The Water's Edge

By Virginia Bailey Parker

The Water’s Edge is the story of three families who struggle to carve out a new life for themselves in colonial Massachusetts. The tale unfolds in 1628 in the thriving city of London when the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 097034970X
• ISBN13: 9780970349705
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Snowy Creek Pr Llc
• Length: 366 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 0.8" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Historical fiction set in the 1600s

"The Water's Edge" is a historical novel set in the 1600's in England and the fledgling colonies of the New World. For those who enjoy a storyline that follows a family or group of families through their daily life this will be a great read. The book follows three families from England to the American colonies as they seek a better life. Using the vehicle of a historical novel Virginia Parker does a masterful job of showing the complex relationships between the Quakers, the Puritans, the Indians, profit seekers, and those whose primary purpose was religious conversion. The reader comes to understand the difficulties of life in the colonies and many of the problems and triumphs to be had there. Become a part of the families as you live their hopes, their dreams, and their realities. A well-done, recommended book for anyone who enjoys fiction based on historical events.

Fantastic Book

"The Water's Edge" was definitely one book I could not put down! I felt I knew these people and what they went through. Parker's descriptions of the ship, the crossing, the tending to different baking fires, were all incredibly interesting without getting bogged down with technical aspects. I especially enjoyed Mary Cooper, Abigail and Ruth (what wonderfully good, strong women), as well as watching young Ben's boyhood's dreams develop into reality. Her creative fiction set to the backdrop of historical facts, made for an exciting, interesting and informative tale. Like all great books, I hated to see it come to an end.

Excellent Reading

I have read the "The Water's Edge" written by Virginia Bailey Parker. It is an excellent story blending fiction with obvious historical information. Providing the family trees was a wonderful way to help keep and sort the cast of characters. Katherine, Mary, Abigail, and Ben were my favorite people. The book ended well, but too soon. I hope Virginia will write a sequel so I can find out where their lives took them. I passed the book along for others to read. I am hearing that they also have become enthralled with the book.

A Masterful Weaving

Place everything you need for personal survival within your reach before you open this book - because you won't be leaving the sofa until you've read the very last page. Masterfully woven, The Water's Edge brings the early days of Salem to life. This is the way History SHOULD be taught in schools, through the passion and courage of "the people" rather than droning lists of dates and laws. I read the entire volume in two days, unable to pull myself away - even ordered pizza for Sunday dinner so I wouldn't have to put it down to cook. My 76 year old mother read it the next weekend and was equally enthralled. I hope we don't have to wait 20 years for Virginia's next book, but even if it takes that long to write another as wonderful as The Water's Edge, I'll be first in line at the checkout counter.

The Water's Edge

Lovers of historical fiction, particularly stories of early colonial New England, should read The Water's Edge. The author has done a masterful job of blending serious research about the life and times of the era with a story that keeps the reader's attention throughout. One experiences the realities of medical practices of the times, the harsh experience of crossing the Atlantic and features of everyday life such as open hearth cooking. The characters of the three families whose stories are interwoven leave lasting images long after the book is closed.