19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Visions of mermaids in Weeki Wachee, August 2, 2007
This review is from: Swim to Me: A Novel (Hardcover)
What a delight this book is! I was transported to the muggy sweltering landscape of Weeki Wachee Springs near Tampa FL by Carter's descriptions of mermaid life. The story of young Delores Walker's transformation into the star mermaid, Delores Taurus, is inspirational. Her decaying life in the Bronx in the early 70's leaves her hopeless and yearning for more. Remembering one very happy moment in her childhood while visiting "the only live mermaid show in the world", she decides to leave her needy mother and little brother to pursue her dream of becoming a mermaid herself. Carter draws us in with exotic characters, each with their own story of how they came to Weeki Wachee, and why they are still there. Little snippets of history come through to remind us of the period (Buicks were big, Nixon was in office), and several references to the just opened Disney World in Orlando point out how different our perceptions of fantasy and reality can be. [...] for a fascinating peek at this institution that has managed to survive in spite of America's shifting views on entertainment. And read this book - you may want to become a mermaid yourself.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Set in the early 1970s, October 30, 2007
This review is from: Swim to Me: A Novel (Hardcover)
With an engaging premise and a spunky teenaged main character like Delores, I hoped this title would appeal to high school students, but it doesn't pass muster. Perhaps some adult readers would enjoy the walk down memory lane with nostalgic references that abound from the 60s and 70s including Danny Kaye songs, the NY Yankees, Dairy Queen and popular Florida tourist attractions. Unfortunately, not all the history is correct. In the story Disney World in Orlando has just opened which places the story in 1971 or 1972, but there's a mention of Walt Disney walking into a conference room. Mr. Disney passed away in 1966. Besides historical inaccuracies, the story line is only a notch above average so it isn't a book I would highly recommend.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Book With "Can't Put Down Appeal", January 20, 2008
This review is from: Swim to Me: A Novel (Hardcover)
"She was two years old when her mother dropped her into the shallow end of a lake...Delores Walker always claimed she had a vivid memory of this incident...Her body moved with the flow of it, the most natural thing in the world. From then on, the water was where Delores felt most at home." Thus begins the story of Delores Walker, a young girl from New York who leaves home to follow a dream.
On a family vacation to Florida, Delores is introduced to the world of real live mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs. She knows right away that this is what she wants to do with her life. But the realities of her dysfunctional family make the realization of that dream seem impossible until the day Delores discovers a stash of gold coins left behind by her estranged father. Using some of the coins to fund her trip to Florida, Delores sets out to join the ranks of the Weeki Wachee mermaids.
Carter has crafted a cast of characters who are as charming as they are eccentric. What gives this book its "just can't put it down" appeal is the way in which Carter intersects the lives (both past and present) of the girls of Weeki Wachee, a newsroom manager from nearby Tampa, the dysfunctional family members from the Bronx, and Thelma Foote, who runs the Weeki Wachee Springs Mermaid attraction.
With careful attention to detail, Carter has incorporated some of the very real attractions and issues of central Florida during the 1970s. There are the rumbles of the economical impact of Walt Disney World on other nearby, smaller attractions. There is the strong desire to preserve the heritage of the area in such endeavors as the Mermaids of Weeki Wachee and the home base for circus acts, even a hurricane threatening the Tampa Bay area of the western gulf coast. Readers are treated to delightful characters, the power of keeping dreams alive, the real possibility of hopes come true, and the importance of friends and family.
by Lee Ambrose
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
