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5th out of 63 books
—
11 voters
The Watery Part of the World
by
Michael Parker (Goodreads Author)
Michael Parker has created a wholly original world from two known facts: (1) Theodosia Burr Alston, daughter of the controversial vice president Aaron Burr, disappeared in 1813 while en route by schooner from South Carolina to New York; and (2) in 1970, two elderly white women and one black man were the last townspeople to leave a small barrier island off the coast of Nort...more
Hardcover, 261 pages
Published
April 26th 2011
by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
(first published 2011)
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With The Watery Part of the World the reader trolls through the Outer Banks of North Carolina during two different eras. The first, the historical time period of Theodosia Burr Alston(Whaley), daughter of the notorious Aaron Burr. The second isn't identified specifically but is the time of her great-great-great granddaughters, Theo and Maggie Whaley and handyman, Woodrow Thornton, a distant relative of Theodosia's friend and carpenter Hezekiah Thornton.
What I found most interesting about this bo...more
What I found most interesting about this bo...more
I'm giving this book only 2 stars because I found the story kind of boring. It was so difficult to figure out what was happening in the plot. The story switched between two time periods, but this wasn't very obvious in the beginning. I didn't really get to know the characters or frankly care about any of them.
3 likes
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This story has a lot of atmosphere, and Michael Parker writes well.
The way their family history affects the sisters and their relationship with Woodrow is interesting.
There a few things that weighed down a little for me:
The narrative gets a little confusing at times, because several characters in the past and present have the same names.
and
(possible mini spoiler alert!)
(view spoiler)...more
The way their family history affects the sisters and their relationship with Woodrow is interesting.
There a few things that weighed down a little for me:
The narrative gets a little confusing at times, because several characters in the past and present have the same names.
and
(possible mini spoiler alert!)
(view spoiler)...more
This book received a good review in The Washington Post and I had high hopes for it. I thought the premise sounded so interesting: in 1813, Theodosia Burr Alston, the daughter of disgraced former VP Aaron Burr (who had killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel and tried to create an empire in Mexico) disappeared at sea somewhere off the coast of North Carolina. This is a true fact. But in this novel, Parker imagines that Theodosia did not die in a shipwreck (probably what truly occurred), but that her...more
11 likes
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This novel takes place on one of the Barrier Islands off the North Carolina coast (Yaupon Island). The story goes back and forth between the story of Theodosia Burr Alston, daughter of Aaron Burr, and her present-day descendants, Whaley and Maggie and their relationship with Woodrow, a descendant of a slave who helped Theodosia when her husband disappeared. The writing by author Parker is wonderful - rich and evocative. I felt like I was there on that narrow strip of island with its swarming mos...more
The Watery Part of the World – Michael Parker – 2011
Many readers and reviewers love this novel—I didn’t. The novel weaves the story of Theodosia Burr Alston in the early 1800s with the tale of her last descendants on a North Carolina Outer Island in the 1970s. TBA was the daughter of the infamous Aaron Burr and the wife of the Governor of South Carolina; she was considered the most educated woman in America at the time. The ship she was taking from South Carolina to New York was lost in 1813 wit...more
Many readers and reviewers love this novel—I didn’t. The novel weaves the story of Theodosia Burr Alston in the early 1800s with the tale of her last descendants on a North Carolina Outer Island in the 1970s. TBA was the daughter of the infamous Aaron Burr and the wife of the Governor of South Carolina; she was considered the most educated woman in America at the time. The ship she was taking from South Carolina to New York was lost in 1813 wit...more
This novel sucked me in with its very lush language, exquisitely crafted sentences, and a compelling story about the descendants of Aaron Burr's daughter who in this novel is shipwrecked on an outer banks North Carolina island. It moves back and forth between her time and the 1970s when only 4 people are left on the island, two her relatives, another a descendant of a slave purchased by her lover, and the guy's wife.
