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43rd out of 297 books
—
494 voters
Sweetwater Creek
From bestselling author Anne Rivers Siddons comes a bittersweet and finely wrought story of friendship, family, and Charleston society.
At twelve, Emily Parmenter knows alone all too well. Left mostly to herself after her beautiful young mother disappeared and her beloved older brother died, Emily is keenly aware of yearning and loss. Rather than be consumed by sadness, she...more
At twelve, Emily Parmenter knows alone all too well. Left mostly to herself after her beautiful young mother disappeared and her beloved older brother died, Emily is keenly aware of yearning and loss. Rather than be consumed by sadness, she...more
Paperback, 480 pages
Published
December 26th 2006
by Harper
(first published January 1st 2005)
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Having recently read Anne Rivers Siddons' latest novel "Burnt Mountain" I was in a mood to revisit some of her other recent novels, including this one, "Sweetwater Creek".
The creases on the spine of my paperback copy indicated I had certainly read it, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember anything about it.
Which, as it turned out, was wonderful, because it was like coming to it for the first time all over again. But, what on earth pre-occupied me so much the first time around that I couldn...more
The creases on the spine of my paperback copy indicated I had certainly read it, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember anything about it.
Which, as it turned out, was wonderful, because it was like coming to it for the first time all over again. But, what on earth pre-occupied me so much the first time around that I couldn...more
This is a very atmospheric novel, that's what I liked about it. There were moments that I wished the story would've progressed a little quicker, but on the other hand, I understand it was written in the perfect pace: this story is set in the South after all.
There were times this book made me feel sad and depressed too, because so much burden was laid upon a twelve year old girl.
My favorite part was Emily's relation to her dog Elvis. When the dogs came into the picture, that always perked me up....more
There were times this book made me feel sad and depressed too, because so much burden was laid upon a twelve year old girl.
My favorite part was Emily's relation to her dog Elvis. When the dogs came into the picture, that always perked me up....more
At the bottom of a large shopping bag full of used book treasures, I found Anne Rivers Siddon’s Sweetwater Creek. I had been wanting to dip into a quintessential southern novel after having read an interview of Southern author Pat Convoy, so it was perfect timing.
It took me a while to get into the slow, but steady, drawl of the plot. The book concerns a prepubescent girl’s plight to come of age in tension filled circumstances. She is being raised by a father—He loves her but hates how much she...more
It took me a while to get into the slow, but steady, drawl of the plot. The book concerns a prepubescent girl’s plight to come of age in tension filled circumstances. She is being raised by a father—He loves her but hates how much she...more
This was a sweet and enjoyable coming of age tale set in the Carolina’s low-country.
Emily Parmenter is twelve years old, living on her family’s plantation with her distant father and two older brothers. Her mother disappeared while Emily was a toddler and her adored older brother Buddy committed suicide, leaving her bereft and lonely. Her only salvation comes from training the family’s well known Boykin hunter spaniels. Emily seems to have an innate talent for this and her life is in a simple p...more
Emily Parmenter is twelve years old, living on her family’s plantation with her distant father and two older brothers. Her mother disappeared while Emily was a toddler and her adored older brother Buddy committed suicide, leaving her bereft and lonely. Her only salvation comes from training the family’s well known Boykin hunter spaniels. Emily seems to have an innate talent for this and her life is in a simple p...more
Thought it would be fun to read a book set in the deep south as we bask here in the Florida sun, and this novel did the trick;). Loved the main character....a 12 year old girl struggling to make sense of herself and the tangled relationships she has with her 3 older brothers and her withdrawn father on their sc plantation. The mother abandoned them all years ago, and in order to cope, this young girl avoids friendships and instead helps her father breed/train dogs on their old estate. New charac...more
Ok book. Regarding a girl coming of age in the South. Messed up life with a mother that leaves, the death of a brother and a wacked out girl that comes to stay at her home and takes on a role of "big sister" but lacks the morality needed to direct a young girl. Sorry but not good with crazies!!
I loved this book. I initially wasn’t sure if I liked Emily, as she was so loathe to stand up for herself. But the more I read, the more I got swept into the story until I had to read it on my work break, and then rush home so I could finish it. The write up says poignant and emotionally compelling, usually embellishments, but for this book they are absolutely true. This story was richly described, realistic yet magical, and haunting.
I was sure at first this story was going to have more to do w...more
I was sure at first this story was going to have more to do w...more
Sep 10, 2011
MB Mcgurk
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
weekend readers
Recommended to MB by:
great find in a junk store
This story pulled me in completely immediately. The main character in the story is a young girl entering her teen years. It is not, however, a story for young girls as it addresses very adult issues of sex, addition and obsession. As an adult reader I was not put off by the youth of the main character and was drawn into her world as she grappled, awkwardly, with all this adult matters that presented themselves.
The author deftly developed characters we only hear about but understand they were im...more
The author deftly developed characters we only hear about but understand they were im...more
May 22, 2011
Jo
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone interested in reading relational stories that include places and animals.
