The Water Dancers
A Novel
Terry Gamble
- A
- stunning
- debut
- novel
- from
- a
- new
- voice
- in
- literary
- fiction,
- set
- on
- Lake
- Michigan
- following
- World
- War
- II,
- The
- Water
- Dancers
- limns
- the
- divide
- between
- the
- worlds
- of
- the
- wealthy
- elite
- "summer
- people"
- and
- the
- poor
- native
- population
- who
- serve
- them–and
- what
- happens
- when
- those
- worlds
- collide.When
- Rachel
- Winnapee
- first
- comes
- to
- work
- at
- the
- March
- family
- summer
- home
- on
- vast
- and
- beautiful
- Lake
- Michigan,
- she
- quickly
- learns
- her
- place.
- Servants
- are
- seen
- and
- not
- heard
- as
- they
- bring
- the
- breakfast
- trays,
- wash
- and
- iron
- luxurious
- clothes,
- and
- serve
- gin
- and
- tonics
- to
- the
- wealthy
- family
- as
- they
- lounge
- on
- the
- deck
- playing
- bridge.
- Orphaned
- as
- a
- poverty–stricken
- young
- girl
- from
- the
- nearby
- band
- of
- Native
- Americans,
- Rachel
- is
- in
- awe
- of
- the
- Marches'
- glamorous
- life–and
- quite
- enamored
- of
- the
- family's
- son
- Woody.Rachel
- is
- soon
- assigned
- the
- task
- of
- caring
- for
- Woody,
- a
- young
- man
- whose
- life
- has
- been
- changed
- utterly
- by
- his
- experience
- as
- a
- soldier
- in
- WWII.
- The
- war
- has
- cost
- Woody
- not
- only
- his
- leg,
- but,
- worse,
- the
- older
- brother
- he
- loved
- and
- admired.
- Now
- back
- at
- home,
- Woody
- cannot
- bear
- to
- face
- the
- obligations
- of
- his
- future
- –
- especially
- when
- it
- comes
- to
- his
- bride–to–be
- Elizabeth.
- Woody
- finds
- himself
- drawn
- to
- Rachel,
- who
- is
- like
- no
- one
- he's
- ever
- known.
- The
- love
- affair
- that
- unites
- these
- two
- lost
- souls
- in
- this
- Great
- Gatsby–esque
- portrait
- of
- class
- division
- will
- alter
- the
- course
- of
- their
- lives
- in
- ways
- both
- heartbreaking
- and
- profound.This
- novel's
- richness
- is
- due,
- in
- part,
- to
- the
- author's
- memories
- of
- summers
- spent
- at
- her
- family's
- house
- on
- Lake
- Michigan,
- home
- to
- six
- generations
- of
- Gambles
- (as
- in
- Procter
- &
- Gamble).
- THE
- WATER
- DANCERS,
- told
- in
- a
- voice
- as
- clear
- and
- cool
- as
- lake
- water,
- is
- a
- luminescent
- tale
- of
- love,
- loss
- and
- redemption,
- and
- heralds
- the
- arrival
- of
- a
- remarkable
- new talent.
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