“Go read Andy Davidson’s lush nightmare, The Boatman’s Daughter. It put an arrow through my head and heart.” –Paul Tremblay, author of Growing Things “Ample bloodshed is offset by beautiful prose . . . A stunning supernatural Southern Gothic.” –Kirkus (starred) Ever since her father was killed when she was just a child, Miranda Crabtree has kept her head down and her eyes up, ferrying … Crabtree has kept her head down and her eyes up, ferrying contraband for a mad preacher and his declining band of followers to make ends meet and to protect an old witch and a secret child from harm.
But dark forces are at work in the bayou, both human and supernatural, conspiring to disrupt the rhythms of Miranda’s peculiar and precarious life. And when the preacher makes an unthinkable demand, it sets Miranda on a desperate, dangerous path, forcing her to consider what she is willing to sacrifice to keep her loved ones safe.
With the heady mythmaking of Neil Gaiman and the heartrending pacing of Joe Hill, Andy Davidson spins a thrilling tale of love and duty, of loss and discovery. The Boatman’s Daughter is a gorgeous, horrifying novel, a journey into the dark corners of human nature, drawing our worst fears and temptations out into the light.
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Let me start this review on a positive note. The prose in this book is gorgeous and my favorite thing about it. I was blown away by Andy Davidson’s colorful descriptions. It was worth the read based on that alone.
Story-wise, I was a little disappointed though. It started out strong; I enjoyed the set-up and learning about the characters, but it felt like the longer it went, the less in focus it was. At around the halfway point, I felt like Miranda’s goals were murky. I lost interest in trying to figure out what they were too. I also wasn’t sure what to make of her as a character. She seemed capable enough at first, but she kept making these really dumb decisions. Often it felt like the decisions were made for the convenience of the plot.
I also felt like the climax was disappointing. I felt a little cheated that I had push through a flip-floppy middle just to reach an unsatisfying end.
Ultimately, I wanted to give it 2 stars, but the prose was good enough to give it an extra star.
Rounded up from 3.5
This was one of my most highly anticipated reads for 2020. I love the title, the cover, the description of the book. Sadly it did not live up to the hype that i built for it. I wanted there to be more supernatural and folkloric elements to the story. Most of the horror was very much real world horror. Miranda, our leading lady, was ok but i really wanted to know more about Iska and the things that lived in the swamp and her bath house! The story was ok but it wasn’t what i expected. By the 60% mark, i was ready for it to be over. The ending was nice, i felt everything had been tied up.
Even though this one wasn’t as great as i had hoped for, i would still read more by this author.
An orphan, a witch (or two), drugs, and an ancient goddess-demon collide in the backwoods of the back half of the 20th century.
The young woman Miranda, who is the protagonist, comes across as a very real, three-dimensional character, quite empathetic. But the supporting characters are well-developed, too: the awful sheriff, the adorable brother, the little person, the crazy preacher, even the river itself.
OMGosh, the beautiful prose! I slowed down my reading just so I could “hear” the words as I read them.
In some places you have to read carefully just to understand what’s going on, like the chapter titled “Miranda in the Tree.” That chapter is like a bad acid trip, kind of psychedelic, and it doesn’t all make sense, but just go with the flow because it makes sense within the bigger story.
Yes, it’s scary, but The Boatman’s Daughter is a slow-burn scare. No jump scenes, just eerie tension that builds until you’re gripping the book so hard your hands hurt.
Five stars. Amazing read.
From the first harrowing scenes all the way until the bittersweet end, this book had me enthralled!
Set along the rivers and bayous of Arkansas, this tale is about Miranda, and how she manages keeps her life afloat. Running drugs for the bad guys to help her support the local “witch” and the special boy the witch hides and cares for. Discarded and left for dead, this boy is very special indeed-and so is Miranda. A bow-hunting woman of the bayou, she is not to be taken lightly.
The drug runners, featuring locals and bikers, a dwarf of man as their main grower, and a mad preacher man who basically does whatever he wants. Among these men, there is nothing considered taboo, and I mean nothing. Will Miranda, the witch and the boy be able to continue to survive and live life as they have been? You’ll have to read this to find out!
In addition to the characters I’ve already mentioned, I also need to highlight the hot and humid atmosphere. All the bug infested routes throughout the bayou, rivers and streams. The old homes near the river that aren’t fully vacated, but are crumbling prey to the humidity, the mold, and the heat. The old mercantile that Miranda’s father once owned, falling prey to dust and disuse after her father died. In my head I pictured all of this perfectly and as such, these locations became characters to me as well.
I remain impressed with Andy Davidson’s style of writing and how effortlessly he combines things like small town life, witches, Russian fairy tales and so on. He does it so deftly that I never questioned any of it. It just WAS. Davidson created people I feel for because they feel real. Then he put them all in danger and I found it difficult to pull myself away.
I read his previous book IN THE VALLEY OF THE SUN last year, and I knew I was on to something unique with this author. Now, with THE BOATMAN’S DAUGHTER I’m more sure than ever that Davidson is the real deal and I will sign up for anything he writes from here on out.
Highly Recommended!
*Thanks go out to the author who saw my desperate plea for an ARC and sent me one in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*