Young, sea-loving Lily (nee Harriette) is aptly nicknamed after a floating flower. A Bajan high school drop-out, she subsists passively in her grandmother's house at the sufferance of a stern, fundamentalist task-mistress, one who malignly sees in Lily her lost, promiscuous, "wutless" mother. Adrift, born into an "island paradise" which offers few choices to her kind, she must nevertheless identify, then gain the grit and spiritual wherewithal to make them, if she's to escape an out-of-control life of serial beatings at the hands of her first "man", the charismatic, brutal, and finally murderous Goldie (Colvin) Edwards. Through the counsel of her appalled friend Sophie and the wisdoms of a pair of beach Rastas encountered beside her beloved Caribbean, she slowly learns not only that she is, indeed, a lovely flower, but The Rock she must leave via the freedom of primal yet navigable waters, has been the stumbling block set before an unloved female self. With a brilliant ear for both dialogue and dialect, and a great gift for ensemble scenes, Canadian-Bajan novelist Nicole Blades plants us firmly on the soil, not of the tourists', but of the natives' contemporary Caribbean.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Nicole Blades was born and raised in Montreal. Her interest in journalism developed at York, where she contributed to the University’s newspaper. After graduating in 1994 with a BA in Mass Communications and a BA in Psychology, she moved to New York City and worked at Essence magazine.In 1997, Nicole relocated to Barbados and worked as a features writer and editor for the Nation. Nicole went on to be president and co-founder of the San Francisco-based, online women’s magazine SheNetworks. Later, she became an editor at sports giant ESPN, in New York, where she was instrumental in launching ESPN.com’s lifestyle section.Nicole is currently working on a collection of short stories. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband, Scott.
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More About the Author
Nicole Blades is a novelist, journalist and storyteller. She's also the mother of perhaps the most delightful little boy on this spinning globe. Blades lives in New Jersey with her husband and their son.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Top Pick,
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This review is from: Earth's Waters (Paperback)
Earth's Waters by Nicole Blades is a very moving book that this avid and picky reader would definitely pick.
The first pleasure is the pitch perfect dialect. I was living smack dab in the center of Barbados from first page to last. Next came the beautifully drawn characters, all complex and intriguing. Finally, there was the inspirational story of a downtrodden yet sweetly hopeful young lady coming into her own. A special bonus: anyone reading this will gain an understanding of the extreme difficulties Caribbean immigrants may have experienced growing up. Hopefully this understanding will result in greater empathy and kindness towards them.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a debut!,
This review is from: Earth's Waters (Paperback)
After attending a book reading by the author, I began reading Earth's Waters with high hopes. My expectations were far exceeded. On the surface, I prepared to have very little in common with the main character, Lilly. But by chapter five, I related so well to her, and I believe every woman who's struggled with finding her identity will discover the same. A great, fast read and a perfect gift any woman in your life.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A heartfelt first novel everyone can relate to,
By
This review is from: Earth's Waters (Paperback)
My sister suggested I read Earth's Waters. I figured, a coming of age novel about a young woman having relationship troubles (romantic, friends and family) ... umm, sounds like a chick book. It didn't take long after flipping open the cover to realize that was a gross mischaracterization. EW is richly written, and the author is an architect of scenes and characters. You start to care deeply about the main character Lilly right off the bat, before she even knows how to care about herself, and by the end you love her and pull for her like family. As a guy, I can say with certainty, this is no chick book. EW is a human book. I'd recommend it to anybody.
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