The Waters & the Wild

I know this author is pretty out there, but I have a soft spot for her fiction for young people. She has a knack for writing about loopy, eccentric teenagers that I am completely charmed by. The setting is always some magical-realism rendering of L.A., and I fall for it every time even though I know it's pretty ridiculous. Then again, I was a kid who loved unicorns, so of course I fall for this stuff.

Francesca Lia Block is one of my favorite writers for a reason - her smart, poetic prose easily transports you to an alternate reality, layering real issues with surreal context. In her latest, we explore the possibilities of a doppelganger, as thirteen-year-old Bee has begun to see herself at night, claiming to be the real her. Turning to the weird kid at school, Haze (he's rumored to believe he's an alien) she discovers that she might not belong in L.A. - in more ways than one. Picking up Sarah, a street-singer with a gorgeous voice who believes she's a reincarnated slave girl, the trio embark on a mission to save Bee, and to understand their own realities. Like Block's other works, The Waters and the Wild is tightly written, with an show more ethereal feeling that leaves you feeling pleasantly disoriented. Don't miss this wonderful opportunity to be enchanted. show less

Bee has never felt like she belongs in Los Angeles, and the doppelganger she keeps seeing only gives more credence to her fears. Her friends Haze and Sarah don't belong either--Haze is convinced he's an alien, and Sarah is the reincarnation of a slave girl. Together they find a sense of belonging they've never known before, but Bee's changeling nature threatens to take her away from them all.

Francesca Lia Block has a writing style that you either love or you hate--but the wild lyricality is toned down somewhat here, making the book more accessible. You still have to follow the leaps from character to character, but it works. There's a brief poetic interlude with references to 9/11 and the Pacific tsunami, but I wonder if teens would show more pick up on them--it's history to them, not current events.

Recommended for fantasy and fairy-tale fans looking for a quick read. show less

There is no way I could resist a book by FLB that took its title from my favorite Yeats poem. There's some Tam Lin woven in as well. An otherworldly, tinkly, dancing story that, as one expects from FLB, manages to work in intense love of Los Angeles among the magical fairy dust. It was a lot of fun, light and frothy and suffused with that especial Southern California magic that Block has built a career on.

Bee felt different from the others, out of place. Everyone felt that way at some time, she understood, but somehow this was different, she could feel it. She felt displaced in the world, but it wasn't until she saw herself standing at the end of her bed claiming that she was an impostor did she really start to believe that maybe she really didn't belong.

Hayze and Sarah were just as different as Bee, just as strange. Yet somehow they still belonged. One by one Hayze and Sarah are drawn to Bee and her acceptance of their differences; one by one Hayze then Sarah begin to find that their differences are what makes them unique. But in order to gain this wisdom something must be lost.

the Waters & the Wild brings together three outsiders show more forming a bond of friendship through understanding where magic is created. A girl who sings like and angel, a boy who quotes poetry and a doppelganger make up the heart of a story about fitting in, standing out and being who you were born to be. A story that will charm and enchant with a fairy hand in hand. show less

Bee is 13 and has never felt like she fits in. However, this is more than just your average teenage angst... amongst Bee's many odd characteristics, she has the urge to eat dirt from her garden and is frightened by metal objects. One night she wakes up to find a girl in her room, a girl who looks just like her and tells her "You are me," before disappearing. Bee finds her world unraveling after this visit, and she reaches out to two unlikely people at her school: Haze, a boy who believes he is an alien, and Stephanie, a girl who thinks she is a reincarnated slave named Sarah. The three loners become friends, crashing a party and practicing magic. They realize that Bee is actually a changeling, an elf who took the place of the real Bee show more at birth. The real girl haunts Bee, lurking in mirrors and demanding her life back. Bee grows weaker as time passes and soon leaves her friends to return to her own world.

This short novel may appeal to those who have trouble fitting in and reluctant readers. Block's writing style is beautiful and keeps the book moving, but the story itself is underdeveloped. There are some creepy moments, particularly when Bee is being followed and threatened by the real Bee, but overall the plot is flat and changes tone too quickly from mystery to fairy-tale to love story. We know from the get-go that Bee is a changeling, which undermines the mystery and makes the other characters seem slow for not realizing it. The characters act much older than they are, often having far too unrealistic interactions. There's potential in this story, but while the fairy aspect may appeal to some, this is not a must-read. show less

In The Waters and the Wild, Bee is thirteen, and outcast at school, and convinced she's a changeling, ever since she woke to find a girl who looks like her in her bedroom. The other girl disappears after saying "You are me," and starts a line of events like dominoes, ending with new friendships and magic.

Bee makes friend with two other outcasts, Sarah (a girl with a beautiful singing voice convinced she's a reincarnated slave) and Haze (a boy sure he's an alien), and through their short friendship, they all find the confidence to appreciate themselves.

This is my first Francesca Lia Block book, so I'm not familiar with her writing, but I found this one's writing very dreamy and haunting, much as I imagine a fairy world to be. This show more dreamlike, surreal quality sometimes makes it hard to follow the story, but it is beautiful all the same.

Recommended. show less