Customer Reviews

Meeting of the Waters: A Novel

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This exquisite and richly drawn story provides a realistic and moving account of the challenges that a black woman and white man face when they try to forge a romantic relationship: one that isn't always accepted by society, one that is even sometimes questioned in their own minds.

Lee is an African-American journalist from Baltimore. Intelligent, independent, and attractive, she witnesses the thrashing that Porter, a white reporter, gets from revelers while he's trying to cover the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. Lee steps in, rescuing him from further harm. Porter never forgets her, wants to see her again. When Lee applies for and gets offered another job in Philadelphia, at the same newspaper in which Porter is employed, he is elated to again cross paths with a woman who not only rescued him, but who subsequently amazes and charms him. With persistence he becomes a friend, then a lover. And with time, Porter examines his motivations for loving a black woman like Lee, a love that he justifies, a love that torments him.

Meeting of the Waters is a pure joy to read. At times funny and reflective, it is the consummate novel, one that provides a balanced viewpoint from both white and black perspectives. The characters are living, breathing, fascinating and passionate. Lee's love for Porter and vice versa is believable, and no matter how hard you might be tempted to frown upon their relationship, just because, you cannot. The author's style is conventional yet has a certain rhythm, a hard softness that gives the reader a delicious journey they'll want to savor. And the conclusion? Perfect, not fairy tale, not predictable, but a satisfactory conclusion to a superb and commendable story.

probably the truest book i've ever read about interracial relationships. mcclarin, through her characters, expresses her thoughts on the subject with honesty and clarity. Porter and Lee meet during the l.a. riots when lee saves his life. porter rediscovers her at a newspaper in philadelphia. he can't seem to get this woman out of his head, so he goes after her. lee is the tough, independent, intelligent black woman who has kept men at arm's length in her relationships. she has never even thought of dating a white man until....

both characters are dynamic and the prose is sterling. we see them come together, fall in love, discover their insecurities, hangups and prejudices. lee was honest; it bothered her to see black men dating white women, but she lowered her defenses to let porter into her life. i would have to disagree with mcclarin: i don't think black women and white men catch as much hell for being together as white women and black men

of course, porter and lee get the usual opposition, " the guess who's coming to dinner type scenes." I like porter because he didn't come off as some white liberal saint; he had issues, he wasn't perfect, but he worked through them. love doesn't conquer everything, but it brought porter and lee togethe

I purchased this book after reading the reviews from other customers. It was not a slow read as some customers felt, in fact quite the oppposite. I liked the character Porter. He knew what he wanted, (which was the character Lee) and pursued it. Nothing wrong with being wooed. However, the character Lee in my opinion, came off as a narrow-minded, but educated black woman. Her constant tests throughout the book that she makes Porter go through would drive any man insane. To be honest, most black men would have kicked her to the curb from the get go. As a black woman myself, I know what it feels like to date another member outside of my race and think about the repercussions that are going to follow. But, if you let the differences consume you, allowing it be a constant reminder that your heritage is different, amongst other things, you end up making yourself and your partner miserable, not allowing yourself to enjoy the relationship and the great feeling it is to have a partner. This is exactly what happened with Porter and Lee. But the fact that one character is obsessed with their racial differences, and how her close friends and family would feel, is in fact a big problem that mixed couples face in real life. The book is realistic, and at the reasonable price that Amazon is selling it for, you really can't go wrong. I would like to read Ms McLarin's other book, "Taming It Down".

Interracial unions are oftentimes sugar coated in the world of fiction. Two people meet, fall in love, and never have any real problems. No one seems to notice their differences. Not! In the real world these individuals will more than likely have to "deal" with the world.

That's where similarities between this novel and others end. In Meeting of the Waters you have two reporters, Lenora (black female) and Porter (white male), who meet and fall in love, or not. You see, they both have some reservations about starting up anything at some point or another. After Lenora saves the life of Porter(literally) he is smittened. He can't stop thinking about her. He's somewhat at a loss because she temporarily disappears from his life. So, as fate would have it, Lee (Lenora) winds up moving to the same town in which he resides, and working right alongside him.

Lenora goes out of her way to resist Porter's advances because she would never date outside of her race. Porter, on the other hand, doesn't see color, or so he thinks. When Lee finally gives in to him, they begin an intense relationship. Porter soon becomes frustrated with Lee's constant references to race. The subject of race has taken up every aspect of their lives, something of which Porter is not use to. He's never really had to confront it. So for what may be the first time in his life he is forced to realize he wasn't above ignorance. He couldn't admit he was in denial. (I guess in actuality it made him feel better not admitting his own foibles). Once Lenora finally decides to put race behind her and just accept his love, Porter himself begins to question his on beliefs and prejudices. McLaurin does a great job in mentioning the "unmentionables" (things about which we shouldn't discuss).

That's one of the reasons why I enjoyed the book. The author does a pretty good job in dealing with some really tough issues that people refuse to address. And, I enjoyed the fact that she allowed Porter to do a great deal of soul-searching during this particular time in his life. Each person in the relationship had to ask him or herself why they were with the other person. The answers weren't so easy.

The beginning of the book was a little slow for my taste. And although I was pleased with the ending, I expected a little more. Overall, I would definitely recommend the book. I can't wait to find out what other novels McLarin has written.

