Book Review: THE WATER WOMEN by Bonnie Blaylock

*Editorial Book Review*

THE WATER WOMEN

by Bonnie Blaylock

Publication Date: 1st March 2026
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Pages: 283
Genre: Historical Fiction / Women's Fiction

A powerful, emotional, and redemptive novel about the interwoven lives of mothers and daughters and the bonds of an ancient craft that link them through two world wars and beyond.

In 1930s Sardinia, Allegra and her daughters maintain the tradition of the water women. As it was for the generations of Jewish mothers and daughters before her, weaving the fine threads of mollusks into golden cloth and tapestry is an honor, a duty, and a precious gift to an outside world that seems bent on turmoil.

By 1942, a threat comes to their sleepy fishing village. Germany has pressed its boot on Italy. Allegra’s daughter Zaneta notices boats she’s never seen before anchored off the shore. As her family withdraws from the once-unified community, their island home sinks into a fog of fear and suspicion. Then Zaneta meets a German deserter. With the encounter comes a secret that will haunt Zaneta forever, and in the years to come, her own daughter, Mira, as well.

For three women, the threads of the byssus weave a story of love, war, loss, and hope that will challenge them and bind them through the most trying times of their lives.

Reading "The Water Women" felt like stepping onto a remote island, where the rhythm of the tides shapes both daily life and destiny itself. From the very first pages, I was drawn into a world that is at once beautiful and perilous, where the natural environment feels inextricably linked to the lives of the women who inhabit it. The novel immerses you in a time marked by social upheaval, danger, and tradition, immediately creating a tension between survival and the preservation of cultural heritage.

At the heart of the story is the multigenerational tale of a family of women whose lives are shaped by loss, resilience, and the enduring pull of ancestral customs. Zaneta’s story gripped me from the start. As a young woman, she is full of hope, but the harsh realities of escape and survival soon transform her. Having fled a round-up and hidden on the island, every day carries the risk of discovery, and the death of so many she loved leaves deep, indelible scars. Watching her develop into a woman both determined and hardened, committed to preserving the ancient practice of weaving delicate threads of molluscs into golden cloth, was compelling — and at times, profoundly sad.

Her daughter, Mira, captured my heart in a very different way. She is a bright, sensitive child, full of curiosity and life, yet she finds little comfort in her mother’s arms. Zaneta seems consumed with ensuring that the traditions of their ancestors continue, leaving Mira to quietly harbour her own dreams. As she observes her classmates shaping their futures, I felt her frustration and longing; she is tethered to the past while the world around her moves forward. When Mira marries, the tension only deepens. Zaneta’s relentless questioning about when she will have children is heartbreaking, especially as Mira silently struggles with carrying a pregnancy to term. I found myself empathising deeply with Mira, admiring the quiet courage she displays in navigating both grief and expectation.

Zaneta and Mira together embody the emotional core of the novel. Zaneta, with her coldness and unrelenting insistence on duty, shows how trauma and responsibility can harden a person, while Mira’s resilience and gentle spirit offer hope and humanity. Reading their stories, I was struck by the way Blaylock captures the complex interplay of resilience, grief, duty, and desire, and how these forces shape the lives of women across generations.

Blaylock’s prose is beautifully lyrical and precise. I could almost hear the ebb and flow of the tides, feel the whispering winds, and sense the unrelenting march of the seasons. The island itself becomes a living presence, its moods and dangers intertwined with the choices and fates of the characters. I found the ordinary moments imbued with such significance, and the natural world reflected the inner lives of Zaneta, Mira, and the women before them in a way that felt deeply authentic.

What I appreciated most was Blaylock’s commitment to emotional truth. Her characters are allowed to be conflicted, contradictory, and fully human. She honours quiet triumphs as much as dramatic ones, and the historical events that form the backdrop of the story are never mere exposition — they are lived and felt through her characters’ experiences.

"The Water Women" explores themes of legacy, memory, and the bonds between women with subtle power. I was particularly struck by how each generation inherits both the tangible and intangible traces of those who came before, and how these legacies shape identity, choice, and perception. The pacing, measured and deliberate, mirrors the rhythms of the lives it portrays: a life of small triumphs, quiet endurance, and sometimes painful reckonings.

For me, "The Water Women" is a story of survival, transformation, and the enduring connections between women and their world. It lingers long after the final page, inviting reflection and rereading, and confirms Bonnie Blaylock as a writer of both insight and empathy. If you, like me, love historical fiction that honours both the sweep of time and the quiet power of individual lives, this novel will stay with you — much like the tides it so beautifully evokes.

Review by Mary Anne Yarde
The Coffee Pot Book Club

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Bonnie Blaylock

After 20 years of co-owning a veterinary practice while raising two kids, traveling extensively, and living on a few acres where she wrangles the bees, the garden, and various barnyard beasts, Bonnie focused on her first love of words and writing (and put that MA in creative writing from UT to use). It's these experiences, as well as growing up in a large military family, from which she draws material for story ideas. She hosts a blog of personal essays, many of which have been re-published on various platforms.

Light to the Hills won the 2021 Porch Prize in fiction award.

Author Links:

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