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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
3.5 stars, but I rounded to 4 because the writing was so great.
This book was very good, but it was so descriptive and unbelievable that I found my mind wandering way too often, which is never a good thing. My favorite books are the type of books that keep me thinking about them when I'm doing something else; I was actually glad to take a break from this one.
The ending had me in tears, as I predicted it would, but not in the same way The Light We Lost did.
I also blame my TBR pile for me not loving this one, because I have so many other books I'm excited to read, and I resented Castle of Water for taking too long to finish.
This book was very good, but it was so descriptive and unbelievable that I found my mind wandering way too often, which is never a good thing. My favorite books are the type of books that keep me thinking about them when I'm doing something else; I was actually glad to take a break from this one.
The ending had me in tears, as I predicted it would, but not in the same way The Light We Lost did.
I also blame my TBR pile for me not loving this one, because I have so many other books I'm excited to read, and I resented Castle of Water for taking too long to finish.
Where do I even begin with this book? First of all, I had (still have…) a major work project due so I needed something to escape into during breaks and settled on this classic castaway story but then 2 pages in I didn’t stop reading. I could NOT put this book down. So here I am a day later, no further towards completing that aforementioned work project but in the last 24 hours I have laughed, cried, stopped breathing, started breathing again, nodded along, thrown this book, cradled this book, and googled lots of pictures of random Pacific islands.
There’s nothing surprising about this story – it’s a castaway story and set not *that* far from the castaway story we all know (Tom Hanks / Wilson the football etc - Fiji area vs. Tahiti area) but it was so much more than that. It was beautifully written and seamlessly combined all the trappings of French-American bohemianism with survivalist knowledge, research (you didn’t know about the equatorial counter current either?), and dry humor on a gorgeous island in the vast Pacific.
I’ve often said that if I end up a castaway on a deserted island and got to bring something it would be books… well this book shows that all you really need is the company of someone who appreciates western literary traditions, adventure, and Paul Gauguin as much as you do.
Plus, it was SO refreshing to read a book with a fun / great story that isn’t dumbed down (fact: most mainstream novels, even in the literary fiction category, are written at a 5-6th grade reading level. Fact: a writing craft book I recently read recommended keeping that in mind. Fact: Dane Huckelbridge did not keep that in mind, thank goodness, and did it all without sounding odiously pretentious which is a total feat considering the author graduated from Princeton, wears tweed, and lives in Paris). I found myself reaching for my dictionary app a few times, marveling in the sentence structure, narrative structure, and missing the classic literature I grew up on.
I need more books like this in my life pronto.
There’s nothing surprising about this story – it’s a castaway story and set not *that* far from the castaway story we all know (Tom Hanks / Wilson the football etc - Fiji area vs. Tahiti area) but it was so much more than that. It was beautifully written and seamlessly combined all the trappings of French-American bohemianism with survivalist knowledge, research (you didn’t know about the equatorial counter current either?), and dry humor on a gorgeous island in the vast Pacific.
I’ve often said that if I end up a castaway on a deserted island and got to bring something it would be books… well this book shows that all you really need is the company of someone who appreciates western literary traditions, adventure, and Paul Gauguin as much as you do.
Plus, it was SO refreshing to read a book with a fun / great story that isn’t dumbed down (fact: most mainstream novels, even in the literary fiction category, are written at a 5-6th grade reading level. Fact: a writing craft book I recently read recommended keeping that in mind. Fact: Dane Huckelbridge did not keep that in mind, thank goodness, and did it all without sounding odiously pretentious which is a total feat considering the author graduated from Princeton, wears tweed, and lives in Paris). I found myself reaching for my dictionary app a few times, marveling in the sentence structure, narrative structure, and missing the classic literature I grew up on.
I need more books like this in my life pronto.
Two castaways on a deserted island fight to survive. Perfect beach read.
I cried. Warm and hilarious at times, and makes you appreciate your life and your loved ones.