It's a very slow reveal of emotions and events, some very tragic, others just hu...more
It's a very slow reveal of emotions and events, some very tragic, others just hu...more
Michael Parker's hauntingly beautiful novel, The Watery Part Of The World, tells the story of one of North Carolina's barrier islands, Yaupon Island. A tiny strip of sand between the ocean and the sound, it serves as the land's first break in the water; a tough land where survival demands the same toughness from its inhabitants.
The novel moves in time between the early 1800's to the present. The earlier time is the story of the island's first inhabitants; shipwreck survivors, pirates, fishermen...more
The novel moves in time between the early 1800's to the present. The earlier time is the story of the island's first inhabitants; shipwreck survivors, pirates, fishermen...more
This may be the first book of the 2011-12 school year that I've read that is not related to work, so my rating may be slightly inflated.
The book opens with Aaron Burr's daughter. On a voyage from South Carolina to New York, her boat is seized by pirates at Nags Head, but she is spared as the leader believes she has been "touched by God." Then, the story jumps to a nearby island in 1970. There are only three inhabitants left on the island, and the two sisters are descendants of Burr's daughter. T...more
The book opens with Aaron Burr's daughter. On a voyage from South Carolina to New York, her boat is seized by pirates at Nags Head, but she is spared as the leader believes she has been "touched by God." Then, the story jumps to a nearby island in 1970. There are only three inhabitants left on the island, and the two sisters are descendants of Burr's daughter. T...more
I loved this book. The writing was beautiful throughout, and the stories intertwined in the novel were as individual and mysterious as the photograph on the cover. The islands off of North Carolina, the sand, the scrub, and the sea were the strongest characters. Even though Theodosia Burr, lost at sea according to history, offers a fiery opening when she is the only survivor of a ship run aground by pirates, the steady pulse of the tides and the changing forces of the wind really control the boo...more
December 31, 1812, Theodosia Burr Alston boards a ship from Charleston, South Carolina to reunite with her father, Aaron Burr, in New York City. Her father has returned from a four-year exile in Europe for the dueling murder of his political and personal foe, Alexander Hamilton. She never made it. Her boat disappeared, and it was presumed that it went down or was boarded by pirates who murdered her.
Parker’s story is that the boat was taken over by pirates, but that she lived and that a portrait...more
Parker’s story is that the boat was taken over by pirates, but that she lived and that a portrait...more
I had high hopes for this book. I read raving reviews of it everywhere. NPR sealed the deal for me, so I requested it from the library.
A friend just asked me, "What are you reading?" So, I said, "Ugh. I hate to even tell you. I'm having a love hate relationship with a book." Which of course, peaked her interest even more.
I read most of this book in one sitting. And then it sat for a day or two. It didn't call to me and I honestly felt only obligated to finish it because I had read well past my...more
A friend just asked me, "What are you reading?" So, I said, "Ugh. I hate to even tell you. I'm having a love hate relationship with a book." Which of course, peaked her interest even more.
I read most of this book in one sitting. And then it sat for a day or two. It didn't call to me and I honestly felt only obligated to finish it because I had read well past my...more
5 likes
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I received this book through a goodreads giveaway. Based on the true story of the disappearance of the schooner bringing Theodosia Burr Alston, the daughter of Aaron Burr from South Carolina to New York and interweaves the story of the last three living inhabitants of the island. The two Whaley sisters are the direct descendants of Theodosia Burr. Neither one has been able to leave the island for any length of time. Woodrow Thornton is the descendant of a black man bought by Theo's "husband" bef...more
BORING. I could have loved this one. It includes a real-life unresolved mystery involving the disappearance of Aaron Burr's adult daughter, enough isolation on a remote island and plentiful reasons for the main character NOT to return to her former life which explains why her story remains a mystery today(gotta keep the historical fiction about real life figures plausible!), and the perfect amount of down home references to Eastern North Carolina places and people to make me remember my years sp...more
Like many others who posted a review, I had heard such great advance press about this book that I was eager to get my hands on it. The story of Theodosia, the daughter of the infamous Aaron Burr and the wife of the Governor of South Carolina, whose boat was run aground by pirates in 1813, did not keep my attention. On the other hand, the parallel tale of the aged three remaining denizens of hurricane plagued Yaupon Island, was haunting. I could envision Miss Whaley, the self-proclaimed official...more
Michael Parker should be applauded for his originality and creativity. His unique and beautifully written novel, The Watery Part of the World, is based upon two little known historical facts. The first, the 1813 disappearance of Theodosia Burr, the daughter of vice president Aaron Burr, while en route to New York from South Carolina via schooner; and the second the true story from 1970 of last residents , of a small barrier island off the coast of North Carolina, two elderly white women and thei...more
In the last days of 1812 Theodosia Burr Alston, daughter of former Vice President Aaron Burr and wife of South Carolina Governor Joseph Alston, boarded a schooner bound for New York and was never heard from again.