This is a coming of age story about a girl who lost her mother and brother in different circumstances by the time she is 13 years old. It takes place on an old plantation in the South where her family breeds and trains dogs. In fact, she has special skills with understanding and training these dogs. There are interesting details about the ecology and food that I imagine are true for this part of the country. Her relationship with her pet dog brought to mind my own relationship with a dog that wa...more
I have not read a book by this author but she has written many and seems pretty popular. This story was somewhat predictable but I liked the unique setting and characters. It is the story of a young girl growing up on a dog training farm with her dad and two brothers. She lost her mother and another brother at a young age and has been struggling ever since. At age 12, it is obvious that she is lonely and anxious about growing up. Along comes a southern “belle” who is also struggling and wants to...more
Emily Parmenter, 13 years old, is forced to grow up long before she should at the hands of Luke Foxworth. The family personalities, twists and turns are more than enough to keep you reading Add to that the “character” of the land and this was a 5+ read. Not to mention that himself, Wm. Butler Yates, plays a big part in Emily’s coming of age and acceptance.
Epigraph: But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you and loved the sorrow of your changing face. (When You Are Old)
Porpoise slides:
The Song of...more
Epigraph: But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you and loved the sorrow of your changing face. (When You Are Old)
Porpoise slides:
The Song of...more
Siddons' language is so lush and evocative that - even without the able narrative weaving of a young girl's coming-of-age story - South Carolina's Lowcountry marshland comes vividly alive. Through rich and sensual descriptive force of climate, colors, smells, flora, water, sky and creatures, the author provides strong images that transport one into this world near Edisto Island, south of Charleston. The young protagonist is easy to accommodate despite being in a world and situation very unique f...more
Good insight into South Carolina's low country as well as a glance at the Charleston crowd. Three times the author points out how things will never be the same from this point forward. Maybe true, but surely there was either not a need to phrase it so exactly or to trust the reader to understand this without being told. The twin brothers lacked any character development whatsoever, the ambitious father was shallow and the long-suffering aunt was the closest thing to a mother available to this fa...more
It has been a while since I’ve read an ARS book and I saw this one (that I had not read) at the library the other day. I was attracted also by the cover quote from Pat Conroy. “She ranks among the best of us and delivers the goods – the whole fabulous package-with every book she writes.” I love Siddon’s use of words and descriptive language. She makes the low country of South Carolina so inviting. This is a coming of age story of Emily, a 12 year old girl who has been left. Her family breeds and...more
This book moved really slow….rambling on and on and never really getting anywhere. A story of Emily, a 12 year old who lives on a plantation home situated in the Lowcountry, and her friendship with a poor little rich society girl. Emily’s mother abandons the family, leaving Emily with her father, brothers and the hunting dogs that she trains and raises. Emily prefers working with the dogs and immersing herself in her surroundings, but her father wants her to be a society girl and go to Charlotte...more
I came across this book at hospice, the day Pop died. I snatched it. A few friends had suggested that they thought i might like Siddons' books. For some reason, i thought they were going to be light fare, and maybe a little predictable, but i was pleasantly surprised. Her voice is original and authentic, and the subject matter was not at all what I thought it would be. She completely captured the magical time that is a girl turning from twelve to thirteen. Made me want to raise dogs on a low-cou...more
Anne Rivers Siddons has found her niche writing southern stories about women but this time her protaganist is a 13 year old girl who has a gift training dogs who are bred for hunting in the Low Country waters around South Carolina. It's a touching coming of age story and for those of us still eager to read about positive relationships between the mainly black housekeepers and the children they help raise, this book offers that as well. For me, after seeing The Help I just needed a little more of...more
A 13 year old girl whose mother left when she was a toddler and whose older brother committed suicide to escape his illness, develops an extremely close relationship to her dog with whom she shares her secrets and burdens. The novel deals with the awkwardness of her relationship with her father and others, the losses she has suffered, and the new friendship she forms with a highly erratic and dysfunctional young woman who moves in while attempting to rid herself of her demons. Emily is drawn int...more
What a lyrical read...Siddons expressions take you into another place and immerse you in the characters as if they are part of your family.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and appreciated the adventure unfolding as it did. A coming of age story that everyone can relate to and interesting insight into what it takes to bread and train hunting dogs. At first I didn’t know if it was going to work for me because of what the family did for a living but I found that man’s best friend is always the dog.
W...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and appreciated the adventure unfolding as it did. A coming of age story that everyone can relate to and interesting insight into what it takes to bread and train hunting dogs. At first I didn’t know if it was going to work for me because of what the family did for a living but I found that man’s best friend is always the dog.
