Life Without Water

by Nancy Peacock

Book Overview

Set in a ramshackle farmhouse in North Carolina, Life Without Water tells the story of a young Cedar and her mother, Sara, and as the girl's tries to repair the emotional damage done by the death of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 156352337X
• ISBN13: 9781563523373
• Release Date: October 1996
• Publisher: Longstreet Press
• Length: 182 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

This is a must-read-book !!!

What a terrific book!I'm so glad I read it.It's a story told by Cedar looking back at her life growing up alongside her mother, who she cherishes very much.This story has real people, no exaggeration, this is how it really was. The hippy commune and free love as well as the simple living and not understanding the Vietnam War.Cedar saw how her mother cherished and loved her brother that was killed in the war. Sara, Cedar's mother, carried the pain of losing her brother all through life and Cedar also possessed that loss, eventhough she never physically knew him.This is a wonderful book. It would be good for a student to read while studying this time in history. LIFE WITHOUT WATER is a terrific discussion book.This is another good book to read if you grew up in the late 60s or in the 70s. You'll be nodding and remember people that you knew that would remind you of each character.GREAT BOOK !!! Anyone, any age....don't miss the chance to read this book.

A nostalgic look at an era gone by.....

LIFE WITHOUT WATER is about the childhood memories of Cedar, and her years living and travelling with her mother during the height of the hippie movement. Most of her growing up years were filled with memories of unstructured, unconventional living that was so popular with a number of people back in the late 60's and early 70's. Cedar's earliest memories of life is that of her parents, Sol and Sara. Her father wasn't even called "Dad", but was always Sol, his real name being Albert Massey. Her parents weren't married, and when her mother gave birth to Cedar, they had a midwife. And so Cedar was born in their own home which they named TWO MOONS. Their home was in an isolated area in North Carolina, complete with barns and an outhouse. Cedar, who knew no other life than this, did not know that they were not part of conventional society. A few years after Cedar was born her mother, frustrated with Sol who was turning into a very irresponsible husband and father, took Sara away from Two Moons and they lived on the road for a long while. After much travelling, they meet Daniel, and after a few months of living with him in his girlfriend's house (the girlfriend, by the way, was not expected to return for a few months), the three of them move on back to Two Moons, and are joined by old friends of Sara's, Woody and Elaine, and their two children Roxy and Norther. For a few years, they all live together in a type of commune setting, and Cedar's memories of these years are happy and warm.Trouble starts with the entrance of another person at the commune, Topaz. The reader is led to believe that Topaz spells bad news, and we are right. What happens from this point on I won't reveal, but life at the Two Moons does not continue idyllically forever.I was very impressed with Nancy Peacock's first published novel, LIFE WITHOUT WATER. Although this novel is very short, Ms Peacock was able to successfully invoke a feeling of nostalgia for a time long gone. She paints life among the hippies as a happy simple life, and I found myself longing for those days. My only complaint of this book, specifically the edition that I bought, is the back cover summary of the book. It is somewhat misleading and I feel inaccurately summarizes the book. Do yourself a favor and read the book for what it is: a trip down memory lane, of a time of innocence amidst the backdrop of a turbulent war (Vietnam). It was a crossroads for many of that generation.

Lovely book

Life Without Water is a sweet warm and moving story of the 1960s.Although I have no interest in communal living it was a story line I could relate to.All of the characters from Cedar to Sol are believable and one can vicariosly live through their finding their place, stuggles, and victories. it is abook that I have shared with co-workers and they all say"thanks for the lovely book." Its wonderful to read while relaxing on a beach, waiting at a doctors office, or waiting whiloe your kid is at piano or some sports. A good book.

Nothing short of brilliant!

Nancy Peacock's story of Cedar and her hippie childhood is absolutely brilliant. Told from Cedar's point of view, she remembers the good and bad times -- but mostly good times -- of the early 70's hippie way of life, which I personally remember well. Nancy's comfortable writing style makes for easy reading, which is a good thing, since I ended up reading it all the way through in one sitting.What I love about the book is that Cedar remembers communal life exactly like I do. The descriptions of the people and places are so familiar that I feel like I was there. Her viewpoint is both colorful and authentic.Whether or not you ever set foot on a commune, used an outhouse, or hauled water from a spring, Life Without Water is a fresh novel that you will read more than once.

No arid book this

I read this in one sitting, just as one of the blurbs on the back jacket said I might. It is a beautiful tale of the love shared by a mother and daughter. Young Cedar and her mother live communaly in the US south during the Vietnam era. Time passes, and the men in their lives--be they husbands, fathers, or lovers--depart, leaving mother and daughter to cling to each other. Cedar is one of the most loving creatures I have come across in literature, and Ms Peacock has produced an excellent work of fiction.