Dragons in the Waters

I spent most of the time reading this trying to remember how the characters in this book related to those in A Wrinkle in Time and where the heck Simon's plantation in Charleston actually was. Madeleine L'Engle had quite a brain, didn't she? Nice adventure yarn, with a bit of the othernatural a la L'Engle and a small science course as well. And dragons, of sorts, even if only in hearts.

Dragons in the Waters doesn't fit neatly in any one genre. However, if you like mysteries with a touch of fantasy, you, too, will like this book. I watched Simon grow up and learn from his mistakes. Madeleine L'Engle poses interesting questions to ponder: does a hero need to be perfect? What happens when we find feet of clay? What *should* happen?

My favorite quotation: "We believe ... that everything is dependent on everything else, that the Power behind the stars has not made anything to be separate from anything else." It is that sense of inter-connectedness that permeates Dragons in the Waters.

I quite enjoyed this book, which was very L'Engle. Great characters, intriguing little mystery, you don't quite notice that the plot's rambling until midway through the book when it stops rambling and starts happening. The ending lost me, but, well, those type of endings often do. I just cannot seem to get into the mystical mood; once things get transcendent I am left standing on the dock waving rather sadly at all the people getting carried off by into ethereal heights. Nevertheless, a pleasant read.

When Simon’s ancient aunt sells her valuable Simón Bolívar painting to a distant cousin, Simon accompanies the cousin on a boat to Venezuela, where the cousin plans to return it to its original owner. His aunt raised him, and he very much lives in the past—a boy from the wrong era. On the boat a lot happens: he befriends 2 children accompanying their scientist father, the painting is stolen, and there’s a murder. Arriving at the Port of Dragons, even more happens: Simon is kidnapped and left to die, his aunt flies to Venezuela and ends up staying with an ancient tribe in the forest who are key to everything, and not everyone is who they claim to be. This is very much a precursor to A Wrinkle in Time, especially given the makeup show more of the main characters (a 14-yo girl Poly and her “special” younger brother Charles, friend 13-yo Simon, & the scientist father). show less

This is an exciting thriller, with no actual dragons or fantasy. Poly O'Keefe is fourteen; she and her brother Charles are on a ship on its way to Venezuela with their father. But the main protagonist is thirteen-year-old Simon, travelling with a previously unknown cousin, and a valuable piece of art.

There's danger, intrigue, a shocking incident mid-way through the book and a great deal of suspicion. It's partly character-based, and there's a lot of interesting interaction between these people and other passengers and staff on the ship. There's quite a complex backstory and motive for what happens, and although some of that went a tad over my head, I enjoyed the book and found it hard to put down.

Probably best read after 'The Arm of show more the Starfish', which is first in the O'Keefe series. show less

A thoughtful murder mystery combined with coming-of-age story about one's ancestral heritage. While the Poly/Polly O'Keefe mysteries aren't nearly as engaging as the Time saga, L'Engle's insight and humor emerge, as well as her precocious adolescent characters.

Dr. O'Keefe's lab has moved, but he is still doing super-secret research. In addition, his assistance has been requested in the analysis of pollution in a South American bay, and he takes two of his children on the boat trip there: Poly and Charles. For the second volume, our narrator is yet another young man, this one an American southern boy haunted by his family's past. Simon was raised by his grandmother on a pitiful remnant of their family's once fine Southern home, and I was drawn by the detailed description of her gardens and their poor but cozy life. In fact, I was delighted to find that the Southern grandmother has a prominent role in the story, even showing up in South America.
Fantastical elements here are Charles' usual show more abilities, along with the ability of a native tribe to "see" events in the past, present and future and to heal others (recalling Dr. O'Keefe's regeneration projects from the last book, although the two do not appear to be linked).
And here's a wonderful detail for you on this novel: its genre utterly defies classification. There are elements of Southern Gothic, Fantasy, Science Fiction...but in truth, the overarching plot of this novel is a good, old-fashioned murder mystery that the kids help solve. That's right, Scooby gang!
Enjoy. show less