Comments (28)

Community comments are the opinions of contributing users. These comments do not represent the opinions of Port Moody Public Library.
What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 28 items
Sep 06, 2022firebird770 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Set in Saskatchewan, it was extremely Canadian and gave me a comparison to Farley Mowatt and Who Has Seen The Wind. The vastness of the prairies, the dust and heat made for a thirst and thus Cool Water a very appropriate title. Enjoyed…
May 25, 2021DanglingConversations rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Each chapter is a gem; a short story that eventually links the whole community. A strong suggestion for a book club, lots of potential for discussion.
Jan 19, 2021PDBurt rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
What a wonderful surprise to find this gem of a read! I thought it would be separate stories but each story is interconnected to the others to portray the town of Juliet,s people and area near Swift Current Saskatchewan. Although each…
Jul 21, 2017susan_findlay rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This is probably not a book I would have chosen for myself (it was part of a reading challenge), but I enjoyed it. It's a bit like reading a soap opera. You meet a wide cast of characters and experience one day in their lives. Most of…
Jun 16, 2017EmilyEm rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Lovely book. When some of my favorite writers like Larry Watson and the late Ivan Doig wrote words of praise for it you know you won't go wrong. Highly recommend.
May 30, 2017ebhurst rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! Set in one day and with multiple characters, the author did a fantastic job bringing each person to life. I enjoyed the rural setting and small-town feel.
Aug 20, 2014Liber_vermis rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Although this book claims to be a "novel" it is really a collection of vignettes set in the languishing [fictional] rural community of Juliet adjacent to the Sand Hills of southwestern Saskatchewan. A broad cast of characters provide the…
Jan 20, 2013ambergrey100 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
As canadian as they come. I can read this book over and over again. Such a beautiful portrayal of rual life. Loved the characters and their essential niceness ( kindness).
Oct 29, 2012martins_mom rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Another celebrated Canadian read (2010 Governer General's Award for Fiction) that I came to late. A wonderful evocation of fading rural life in Saskatchewan.
Aug 02, 2012uncommonreader rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
2010 GG. This is a book of ordinary lives in a small Saskatchewan town. Very good.
Jul 10, 2012VRMurphy rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Excellent, measured writing. Shows us the characters instead of telling - always good! More of a collection of interlinked short stories than a novel.
Jun 21, 2012crayment rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Really enjoyed this book - Dianne Warren uses the characters of this fictional town very well indeed. And the Great Sand Hills of Saskatchewan sound fascinating!
Apr 10, 2012
Loved this book, the town of Juliet, the townspeople. The character were drawn quickly but with great accuracy, you felt you knew them. The description of the land, the hardships the people encountered always felt real. You felt you knew…
Mar 16, 2012
Cool Water is set in the small western Canadian community of Juliet, Saskatchewan. The novel brings to life several characters who are interconnected because they share the same small town. Her characters are real people. Warren…
Feb 29, 2012redekops1 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
I loved this book! The number of characters are a bit confusing, and the beginning of the book is cryptic, but stay with it & you'll be rewarded with a fantastic read about characters that seem real, a place that could be any Canadian…
Feb 28, 2012samdog123 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This book was nominated for the Governor General's award. It's a fine example of Canadian writing. Diane Warren takes us to the prairie town Juliet, Saskatewan. Here we meet some memorable characters all dealing with life in a small…
Oct 05, 2011kpalichuk rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
i liked this book more than i thought i would - too much Canadian Prairie Angst Literature in high school scarred me - or maybe left me cynical is a better way to phrase it. I really enjoyed this novel; i appreciated how all the action…
Aug 28, 2011Andge1 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Having grown up in a small village in Saskatchewan, I can appreciate this story. In a place where people think they know so much about you, it can turn out that they don't know much about each other at all. A well written story!
LMOH
Aug 10, 2011
A really enjoyable read. A collection of loveable characters who at first seem unrelated. But their lives are definitely connected.
Jul 21, 201121221018293347 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The intertwined lives of many of the residents of Juliet Saskatchewan at the end of the Sand Hills. The characters are normal, everyday people, with problems, misunderstandings, lack of communication, unattainable ambitions, and how…
brianreynolds
Jul 01, 2011brianreynolds rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I started out reading this as a Winesburg, Ohio-Grapes of Wrath blend. The short, two-dimensional sketches of rural residents of a fictional town had me thinking of Sherwood Anderson's attempt to create unvarnished portraits that evoked a…
ksoles
May 19, 2011ksoles rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Cool Water bears all the telltale signs of a Governor General's Award winner: a remote Canadian setting, eloquent prose, contemplative characters and a slow-moving plot. Warren recounts a 24-hour period in the lives of various townsfolk. …
Cdnbookworm
Apr 18, 2011Cdnbookworm rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Except for the prologue, which is historical, this book takes place within a period of just over 24 hours. Set in the small town of Juliet, near Swift Current, this book follows several people from town through their day. From the escape…
Feb 26, 2011lisangus rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I was surprised by how engrossing this was - very well written and it really draws the readers into these lives.
Jan 02, 2011Winnipeg1 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Lovely prose, character-rich book. And setting is the strongest character. Like a trip back to the old home town & the prairie farm where I grew up. A rare trip into contemporary, rural, prairie Saskatchewan. 4+ stars.