Skywater [Hardcover]

Melinda Worth Popham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1990

This spare and affecting novel has the precision and the stinging sweetness of a fable... a wonderful book.Thomas McGuane Evoking a rich sense of place and animal behavior, (Popham) lets us see through very different eyes.The Seattle Times A parable of making the best of a world short of everything. The people and the creatures of Pophams fable are right, they belong, and they mean.Wallace Stegner Refreshing... life-affirming... the first book Ive read in a long time that left me with teary eyes at the end.The San Diego Tribune

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A band of coyotes in the southwestern Sonora desert are an important part of the life of the Ryders, a crusty old couple who have lived simply in the desert for more than 40 years. In this captivating exploration of coyote life by an author obviously well-researched in their ways, the characters--human and animal--interact in a credible, unsentimental narrative that portrays the delicate peril of our ecological systems. In an appropriately spare, ascetic style, we encounter the Ryders, self-made isolates nearing the close of their long escape from civilization in the desert. The coyotes, who share the Ryders' drinking water until it becomes tainted by a nearby copper mine, are forced to embark upon a search for a fresh supply. The animals' arduous westward journey down the Colorado River to the Gulf suggests a coyote world view that is subtly sustained by their mysterious ways.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-- In this wonderfully written fable, the distasteful coyote is a creature of great strength and intelligence. When the well on the property of old Hallie and Albert Ryder becomes poisoned from mine tailings, the desert animals lose their watering place. As a result of this catastrophe, the coyote--whom Hallie calls Brand X--decides to seek Skywater, the mythical watering place of the moon-callers. This poetic story, told from the viewpoint of the animals, details the trek across the Sonoran Desert by the maverick band of coyotes. Readers are led on a quest "to heed an ancient yearning for the time when water had been bountiful and thirst unknown . . . " This seemingly harsh adventure is told in a moving, quiet manner, and YAs are sure to find it fascinating food for thought. --Donna R. Deibel, Fairfax County Public Schools,
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Graywolf Pr; First Edition edition (April 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155597127X
• ISBN-13: 978-1555971274
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,077,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Epic Fable, November 15, 1999

By 

"smiskow" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Skywater (Hardcover)

On the surface, we have a small bunch of coyotes searching for water. But between the lines, we have a hero's odyssey. The perseverence and struggles of our hero, Brand X, evokes strong emotions. Truly, these little beasts are the most human characters you'll ever find. I mean, what could be more human than the quest to find oneself?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for any animal lover!, March 18, 2006

By 

Sandy Susa (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Skywater (Paperback)

I originally read this book in the early 1990's when I borrowed it from the library. I was living in Phoenix at the time, so the Sonoran desert setting was interesting. As an animal lover, this book is memorable. So much so, that when I recently took a trip back to Phoenix, as my boyfriend and I were hiking through the Superstition Mountains, I began to tell him about this book. (15 years after reading it!!) I vividly remember the way the author described how the coyote pawed at the desert floor, seeking water. I remember the coyote looking at the "sliver of moon", reminding him of his mother. Outstanding read, Ms. Popham. When I returned from the trip, I began the quest to find it again! I probably read in excess of 50 books a year...this is one book I will treasure in anticipation to share with my children.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What the other guy said- TEAR-JERKER!, September 17, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Skywater (Mass Market Paperback)

I didn't read this book until years after I bought it because I hadn't expected it to be so good... Boy, was I wrong! I gaurantee you this book will make you cry. I mean, poor Boyardee...! (read the book)