A Great Summer Read for Couples Reading Together
Castle of Water by Dane Huckelbridge is a perfect selection to take along on your summer vacation. Even better if you’re going to the beach.
Although I’m not sure how we came across it, we first read this book in 2020 during the Covid shutdown. At the time, it was a nice escape from what was happening in the world.
It was also interesting to compare the story of a man and a woman stranded on a Polynesian island with our own situation at the time. While we weren’t struggling to find food or brave the elements, there were aspects of the character’s life that could also apply to ours.
During that time, Bob and I were “stranded” together in a two-bedroom, one-bath house with a small fenced yard. I found the interactions (and a few irritations!) between the main characters in Castle of Water sometimes mirrored our own.
More recently, I was on my way to a conference in Hilton Head and didn’t have a new book to read. I grabbed this one from our book shelf. It was just as entertaining and thought-provoking the second time around. Bob re-read it for this review and finished it in a couple of days.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be stranded on an island with only one other person?
In Castle of Water, author Dane Huckelbridge explores this question with an American stockbroker (and wannabe artist) and a French architect who end up marooned together on an island in the South Pacific. When the small plane they’re on crashes into the ocean, Barry and Sophie are the only survivors. These very mismatched strangers have to find ways to overcome their differences and work together to survive.
Over the course of the book, the author includes some fascinating little history lessons and side stories that serve to enhance what is happening with Barry and Sophie. If you wonder how a narrative about two people on a desert island can take up two hundred and seventy-five pages, trust me when I say there is never a dull moment. Huckelbridge carries us back and forth through time and around the world. His excellent writing style makes the entire journey a pleasure to read.
Bob Says:
I give this fiction book five stars! Most everyone has seen the movie Castaway starring Tom Hanks. Castle of Water is more intense. A small plane with a hungover pilot transporting three people to Tahiti goes down in the middle of the South Pacific, hundreds of miles from the nearest soul. What follows is a gripping struggle against all odds on an island the size of a large city block.
Personally, I love survival stories, and this one was no exception. I loved every minute of the story – all of their work, and their fears, and their joys. I devoured every page. Take it from me, while reading this book you will be rooting for a happy ending.
Liz Says:
When I start reading a book it must have two things: good writing and a great story. If it doesn’t, I stop reading. There are too many books to be read, and I have too little reading time to waste it on anything less. Castle of Water by Dane Huuckelbridge overwhelmingly meets both of my criteria.
This is so much more than a castaway survival story. This is the kind of book that you could read multiple times, finding new things to love about it with each reading. It’s the perfect story to read while you’re lounging on a beach chair. But it could also take you away to tropical sunshine and warm breezes in the middle of winter. Whenever you choose to read it, do read it! I’m confident you’ll love it as much as we did.
If you’re looking for more good books to read together, check out some of our Couples Reading Together reviews here.
Have you read Castle of Water? Tell us your thoughts about the book, or give us your recommendations for summer reading in the comments below.