Lee, an African American female, and Porter, a Caucasian male, meet while reporting in the midst of the LA riots where she selflessly saves his life. He is instantly smitten by her beauty and attracted to her strong, self-assured personality. They meet again in Philadelphia when Lee joins his newspaper's staff. He pursues her relentlessly and she reluctantly succumbs to his advances and they fall in love.

Although I thought the story started rather slowly, McLarin makes up for the sluggish start by expertly developing the leads of the story into believable and amiable characters. She also really delivers with the presentation of the couple's individual and collective issues surrounding interracial relationships. We learn about each character's upbringing and how that shapes and influences their perspectives on racism, politics, and dating. McLarin kept the story "real" by injecting some very practical scenarios in which Lee and Porter are allowed be human; their fears, frustrations, and prejudices are revealed. We see that they are not perfect. In addition to societal pressures regarding interracial dating, they experience internal conflict and lukewarm reception from family members and close friends.

As I read "Meeting of the Waters", I couldn't help but wonder if it was a semi-autobiographical story because the innermost thoughts and actions of the characters seemed so real. I enjoyed the novel and will add Ms. McLarin's first novel to my "to read" book list.

This novel is so far the best I have read on the subject of race relations and interracial romance. Some critics of interracial romance genre gripe about how the white male characters come off too eager to be with the black woman, who in turn, does not trust the relationship wholeheartedly until she is romanced in a such a fantastic way that it comes off unrealistic. McLarin does not spin this type of fairytale into the romance of Lee and Porter. It is honest, at times, brutal, about the reality of race and how it affects an interracial couple.

Ms. McLarin has such a smooth, lyrical way of writing that the language comes off in a beautiful, bittersweet way. It reflects the dilemma the characters are facing w/their love for each other and the demons they are wrestling inside of themselves. A tender, beautiful read. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read an intelligent, honest account of interracial romance that goes beyond "jungle fever".

Black and white always make gray. This is the first thing that came to my mind after I read Meeting of the Waters by Kim McLarin.

Lee, an African American journalist who is very much aware of who she is and her role as an African American, and Porter, a White journalist who lives his life with not a thought of race, come to a place in the midst of racial violence only to find themselves in something much deeper than either expected.

When Lee saves Porter, from being beaten to death in the Los Angeles riots, she has no idea that she would meet him again. When she takes a job offer in Philadelphia she finds herself face to face with this man she risked her life for. Porter, who wondered about the woman who saved his life, thinks he is seeing things when he sees her in his city 3000 miles away from their initial encounter. When he finds out that they are working at the same newspaper he is compelled to thank her again, however upon meeting her for a second time he finds that he has more of a personal interest. Pursuing a relationship with Lee, and finally breaking through her barriers, they find that the only thing that can really stand between them and happiness is the color of their skin. Both,Lee and Porter, are introduced to the murky waters of societal perceptions and they are forced to see if their love can withstand the waves.

Ms. McLarin has unmistakably captured a microcosm of race relations in this very well written story of the open taboo of interracial relationships. She is very effective in allowing her reader to see that even in loving each other there are some obstacles that may or may not be overcome. Her ability to create situations and capture their subtleties was superb. This book reads like a boat drifting on restless waves and most assuredly of a storm. I read this in one sitting. My only problem was that I believe that certain behaviors did not ring true to the nature of the characters were written.

My true rating of this book is a 3.5 and I most assuredly would read another book written by this author.

Kotanya
APOOO bookclub

I truly enjoyed this novel, even though I generally prefer non-fiction to fiction reading. The story takes place in the context of recent events that defined racial and cultural lines for many americans (the Rodney King incident and its aftermath), and the characterization of this powerful relationship between a white man and an african-american woman feels very real. They each demonstrate their humanity and as a couple they struggle with not only differences in their backgrounds but also the extent to which they SHOULD struggle with them. The writing is clean and without pretense and allows the reader to think through and decide for him/herself what to think about the issues described. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of reading this fine work over the last two weeks, and like many good works, it also provoked me to think about broader issues. I look forward to reading Kim McLarin's other work!

Kim McLarin introduces us to Porter Stockman and Lenora (Lee) Page. Porter and Lee meet in Los Angeles on the day of the Rodney King verdicts. Porter, a white journalist from Philadelphia is at the center of what is to become oneof the most infamous days in history.....the Los Angeles Riots. He is trying to get the story for his newspaper and ends up getting beaten. Lenora, who is also a journalist saves him from his attackers. She helps him to safety and then just as is she was never there....she disappears.

Fast forward a few monhs later....Lee decides to take a position at a Philadelphia newspaper....the same newspaper where Porter works. Porter is smitten with Lee and pursues her relentlessly. Lee, who has never crossed the color barrier is at first put off...doesn't want to go there. After some time Porter begins to win her heart and the romance begins.

Kim McLarin writes a very thought provoking and true to life story. I enjoyed the storyline and am looking forward to reading more from Kim McLarin in the future.

Ms. McLarin has written one of the few novels that I've read about an extremely tough subject: Interracial relationships. She has done so with honesty and insight. Of course, our protaganists are both imperfect members of the human race who are trying to get through life with the least amount of acrimony. Nevertheless, they invite reprocussions by crossing the color barrier to date each other and even become engaged to be married. And Ms. McLarin doesn't let them off easy. She explores and exposes every racial sterotype and theory from a historical as well as current day prospective. Only one other author that I've read, Sandra Kitt, in her novel, "The Color of Love," has succeeded in treating the subject of interracial dating with sensitivity and courage. The story was so compeling that I was truly sorry to reach the end of the novel.