Trouble the Water

by Nicole Seitz

Book Overview

Set in the South Carolina Sea Islands, Nicole Seitz's second novel follows the stories of two sisters. One is seeking to recreate her life yet again and learns to truly live from a group of Gullah nannies she meets on the island. The other thinks she's got it all together until her sister's imminent death from cancer causes her to re-examine her own life and seek the healing and rebirth her troubled sister managed to find on St. Anne's Island.

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1595544003
• ISBN13: 9781595544001
• Release Date: March 2008
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.4" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

What Fun!

Not only is this second novel a poignant, heartfelt tale; it is great fun to read. Living in the SC Lowcountry it "spoke to me" in many respects. But, for those living elsewhere it serves as an enticement to visit our beautiful shores and marshes and learn more about the Gullah. The author did a splendid job in portraying love between sisters, love between friends, illness, and the fact that no woman is an island. I look forward to her next book.

Gorgeous and Moving

I wasn't sure what to expect out of this novel, as southern lit doesn't necessarily sound like something I'm going to be captivated by. I adored it. I got into it pretty quickly because the dialect and setting were so interesting. And, of course, there's a bit of mystery in the lives of both the Duchess and Honor and I was interested in understanding these two sad women better. It all unfolds perfectly paced, with just a smidge of humor, beautiful language, and characters that you just really care about. It's the sort of book that makes you want to treasure life, and also to fully feel and grieve the pain of your past. But hope is beautifully etched into this story, not overbearingly, just lightly enough so that you can feel it. And yes, I sobbed through the last 70 pages or so of the book. Everything is beautiful about this book from the cover to the title to the final pages and the way it is all woven together. Highly recommended.

Poignant and powerful story of sisters and secrets

Trouble the Water by Nicole Seitz is a multi-layered story about the love between sisters and the power of God's healing love. Honor is rescued from a suicide attempt by several nannies in South Carolina's Low Country. Miss Blondell, an elderly Gullah woman, takes Honor under her wing and puts her in local dingbat Duchess' home. Duchess is known for her flirtacious antics with the men and showing her sixty year body in all its naked glory. Honor and Duchess make for an odd mix. Both suffer from depression and acting out, but each look at the placement as God's way of using them to help care for others. The story is told through several different points of view. Honor and Duchess each take turns telling their story, but Honor's sister Alice also gets a turn, as do Honor's letters to Alice. Honor is truly the heart of the story, but her chapters aren't the ones that tell you the most about her. It's the chapters from Alice and Duchess that really expose Honor for who she is: the angel who troubles the waters for their healing. Seitz writes this achingly beautiful story of healing and forgiveness with compassion and just enough humor to take the edge off of the sweetness.

Beautiful

Truly a beautiful book that I could not put down. It was painful and sad, yet hopeful. The characters and the setting just pulled me into their own artistic and creative world, and left me feeling like I'd just viewed a masterpiece.

A Beautiful Portrait of Friendship

Isn't it wonderful how we find friends in the most unlikely places and under the least expected circumstances? Trouble the Water is a beautiful portrait of friendship between women who, although colorful and different in every way, find they share an undeniably common yearning: unconditional love. The pages of this novel are therapeutic--bringing healing through laughter, acceptance and forgiveness. I carefully tucked away in my heart the emotional bedside scene between the sisters Alice and Honor for future reference, and then immediately ordered copies for my closest of friends. Nicole Seitz has done it again. I highly recommend it. LaVondilyn J. Watson Author of The Presents of God [...]