In the early 1970’s, two elderly women, the last remaining residents of Portsmouth Village, a small town on a barrier island off the coast of North Carolina, reluctantly moved from their island home to the mainland, leaving behind a ghost town.
Michael Parker has taken these two facts,...more
In the early 1970’s, two elderly women, the last remaining residents of Portsmouth Village, a small town on a barrier island off the coast of North Carolina, reluctantly moved from their island home to the mainland, leaving behind a ghost town.
Michael Parker has taken these two facts,...more
This is the story of Theodosia Burr Alston, daughter of the infamous vice-president of the United States, Aaron Burr, and her descendants on a remote barrier island in the outer banks of North Carolina. Though based on the true fact that Theodosia Burr Alston disappeared at sea as she sailed from South Carolina to New York, and then later the fact that two white woman and one black man are found to be the only remaining residents on an island off North Carolina, the story is a fictional account...more
Theodosia Burr Alston disappeared mysteriously in 1812. There are theories that her ship was lured to its demise by evil Outer Bankers, who benefited from causing ships to wreck. My Hatteras Grandmother told me once that they would get excited when ships wrecked because it meant they would find useful things on the beach, like wood that could be used to build houses and boats, as well as food. She mentioned bananas. Though I doubt Theodosia had any on her boat.
This book (which does not claim to...more
This book (which does not claim to...more
I wanted to like this novel more than I did. I know I'm struggling with a book when I keep calculating how many more pages there are until the end and I feel compelled to finish it.
I think it would be interesting to read this book and also read Woolf's To the Lighthouse and do a compare / contrast study on the two. One could look at the relationships between men and women, between family members, between generations. Or perhaps study the ocean as a physical presence, forming another character, i...more
I think it would be interesting to read this book and also read Woolf's To the Lighthouse and do a compare / contrast study on the two. One could look at the relationships between men and women, between family members, between generations. Or perhaps study the ocean as a physical presence, forming another character, i...more
First, I must say that I received this book for free through a goodreads give away. So, I was excited for the book to arrive. The setting of coastal North Carolina is what initially drew me to this book-since I love the North Carolina coast. But, it took me three tries to get past the first chapter of the book and to continue reading. I feel like the idea of the book is a good one but the execution of actually interweaving these two stories is inconsistent. I found both the beginning and the end...more
MY READING EXPERIENCE:
I admit that I am obsessed with the Outer Banks of North Carolina, especially Ocracoke and Portsmouth. Reading The Watery Part of the World was irresistible for me. I carried the book with me for several days, finishing it quickly.
COMMENTS:
Michael Parker has taken threads of history, some of the few facts that are known, and woven them into whole cloth. The result is an historical fiction based loosely on Portsmouth Island, North Carolina, and the people who lived there.
...more
I admit that I am obsessed with the Outer Banks of North Carolina, especially Ocracoke and Portsmouth. Reading The Watery Part of the World was irresistible for me. I carried the book with me for several days, finishing it quickly.
COMMENTS:
Michael Parker has taken threads of history, some of the few facts that are known, and woven them into whole cloth. The result is an historical fiction based loosely on Portsmouth Island, North Carolina, and the people who lived there.
