Reviews

Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge

mamacwells's review against another edition

5.0

Amazing, bittersweet, and cleverly constructed. This is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time.

lifebetweenwords's review against another edition

5.0

Loved so much and I couldn't put it down. It had a little bit of everything: adventure, survival, history, romance, humor, pathos, quiet moments, and moments of action. It made me laugh and cry and surprised me more than once. Definitely one of my favorites from the year so far.

ashleytebbs's review against another edition

fast-paced

5.0

penguin555's review against another edition

adventurous emotional slow-paced

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

4.0

gertrude22's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

5.0

erchla's review against another edition

4.0

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!

rachelkreadsbookz's review against another edition

reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death and Death

Plane crash and drowning

stillbirth and traumatic birth experience

constantine2020's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 

Genre: Literary Fiction

Castle of Water is a fresh take on the traditional castaway tale. Two characters will have to survive together after their plane crashes in the middle of the South Pacific. Barry Bleecker intended to inaugurate a fresh start. He had his sights set on fine art, turning away from his dull life in Manhattan. The second survivor is Sophie, a French woman. The purpose of her trip to French Polynesia was to celebrate her honeymoon. She and her smart new husband built a successful architecture firm in Paris, which she looked forward to making successful. Fate brings these two strangers together on one island and their journey of survival starts there.

The first thing I need to mention here is the writing. It is beautiful, poetic at times, and has a sort of heartache in it. It suits the theme of the story a lot. The pace of the story needs some fixing though. The start was great, and the ending was beautiful. The middle of the book which is the biggest chunk dragged a lot for me. The two main characters weren't always convincing to me as being out in the wilderness struggling to survive. They felt to me more relaxed than they should've been. 

As for its predictability, I think the bigger part of the story was predictable. However, the way it is written is what usually makes the difference. The ending was well thought out and was nicely done. I know many readers will get emotional with such an ending. I believe Castle of Water is one of those books which should be read to appreciate the writing more than the story itself. 

crofly's review against another edition

4.0

Wow. I am grateful to have received this book from Bookbrowse. It manages to do the impossible: transcend its seemingly generic premise of two people stuck on an island. It's far deeper than that. The book deals with stereotypes that we all have of other cultures and countries and how we can break these notions and even learn to see our differences as attributes. There is also the theme of expectations, like that of employment, that one is expected to fulfill in society. It tackles the notion that in a society, the happiness of the individual comes second to duty and finding long term stability. Here you have an island, separated from civilization and modern comforts but free of these expectations. I think that is where the two protagonists find common ground. In this island, they can be whatever they want--devoid of both society's expectations of who they should be, what occupation they should pursue, and their own misconceptions of what people from these two parts of the world are like. I found myself laughing, giggling, and smiling at multiple points in the story. Dane Huckelbridge's prose is refreshing as he offers so many great lines and funny jokes, but also dramatic and contemplative moments. This is a great read and I highly recommend it.

suvata's review against another edition

4.0

I first heard about this book on the What Should I Read Next Podcast Episode 104. Link: http://modernmrsdarcy.com/104-episode/

Let me preface this by saying I have a terrible fear of flying. Of course, a few chapters in, there is a plane crash. That was just the beginning of the anxiety that persisted throughout the remaining chapters. This a very intense (sometimes humorous) story about the struggles that the two survivors endure while trying to survive on a small, uncharted Pacific island.