Children of the Waters: A Novel

Thoroughly enjoyed it!

I was already a fan of Carleen Brice after Orange Mint and Honey. This book reaffirmed that. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I didn't want to put it down as I was so interested in finding out "what happens next" to Trish and Billie. The characters and the dialogue were real and the development of the story was perfectly paced for me. It was a quick read, but the story wasn't light by any means. I laughed, cried and at points disliked the characters--e.g. Nick and Will (they do redeem themselves by the end). By the end of the book, I felt like these were people I could know. The interview with Ms. Brice at the end was especially enlightening as to how the story/characters were developed.

Foreseeable Future,

Trish Taylor has been finding puzzle pieces every place she goes. She'd like to believe it was a coincidence, but the fact that her grandmother loved to work puzzles has her wondering if maybe Nana is trying to connect with her from beyond the grave. Still settling back into Colorado, her hometown, after a divorce with a teenage son, Will, a house full of dogs and a job she loves working for people she hates, Trish is more than certain her imagination has gotten away from her.

Billie Cousins is going to have a baby. Excited, she immediately becomes concerned with how her man, Nick, will feel once he finds out. With the recent death of his dad, Nick has become more withdrawn from their relationship. A gentle soul, Billie believes that her ancestors help to guide her path. She refuses to believe that Nick will feel anything but joy about their impending delivery.

When Trish finally decides to put the pieces together, it quickly unravels and so does a life filled with untold truths. Her mother and sister didn`t die from a car wreck. What`s worse is her little sister didn`t die. When she learns the identity of her sister, she`s ready to charge right in and claim the family that she`s always longed for.

Unbeknownst to Billie, she`s adopted. While she often wondered why she didn't favor her parents, she was blessed with love and security. When her parents explain to her that she was not only adopted, but her mother was white, Billie's life hits a brick wall.

Opened arms and ready to blend their lives together, Trish can't understand why Billie is so standoffish and unwilling to at least try. The more the two get to know one another they both learn tidbits about race, love, religion, relations and death. Can they learn to be sisters, despite the skin color, in the process?

`Children of the Waters' is an impressive read. It tackles race as well as religion present day. I'm quickly becoming a fan of Carleen Brice and would easily recommend this moving story to all.


Reviewed by: Crystal

I enjoyed the book, liked the characters and loved the capacity of the human spirit for growth and forgiveness.

There are many intriguing elements to Children of the Waters. The author does an excellent job of encapsulating the dynamics of adoption, bi-racial marriage, bi-racial children, and family secrets. The story is well written and believable, although tragic. From the onset you care about what happens to the characters. The characters discover their inner strength; establish new familial boundaries and expectations in order to deal with some tough issues. However, most interesting is the way the author discusses Christianity. It is hard to envision that a mother would "fear" her son's acceptance of Christ in his life, like you fear a child hanging with the "wrong" crowd. The notion was a surprise and very thought provoking. Much like Orange Mint & Honey, I enjoyed the book, liked the characters and loved the capacity of the human spirit for growth and forgiveness.

Children of the Waters

Children of the Waters was an interesting read for me as I don't really like themes of abandonment but I found myself caught up in the story if for no other reason to see the outcome of the characters Carleen Brice so brilliantly created and wrote about. I was most interested in the character named Billie who had for me the most to deal with in the story. Billie has lupus and is in LOVE with Nick who has his own demons to deal with that affect the relationship in ways that almost had me turning to the end to see what and how they were going to deal with it. Several issues crop up for Billie and the way Carleen writes the story, I'm sure you'll be rooting for her as I was. Carleen has done it again with a story that has real life themes that keep you turning the pages just like I did when reading Orange Mint and Honey. I look forward to the next book by this author who is now one of my favorites.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.