Black Water

Rating:
Summary: The American Girl's Life Flashes Before our Eyes
Review: She was an American girl. This is how Joyce Carol Oates characterizes Kelly Kelleher. Kelly is the supposed embodiement of a "normal" American girl. She is concerned with her appearance, rebels against yet loves her parents,has unfulfilling affairs, and the highest of ideals. Drawn rather obviously form an true story, this work of fiction digs deeper than a news story or a non-fiction novel. The story of Kelly is a short and sad one. She seems to have led a pretty average life, not to say that she isn't supposed to be a special person. In a short period of time the reader comes to know her on an intimate level. We learn her political views, her sexual history, even about the disease she was born with. These details are Oates's most careful dramatic and plot choices as far expressing the themes. Oates seeks to explore the character of Kelly, and to an extent, that of The Senator, who drives Kelly in to the water. Oates prooves what we already know- the people in the news or public eye are more than the flat characters flitting across the screen. Kelly Kelleher was a real person. The Senator was and is, a real person. While at times I think Oates unintentionally made Kelly in to a bit of a stereotype, this was effective as far as this story went because it was important that Kelly be something the reader could easily recognize. This narrative opens the past and present of a woman who has no future. The book is a literal representation of Kelly's life flashing before her eyes. It displays her terror at being left behind in the flooded car, along with what led her to that moment. This is the most effective plot tool used by Oates. By letting us in to the past and present of Kelly's life, while the actual time span of the novel is actually only a short time, the effect of experiencing Kelly's whole life is captured perfectly. The character of The Senator was perhaps a bit more difficult to write because the person he is based on is still alive and for the most part,went unpunished for what became of the young lady who was driven in to the water on a night of drinking. I think Oates managed to paint him as realistically and sympathetically as possible considering what she is telling us he did. Oates uses unmistakably powerful language to draw the reader in to the whirlwind ride that ends as we know it will. As always her plot, her characters, her language make a story come to life.

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Summary: First Looks at Oates
Review: Joyce Carol Oates is a very skilled writer, and she exemplifies her talents in this novel. It is a book like no other I have read before, and it not only captured my attention to be entertained, but it prodded me to ask questions and consider humanity with the chracters she created.

This book may at first be a bit frustrating because of the structure of the story. But the dedicated reader will certainly be rewarded for the time put in. It is a story that moves very quickly filled with scenes that are packed with action and suspense.

Oates does a fantastic job of giving her reader sufficient background to understand exactly what is happening with her characters. I was left feeling connected particularly to the main chracter.

Throughout the novel, Oates explores the human psyche and its reactions in the most intense situations. Her attention to detail and her knack for exploring the mind left me wondering how far human kind will go.

This novel may not appeal to all kinds of readers. It is very complicated in its message. But at the same time the story is woven in an extremely repetitious manner. This may turn some readers off from Oates, but speaking from experience of her work this is one of her best pieces. It shows a very intricate sequence of events that are very realistic. The story itself is not one that every person could relate to very easily, but the internal exploration of character that Oates creates is so graphic that it heightens the senses and could make most readers experience the lives and world she has created.

Any reader that is new to Joyce Carol Oates and is looking to experience a piece of her work should use this novel as a beginning piece. She has a wonderful flare for variety and a talent for characterization that is shown with full force in this novel.

Oates clearly shows through this novel that there can be at times a lacking in human judgment and a gap in the will to do the right thing and help other people. This novel takes on a somewhat pessimistic outlook on the world but it is a great read and one that I highly recommend.

Rating:
Summary: Descending to the Depths
Review: In Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates relays the tragedy sprung from an unexpected and brief relationship between the young Kelly Kelleher and the infamous Senator. Based on an actual historical event, this novel leaves a powerful impression of the significance of the choices each person makes. As the reader, we are privvy to the details of Kelly's death, and thus able to judge her for everything leading up to her terrible end. Through a series of small, seemingly insignificant decisions, Kelly seals her fate: to be trapped in the Senator's car, drowning in a muck-filled river. Alone.

