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Summary: Fast-paced!!
Review: The book, Black Water, authored by Joyce Carol Oates, is fiction that closely resembles a real incident that involved the powerful, political Kennedy family. This story is about a young lady named Kelly, who found herself smittem with a popular senator. The two find themselves in a life threatening predicament, in which only one escapes, and one is left in the black water awaiting rescue. I feel that this book captures the true essence of what goes through the mind of someone that is drowning, as the character has flashbacks of her life, and thinks of what the future would hold if she survives. I found the book hard to follow for the first few chapters, and after re-reading it I decided that it was a fast-paced book that seemed unfinished and left the reader wondering what happened to the senator and any legal ramifications he may have encountered. The style in which this book is written is like none I have read before and I would recommend it to anyone that is interested in trying something different.
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Summary: American girls, politics, tragedy, deterrence.
Review: With her novel Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates has taken a sad occurrence in American political history, the Chappaquiddick incident, and explored it from the perspective that most of America and the media did not consider when the accident happened, that of the young woman who lost her life in the car crash. She then utilizes that perspective to put forth a compelling statement of the deterrent effect such an incident should have on other "American girls" who would follow in the footsteps of Mary Jo Kopenkney, whom Oates bases the main character, Kelly Kelleher, upon. The book's most striking feature is its unconventional structure. Though it is only 154 pages long, it is divided into 32 chapters, some of which are only a page long, and two parts. The chapters often repeat sections of the story over and over, adding a little more information or changing the perspective just a bit, until ultimately the reader receives a fully constructed picture of the incident and the preceding events. Oates chooses to delve deeply into the main character, Kelly Kelleher, and leave the would-be antagonist with just a vague descriptive title, The Senator. There are several reasons for this, among them a kind of ironic objectification of the political figure in a way similar to the media's treatment of Mary Jo Kopenkney, and to focus the reader's attention in such a way that he or she realizes that the identity of The Senator is not what is important. It is what he represents, a glossy, distinguished portrait of American political success that is most vital to Oates's thematic concerns. Oates is addressing the attraction that some young women in our society feel for that political success, and the resulting ways that cold and selfish men can manipulate that attraction. Black Water is a wake up call for those who would be Kelly Kelleher, an "American girl" who is led into a dangerous, even fatal, situation by letting herself be controlled by a man's esteem and political power. Oates wishes that those who would follow in Kelly's footsteps to see the incident as a deterrent, a warning, and she makes this absolutely clear with her inclusion of a detailed description of the death penalty in chapter 30. The death penalty is intended as a deterrent to would-be criminals, and Oates wishes Kelly Kelleher's "death penalty" to be seen in this way as well. The novel's prose style is simple and pristine. Oates leaves aside complicated, dense language in order to better communicate her thematic concerns. At times the structure can be a bit confusing because of the repetition, but the average reader should have little trouble. Its subject matter is somewhat dark in tone, but that is simply the nature of the theme, which inherently requires a grave and serious approach. With this novel, Oates has achieved an excellent balance of pleasurable reading with the exploration of a vital issue. I highly recommend this book to any reader, regardless of your favorite genre.
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Summary: Pure tension
Review: If you should describe the book in just one word, it would certainly be tension: The reader is immediately involved in a story depicting the tragedy of a young woman, Kelly Kelleher, who is fancied by an older but still powerful Senator. As the title already suggests the story does not come to a happy end as the Senator and Kelly have a car accident that leads to Kelly's death in the end. If you start reading this book, you won't put aside it until you have finished it.
Rating: 
Summary: An intriguing character study
Review: I have seen Joyce Carol Oates' novel "Black Water" described as a book about the Chappaquiddick incident. This may be misleading. Some historical perspective: In 1969, Senator Edward Kennedy was involved in a car accident which took the life of a young woman named Mary Jo Kopechne. Kennedy escaped the scene, but his behavior after the accident created a scandal which dogged him for years. "Black Water" is a work of fiction which certainly brings to mind the Chappaquiddick incident. It opens with Kelly Kelleher, a young woman, in the car with an unnamed older man who is a senator. The car crashes into the murky black water of the book's title. The book as a whole consists of the thoughts swirling through Kelly's mind as she is trapped in the submerged car. Kelly is certainly not Mary Jo Kopechne. For one thing, the time frame is all wrong. This book takes place in the early 1990s; Kelly has been a worker on Michael Dukakis' failed 1988 presidential campaign, and the Gulf War is mentioned. Still, the unnamed senator seems to be Kennedy. Thus, "Black Water" reads like a time-warped alternative history. The book functions well as a character study of Kelly, and (indirectly) of the senator. We learn of Kelly's conflict with her parents, her sexual anxieties, and other issues. Oates uses vivid sensory details to bring Kelly's plight in the car to life. At times her prose attains a sort of frenzied poetry. Recommended as companion texts: "Daisy Miller," by Henry James, and "Ariel," by Sylvia Plath.