W...more
1 like · like · see review
I believe I've read all of Anne Rivers Siddons books, and if not all, most. I like the settings, in this case, the Low Country in South Carolina, and I like her character development. The protagonist in this story is 11 year old Emily who, with her Boykin hunting dog, Elvis, form a bond with wayward 20 year old Lulu, a society girl hiding from her mother and her issues. I especially enjoyed reading about the dolphins feeding on the mullet on the shores of the inland creeks. This is not one of my...more
I was up until after 2 when I finished this book. It's about a 12 year old girl, who is forced to grow up too fast due to the people in her life. It's set in modern day, and she lives on an old plantation house in Charleston. Her dad raises spaniels, which she helps train, and one of them is her best friend. I loved a lot of the book just because of the dogs. It's not the best book I ever read, but I really got into it and cried several times. I guess I have a thing for literature about young ad...more
Aug 18, 2009
Jo
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
People who like downers, Doglovers
Reader, Anna Fields, was very good, however, the book overall did not really grab me. I have read other books by Anne River Siddons, and really enjoyed them. I'm not sure if it is me changing, or her work is, but this book did not seem to have the same interest in its characters for me. Nor did the actions of many of the characters make sense to me within the "personality" she crafted for them. I was glad when it was over.
It will be a 2 star overall, but this is unfair to the narrator, as her...more
It will be a 2 star overall, but this is unfair to the narrator, as her...more
Plot and characters=3 stars.
Beautiful descriptions of the low country=a million stars.
So, Emily is 12 (creepy right?). Her mother abandoned her husband and children and Emily's beloved older brother, Buddy, has killed himself. Emily is left alone with an indifferent father and brothers. Her Aunt Jenny loves in to help out and they pass a happy time raising dogs and kicking around the salt water tidal creeks that surround their plantation.
One summer day, a Charleston socialite arrives with her...more
Beautiful descriptions of the low country=a million stars.
So, Emily is 12 (creepy right?). Her mother abandoned her husband and children and Emily's beloved older brother, Buddy, has killed himself. Emily is left alone with an indifferent father and brothers. Her Aunt Jenny loves in to help out and they pass a happy time raising dogs and kicking around the salt water tidal creeks that surround their plantation.
One summer day, a Charleston socialite arrives with her...more
Jan 02, 2011
Barbara Hanna
added it
A great, well-written book that tells a great story of a coming of age in the deep south bayous. Emily the protagonist is alone in a household of men whose mother has left, dad and brothers are involved in raising hunting dogs, and her best friend is her dog. A 21 yr. old girl, Lulu, becomes their boarder and she and Emily develop a unique yet uneasy friendship. Through her experiences, she comes to know more about herself and develops a new relationship with her dad.
I would strongly recommend t...more
I would strongly recommend t...more
I am a big Siddons fan. Although I was utterly enraptured by the beginning of the book (I want a Boynton Spaniel named Elvis), by 3/4 of the way through, I was ready to be done. But Anne has earned my respect enough that I finished it and am glad I did. Although I would love to see some of the places and creatures described here, I don't much care for the human residents of the "Low Country." Maybe she described them too accurately.
"Fault Lines" and "Downtown" still are my two favorite Siddons b...more
"Fault Lines" and "Downtown" still are my two favorite Siddons b...more
1 like · like · see review
The beginning was intriguing, the ending was fabulous, and the middle was slow.
You have to admit that Siddons has a talent for giving you an idea of the landscape. It's still hard for me to imagine, but it was easy to understand how important it was to Emily's life and her family's existence.
Couldn't she have chosen a better name that Lulu for that woman? I also had no idea how old Lulu was until she'd moved into the house. Saying she was a "girl" when she was first presented in the story made m...more
You have to admit that Siddons has a talent for giving you an idea of the landscape. It's still hard for me to imagine, but it was easy to understand how important it was to Emily's life and her family's existence.
Couldn't she have chosen a better name that Lulu for that woman? I also had no idea how old Lulu was until she'd moved into the house. Saying she was a "girl" when she was first presented in the story made m...more
Jun 07, 2009
Kellie Eizensmits
added it
I would have to say this was the worst book I have ever read in my life. The author spent too much time describing stuff, with no story line. It was painful and boring and I'd rather have bamboo shoots stuck in my fingernails or be tarred and feathered before I'd reccommend this book to anyone. Maybe prisoners would like it. Aggggh! I feel like I wasted a week of my life on it. I want to tear the book into little pieces and have one of the boynton dogs pee on it. I wish i could rate it less than...more
1 like · like · see review
I chose three stars, I would have given it four but it had the ugly word in it about 3 times and one really graphic but not erotic scene. It was a great story about a lowcountry plantation in South Carolina. The story is about Emily Parmenter's life. She has endured a lot in her twelve years. Her best friends are her dog and her dead brother until Lulu comes into her life. Emily's life is filled with yearning and loss, but she doesn't let herself become consumed with sadness.
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This is my first ARS novel and I really enjoyed it. The atmosphere the author creates is what pulled me into the story moreso than the plot I think. I "read" it as an audiobook and I think part of my enchantment with it comes from the fact that it was narrated by Anna Fields.
My only negative comment has to do with the fact that Emily was really emotionally labile ( albeit she IS a teen) and seemed to burst into tears a little too frequently for my liking.
My only negative comment has to do with the fact that Emily was really emotionally labile ( albeit she IS a teen) and seemed to burst into tears a little too frequently for my liking.
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“Walter Parmenter sometimes seemed to his daughter a restless subterranean force held together by rituals.”
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“Jenny looked, as usual, elegant and as fine-drawn as a young doe, but oddly muted, as if she had been outlined in sepia.”
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Carla
Oct 27, 2008 06:16am