Swim to Me: A Novel

I liked this book a great deal. It tells of how dreams can sometimes come true, how people can change at least to some extent, and how life can actually happen.Delores Walker (Delores Taurus) comes from a dysfunctional, lower income family in Brooklyn...but a childhood trip to Florida and Weeki Wachee Springs leads her to believe she can swim. Following a dream, she gets there, becomes one of the Weeki Wachee (entertainment) mermaids, and remarkably, her whole family take different paths, each finding a much better place and way for them to be. Not totally transformed, but realistically learning and growing. Swim to Me definitely qualifies as a good read...especially if you've ever been to Weeki Wachi and loved the mermaids!

I think it is the setting for this story that makes it so appealing- Weeki Wachee Springs, Florida- home of the famous mermaids. Delores Walker first sees the mermaids perform at age 14. An avid swimmer, she dreams of returning to Weeki Wachee and becoming a mermaid. Her father left home shortly after their return from the trip to Florida. Her self-pitying and unloving mother faded into a shadow of herself. The only hard part of leaving New York was leaving behind her baby brother, Westie.
It is 1973 and Delores' dreams are all out in front of her. Away from the sadness of her family, she comes into herself.
This isn't one of those hanging-on-the-edge-of-your-seat novels, but neither was it boring. It was interesting enough to keep the show more reader coming back. Interesting, also, was the brief appearance of Crystal Landy from Orange Blossom Special, Carter's previous novel. I think the most compelling part of the story, other than the setting, was the way Delores' parents changed for the better after they were apart.
All in all, it's a decent read.

Read this story if...
*you like stories about families
*you like stories that take place in Florida
*you like stories set in the mermaid town of Weeki Wachee
*you like stories that take place in the 1970's show less

Eh....that's the feeling throughout this book. Boring and drawn out. I only checked it out because of the sensationalism of the "mermaids" on the jacket, I thought it would be a good gift for a friend, but it didn't really pan out. It seemed like it could have had a good storyline, but didn't meet its potential.

i know this is fiction, but it seems really "made up".
i like the character development but it's otherwise a goofy book, hard to suspend enough to believe/connect.
8.07

A dream catching book. Nostalgic look at the way life was and a brave girl. Great summer read.

I read this book because I had read a non-fiction title about Weeki Wachee and thought it was fascinating. This book - not so much. I wanted to like it and finished it just to see what happened, but I didn't really like it.