I...more
The book takes place in 1972 in Florida at Weeki Wachi Springs (which is a real place)where 16 yr old Dolores has landed after leaving NY City to follow her dream of becoming a mermaid. She leaves behind her overworked mother and toddler brother. Her father left them recently and she has no idea where he ended up until a little later in the book.
I...more
Delores doesn't understand a lot of what is going on with her family, but when her dad splits, her mom isn't coping well and somebody has to support her little brother, she steps up. And what Delores has to work with are her looks, her smarts, and the fact that she's more comfortable in water than out. So she gets a job as a mermaid.
I like Delores, I like the other mermaids, even the bitchy ones. The seem like real people to me.
I don't like Delores' mother or father, but they really aren't the p...more
I like Delores, I like the other mermaids, even the bitchy ones. The seem like real people to me.
I don't like Delores' mother or father, but they really aren't the p...more
I chose to read this book for two reasons. 1) I was looking for a book--that was an interesting, easy read--to recommend to my book club and 2) I grew up in San Diego and, when I was a little girl, dreamed of being a mermaid like the ones I saw swimming with dolphins at Sea World.
I enjoyed this book, until the very end, which was ambiguous. If you want your stories neatly wrapped up, then this book is not for you. If you don't mind that the ending is somewhat left to interpretation, then I would...more
I enjoyed this book, until the very end, which was ambiguous. If you want your stories neatly wrapped up, then this book is not for you. If you don't mind that the ending is somewhat left to interpretation, then I would...more
I was hoping I'd get an insider's view of what it's like to be an underwater performer, but aside from a few very minor references, it's simply not there.
And, really? She put her preschooler brother on her back, said 'hold your breath,' and dove under the water with him to view the turtles? Really? Hello out there...has this author NEVER been around children?
Yes this novel does have some worth. The message about making yourself into someone you want to be is strong. Ok. And it's not jarringly d...more
And, really? She put her preschooler brother on her back, said 'hold your breath,' and dove under the water with him to view the turtles? Really? Hello out there...has this author NEVER been around children?
Yes this novel does have some worth. The message about making yourself into someone you want to be is strong. Ok. And it's not jarringly d...more
I can't believe I didn't put this on the list! This was a big fave of mine a year or so ago when it first came out, and since I'm fresh from a visit to Weeki Wachi Springs, in Florida, where the mermaids live, I had to pull this title back out. To escape a miserable life in Brooklyn (Bronx, maybe?), a gawky eighteen year old girl returns to the only place she ever felt truly happy - at Weeki Wachi Springs, not just watching the mermaids swim, but becoming one of them. A sweet story with little p...more
A story about reinventing yourself. A dysfunctional family that manage to change for the better by being apart and growing up. The plot is a teenage girl from the Bronx who auditions for a water show in a small town in Florida, outside of Orlando. (They are competing with the NEW Disney World.) She turns out to be really good in the show, and then in other avenues, changing from a shy outsider to a take-charge kind of gal. A very easy read (3 days for me), and even though it seems light, the sub...more
Jan 12, 2009
Sonia Reppe
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
14 yr old girls and under
Shelves:
florida
1.5 stars. The bulk of this novel takes place in 1972. SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE TOLD Betsy Carter that WALT DISNEY DIED in 1966. He wouldn't have been alive to comment on Weeki Wachi! It was a fast read, so I kept going, but I didn't care for the rudimentary prose. Not just the prose, but the plot and the characters also were under-developed. I didn't feel connected to any of the characters. Maybe because the point of view kept jumping between so many of them. The good things are that it's clean, (G-...more
Delores Walker in Swim to Me by Betsy Carter loves to swim and is enchanted one summer by the mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs. She decides to leave her home in the Bronx after her father abandons the family to become a mermaid herself. She reinvents herself as Delores Taurus as the Springs is trying to do the same in the shadow of the recently opened Walt Disney World.
The Walt Disney World plot point is the weakest and most distracting part of an otherwise charming coming of age novel. Yes, bot...more
The Walt Disney World plot point is the weakest and most distracting part of an otherwise charming coming of age novel. Yes, bot...more
Swim To Me by Betsey Carter pleasantly surprised me; it is a delightful story of understanding and reinvention. Delores Walker grew up in a small Bronx apartment with her parents and baby brother. Her fondest memory is a family vacation to Weeki Wachee Springs in Tampa to watch the mermaids perform. She has loved swimming since her Mom plopped her in the water as a little tyke.. When her Dad walks out on the family she takes a bold step, she writes to Weeki Wachee trying for an audition. Weeki W...more
This has a Yaya Sisterhood feel, but I liked it more than I usually enjoy books of that "genre". Delores sees a mermaid show as a child on vacation in FL. She grows up and as her family falls apart she fulfills her dream of becoming a mermaid. This seems like a tale from another time...when entertainment was less of an industry and more a of a family business. Enchanting...but maybe I am predisposed to like this as I too harbored dreams of growing up to be a mermaid!