...more
May 14, 2011
Yasmin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fans of Michael Parker
Recommended to Yasmin by:
Beverly Jackson
I recently finished The Watery Part of the World...I initially picked up this book because of the synopsis...three folks left behind on an island off the coast of North Carolina...two elderly, white sisters and an elderly black gentlemen. Everyone else had either relocated (the living was hard--heavy, ravaging storms with hard rain and winds would do that to most anybody as well as the isolation of being cut off from the mainland and dare I say civilization) or died. I wanted to know what type o...more
Mar 18, 2011
Lisa
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who like Faulkner and Southern literature
Recommended to Lisa by:
This is an advanced copy from Valerie at Fountainhead Books
The Watery Places of the World is a beautiful, well characterized novel with a strong sense of place and purpose. If a classic is a book that "has something to say and says it well," then this book has those earmarks. The author's reflections on love, loss, and what draws people to one another and to a place are perceptive and wonderfully wrought. At first, I struggled a bit to hit my stride with the author's style. For some reason I found the syntax difficult to wrap my feeble mind around. Howe...more
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Disappointed after reading reviews--boo to NPR.
Parallel stories 150 years apart, in the same place, same families, similar white/black relations. Hardly a new narrative device, necessary to avoid climax/denouement of one story way ahead of the other, if you're going chronologically.
No matter, the main problem is the modern story, which took up ? 2/3 of the book (felt like a lot more). It was boring and predictable, none of the characters were well developed or particularly interesting, although...more
Parallel stories 150 years apart, in the same place, same families, similar white/black relations. Hardly a new narrative device, necessary to avoid climax/denouement of one story way ahead of the other, if you're going chronologically.
No matter, the main problem is the modern story, which took up ? 2/3 of the book (felt like a lot more). It was boring and predictable, none of the characters were well developed or particularly interesting, although...more
To me, The Watery Part of the World, set on North Carolina's Outer Banks, is the perfect book. I could go on and on with praise for Parker’s well-drawn characters and the way that setting serves as one, too; the lyricism and pacing of his lines to conjure the torrent of the rain and winds, of human emotions, the flatness of them, too; and the depths to which the story mines the contrariness and secrets of the heart and mind, but I’ll stop here because you best read this novel about Aaron Burr's...more
Based on the recommendations and reviews, I really expected to love this book but instead I found it to be very disappointing. Based on the historical fact that Aaron Burr's daughter, wife of a Southern governor, was lost at sea in 1812, the novel imagines that she has survived on a remote and stormy outer banks island and goes on to live into old age. That part of the story, for the most part, is interesting and compelling. The parallel story, set on the same island in the 1950's -1970's, is th...more
I love Michael Park. No . . . wait . . . I LOVE Michael Parke. He's my favorite active American author. He wrote my favorite contemporary book "If You Want Me to Stay" which is spectacular, short and fun. Read it. This is not nearly that good, but all of the things Parker does well, he does well. Ultimately it doesn't culminate the way it does in "if You Want Me to Stay". He writes a lot about North Carolina and the surrounding area, he does it beautifully. He has this descriptive way about him...more
I won this book from firstreads. From the start, I found myself immersed in the book and in the character's lives. The story centers around two groups of people from two different time periods. The first is the daughter of vice president Aaron Burr, whose ship is attacked by pirates outside the outer banks of North Carolina. The second group are her decendants, who are the last to inhabit the island in the 1970's along with a lone black man. The book switches between time periods and point of vi...more
Torn between 2 and 3 stars for this one. I loved the setting, the sense of place, (there are some gorgeous descriptions in the book) and the tension in the relationships between people and nature, in a place where the landscape and elements can be both comforting & fierce. I also liked the author's examination of how the place shaped the people that lived there, their relationships to each other, and the issue of what bonds people (sometimes inexplicably) together, but also might hold them b...more
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| Wrong Author | 1 | 9 | Jun 18, 2012 02:16am |
MICHAEL PARKER is the author of five novels – Hello Down There, Towns Without Rivers, Virginia Lovers, If You Want Me To Stay, The Watery Part of the World and two collections of stories, The Geographical Cure and Don’t Make Me Stop Now. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in various journals including Five Points, the Georgia Review, The Idaho Review, the Washington Post, the New York Times...more
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Dec 14, 2011 03:54am
updated Dec 16, 2011 05:13am