Waterborne

Bruce Murkoff's debut novel, Waterborne, braves all the challenges of its monumental subject: the Hoover Dam. What a feat of literary engineering to construct a story around 6-1/2 million tons of concrete! History is strewn with the remains of novels that have collapsed under less weight; characters......more

Waterborne is a terrific depression era tale that follows three lost souls whose lives intersect in Nevada at the construction site of the Hoover Dam. This is Murkoff's debut novel and it's a triumph. I was awed by the raw energy of his writing and his ability to totally transport the reader to anot......more

Interesting historical novel revolving around the building of Bolder Dam, now called the Hoover Dam between 1930 and 1936 during the great depression. The author weaves believable intermixing characters and an engaging plot while providing lush descriptions of the geological backdrop and the incredi......more

The writing in this was beautiful, but at the halfway point, it felt like the story was beginning to drag. Murkoff's characters were interesting and I didn't have a problem with them. But I think the book could've benefitted from a bit more editing as far as "killing your darlings" goes. Still, it w......more

"The river begins." And for the next three gorgeously written pages, Bruce Murkoff describes the Colorado River's inexorable, irresistible progress over centuries, cutting its great passage through deep canyons across the land. This is writing to be parsed word by word, slowly, to be savored. It kic......more