Off the Charts – castle of water (Dane Huckelbridge)

Ahoy there me mateys!  For those of ye who are new to me log, a word: though this log’s focus is on sci-fi, fantasy, and young adult, this Captain does have broader reading tastes.  Occasionally, I will share some novels that I enjoyed that are off the charts (a non sci-fi, fantasy, or young adult novel), as it were.  So today I bring ye:

castle of water (Dane Huckelbridge)

Title: castle of water

Author: Dane Huckelbridge

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press / Thomas Dunne Books

Publication Date: April 4, 2017 (hardcover/e-book)

ISBN: 978-1250098221

Source: NetGalley

This novel captured me fancy when I read a post from yvonne @ it’s all about books stating that it is a modern Robinson Crusoe type tale wherein two people end up on a deserted island and struggle to survive. Now bein’ a pirate Captain and all, I find books about shipwrecks and deserted islands to be extremely fascinatin’.  I was thrilled to give this one a look-see.

In this tale, a French architect named Sophie and an American ex-banker named Barry find themselves stranded on a small island after a plane crash.  The only problem is that the uninhabited island is “some 2,359 miles from Hawaii, 4,622 miles from Chile, and 533 miles from the nearest living soul.”

This was an engaging tale from the beginning, and I read this in one sitting.  Sophie and Barry are seemingly opposites at first glance but their need for each other to survive slowly allows their commonalities to shine through.  The growth and dreams they exhibit are lovely.  I particularly loved how these two communicated in both their highs and lows.  And of course how and what they did to survive was fascinating in its own right.

The writing style of this novel was lovely.  Interspersed with the story of survival are brief but beautiful glimpses into other places and times.  Ye get the history of the island and the Polynesians who visited it.  Ye get an idea of other castaways from the past.  There is backstory of the doomed pilot and his mistakes that led to the present.  These forays enriched the understanding and depth of the central story of Sophie and Barry.  The eventual explanation and unfolding of the meaning of the novel’s title was mesmerizing and heart-wrenching.

I am so very glad to have this novel imprinted on me heart.  Truly me words are inadequate.

So lastly . . .

Thank you St. Martin’s Press / Thomas Dunne Books!

Goodreads has this to say about the novel:

Two very different people, one very small island.

For Sophie Ducel, her honeymoon in French Polynesia was intended as a celebration of life. The proud owner of a thriving Parisian architecture firm, co-founded with her brilliant new husband, Sophie had much to look forward to—including a visit to the island home of her favorite singer, Jacques Brel.

For Barry Bleecker, the same trip was meant to mark a new beginning. Turning away from his dreary existence in Manhattan finance, Barry had set his sights on fine art, seeking creative inspiration on the other side of the world—just like his idol, Paul Gauguin.

But when their small plane is downed in the middle of the South Pacific, the sole survivors of the wreck are left with one common goal: to survive. Stranded hundreds of miles from civilization, on an island the size of a large city block, the two castaways must reconcile their differences and learn to draw on one another’s strengths if they are to have any hope of making it home.

Told in mesmerizing prose, with charm and rhythm entirely its own, Castle of Water is more than just a reimagining of the classic castaway story. It is a stirring reflection on love’s restorative potential, as well as a poignant reminder that home—be it a flat in Paris, a New York apartment, or a desolate atoll a world away—is where the heart is.

To visit the author’s website go to:

Dane Huckelbridge – Author

To buy the novel please visit:

castle of water – Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List