2.5 stars. This book had enough momentum to keep me going to the end...and then I just felt dissatisfied. It felt kind of patchworked to me, and toward the end I realized WHY the author made it patchwork....and then felt like the ending was way to predictable.Patch #1 could have been a stand alone story. Scottie, the protagonist, works as a lawyer for a large ski resort in Vermont. The resort wants to expand, but because of a drought, they won't be able to have as much water as they want for artificial snow. Scottie's job is to argue that the economic benefits outweigh the ecological impacts. Then, he and his daughter see three mountain lions in the area of the proposed developments, and Scottie is suddenly faced with a moral dilemma: continue to represent his client and pretend he didn't see these rare animals...or do the right thing by telling everyone what he saw, and potential ruin all plans for the ski resort. THAT, by itself, would have been a fine enough book. You've got two problems that people care about that often conflict: the environment and the economy. Take someone who's on one side, and suddenly make them see the other side. Done. That would have been enough.Instead, we have Patch #2: Scottie's wife, sister-in-law, and ten year old daughter are all dowsers. They use wood or metal rods to "sense" where water lies underground (and all kinds of other things, like noxious rays and bad vitamins), and so offer a valuable resource to other residents during this drought. This may have been an OK element to write a fantasy book about, but instead it was injected into an otherwise realistic book as if dowsing was a proven skill. Sure, the protagonist offered some skepticism about certain hippy, voodoo aspects, but the water dowsing is taken as gospel (despite, in actually, there never having been a conclusive study that dowsers can find water at a rate any better than pure chance). So, this whole woo woo practice of dowsing is inserted into a story that already had plenty of twisty elements in it. It felt sort of out of place and that's why I say it's patchworky. But then, the big DUH hit me. Actually, I think I assumed it at the beginning of the book, sort of forgot about it thinking that the obvious "twist" wasn't going to be the actual twist because it was just TOO obvious. Nope. That was it. Big ski resort can't expand because it doesn't have enough WATER to make snow, the protagonist happens to be married into a clan of some serious talented dowsers who can not only find WATER but they can also divert the WATER from one vein to another underground using their magical powers............Hmmmm, what could the POSSIBLE outcome for this story be. *sigh*So...I would have probably give this book 3.5 stars if it didn't have the oh-so-obvious ending with the dowsing nonsense. ALSO, there was a completely unnecessary epilogue (Part 3) at the end. And ALSO a completely unnecessary sex scene with Scottie and his wife toward the end that just felt awkward (who describes vaginal secretions as a "rich cream"?). That's one reason I often stick to YA books; adult fiction feels the need for random sex scenes. WTF?So, yeah...Not my favorite. However, it seems to have been a non-favorite of others who've read this author's other books, so I'll give some of his other books a try instead.
This was probably my least favorite book by this author. Usually, I find myself enamored with the characers that Bohjalian creates. Often, I have a difficult time putting the book down and want to finish it to find out what happens. Unfortunately, though I really wanted to like it because of how much of a fan I am of the author, I just never got into the story. The book is about Scottie, a lawyer who represents a ski resort in a small Vermont town. There is controversy about a proposed expansion, which includes clearing trees for new trails and using the nearby river to create snow for said trails. There's a terrible drought in the state, which makes the use of the river even more contentious. The lawyer is married to Laura, a "dowser," or a person who can detect underground water using a Y shaped stick or L rods (aka water witch). Scottie and Laura have a young daughter, who has the gift of dowsing as well. Laura's entire side of the family is involved in the dowsing world, and is generally against the expansion. They butt heads. In essence, that's the story. In the end, I hate to say it, but I just didn't really care much about what happened.
What do You think about Water Witches (1997)?
Having read two of Chris Bohjalian's books, including this one, I'd say he's a character man. Both Water Witches and Before You Know Kindness featured a solid cast of players on both sides of an issue. In Before You Know Kindness, the issues were hunting and animal rights. In Water Witches, we hear about economic expansion and natural resource protection.Scottie Winston, lawyer, father, and husband, is representing Powder Peak, the local ski resort in his small Vermont town, in a lawsuit brought against them by Reedy McClure, state senator and soon-to-be Scottie's brother-in-law, who believes that the ski resort's plans to expand and tap a river for snow-making will do more harm than good, especially taking into account the ongoing drought. Both Scottie's wife, Laura, and Reedy's fiance (Laura's sister), Patience, are dowsers--water witches--and Scottie and Laura's daughter, Miranda, shows the same talent for finding underground water as her mom and aunt. These three, while supportive of Scottie and his work, morally side with Reedy and the protection of their natural resources.Knowing just these things, I basically figured out the remainder of the story, but I still wanted to read the whole way through. It's a testament to Bohjalian's writing, the worlds and characters he creates, that even though I knew what would probably happen in the end, I was committed enough to finish the book. Bohjalian throws in a few curve balls along the way, but stays true to his characters. This was a good book to read in the dead of winter--the descriptions of unbearable heat warmed me up as I bundled up to ride the bus.
—Rachel
The narrator for 99% of the book is a nice guy. As in he loves his wife and daughter and would not BREAK the law. But he bends it to suit himself and the ski businesses that pay him top dollar. He cares about nature, but cares about his billable rate a lot more. Which is difficult because he married into a family of dowsers. His mother-in-law, sister-in-law, wife, are famous water witches. And it looks like his daughter may be the most gifted dowser of them all, though she is currently only 9. And the women all care about water, nature, and conservation more than Scottie.My favorite character was Patience.I loved the end. Very satisfying, that Scottie, when the stakes are most personal, learns what he is made of.
—Amanda
One of my fav reads. Read this book after we had to have a well dug on my mother-in-law's farm. When the well company came to give an estimate, they brought this sweet little old man who looked about 100 years old. He walked the property with an L-rod until he ascertained where they should begin the drilling. I was fascinated, and looked for books about dowsing. Since I generally read fiction, I found this book and loved the story. Would recommend it to anyone who is interested in dowsing, New Age, conservation or a good family story.
—Cindra
