Sarah Smith (1) (1947–)

I utterly adored this book. It's a tiny bit historical fiction, though it's setting is modern, and a huge bit love story mixed with ghost story. But underneath all of that is an incredibly thoughtful and moving book about race and society. It's told, in alternating chapters, from the point of view of two teens: Katie and Law. Their lives move in circles that accidentally intersect in the most improbable way. Sarah Smith's writing is infused with history, with class and with race, but also show more with love. Smith's story never drags and she builds the suspense and fear with strong emotions -- and even her ghosts have strong personalities. There were two slight twists -- a main plot one and a minor (though not to Katie) one, both of which were hinted at throughout the book but never outright stated until the end. I adore this book, especially because I recently read The Devil in the White City and Frederick Law Olmsted plays an important role in both books. Highly recommend to adults and teens. show less

My Summary: Ever since her mom died a year ago, Katie's been seeing ghosts... and not just any ghosts either - ghosts that died violently. She sees the ghosts of people who were murdered, people who've committed suicide... all of it.

Katie thinks she's crazy - she thinks these 'hallucinations' are all a product of the grief she's feeling, never taking them seriously. She draws every single ghost she sees, though, keeping them all in a sketchbook. Each sketch is more disturbing than the last, show more usually showing the way the person died. Katie knows she's crazy, but the sketches are the only way to keep the ghosts from taking over her entire life...

Until the day she meets a ghost boy in the park and bumps into Law Walker. She's surprised he wants anything to do with her, the 'crazy girl', but the two form an unlikely friendship. When Katie tells Law about the boy in the park who died in the house he's trying to save from being bulldozed, he investigates and discovers that Katie really has been seeing ghosts - and that she may be the key to saving the house and the treasure inside.

My Thoughts: I'm so glad I decided to read this book! It was just what I needed - the perfect mix of history, paranormal elements, and romance. All three components of the book wove together perfectly, making it one of those books that I just couldn't put down without finding out what happened next.

Seriously. I finished it in less than 8 hours, and it's not a very short book!

And I'd like to give props to Sarah Smith for the honest way she handled the topics of slavery and racism and the sometimes crushing pressure parents put on their kids - I felt so bad for Law, trying to deal with his father's unrealistic expectations while also trying to grow up and figure out where he belongs because of his mixed heritage.

Final Thoughts: If you've always been a bit of an American History geek like me, you'll definitely want to pick this one up! It ties together elements of history, racism, and romance beautifully, and I really enjoyed it. May not be suitable for reader under 14, though! show less

This was an interesting book, but read a bit like the author had a thesis she wanted to write and just had the characters say it in dialogue.

I have a habit of browsing through bookstores with no destination in mind. Often, I come across a book that for reasons unknown strikes a chord with me and I MUST own it. Even more often, these books turn into a disappointment. Fortunately, not the case with [The Knowledge of Water]. I barely set it down to eat and sleep. Wonderfully told. I felt as though I were in the conservatory and running down the flooded streets of Paris. And I couldn't wait for the end, but I also dreaded that it show more would be over. Thank you Sarah Smith! show less