Summary of BEAUTIFUL SWIMMERS

Beautiful Swimmers is a novel by William W. Warner set in rural Maryland about two men who make their living catching crabs in Chesapeake Bay. The two men, Smithy and Sparrow, form a friendship while living and working on the bay. Despite different upbringings, they come to appreciate and rely on each other while fishing and navigating the treacherous waters of the bay. Through their experiences on the boat and with their customers, they come to understand the complexities of life, as well as its beauty and tenderness. The novel is filled with the beautiful detail and texture of rural life on the water, and is a portrait of the intertwined relationship of man and nature.