The Water Women
Opening in Sardegna (Sardinia) in 1910, this novel tells the story of three generations of water women, followers of an ancient tradition founded by Queen Berenice, great-granddaughter of King Herod. Ever since, Jewish women living near Sant’Antioco have been trained as water women, harvesting byssus, the silken threads produced by the giant mollusk, Pinna nobilis, which they weave into delicate tapestries and bracelets. Mothers pass their skills to their daughters from early childhood until they can take the water woman oath, devoting themselves to their art for life. Their exquisite works cannot be sold: they give them as blessings to women who ask, whether or not they are Jewish. During the course of the novel, two world wars involving Italy disturb this bucolic island of fishermen and miners, but despite all, the water woman tradition survives. This is the fascinating background of the Renda family: Allegra, her daughter Zaneta, and her daughter Mira.
The theme of weaving threads through the novel, established in Allegra’s idyllic chapters, depicting a tradition she expects will continue on through the generations. Then her husband Johann is drafted into World War I, threatening their serenity. However, after he returns, she births four children and, thirteen years later, Zaneta, whom she delivers herself in the ruins of the mysterious Bronze Age Nuragi. WWII brings German soldiers to Sardegna, and the Rendas’ drama intensifies. Zaneta’s unusual birthplace figures in the story, as do the men who marry her, her mother, and her daughter. Bonnie Blaylock’s depiction, with a deep spirituality, of water women and the sea they love make this novel unique, evoking a time-honored tradition in a timeline dating back to the Nuragi before Berenice arrived. Highly recommended for its rich descriptions, characterizations, and intriguing plot. Book club discussion questions included.
