Water Lessons

by Chadwick Wall

Ignoring his father’s warning, Jim Scoresby rides out Hurricane Katrina in his grandfather’s house in New Orleans. Soon rising waters strand Jim and his aging friend, Freddy Beasley. As they wait for rescue, Jim wishes his own father would believe in him the way Freddy does. A fierce argument followed by a gut-wrenching discovery send Jim north to rebuild his life and to prove his father wrong. From New Hampshire, to Boston’s historic neighborhoods, to Maine and Cape Cod, Jim throws himself into New England life, while learning to appreciate the New Orleans culture he left behind. After his charismatic boss, Commodore Walter Henretty, introduces Jim to his beautiful but spoiled daughter, Jim’s life—and his heart—seem to be on the mend. As their friendship deepens, Walter imparts much-needed wisdom, yet Jim is haunted by memories of Katrina and by another storm, the one raging within him. While on several sailing expeditions with the Commodore, Jim discovers an unpleasant truth about a newfound fear of open waters. When the seas turn rougher than expected, it is only through relying on his own courage that Jim learns the most valuable lesson of his life.

Genres: Fiction

390 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 26, 2014

Reviews

[J. A. Lewis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just could not get into this book. Two hours in, I went back and read many of the 5 * reviews. Then I read some of the 1 * reviews and realized this was exactly how I felt. Nothing much seemed to happen. A man survives Katrina, moves to the Boston area, meets and falls for the daughter of a wealthy man who offers him employment. He suffers from PTSD from the events of Katrina and when reassigned to work near the water, all of his fears resurface. Finally gave up on this one a few hours in.

[Scott Rouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Water Lessons takes the reader on a journey through the thoughts and emotions of Jim, the protagonist, as he travels from his beloved New Orleans to Boston after Hurricane Katrina. He finds work, love, and friendship and discovers that his real enemies are inside him. I enjoyed the descriptions of the places Jim travels and empathized with the decisions he struggles to make as he searches to find his true place.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Water Lessons is one the books that is hard to put down once you start it. From a reader's perspective, I feel the author intelligently divvied up his immense knowledge of history and cultural facts of Louisiana and New England throughout the book. Wall did a superb job bringing each character to life and captivated me joining Jim's journey. I too feel I could smell the salty air of the Boston Harbor and sense the fear while standing on the rooftop waiting to be rescued during Katrina.

My favorite character has to be Walter - what a man! What a charismatic person!

After finishing the book at two in the morning, I added New England and Louisiana to my must-visit list. With this book in hand, I cannot wait to take part in Jim's journey again!

[Joyce O · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was never quite sure where the author was going in this story. Water Lessons has many good sections, but it bogs down with long descriptive passages that I skipped over. I'm glad I stuck with it and finished the book to see how things ended. Having covered communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina, that part of the book was the most compelling. If you aren't into sailing and nautical terms, long passages on this can be tedious and even boring.
The characters in his book were well-developed.
I always try to think who I would suggest would enjoy a book, but in this case I can think of only one and that's usually an indication that, to me, the book has limited appeal.

[stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining romance with a good story

Enjoyable read, whether you're into adventure or romance this book will keep you turning pages. You follow a young man through a series of events. Well narrated and descriptive.

[Renea Greathouse · Rating 1 out of 5]

Actually never finished the book, got halfway in and was bored. No consistent plot.