The back of this book is all "you all know this story" and I absolutely did not know it so I had to wiki it to understand what it was about. Maybe every American knows the real story, idk.

I both liked and didn't like the book. It's very repetitive and the same phrases and events keeps coming back, but there is obviously a point to it, since it's meant to be the last thoughts of someone who is dying. Having it play out chronologically would have been a lot easier to follow but also a lot more boring.

In the end I'm not sure if that was a good or bad thing. ( )

I give this book my full endorsement. Her pace, writing, structuring, and, as the back cover says, her "power of evocation" are outstanding and completely unique. The novel is morbidly fascinating and heartfelt. Its concept is--as I said--so unique and so finely executed that it should be observed. The treading and retreading of events that occur in the novel are artfully pieced together (and in a way that is also totally tolerable, enjoyable, readable). It is a quick read, for an Oates novel, and the imagery and characterization are particularly memorable ... often in a way that stings. I have a feeling I will be recalling elements of/visuals from this book for ever. And that last passage, oh my, oh no. Awful and scary and beautiful.

And, don't bother brushing up on the real accident before reading. I found my hazy memory of it compounded my fascination in the novel and the story its based on. ( )

This short book, more of a novella than a novel, is a good, quick read, but would have been better as a long short story instead of a novella. The story is highly repetitive, with many incidents repeated over and over several times. If these repetitive narratives were removed, the story would have been stronger and tighter, as a long, short story. The book is only about 150 pages and I read it in one evening.

The story is a retelling of the Chappaquiddick incident involving Ted Kennedy and Mary Jo Kopechne. The driver of the vehicle is never named, simply referred to as “the Senator.” The protagonist in the role of Mary Jo Kopechne is Kelly, who has just met the Senator and agrees to leave a Fourth of July party to spend some private and intimate time with him. The story is also confusing at times. Several times Oates writes that Kelly dies after the auto collision, only in the next sentence, paragraph, or chapter, to say, she did not die. This seemed to serve no purpose and was confusing to the reader.

As with a lot of Oates writings, her personal feelings strongly show through, especially her personal beliefs on religion, abortion, and the death penalty. I believe if she quit preaching to her readers, her stories would be stronger and still able to stand on their own.

The story is worth the time to read it, but is unnecessarily long due to the repetitive material. ( )

Oates tillhör verkligen de största författarna. Jag blir aldrig besviken även om kvalitén så klart varierar. Här en stark kortroman om kärlek, känslor, utnyttjande, makt och svek. Hade gärna sett händelserna utifrån bådas perspektiv. Starkt! ( )

I feel like I should like Joyce Carol Oates. She's one of the contemporary greats on quite a few lists and what's more, she's a New Jersey (my home state) literary icon.

But I've encountered her work over the years in short stories and essays and I never enjoyed the experience. I will say she's brilliant, but her style just doesn't sit right with me. It's...brilliant but cold. It just doesn't hold emotion. And Black Water, what apparently is my first novel from Oats holds true to my feelings on shorter works from her.

I thought it was OK...but repetition throughout seemed too heavy handed and annoying after a bit. I'm open to giving one last try with her works though. ( )