The emotion evoked by this horrifying image is heightened by the novel's circular structure. Though the novel operates on repetition, the story conveyed in Black Water is by no means tedious. Oates presents us with Kelly's fate in the first two pages of the novel and proceeds to move backwards, filling in the details that led to this event. Her desperation, terrifyingly real, is interspersed with exposition about her childhood, past lovers, and relationships with friends. Recurring images begin to surface, bringing us closer to the heart of Oates's purpose. The result is the creation of a dynamic Kelly Kelleher, an aspiring career woman who will never realize her dream of campaigning for the Senator. Kelly alone is kept from this information. The reader's awareness of her inevitable end is carried throughout the novel; the burden of knowing that unwittingly, with every choice she makes, Kelly is one step closer to the bottom of the river.

The strength of Oates' writing is her ability to maintain intensity even after the reader is informed of the final result of Kelly's efforts. We, as the reader, know that she will not escape, but still something compels us to continue reading. There is some greater picture that we cannot yet see. Oates establishes immediately a connection between Kelly and the reader, evoking our concern and sympathy for her. The novel

relies almost entirely upon attention to Kelly's life and history; a risky choice in terms of sustaining the reader's attention. But by no means unsuccessful. Anecdotes about Kelly's past and memories of the day's events are substituted for the traditional narration (i.e. exposition, conflict, resolution).

The Senator's drunken response to the accident seems almost inhuman. Consistent with the actual event, the Senator can think of no one but himself, conveying a most horrifying picture of what terrible acts fear and selfishness allow people to commit. The story if so frighteningly real, brought to life by Oates's ingenious writing and the truth of the premise. Black Water is engaging, thought-provoking and beautifully written, but certainly not a novel to restore one's faith in human nature. Oates challenges us to follow her to the "depths," so to speak, and consider the implications of Kelly's untimely death. We read because we want the answers. We search futily for meaning in Kelly's drowning, only to be disappointed by the lack thereof. Oates refuses to reward her readers with an easy ending, thus making her work all the more powerful.

Rating:
Summary: For the thematic reader only
Review: Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates is a chilling tale with an unusual structure that will keep you turning pages. This book treads on a story line the American public is sure to recognize. Based in the political realm, Kelly Kelleher finds herself clinging to life after a drunken night leaves her suffocating in black murky water on the coast of Connecticut. A very political commentary, Oates smothers the book with thought provoking motifs containing loaded messages about the world in which we live. This story does not dance around long drawn out exposition. Instead, the book offers a Toyota sinking in black water as a way of pulling you in deeper. Though the novel seems to work backwards and forwards and inside out, Black Water grabs you by the shirt collar and takes you on a journey in a sinking car occasionally giving you an air pocket to catch your breath with Kelly. Follow Kelly on her political journey that starts at a barbeque and ends in death. If you think I am giving away the ending, I am not. Joyce Carol Oates gives it away at the beginning, but I have already said that. And remember it is not truly important that you as a reader know what happened rather know why it did. Politically, Oates is saying a mouthful and those who appreciate a solid thematic piece will definitely enjoy this story. I have read many of her other works like "Where Are You Going and Where Have You Been" and "Heat." I have concluded that Joyce Carol Oates captures American culture in times of desperation, of weakness, times of terror, and of shame beautifully. She does a wonderful job writing about cryptic events that stir emotion and a little fear in everyone. Black Water is sure to do just that, but for those who would rather read a flowery, comfortable, and easy novel, do not pick this book up, but for those of you who want a challenge, crave something deeper than entertainment, and / or just want to try something new, read this book, you will not be let down. This novel is a very powerful piece written with precise and methodical language. Also, if you have read any of her other works and find her writing style fascinating, you will be further amazed at Joyce Carol Oates' writing abilities.

Rating:
Summary: Every line is meaningful.
Review: If you like interesting, meaningful writing that does not make you labor to get through the author's vocabulary or cryptic style, Joyce Carol Oates' Black Water is a valid candidate for a gratifying read. As a novel, Black Water is not substantial in length or lofty language, but its thematic substance is full and overflowing.

On the surface, a reader might recognize the story as a creative re-telling of a sensationalized episode in U.S. history. However, being familiar with the Kennedy-Kopenkney incident has no bearing on the reader's ability to appreciate the novel for its own material and for the social commentary that is communicated through the work.

