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menastarr's review
4.0
this was a required read in my creative writing class!
Wow. I mean, wow. Silver Water truly struck a chord in me. I have yet to cry over a book (mind you, I’ve read some pretty devastating books), but this story probably had me the closest to tears than any other literary work I have ever read. This is one of those stories you read and after finishing it, you just stare at a wall for a while. Silver Water is hauntingly beautiful, with a very melancholic mood. Its nostalgic atmosphere takes readers back to the memories with Violet and her sister Rose. I think it portrayed how poorly the American healthcare system handles mental health crises, which is still a relatively prevalent issue presently. What I found to be an intriguing literary choice was that Amy Bloom chose to utilize Violet’s perspective rather than Rose’s, the character experiencing the psychosis firsthand. It shines a light on what it feels like to experience a loved one grappling with a mental illness, which definitely needed to be brought to the table. Another concept I think Bloom portrayed exceptionally well is with therapists; how the way a family chooses to cope may come off as abnormal or unhealthy (which it very much could be) to someone on the outside looking in.
The author’s use of imagery was truly effective in the sense that it put you directly in the story with the characters very clearly, with a good image of what the scenes may look like in your head. Some examples of this are “...amidst a sea of beige, umber, cinnamon, and espresso faces…” and “...the stars were invisible and the sun was warming the air…”.
An abundance of figurative language was an additional concept present in Silver Water. It took readers beyond the literal aspects of the story in such a melancholic nature. This is shown in the following quotes: “My sister’s voice was like mountain water in a silver pitcher; the clear blue beauty of it cools you and lifts you up beyond your heat, beyond your body” and “...laid out their gold and silver voices and wove them together in strands as fine as silk, as strong as steel”.
Wow. I mean, wow. Silver Water truly struck a chord in me. I have yet to cry over a book (mind you, I’ve read some pretty devastating books), but this story probably had me the closest to tears than any other literary work I have ever read. This is one of those stories you read and after finishing it, you just stare at a wall for a while. Silver Water is hauntingly beautiful, with a very melancholic mood. Its nostalgic atmosphere takes readers back to the memories with Violet and her sister Rose. I think it portrayed how poorly the American healthcare system handles mental health crises, which is still a relatively prevalent issue presently. What I found to be an intriguing literary choice was that Amy Bloom chose to utilize Violet’s perspective rather than Rose’s, the character experiencing the psychosis firsthand. It shines a light on what it feels like to experience a loved one grappling with a mental illness, which definitely needed to be brought to the table. Another concept I think Bloom portrayed exceptionally well is with therapists; how the way a family chooses to cope may come off as abnormal or unhealthy (which it very much could be) to someone on the outside looking in.
The author’s use of imagery was truly effective in the sense that it put you directly in the story with the characters very clearly, with a good image of what the scenes may look like in your head. Some examples of this are “...amidst a sea of beige, umber, cinnamon, and espresso faces…” and “...the stars were invisible and the sun was warming the air…”.
An abundance of figurative language was an additional concept present in Silver Water. It took readers beyond the literal aspects of the story in such a melancholic nature. This is shown in the following quotes: “My sister’s voice was like mountain water in a silver pitcher; the clear blue beauty of it cools you and lifts you up beyond your heat, beyond your body” and “...laid out their gold and silver voices and wove them together in strands as fine as silk, as strong as steel”.
libraryofstarrs's review
4.0
this was a required read in my creative writing class!
Wow. I mean, wow. Silver Water truly struck a chord in me. I have yet to cry over a book (mind you, I’ve read some pretty devastating books), but this story probably had me the closest to tears than any other literary work I have ever read. This is one of those stories you read and after finishing it, you just stare at a wall for a while. Silver Water is hauntingly beautiful, with a very melancholic mood. Its nostalgic atmosphere takes readers back to the memories with Violet and her sister Rose. I think it portrayed how poorly the American healthcare system handles mental health crises, which is still a relatively prevalent issue presently. What I found to be an intriguing literary choice was that Amy Bloom chose to utilize Violet’s perspective rather than Rose’s, the character experiencing the psychosis firsthand. It shines a light on what it feels like to experience a loved one grappling with a mental illness, which definitely needed to be brought to the table. Another concept I think Bloom portrayed exceptionally well is with therapists; how the way a family chooses to cope may come off as abnormal or unhealthy (which it very much could be) to someone on the outside looking in.
The author’s use of imagery was truly effective in the sense that it put you directly in the story with the characters very clearly, with a good image of what the scenes may look like in your head. Some examples of this are “...amidst a sea of beige, umber, cinnamon, and espresso faces…” and “...the stars were invisible and the sun was warming the air…”.
An abundance of figurative language was an additional concept present in Silver Water. It took readers beyond the literal aspects of the story in such a melancholic nature. This is shown in the following quotes: “My sister’s voice was like mountain water in a silver pitcher; the clear blue beauty of it cools you and lifts you up beyond your heat, beyond your body” and “...laid out their gold and silver voices and wove them together in strands as fine as silk, as strong as steel”.
Wow. I mean, wow. Silver Water truly struck a chord in me. I have yet to cry over a book (mind you, I’ve read some pretty devastating books), but this story probably had me the closest to tears than any other literary work I have ever read. This is one of those stories you read and after finishing it, you just stare at a wall for a while. Silver Water is hauntingly beautiful, with a very melancholic mood. Its nostalgic atmosphere takes readers back to the memories with Violet and her sister Rose. I think it portrayed how poorly the American healthcare system handles mental health crises, which is still a relatively prevalent issue presently. What I found to be an intriguing literary choice was that Amy Bloom chose to utilize Violet’s perspective rather than Rose’s, the character experiencing the psychosis firsthand. It shines a light on what it feels like to experience a loved one grappling with a mental illness, which definitely needed to be brought to the table. Another concept I think Bloom portrayed exceptionally well is with therapists; how the way a family chooses to cope may come off as abnormal or unhealthy (which it very much could be) to someone on the outside looking in.
The author’s use of imagery was truly effective in the sense that it put you directly in the story with the characters very clearly, with a good image of what the scenes may look like in your head. Some examples of this are “...amidst a sea of beige, umber, cinnamon, and espresso faces…” and “...the stars were invisible and the sun was warming the air…”.
An abundance of figurative language was an additional concept present in Silver Water. It took readers beyond the literal aspects of the story in such a melancholic nature. This is shown in the following quotes: “My sister’s voice was like mountain water in a silver pitcher; the clear blue beauty of it cools you and lifts you up beyond your heat, beyond your body” and “...laid out their gold and silver voices and wove them together in strands as fine as silk, as strong as steel”.
maddsjanep's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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