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Summary: One Picture Can Say a Million Words
Review: I was startled when I finished reading Joyce Carol Oates Black Water. What I found so astonishing was that I remained completely captivated, my eyes literally glued to a book that focused on one brief scene for almost its entirety. The book never became mundane or repetitious even though the reader is continually thrust into the front seat of a car being devoured by the water of a lake. Every scene that brought me back to the doomed wrecked Honda became more and more thrilling, all through Oates' talented writing. My suspense continued even after I learned the fate of the characters, because I wanted there to be more. The story of Black Water is a fictionalized rendition of the Chappaquiddick story, following Kelly Keheller, an American, politically active, sexually attractive young woman who becomes enthralled with the political actions of a Senator whom she has the honor of meeting at a friend's party. Keheller takes the opportunity and becomes acquainted with the man who could possibly offer her political leverage; however, her strife for political success leads her into the passenger side of a Honda that will soon be on a collision course. I think this novel is one of the best examples of how any story can become captivating and beautiful simply through a writer's talent. Though this story is in itself intriguing, Oates' talent with language exemplifies it. Kelly Keheller comes to life through simply snatches of conversation between herself and the Senator, or her friends, and brief memories of past lovers or family get-togethers. Also, in this small but extremely dense novel, are the readers presented with the struggles of a woman who chooses to be active in political parties in America. Her continual determination and idealism made me want to fight for her while I read. I also felt a continual frustration with the earnestness behind Kelly's struggles and her continual feelings of failure. The strength of this novel is its compactness. Oates says in so few words what could take other authors 400 pages to explain. Every description and scene is crucial to the understanding of Kelly as a character. Even as scenes tend to repeat themselves, Oates finds a way to make each scene new and continually awe-inspiring. I can honestly say I've never read an entire novel before with so many reoccurring scenes that continued to interest me. I highly recommend this novel. Not only is it a fairly short read, but the writing is genuinely wonderful. The plot is engaging and Oates finds a way to make even an "American Myth" new and interesting. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a short yet enthralling read, as well as any avid writers, who want to learn how to make something new. Even within the first few chapters, all of which are short yet fascinating, can you see Oates' beautiful talent in taking one scene and recreating it for her readers over and over again until they understand every aspect, emotional and dramatically, yet without letting it lose its intensity.
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Summary: A True Look at Politicians
Review: People say this novel is about Ted and Mary Jo which is correct to a degree. However, it is also about the extraordinary efforts elected representitives will go to save their own hides when things go badly for them both privately and publicly. We saw that in 1969 and are seeing that now in regard to Iraq. Joyce Carol Oates is not only a great writer but also a woman who has enormous prescience and perception of the troubled world we live in.
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Summary: What if it were your daughter in the car?
Review: OK this is a hard book to read. You can read it in about an hour-it is short enough- but still, it isn't at all easy. The details of the horrifying last minutes of a young woman's life are repeated again and again -- like a refrain in a song. Sandwiched between these chilling moments of terror is the story of how she got there--in that car, filling with water, caught, the water slowly rising. And yes it is about Chappaquiddick --and no, it is not about the young woman's psychological development. It is about a senator who left her there, drowning, to die. The details about the young woman are backdrop that makes you realize she was a real person, with a real family, with real hopes and aspirations. This book is not about her except for the fact that, unexpectedly, her life was ended-because the Senator ran away-while she was left in the car, in the dark, waiting, while the water rose. To care about her you needed background about her life. So that story is told. But this character in the book could have been about any of us. Because what the book is about is the arrogance of power. Anyone of us might have gotten into that car, seduced by the allure of power. Any of us could have ended up being left there drowning. It isn't my preference to think about our famous Senator from Mass. as being the character in this story. But you'd have to be dishonest to deny it. Can he have done something this revolting and still do good later in his life? Could we / should we / ever trust a person with so little integrity &/or whose judgment is this far off course? - Run for cover; look for someone to spin the story to protect you; have another drink And how can we, those of us who would like to support liberal politicians (myself included) turn our backs on a needless death with an 'Accidents happen' attitude. Indeed they do happen: especially if you provide the right ingredients I don't know how close this story is to the gist of the Chappaquiddick situation (not the detail but the larger actions.) But the story sure makes one ask a lot of questions that ought to be asked about what we expect from a political leader, about how class privilege functions, about how we let ourselves accept easy answers to difficult questions and compromise our own principles in the process...maybe not unlike the Senator - just on a different scale.
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Summary: "black water - a fantastic fiction"
Review: The Senator. The girl. The Fourth of July party on the island. The ride through the night. The accident. The death by water.
But as a reader, you are never left to wonder about Joyce Carol Oates shocking story, her words are full of outrage and shock and the novel itself is presented in part from the narrative voice of a young girl who made a fateful decision, for all the wrong reasons, on a pretty Summer day after a party where a story on the quality of a surreal nightmare begins.
Finally she dies in the car that the Senator drove and during her death the reader enters her past and present, her romantic and idealistic dreams of a brave future and her whole life.
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Summary: Sigmund Freud couldn't say it better...
Review: If you think that Joyce Carol Oates "Black Water" is scientific book about the pollution of the sea you are far from it! You will (...) get a deep insight of Kelly's soul. If you want or not you will get deep into the relationship between Kelly Kelleher, a 26 year old girl who has a (...) affair with a senator of the United States of America and you will see abysses in his mind you had never guessed to be there. Without saying it Joyce Carol Oates takes you in a highly interesting tragedy of love, reputation and slowly coming death. The leaning against the accident caused by a Kennedy in 1969 is obvious.
Take this book to get an insight in human souls and what happens with them on the threshold to death so realistic that Sigmund Freud would smile in his tomb. I am still fascinated about how detailed Joyce Carol Oates described Kelly's feelings just before her death and can still feel the anger that has been caused by mendacious Senator. So it was easy for me to give 5 stars to the best book about the death I have ever read.
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Summary: "Black Water" by Joyce Carol Oates - A very impressive story
Review: Although this book is a myth, the fact that it is based on a true story is what makes it interesting. The relationship between a young woman and a married Senator ends in a tragic car accident resulting in the woman's death. The novel is a kind of detective story presented in narrative form by the woman in a series of flash-backs.
Life, death, thoughts, feelings and relationships are all topics which hold the story together- an interesting mixture of the wish to freedom and American politics. You are almost forced to carry on reading, to find out what happens in this very moving and emotion novel with no happy end.
Research of the true story, of which Senator Edward Kennedy was involved, makes this novel into a very interesting statement.
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