Using Kelly Kelleher, the main character of the book, as an example of a typical, ambitious young woman in the United States, Oates expresses the conflicting societal messages as well as the conflicting personal desires with which a young American female contends. Such issues include the desire to be independent, the need to manipulatively subjugate oneself in love and power relations with men, and the desire to be recognized for one's achievements and inherent good qualities. Ultimately, it is a representation of women's experience as one of victimization. Oates' decision to use third-person perspective skillfully continues this expression. By using a third-person point of view, even in scenes direct from Kelly's memory, Kelly continually exists in an objective relationship with the reader. The reader is never fully in a position to empathize with her, which is an appropriate way for Oates to want her book to be approached in order to more fully develop her point.

Although Oates' writing is not complicated, her style is not altogether conventional. Her sentences are not always broken down into clear, complete sentences. The ideas sometimes run together, much like the movement of the story itself, where events occur not chronologically but are addressed in the main character's fluctuating mind between past present and future in a sometimes fluid, and sometimes abruptly shifting, train of thought. Once again, Oates adjusts her writing methods to mesh thematically with her novel's content. Oates' words are carefully chosen. No matter what you read, every bit of writing can be directly related to one of the many themes encompassed by her book.

Joyce Carol Oates gives the reader her novel as a package. All the ideas are there at the beginning, mixing together and forming a basic shape. The reader gets a general idea about the contents upon initially handling it. Then, as the reader turns the pages, it is like peeling away bits of the wrapping to find out what's inside the package, how it works, and how it came to be what it is. Oates tells a story, and then retells it, revealing extra little bits and then building on those bits, intriguing and then satisfying the reader over and over again until her point is made and the reader is left without any more lifelines in the suspenseful struggle to know how the end will culminate itself.

Rating:
Summary: Black Water
Review: I rated Black Water by Joyce Carol Oats a 3. I rated this a 3 because I really liked it, but at the same time I thought it was too old for me. Also, looking at the front cover and reading the title made me think it would be some sort of mystery, but looks can be deceiving. I thought it was a little old for me because I didn't understand some of the words. I thought they were too mature for me. I recommend this book to adult teens that like realistic fiction.

Rating:
Summary: A bumpy ride well delivered
Review: In Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates rivetingly recreates the Chappaquiddick incident and tells the story of the woman who did not make it.

Twenty-six year old Kelly Kelleher is an American girl who graduated at the top of her class from an ivy league school. She is competent, strong, and has the will to triumph over most of her problems. Deep down, she wants power and position but is not sure that she can do what it takes to have these things.

At a fourth of July party, Kelly meets the senator whose presidential campaign she studied for her senior thesis at Brown. She considers this her chance to become close to the Senator and start getting what she wants out of life. During the party, she plays her cards right and soon becomes intimately involved with the Senator. However, she soon learns a fatal lesson about her place in the world.

In this novel, Oates paints a grim picture of a woman's struggle for power and position in the U.S.. At times, Black Water seems almost didactic and overly dramatic in its transmission of this idea. However, this book is based on a true story and the even greater truth may be that situations similar to this have been occurring throughout history. In telling the tale of Kelly Kelleher's downfall, Oates relays a story that is timely and much needed. She recreates the Chappaquiddick incident from the perspective of the woman who drowned to pull out not only the truth of this particular story, but also the major problem which underlies it.

Black Water is written in simple and almost perfect prose. The novel can be enjoyed for its suspense alone but can be read over and over again because almost every line counts. This tale is well crafted in an unconventional style of chapters which overlap jumping to exposition interspersed with chapters which ostensibly have nothing to do with the story but in fact serve to draw important connections.

Black Water sheds justice on an all too common story so that the truth shines through. It is a novel that everyone should read to understand the plight of intelligent and capable women who seek out positions of power.

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Summary: Great for die hard Oates fans
Review: Black Water is a fictionalized account of a "Senator" who meets a gal in her 20s and offers her a ride in his car across an island in the Northeast while he is drunk. The car plunges into a swamp and sinks and the girl dies. It is from the viewpoint of the girl. Joyce's writing here is on par with some of the books she has written in the late 80s and 90s but not nearly as poignant as her first works such as the infamous "Them". However, the nice thing about this book is it is clearly a short novel at only 150 pages. There is no extra words anywhere allowing the reader to focus on her beautifully written prose. The story is depressing and Joyce gets her points made clearly.

