Reviews

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

matante's review against another edition

4.0

Great bath time read.

livi_loves_reading's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

ciusky's review against another edition

mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

maurice6300's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

meggeorge's review against another edition

5.0

I knew this was going to be 5 stars from the first 20 pages. I was in mental anguish any time my hands were not on this book for the two days it took me to read it. Stellar.

I do think the Goodreads blurb doesn't do it justice. If someone comes into this book expecting, as the blurb suggests, heavy speculative, maybe even sci-fi or horror, I fear they might be disappointed and not give it the fair shot it deserves. I certainly was misled by the marketing. But I thoroughly enjoy this type of light speculative fiction and was pleasantly surprised.

This is the sort of speculative fiction that doesn't get bogged down by science and realism but uses its fantastical elements to create a metaphor for the human condition. This book isn't about a deep-sea dive gone wrong. It's about how relationships change over the years and the pain of having a loved one suffer degenerative disease. The story is heartbreaking and beautiful, and the prose is simply stunning. I haven't been this absorbed in a book in ages.

Massive kudos to Julia Armfield and I can't wait to read more.

angela_king's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

sofieosmani's review

dark emotional informative mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

mrsshelvey69's review

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

mbp_918's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

booalie's review

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0