Dane Huckelbridge sent me a free copy of his book to review and I'm ever so grateful for his generosity! When I saw #bookstagram BLOW UP over this book, I knew I’d have to read it ASAP. @topshelftext said she just hugged it after reading it - and I knew: I wanted a book that made me hug it, too. And I did. And I’ve hugged it for several days in a row now: I’m not ready to put Barry + Sophie on a shelf yet. I went into the story blind - just simply trusting Madeline’s recommendation. Admittedly, for the first couple of chapters I was worried. I mean, stranded on an island - how can you possibly extend that scenario for almost 300 pages? But as the story unfolded, page by page, I began to lose myself. Slowly at first, but then - out of nowhere - I was head-over-heels for everything about this book. This is a beautiful story of survival, love, death, and grief. Please run out and GET IT RIGHT NOW so you can come back here and chat about it with me!!
I listened to the audioversion of this book.
Enjoyed the story and our two main characters, Barry and Sophie. I liked the author's writing. And although we've heard this story before about two lone survivors on an island on the Pacific, I still really enjoyed it.
The ending felt rushed while other chapters seemed to be dripping with details, but with that said, this was still a very enjoyable listen/read and I'd recommend!
Enjoyed the story and our two main characters, Barry and Sophie. I liked the author's writing. And although we've heard this story before about two lone survivors on an island on the Pacific, I still really enjoyed it.
The ending felt rushed while other chapters seemed to be dripping with details, but with that said, this was still a very enjoyable listen/read and I'd recommend!
Castaways on a remote island in the middle of nowhere, two plane crash survivors have to figure out how to survive. Think you've read this story before? Not the way this author tells it. Between his gift for telling a tale--this is beautifully written--and the unique twists and turns these two experience on the island, I could not put this book down. I didn't want it to end. Wow. What a read!
I surprised myself by really liking this hard to describe novel. The author has a unique style and I had to get into his rhythm before I embraced it. Barry was a passenger in a small plane that crashed in the South Pacific. He survived and swam to a tiny abandoned island. Sophie was also on the plane, honeymooning with her husband. The death of Sophie's husband before her eyes was beyond traumatic. She subsequently drifted to the same island in a small lifeboat. When Barry found her she was traumatized and incoherent. What follows is three years they spent on the island, depending on each other for survival. Neither one liked the other at the beginning but they quickly learned tolerance and appreciation for the talents they each had. As the months passed, their relationship deepened as did their conversations. For a book about two people on a desert island for over three years, it wasn't long enough. The almost ending is unexpected and sad but overall the book is very uplifting and positive. I have to add that from the first page of the book to the end the author's wry sense of humor often made me laugh out loud. One would not think humor and castaway life would blend but they did. Kudos to Dane Huckelbridge.
adventurous
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Barry and Sophie are the only two survivors of a small plane crash in the South Pacific. They have very different backgrounds. Sophie is a French architect who was on her honeymoon. Barry is a single American investment banker who has just given it all away (literally) to pursue his passion for painting. And their personalities couldn’t be more different which makes for some interesting times as they have to cooperate, learn to trust each other and work to survive on the very small island that becomes their home.
I initially loved Sophie’s spunk and fiestiness but Barry grew on me overtime. And I loved the way their relationship developed- the friendly banter and teasing, the thoughtful gifts. Imagine how much worse being a castaway would be if you truly hated the other person.
What I especially enjoyed about this modern day castaway tale was the writing style. The opening chapter had me hooked - who was this man, what was he doing at the Parisian cemetery and why were the students so interested in him? The third person omniscient narrator worked well and I loved the wry offbeat commentary that was made about Sophie and Barry and their interactions. I felt it created a unique feel for the novel, one that I really enjoyed.
I initially loved Sophie’s spunk and fiestiness but Barry grew on me overtime. And I loved the way their relationship developed- the friendly banter and teasing, the thoughtful gifts. Imagine how much worse being a castaway would be if you truly hated the other person.
What I especially enjoyed about this modern day castaway tale was the writing style. The opening chapter had me hooked - who was this man, what was he doing at the Parisian cemetery and why were the students so interested in him? The third person omniscient narrator worked well and I loved the wry offbeat commentary that was made about Sophie and Barry and their interactions. I felt it created a unique feel for the novel, one that I really enjoyed.