Body Is Water
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Book Overview
"Four generations of us had occupied this space, argued in it and inexplicably blighted each other's days in it, all while looking out at the ocean, crashing and advancing every year." Three months pregnant after a two-night stand, Jane Haus resigns her job teaching English to confront her ambivalence about having a baby. Drawn by an irresistible inner homing device, she returns to her childhood home on the New Jersey shore-to a gruff and eccentric father who spends his days in a room full of clocks; to her brilliant sister Bee, as efficiently organized as the summer is formless; to the blissfully hot privacy of an attic full of memories; to water. And in this chaotic season of growth Jane will try to piece together the puzzle of her family's history-searching for an understanding of the mother she never really knew...and reaching out for the solace only family can offer
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0380728400
ISBN13:9780380728404
Release Date:April 1997
Publisher:Avon Books
Length:308 Pages
Weight:0.46 lbs.
Dimensions:0.9" x 4.2" x 6.8"
Customer Reviews
4 ratings
Sad but gorgeous
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
If you don't like emotional books where the characters are sad and thoughtful, then this is not the book for you. Julie Schumacher tells the story here of a family that is doing it's best to love one another, but sometimes our best is simply not good enough. Schumacher is adept at naming these often unnameable problems of life in stunning prose that at times just tore me apart--and this is the highest praise. A wonderful book by a wonderful writer.
IN IT'S OWN CLASS AND THAT IS "FIRST"!!!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
A very mellow, well written book which keeps your attention, not due to suspense but for the mere pleasure of reading it. It is best described as "warm, witty and peopled by likable characters in ordinary circumstances. I enjoyed it the first time around, and the second, and the third! Looking forward to this type of book, by a very good author again. Sad to see it hasn't happened yet.
A thorougly warm reading experience.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
One of the most interesting and well developed characters in modern fiction. You needn't have anything in common with her or her family to like them, and know they ring true. Ms. Schumacher has a wit matched only by Nelson Demille in "The Gold Coast". This type of author does not write often enough.
a gentle read about a young woman struggling with her past
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
Set on the New Jersey shore, this easy reading book introduces the reader to a young woman who is about to become a unmarried mother. She is living with her father who was abusive to her as a child. She works through old and new feelings as she prepares for the birth of her child. The book is very gentle on the reader as well as on the main character. The supporting characters are also well developed. The story is realistic and engaging.
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