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Title:	Small Bodies of Water
Authors:	Powles, Nina Mingya
Genre:	Non Fiction: New Zealand
Pages:	250
Year:	2022
Publisher:	Penguin Books
Language:	English
Description:	Whether it is Wellington Harbour, a swimming pool in Borneo, or the River Thames, various elements of water link these 16 lyrical essays that merge memoir and nature writing. Exploring identity and belonging, NZ-born Nina Mingya Powles offers both a calming and thought-provoking reading experience. Written with poetic flair, and capturing her wonder in the world around her, this is a unique and dazzling collection. This title is also offered as part of the Narrative Muse Book Club. View this title on the Narrative Muse website
Categories:	Non-fiction NZ, Biography, Short story/essay, Narrative Muse Book Club, 2024 Titles

Reviews

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By: WHANG 029		2025-05-22 09:55:53

Some of the group loved it, while other found it boring, too whimsical, and "trying too hard".

By: COROM 005		2025-04-05 11:33:19

A few of our members didn't finish this book, the first half was difficult to get into with the format. We agreed it's more of a pickup and then put down to digest each section kind of novel. We enjoyed the relationship to place and particularly the essay about kowhai trees. A very personal novel that touched on sense of belonging and feeling out of place, those of us who finished felt it grew on us over time.

By: INVER 029		2025-03-19 13:16:07

Enjoyed by all. Rewarded close study. Beauty in words. We loved it.

By: AUCK 037		2024-09-26 12:00:21

Our group had a good discussion and several said they didn’t enjoy the format with no coherent story. We all agreed it was poetic and appreciated the evocative prose. Some appreciated it as a collection, enjoyed it as a number of essays and the stories about nature, swimming and food, but wouldn’t recommend it particularly.

By: WELL 045		2024-03-13 14:38:18

The members of the group who read this described the writing as beautiful, evocative and poetic. We could all relate to the descriptions of Wellington. The frequent references to written Chinese characters and language provided an appreciation of how different it is to English. Highly recommended.

By: TAUR 004		2024-03-13 12:55:13

Most members felt that the book was like a personal journal, especially the first half. However, a fascinating insight into learning Mandarin. Interesting snapshots into so many different themes. Author very widely read.