spookimom's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mmilligan94's review against another edition
dark
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Are we sure Margaret Atwood endorsed this ridiculous book? Parents horrifically abusing their three daughters isn’t a dystopia. The narrators are too unreliable from abuse to make anything clear other than their parents f^cked them up.
To be fair, this is the second book I’ve read by this author. I disliked the other book (The Blue Ticket) slightly less. The author seems to like dropping the reader down into a story that’s missing the first and last 100 pages.
To be fair, this is the second book I’ve read by this author. I disliked the other book (The Blue Ticket) slightly less. The author seems to like dropping the reader down into a story that’s missing the first and last 100 pages.
laurelinwonder's review
4.0
Okay, this was an interesting dystopian novel, very different, yet in a similar vein to The Handmaid's Tale. If you like discussing how our culture is reflected back on us in literature, this is the book to analyze.
readingthruthewards22's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
3.75
breejay's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
rorymcneill's review
4.0
The Water Cure is gripping. I couldn’t put it down and finished it within a day. A fascinating reflection of gender and its social implications.
mslingg's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
shelf_inspiration's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 Stars
See more on my Bookstagram: Shelf.Inspiration Instagram
“She was just like every other woman. Eager and tender-hearted. That knot of grief in her chest begging to be undone.” - The Water Cure.
King has tenderly staked out a territory for his wife and three daughters, Grace, Lia, and Sky. He has laid the barbed wire; he has anchored the buoys in the water; he has marked out a clear message: Do not enter. Or viewed from another angle: Not safe to leave. Here women are protected from the chaos and violence of men on the mainland. The cult-like rituals and therapies they endure fortify them from the spreading toxicity of a degrading world. But when their father, the only man they’ve ever seen, disappears, they retreat further inward until the day three strange men wash ashore. Over the span of one blistering hot week, a psychological cat-and-mouse game plays out. Sexual tensions and sibling rivalries flare as the sisters confront the amorphous threat the strangers represent. Can they survive the men?
This is a book that I have been wanting to read FOREVER. And I’m glad I finally got to it. This story focuses on three sisters who live on a secluded island with their parents away from the world. It is a bit of a dystopian tale and really takes a focus on the sister’s relationships with one another, their parents, and their unexpected visitors. I loved the gritty, raw complicated relationships between the siblings and their unusual life drew me into the story. This was definitely a tense read at times and there are some content warnings to be aware of. However, I felt the writing of this book was so good and I cannot wait to read another story from Sophie Mackintosh.
See more on my Bookstagram: Shelf.Inspiration Instagram
“She was just like every other woman. Eager and tender-hearted. That knot of grief in her chest begging to be undone.” - The Water Cure.
King has tenderly staked out a territory for his wife and three daughters, Grace, Lia, and Sky. He has laid the barbed wire; he has anchored the buoys in the water; he has marked out a clear message: Do not enter. Or viewed from another angle: Not safe to leave. Here women are protected from the chaos and violence of men on the mainland. The cult-like rituals and therapies they endure fortify them from the spreading toxicity of a degrading world. But when their father, the only man they’ve ever seen, disappears, they retreat further inward until the day three strange men wash ashore. Over the span of one blistering hot week, a psychological cat-and-mouse game plays out. Sexual tensions and sibling rivalries flare as the sisters confront the amorphous threat the strangers represent. Can they survive the men?
This is a book that I have been wanting to read FOREVER. And I’m glad I finally got to it. This story focuses on three sisters who live on a secluded island with their parents away from the world. It is a bit of a dystopian tale and really takes a focus on the sister’s relationships with one another, their parents, and their unexpected visitors. I loved the gritty, raw complicated relationships between the siblings and their unusual life drew me into the story. This was definitely a tense read at times and there are some content warnings to be aware of. However, I felt the writing of this book was so good and I cannot wait to read another story from Sophie Mackintosh.
thain's review
2.0
Heavy-handed allegory about toxic masculinity as three sisters are raised by a domineering man in isolation from other men until ONE DAY dot dot dot.