I enjoyed this book, but 2 major things really bothered me. I think the author could have completely left out the toy clown, Otto. He was annoying and not necessary to the plot. Also, what happened to the ending. It must have been swallowed up by Otto. It just sort of stopped and hung there. I kept checking the pages left to see if I was missing something. All and all, this was a very enjoyable read minus Otto. It was like taking a warm bath in some Florida sunshine.
This novel set in the early 1970's, tells the story of a mermaid, not a real mermaid but a Weeki Wachee tourist attraction mermaid. A coming of age tale, a look at a fractured family and a behind the scenes peek at the demise of old Florida all in one slim novel. A satisfying read that appealed to a Florida girl who grew up to work as a can-can girl at another of those old Florida amusement parks. Highly nostalgic.
Betsy Carter
I will continue to read everything Betsy Carter writes. I have read The Orange Blossom Special and Swim to Me. These two, set in Florida, are perfect for cold winter days. Her characters make me believe that life can be hopeful. I'm looking forward to reading The Puzzle King and her memoir.
I will continue to read everything Betsy Carter writes. I have read The Orange Blossom Special and Swim to Me. These two, set in Florida, are perfect for cold winter days. Her characters make me believe that life can be hopeful. I'm looking forward to reading The Puzzle King and her memoir.
I got halfway through this book and then said to myself, "Why did I bother?". I thought It would be a feel good book, and it turned out to be dark, sad and quite boring. It had no drama, suspense, action or anything that I like to read. I couldn't bring my self to finish. The only thing that kept me going this far, was the fact that it takes place approx 15 mins from where I live. Otherwise, I would have stopped reading it way before now. Oh we'll. moving on.
This one was supposed to be a light summer read. I found it hit too close to home for my taste. Immediate family was very dysfunctional and the protagonist must fend for herself. Sink or swim if you will....no pun intended.
The editing should have tamed the multiple story lines a bit. And should have left out Otto, the puppet. That was a weak link and an imaginary friend would have been more believable. This was more of a 2.5 star novel.
The editing should have tamed the multiple story lines a bit. And should have left out Otto, the puppet. That was a weak link and an imaginary friend would have been more believable. This was more of a 2.5 star novel.
This book was WEIRD... just weird. It was very poorly written, and most of the time, I found myself not caring about what happens. I do have to give it more than one star, though, because it's kind of about a synchronized swimmerish... in that she wasn't technically a synchronized swimmer... but she kind of was. If you're not a synchronized swimmer you shouldn't read this book... you'll think it's stupid. If you are... yeah, you probably still don't need to read it.
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I loved this coming of age novel wound around living out a childhood fantasy. Knowing the "mermaids" were and still are "real" gave the book a grounded quality... As if it could have been a memoir of any one of the teenage swimmers from that era. I found the ending a bit too "open" and unfinished, but a delightful, quick, well written read.
I wanted a light read--something fun, and that's what this is. I picked it up at the library because I loved the cover and the blurb sounded interesting enough to give it a try. Set in the early 70's, a teenager from the Bronx goes to Florida to be a Mermaid performer at a water park. Nothing earth-shattering here, but it was entertaining...
This book was entertaining and interesting. Set in the 1960's, when Florida's tourism boom was evolving, the teenage heroine in this book joins a roadside attraction featuring a live mermaid show. Her adventures and existence in this make-believe world are both funny and poignant. A very good read.
This was cute! Some people have complained that it just isn't realistc but I don't care. I got involved with each character and was enthralled in the story. Besides being a fun read, it was an interesting study in family dynamics.
I would like to read more of this author.
I would like to read more of this author.
Another fanciful book with one-of-a-kind places and characters. It was fun, but as always I am left wondering things and wishing a few plotlines had been further fleshed out. I do like a good girl-finds-her-niche story though, and Delores (the main character) does just that when she travels to Florida from NY to perform in a "mermaid" show... along the way her family goes through some major changes and she meets some interesting people and it's an amusing ride!
I actually picked this book up at a resort I was staying at in Marathon Key. I read the book while on vacation and simply enjoyed it. It was a very easy read and well entertaining. The characters were well developed and the story was simply inspiring.
Once you go along with the idea that a 16 year old girl wants nothing more than to be a mermaid... it's a surprisingly nice read. I like how Delores tries to get her family back together, and succeeds to some extend. But it's not a too far fetched happy ending, it just leaves you with a feeling everything will be okay.
A New York transplant to the Gulf Coast of Florida. I can't wait till my next visit to the Tampa area to discover Weeki Wachi and the Aqua Zoo. Did this really exist - is it still there? How fun - to aspire to be a mermaid! quick read.
Strange book! A girl from the Bronx becomes a mermaid in a water show in Florida; her dad runs away and joins the circus. But it is mostly a well written tale of family dynamics and sucks you right in.
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I am the author of the novel, Swim to Me, which was published in August 2007 by Algonquin Books who also published, The Orange Blossom Special in 2005. My memoir Nothing to Fall Back On was a national bestseller. I write for O: The Oprah magazine, Good Housekeeping, New York, Glamour and Hallmark, among others.
I was a reporter at Newsweek for nine years, and then served as the Editorial Director...more
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