Three Views of Crystal Water
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Vera Lowinger Drew is the last of a pearling dynasty. When she is left
motherless,
her only refuge is in Japan with her grandfather’s young mistress, among
the legendary ama women divers. With their age-old strength to guide her, Vera
comes into her own—until World War II turns her friends into “the enemy.”
Three Views of Crystal Water crosses generations and continents with a story of
love, war and the quest for the lustrous, elusive pearl.
This Perennial edition of Katherine Govier’s powerful novel is enhanced with a
P.S. section featuring pearl lore, and historical and biographical detail.
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Author Extras
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Critical Praise for
Three Views of Crystal Water
"The remarkable ama diving women of Japan find their voices in this elegant and powerful tale. Govier has recreateda time and place that has gone forever, in all its complex beauty. I couldn't stop reading this story."
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Joy Kogawa
"Katherine Govier's new novel is a sprawling, richly researched historical novel, a chronicle of love and obsession in the 19th-century tradition of the grand pursuit…. [A] luminous, multilayered tale…. The ending is deeply satisfying. This is the work of a mature writer approaching the top of her powers. Govier has gone out far and deep and returned with a gleaming pearl."
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Quill and Quire (starred review)
"[Three Views of Crystal Water] can only be described as magnificent. And the story that unfolds is as undulating and beautiful as the ocean that serves as its primary setting. ... This book really is an example of a writer in top form. This writing is eloquent and uncomplicated. The pacing is exquisite. The characters are unforgettable. ... A lush story about finding family, and finding a place that is 'home.' Dive into this superb book."
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Edmonton Journal
"There are many points at which you will feel you have... Three Views of Crystal Water completely figured out, only to have veteran novelist Katherine Govier pull the wool over your eyes... A compelling though shape-shifting read."
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The Globe and Mail
"A deftly crafted historical novel... [and] asprawling saga, Three Views of Crystal Water far beneath the surface, delving deeper and deeper into dangerous waters."
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Calgary Herald
"Three Views of Crystal Wateris a classic coming-of-age story told with emotional intelligence in lyrical, dreamlike language."
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The National Post
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Three Views of Crystal Water
Listen as author Katherine Govier discusses the history and context behind the writing of Three Views of Crystal Water in this series of exclusive videos . In this lucid and exotic tale, Katherine Govier delves into the 19th-century pearl rush. Greed for the unearthly luster drove sea-farers to...
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The Ghost Brush
Oei is the daughter of the great Japanese printmaker Hokusai. Long consigned to a minor role as gloomy sidekick, she is barely a footnote in the historical record. Here, Oei tells her story, plunging us into 19th-century Edo, a brilliant, colourful world in which courtesans rub shoulders with...
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Fables of Brunswick Avenue
"Everyone lives on Brunswick Avenue sooner or later." So begins Fables of Brunswick Avenue , Katherine Govier’s first collection of short stories, which found her an audience that has expanded with each subsequent book. The 16 stories in this collection capture turning points in the...
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