The Drowner

by Robert Drewe

Book Overview

Will Dance is the son of a drowner, a man who understands the secrets of irrigation. With actress Angelica Lloyd, whom he meets at the public baths, Will journeys to western Australia to work on the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312168217
• ISBN13: 9780312168216
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Wyatt Book
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Just short of terrific

I read "The Drowner" a couple of months ago, enjoyed it immensely, recommended it to my wife, and planned to write a glowing review. But, now, I have to think hard to remember it. As I think about it, details come back, and I smile remembering (what's a "drowner?", the idea of the aquaduct, that French guy!). A great book imprints itself, so one recalls it without effort, and this book isn't there. But it's a fine novel nonetheless, certainly much better than most of the bestselling tripe available -- it's just not quite as good as I'd hoped it would be."The Drowner" appears to be unavailable to the US audience today, and that's a shame. It's probably not worth a whole lot of effort to track down; but, if you run across a copy, it's worth picking up. Then, tell me I'm wrong.

I enjoyed this book immensly

I have read Robert drewe's work before,and this book is beautifully composed. I have actually taken the waters of Bath so it also brought back some happy memories.As a period piece,which is among my favorite's,it is informative,touching,and romantic,without being to sentimental.I loved the characters,especially Hammond even though he was a rogue,the characters they came across in Australia were wonderfull,a good cross section off imigrants to Australia,sensitive,touching,informative,I am looking forward to Robert Drewe's next book

An exquisite romance, similar to The English Patient

More of a stylised "romance" than a plot-driven novel. Drewe's evocative prose sustains an amazing unity of effect through water and desert imagery, using these as metaphors for the emotional, physical, and intellectual ways in which humans communicate (or fail to do so) under the stress of life's changes. The book's historical sensibility is similar to that of Ondaatje's _The English Patient_, as is the richly sensual language and psychology of the narrative as a whole.