Not a Drop to Drink

By: Mindy McGinnis

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Regret was for people with nothing to defend, people who had no water.

Lynn knows every threat to her pond: drought, a snowless winter, coyotes, and, most important, people looking for a drink. She makes sure anyone who comes near the pond leaves thirsty or doesn't leave at all.

Confident in her own abilities, Lynn has no use for the world beyond the nearby fields and forest. Having a life means dedicating it to survival and the constant work of gathering wood and water. And, having a pond requires the fortitude to protect it, something Mother taught her well during their quiet hours on the rooftop, rifles in hand.

But wisps of smoke on the horizon mean one thing: strangers. The mysterious footprints by the pond, the nighttime threats, and the gunshots make it all too clear that Lynn has exactly what they want, and they won't stop until they get it....

With evocative, spare language and incredible drama, danger, and romance, debut author Mindy McGinnis depicts one girl's journey in a barren world not so different from our own.

©2013 Mindy McGinnis (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers

Excellent, Moody, Atmospheric

Not a Drop to Drink is a grounded, atmospheric, slow burn of a YA (the heroine is 16) novel. Unsparing, it harkens back to the days of the old frontier, when guns carved out a difficult existence for those attempting to settle the land. Although the premise may sound like it is a constant gun battle defending the pond, in reality this is more of a soul searching, moody piece with a good story not needing constant gunfights to carry the plot.

The story is deceptively simple. Lynn and her mother guard a small pond somewhere in Ohio with deadly dedication. Their lives are a constant struggle just to survive in the harsh dystopian landscape where the water has become scarce or poisoned. Wild animals, nature, or human predators are a constant threat that must be dealt with on a day to day basis. But it is an unsustainable existence: eventually, something (or someone) will get through.

The premise and writing are sound and the action at the beginning and the end is very captivating. The romance is downplayed and not the insta-love cliche and more along the lines of fulfilling need and loneliness issues. The characters are well drawn and complex - none overly good or evil and all acting within their own capacity in the harsh landscape.

In all, a deftly woven, engrossing story of survival in a not too distant future.

OK, but nothing extra

Kind of interesting but too many unrealisticsituations. Not a very realistic Per trail of what life would be like. And sort of predictable.

Good Story Overall

‘Not a Drop to Drink’ is a YA story which is good for non-YA as well as I didn’t find to too YA. It’s well written and has wonderful character development but I had few issues with the plot. First is that for something in the post-apocalyptic genre there isn’t much action or drama. Some at the beginning then a dry spell for about half the book then some more at the end. This middle part is a good story though and where all the character development happens, but it would have been nice to have a bit more drama mixed in. Second is that the crux doesn’t really become apparent until the last 20% of the book. As I was making my way through I kept thinking, this is going to be a ‘to be continued book’ where nothing really happens then you’re left with a cliff-hanger. Thankfully that didn’t happen and everything was wrapped but in short order, but there wasn’t a gradual building to the crescendo but rather a steep climb that felt a bit rushed. That being said overall it’s a good story and one I enjoyed. I like books that are part of a series but are also self-contained so that you don’t get a complete story unless you go on to the next book so that’s another plus in my opinion.

Super excited to see more from Mindy!

loved it, recommend it, great story, good presentatuon, wonderful up-and-coming author, excited for more from Mindy!

love it

love love love love love this book oh my god. what a story. totally read it again

YOU WANT TO READ THIS BOOK!

A post-apocalyptic/distopian wonder. When most of this sort are Echoes of a dozen other books, this one does well! Skillfully written and a great story!
(careful: possible spoilers in the quotes!)

"All in a hot and copper sky,
The bloody Sun, at noon,
Right up above the mast did stand,
No bigger than the Moon.

Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, every where,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, every where,
Nor any drop to drink."
Samuel Taylor Coleridge

"Lynn pulled her own rifle into her lap, the cold metal bringing more comfort to her than Mother’s touch ever could."

"Regret was for people with nothing to defend"

"fists instinctively clenching against an unknown fear of things not seen."

"Work calmed her fears as usual. The feeling of doing something always overcame the fear of nothing."

"Death and gunpowder were scents from her childhood,"

"the smell of rot filled the air. The only thing that cut through it was the tang of gunpowder when she took another down."

"the unencumbered sound of happiness was so odd to her"

"the nighttime hours had taught her the meaning of fear."

"Nightmares were nothing new to Lynn; her waking life was full of enough disturbing images, she didn’t think it was fair that some could snake into her dreams as well."

"A killing frost had fallen, turning the morning dew into a deadly covering of ice that stilled the insect voices."

"Allowing Lucy into their home had gone against everything she’d learned, but leaving the little girl to die beside the stream went against something that was simply known and had never been taught. She’d shared the thought with Stebbs after they worked on Lucy’s feet. He told her it was her conscience, guiding her to the right decision."

" 'You probably saved my life.'
'I owe a few.' ”

"Something was wrong, and her newly found conscience wouldn’t let her ignore it."

" 'after the Second War for Oil. Nobody had any money, and there wasn’t jobs anywhereeither. Our militia started filling out.'
'Why’s that?'
'Lots of people were unhappy. They was mad at the government about the war, and about the fact that there was no money and no jobs. People always gotta have someone to blame, you see? People without jobs got nothing to do, and they feel like they’re not doing anything for their families. Some of them thought the only thing they could do was learn how to protect them, keep them safe. Crime was up; everyone was desperate. People started breaking into houses and cars for money, sometimes even just for food.' "

“Nothing you could put your finger on, exactly. He was the kind of crazy that hid itself well, ’cept in the eyes. That’s where you can always see it, if you know how to look.”

"The long hours of the night could not all be filled with sleep and the companionship of another was the only thing to alleviate"

"They made their exit quietly, leaving the relics of a safe past behind them in the dusty darkness."

"His voice joined the tune, very different from his speaking voice, lower and throbbing with the depth of the emotions that existed under his jokes."

"she quickly understood that body heat could be made and not just conserved."

"the soft morning light rendering the basement the same gray as his eyes."

"There’s a fine line between enjoying some alone time and just being downright lonely"

"the nights were still long and Lynn’s dreams were not as pleasant as her days. Sleep came easily but didn’t last."

"even breathing filled the room, and she envied the little girl her deep sleep and innocent dreams."

"Lucy’s chances dipped with the sun and every turn of the tires."

"Hope blossomed in her chest like a crocus pushing through the winter’s ice"

" 'Sorry, Eli,'Lynn said. 'I’d rather shoot people in Ohio than walk to California.' ”

"The words came out clipped and bitter as the air they landed in, dropping between the two of them like icicles."

"From his height, the only thing preventing him from seeing forever was the curve of the earth."

"he had helped Neva up from the frozen ground as she’d stumbled toward her death."

"She watched him through her scope, wondering what Mother would feel to know that the smoke from the south was caused by a fire from her past. Father was a conversation that never happened, a ghost that had never lived."

"He’d abandoned them, and the only thing she’d ever give him would be delivered through the talents Mother had wanted her to master. There was comfort for her in the idea"

"Lynn kept her eye to the scope, unable to look away from the path of the only bullet she had ever fired with love in her heart."

"Nothing’s nobody’s out here, little girl. Those that can, take. And there ain’t no justice or higher power to appeal to.”

"Lynn collapsed onto Neva’s log, staring at the little cemetery while the billowing smoke rose to the south, the ashes of material things and men mixing with a light powdering of snow that dusted her shoulders as she wept."

"Lynn’s fingers hesitated across the keys, and the notes had come out haltingly, played from a memory punctuated by more gunshots than melody."