Water Witches

by Chris Bohjalian

Book Overview

From the bestselling author of Midwives and The Flight Attendant, a comic and life affirming novel of the clash between progress and tradition, science and magic: "one of the most elegantly philosophical, urgent--yet somehow timeless--novels of these perilous times" (Howard Norman, National Book Award finalist for The Bird Artist).

Vermont is drying up. The normally lush, green countryside is in the grip of...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684826127
• ISBN13: 9780684826127
• Release Date: April 1997
• Publisher: Touchstone Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.7" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Great Fiction, As Usual From Chris Bohjalian

Water Witches is an excellent tale, intertwining dowsing, environmental awareness and Grisham-ish legal twists! Bohjalian's books are invariably well-researched and full of interesting tidbits- and his characters never fail to be engaging and vivid. If you are a Jodi Picoult fan, check out Mr. Bohjalian; start with The Buffalo Soldier, The Double Bind, and Water Witches. You'll love him!

A Great Novel to Teach

Chris Bohjalian's Water Witches is an engaging and thought-provoking novel that keeps students interested and nurtures a deep fascination for the art of dowsing. Bohjalian's flair for capturing the heartbeat of small town America is unmatched. Not only did my students enjoy this novel, most of them finished it long before the due date (which is certainly rare). I taught this book in a college level humanities class, but it could easily be adapted to any classroom. In addition, the discussion questions offered in the back of the novel are fabulous springboards for essays and for a more in-depth analysis of some of the key themes present here. A five-star rating for this novel!

Beautifully written - a REAL story!!!

I found this book much more "realistic" than "Midwives" I could relate to it! In fact, I was caught between reality and the book while I was reading it on a recent June visit to my daughter's in VT!! I actually kept forgetting that VT was NOT experiencing a drought while I was visiting!! Caught myself turning off the water while brushing my teeth, looking at the Winooski River for low levels, and observing the countryside in general for signs of "drought"!!Chris Bohjalian is a master story teller in a "kinder and gentler" way!! His beautiful descriptions of the VT countryside, the numerous SMALL towns, and the life these people lead are exactly what I have encountered on my numerous visits to the state! But the really compelling story he tells is of the encroachment of business, homes, development on our beatiful and old New England towns. I live in one of these in CT. We have no beautiful catamounts as in Bohjalian's story, but the deer and bear in our area are being squeezed out by development! This is the case in a lot of New England. I could certainly relate to this story, but even people in inner-cities would certainly hate to see what little is left of our beautiful "country" destroyed! Where would they go on weekends to get OUT of the city? Bravo, Chris, for a beautiful story!!!!

Dowsing for a great read?

Chris Bohjalian's book, Water Witches, is a fascinating study of one Vermont family. Laura and her daughter Miranda are "water witches" - they are able to use rods, and their intuition, to advise people where to place wells so as to have clear, drinkable water in their homes. Laura's sister is also a dowser - however her power extends beyond water, and she is able to find lost items and people. Scottie is married to Laura. After moving to Vermont, he took the highest-paid job he could find, as a lobbyist for the ski industry. While he has built a name for himself, this job has pitted him against environmental activists. However, Scottie finds himself in a bind when his current employer, Powder Peak, wants to build new trails and tap a depleted river for water to make snow. Scottie, however, becomes a reluctant convert to the environmentalists' point of view when he spies a catamount, an endangered Vermont mountain, where the ski resort was planning on placing the trails. He must wrestle with himself and his commitments to do the right thing.The ending of the story is incredibly powerful, and winds these two tales together with astonishing grace.Overall, this book is highly recommended for fans of Bohjalian's other books, including Midwives, and readers who are interested in the often delicate balance between environmental preservation and economic growth.

A fascinating look at an unusual family

After reading Midwives, Bohjalian's recent book, I went to see what other works of his were around. I was glad to find Water Witches. Its portrait of family, storyline, and setting were all wonderful. It showed a Vermont that I had never imagined and made this Southern Californian all the more aware of the mystical qualities of water.