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    The Water Seeker
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    The Water Seeker
    Unavailable
    The Water Seeker
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Water Seeker

    Written by Kimberly Willis Holt

    Narrated by Will Patton

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    When I was a boy, my pa dowsed to earn extra money when we had a lean year. And when he put the branch in my hands for the first time, I felt a burning inside me because I had the gift, too. Just be thankful I didn't hand that gift down to you.

    Amos figured it was probably best not to tell his father that it was too late.

    What would you do if you knew you had a special gift-a sixth sense-that was passed down from one generation to the next? A gift that could help people in times of need, but one your father often saw as a trap. Would you use that gift?

    This is the story of Amos Kincaid, the dowser's son.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMay 11, 2010
    ISBN9780307710932
    Unavailable
    The Water Seeker
    Author

    Kimberly Willis Holt

    Twenty three years ago Kimberly Willis Holt stopped talking about wanting to be a writer and started to pursue her dream. Because of her family's Louisiana roots she considers herself a southerner, but her father's military career took her to places beyond the South, including Paris and Guam. She's the author of more than fifteen books for a wide range of ages, many of which have won awards and honors. Her third novel, When Zachary Beaver Came to Town won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. She writes and gardens in Texas.

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    Reviews for The Water Seeker

    4/5

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    • 4/5
      Narrated by Will Patton. I'm glad I listened to this instead of reading the book! Will Patton truly brings this Oregon Trail tale alive by affecting a countrified tone and accent. From the gruff trapper Jake to lighthearted Daisy, every character has a strong presence that enhances the literary experience. It is fascinating to hear Amos' life story unfold, although the dowsing aspect didn't seem to play as much a role as Amos' journey of maturity along the Trail did. A minor quibble though; this story is a journey well worth taking.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this tale of pioneer life and especially Will Patton's narration. It certainly points out how difficult life was for pioneers from death during childbirth or smallpox infestations or accidents. But it also points out how when people work together they can all thrive.
    • 5/5
      Amos's mother died birthing him, but the birds that followed her seem to be wherever he goes. His father, a trapper, left Amos with his uncle and aunt. When the trapping gave out, Jake, now with a Shoshone wife, came to take his son with him to Oregon.
    • 5/5
      Amos's mother died birthing him, but the birds that followed her seem to be wherever he goes. His father, a trapper, left Amos with his uncle and aunt. When the trapping gave out, Jake, now with a Shoshone wife, came to take his son with him to Oregon.
    • 4/5
      Holt is one of my favorite creators of memorable characters in a great story - she shines again. The story begins in 1833 and ends in 1859, set in Arkansas territory and includes a trip crossing the Oregon trail. Amos lost his mother at birth and his wanderer/trapper father Jake brings him to live with Jake's brother and wife. This family falls apart following sickness, the neighbors take him in and then his father returns for him with his new Indian wife. Then the trip west.
    • 2/5
      Some of the characters were quite strong, though several felt stereotypical to me (especially Blue Owl and Henrietta). The plot was utterly predictable in nearly every particular. As soon as a doomed character came onstage, I knew that said character was doomed. As soon as the ultimate love interest walked on, it was obvious that she and Amos were fated to be together.

      The portraits of the engaging, interesting characters are all that kept me reading, and all that keep me from dinging this book down to one star.
    • 4/5
      Charged with the pioneer spirit of westward expansion, this coming-of-age novel tells the story of Amos Kincaid, the dowser's son. After his mother dies in childbirth, Amos passes through several caregivers before being reclaimed by his father, Jake, and his new Native American wife. Jake, who inherited the gift of dowsing--the ability to sense water underground--from his father, considers it little more than a curse. He turns to trapping for his livelihood and signs his family up with a wagon train bound for Oregon when trapping proves fruitless. While en route, Amos encounters heartache, adventure, and a dawning realization of his own destiny. Although the novel brings new life and adventure to the Oregon Trail, the disparate threads of the story occasionally feel contrived. However, the satisfying characters and the thrill of the journey lend authenticity to the tale and help readers track Amos's personal growth. Holt blends historical fiction with magical realism and endearing characters into an engaging read.
    • 3/5
      A little slow in parts. I enjoyed the journey on the Oregon trail and the references to the Willamette Valley.
    • 5/5
      Reason for Reading: I love frontier life western historical fiction and the dowsing aspect caught my eye.It seems strange to call a book with just over 300 pages an epic story but that really is the best way to describe "The Water Seeker". It is the story of a family starting with the meeting of the mother and father and ending with their child married, with his own youngster. The main character is a boy who we meet at birth and he grows to manhood, but for the most part of the book he is a young teen and in a way this is his coming of age story. But even though the boy may be considered the protagonist, his father shares that position equally, plus the story is just as much about the adults who surround the boy and their lives that I often forgot I was reading a YA book. Which makes me recommend the book as much to adults as to teens.Amos Kincaid's father, Jake, is a dowser but he hates the "gift" that was passed down to him from his father and only does it when times are hard. Otherwise he is a trapper and loves the life. Amos' mother died at his birth and he was sent to be raised by his Uncle and Aunt, with his father coming to visit each year for a few months when the trapping season is over. Eventually, the boy grows and the father comes back, with a wife, and they set off with a group going along the Oregon Trail. The story deals with very real life and death. Death much more so and Amos experiences guilt, jealousy, anger, joy, happiness and ultimately love before the journey west is complete.I loved this book, one of the best I've read this month. All the characters are so real. Some are filled with the pioneer spirit and others are bitter over the hardships dealt them in this life. We see how tragedy can break a man to nothing but a shell of his former self and we see how the same tragedy can make another pick herself up and continue on because of her love for life. The book is filled with tragedies, heartbreak, illness and despair. Pioneer life was tough no matter how much spirit you had. But we follow a family made up of unique individuals who rise above each hardship creating a magnificent epic novel. I'd love to see "The Water Seeker" up for some awards this year; it's truly worthy. A great historical.
    • 5/5
      Gorgeous! Epic! Transporting! I 100% loved it!I would put The Water Seeker in a class with Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, and Sarah Plain and Tall, i.e. the best historical fiction about families and communities. They have drama, humor, and the fascinating details of an earlier time in history. They're beautifully written. The characters seems real enough to touch. You just want to be their neighbors, to be part of the story, you know?This story's hero is Amos Kincaid. Amos is born in 1833. His father is a beaver trapper, but he also has a special talent passed down to him from generations of Kincaids: he can find water in the ground. Amos inherits this skill, but it's a long time before he can use it.Amos loses his mother at birth and is raised by a patchwork of communities: a minister and his wife at a mission near an Native American community, a family farm run by a widow and her six sons, traveling with his father and his new Shoshone stepmother, and on the Oregon Trail in a community of people seeking their fortunes out West. Along the way, the spirit of his mother follows him, almost haunting the women who come into his life.There's so much in this story it's hard to believe it's just 300 pages. A sampling of the issues addressed: inheritance, domestic violence, racism, first love, death, what it means to be a family (or a tribe), and what it means to grow up and become a man. It's truly a beautiful story, filled with memorable characters, moments of joy and sadness, and a satisfying conclusion.