The book focuses on the obviously self serving Senator who is looked at through rose colored glasses by an impressionable idealistic and sheltered girl who was never bestowed with the self esteem necessary to protect herself from those that were so willing to use her for their own benefit. The story is more about society's shortfall for this young lady rather than the arrogant lifestyle of the popular senator.

I don't know whether I would recommend this to a non diehard Oates fan, you will need to be used to this style of writing to enjoy.

Rating:
Summary: Black Water
Review: Joyce Carol Oates' novel BLACK WATER, a work of about 150 pages, deals almost entirely with on event. This event, the crashing of a Toyota into a swamp, reoccurs over and over again throughout the work.

At this point, one confused reader might scratch his or her head and ask "Why would I want to waste my time on 150 pages, all of which talk about one thing?" The answer is simple. Because Oates simply won't let you put BLACK WATER down. Every time you read about this unfortunate car crash, you are simply pulled further into the lives and characters of the story. Certainly this kind of story telling might cast off some audiences, but for everyone else, BLACK WATER becomes a gripping, intense and interesting read.

The Toyota in this story belongs to an older man, a senator. His passenger is the main character, Kelly Kelleher and it is through her eyes that we receive most of the action in the story. While she is not a first person narrator, readers can sympathize with Kelly as she struggles to free herself from her watery entrapment. She is a twenty-six yeard old woman, eagerly hoping to rise in the political sphere.

The sinking of the Toyota is outlined in the very first chapter, on the very first page and almost in the very first sentence. "What?" that same confused reader might ask. "Why would Joyce do that? If the car is sinking on the first page, what are the other 149 pages about?" Oates doesn't mess around here. She grabs the reader's attention and pulls the audience directly into that car, into that swamp. There is no obvious expositiong here; on the first page we are thrust into the action, experiencing everything that the Senator and Kelly are going through.

The background of Kelly's story is told through flashbacks, which works well in the novel. The reader is introduced to her family, her friends and her past boyfriend. These are often bright points in the novel, but just as we settle into their comforts, Oates brings us back to that sinking Toyota. There is a great deal of light versus dark contrast in BLACK WATER, which only carries the book further into impressiveness.

Although it does not appear to be a suspense novel. BLACK WATER can certainly be read as one. Kelly is trapped unerwater with the Senator, both of whom are desperately trying to escape. One side of the car is listing and that door cannot be opened. Water is filling the car, darkness is invading from all sides. Who hasn't had a fear of drowning or of the darkness? This is where the suspense mounts and Oates uses it to her advantage. The suspense pulls you further into the work. Not only do you learn about Kelly Kelleher and her life, but Oates also puts you right in that car with her. You desperately want her to escape.

This novel is one of the most powerful books I've read. Oates' writing is quite vivid and powerful; her themes play out magnificently. Some readers may be turned off by her manner of story telling in this piece, but those who find themselves sinking into the novel will find it impossible to put down and equally impossible to forget.

Rating:
Summary: Black Water is deep water.
Review: Ted Kennedy. Mary Jo Kopenkney. Joyce Carol Oates. What do these people have in common? The first two were in a tragic accident together. Ted Kennedy was lucky; Mary Jo wasn't. And Oates'? The fact that Oates has dared to use this tragedy as a stage for Black Water is what I find so intriguing. It is almost as if she is claiming to have some knowledge of the events which really led up to the tragedy. If this is not the case, I think she is really going out on the limb. Whatever the case, from a purely literary point of view, I liked this book. I think it will ring true for those who have seen and suffered through the messy, darker and paradoxical sides of «love» and relationships. I like how Oates' puts human nature under the microsope to expose it in its raw and often ugly forms...how she shows how strongly we all sometimes want to believe in something that isn't really there...how we sometimes make mistakes which we later pay dearly for. In terms of style, this book is, at the same time, refreshing, poetic, astute and straight to the point. On another note, some have criticized Oates' lack of punctuation in Black Water. Granted, but how can a drowning woman afford to remain neat, composed and punctual? This book rings true on many levels. I really enjoyed it. Rob.