Customer Reviews

Skywater

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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?

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.

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)

I first read this book in the mid '90's, after checking it out from the library. I know own 3 copies of it, and have given it to many friends as a gift. I first camped at Kofa Nat'l Wildlife Refuge in 1990 and return at least once a year. What a joy to find a book that details all the wonders of this magical place. I have read Skywater more times than I can count, and ALWAYS laugh and cry, each and every time! I highly recommend this book to all people searching for a moving story of love, courage and adventure.

This is one great book. I would call it a realistic fantasy as the coyotes are probably doing more "human" like thinking than in real life. It was well worth my time reading it.

Popham's writing style is crisp, clean, and beautiful. Every word on the page is absolutely necessary - nothing is wasted. In one particularly exciting section, I found myself wanting to read faster - to skim through it - but I didn't dare! I would have missed too much. Even if you think you don't like coyotes, this book is well worth reading. It's not a "talking dog" story, but rather one in which the characters - both canine and human - come to life.

What a treasure this book is! Closely echoing experiences mentioned by others above, I found this book in the library in the 1990s, loved it, gradually forgot about it...and then was haunted by it recently and decided I must buy a copy.

(But what was its title exactly...? That became a problem. Amazon y'all, would it be possible to tweak your search engine logic so that the incorrect spelling "Sky Water" with a space would get a HIT, and so on for other such cases? I started with this website, couldn't find it, went out to the website of a competitor and found it listed there, even though I had remembered it incorrectly as "Sky Water". And only then, when I had been reminded of the correct spelling, "Skywater", was I able to bring it up on this website. And I decided to buy it here because I have always been impressed by the amazon website interface -- generally -- this one search engine peccadillo aside.)

As an avid reader, I read this book over ten years ago and it still ranks as one of my favorite. I think of it often. It is a lovely and brilliant book.

This book is the bomb! Melinda Worth Popham is the greatest author in the world, she keeps the story rooling at a great rate.