Deepwater [Mass Market Paperback]

Pamela Neal Jekel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1995

An early American family is seen through the eyes of its women, including Tess, who pursues dreams in a new world, Della, who triumphantly emerges from the Revolution, and Seleta, who struggles to save her son during the Civil War. Reprint. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Relating the story of four generations of an American family living in and around the Cape Fear Valley in North Carolina, Jekel ( Bayou ; Columbia ) gives primary attention to the strong Southern women who have been responsible for maintaining the ties of love among family members. From the birth of Virginia Dare in the first colonial settlement on Roanoke Island to the life of Quaker educator and abolitionist Laurel Chapman during and after the Civil War, this sweeping saga utilizes an impressive amount of well-documented historical material (there's a bibliography) emphasizing the role that the Carolinas have played in American history. Jekel counterpoints such public events as John Culpepper's defiance of the king's Duty Acts a century before the Boston Tea Party with her female characters' private meditations on sex, marriage, infidelity and family. While these emotional, personal perspectives on history sometimes border on the melodramatic, Jekel suggests that many of those situations (children hovering on the edge of mortal illness, for example) were frequent concerns in earlier times. Compelling characters, situations and settings make this Jekel's best book to date.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

An award-winning historical novelist with a national best seller to her credit ( Sea Star , Harmony: Crown, 1983) here presents not so much a novel as a prolog and three linked novellas exploring North Carolina history from 1587 through Reconstruction. The link is a family of heroines descended from Leah Hancock; the women, while not necessarily likable, are courageous, decisive, and tested by cataclysms. Historical fact seems to be accurately portrayed, and the section set during the Revolutionary War powerfully conveys the characters' outrage against their king. While not top-drawer historical fiction, this book boasts strong characterizations and relationships among women; it compares well with any of Michener's second-level novels.
- Marylaine Block, St. Ambrose Univ. Lib., Davenport, Ia.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Zebra (February 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821748289
• ISBN-13: 978-0821748282
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,030,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historical fiction well done, May 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Deepwater (Mass Market Paperback)

As a librarian and avid reader of southern historical novels, I appreciated the research behind this novel, including a wonderful bibliography (unheard of in most fiction) at the end of the book for further reading. I would recommend the author's books to any reader interested in well-researched historical fiction. The interwoven vignettes are appropriately placed and lend an interesting sidebar to the story.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great History Lesson, April 3, 2002

By 

Larry G. Lunsford (Avila Beach, Ca. United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deepwater: A Novel of the Carolinas (Hardcover)

Pamela Jekel has an amazing way of telling a story. A thoroughly delightful read. She has the talent to actually place the reader at the scene. A great way to take an inexpensive trip.
Her style is much like Michener's. Extensive research and a story worth telling, and she tells it better than anyone. A must read novel.

2.0 out of 5 stars Lost its steam for the final third, June 26, 2002

By 

Samantha W. Mckevitt "longislandgirl" (Dix Hills, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deepwater (Mass Market Paperback)

I agree with the other reviewers who enjoyed the historical aspect of this book. I did learn a great deal about the tidal water region of the Carlinas. I liked how the book was divided into thirds. I found the early settlement and revolutionary war eras the most interesting to read. The women in these sections were passionate about their cause and facsinating characters.

For me the book fell apart with the final section- The Civil War era. This surprised me baecause I love to study this time period. I felt that the third story was rushed and simply borrowed parts from the other two with out true character development.

It really bothered me that the back of the book mentions the third women- Seleta. Well the third heroine was Laurel (Seleta's mother). This is so minor, yet I feel the publisher should have caught this.

I found the interspersed history lessons interesting and helpful, but the descriptions of native fauna got a little tiresome. All in all, a partially good book