Member Reviews
Wow, this book really makes you think.
In the book The Wave, we find a tsunami is approaching and there is no way of surviving. It's definitely thought provoking, sad, and enlightening all wrapped up into one not so neat package.
Well written!!
The Wave is an utterly captivating story from author Virginia Moffatt. With the narrative centred around a tsunami threatening the Cornish coast, the intensity of the situation drives the entire book. We follow a small group of individuals brought together by fate who, over the course of the night, begin to share their darkest secrets and build strong, meaningful connections. What is revealed in the end is nothing less than spellbinding, as each character’s secrets come to light and transform the entire narrative.
An enthralling, emotional read, The Wave will take you on an unforgettable journey as it builds suspense and creates an emotional roller coaster right up to its stunning conclusion. Be warned – this is a book you won’t be able to put down!
A tsunami is heading for an English town, and the town has to prepare for almost certain death. I think this is a very difficult situation, because nothing you do can really prepare you or your loves ones for whats coming next. I am writing this review almost 19 years after the tsunami that hit Phuket, and it makes you wonder, what goes through people's minds during something like this.
I raced through the book in one evening. A really unique plot and the impending threat keeps the tension.
Can't say I really enjoyed this book but maybe its just me. The basic premise was good and the characters well drawn but it just didn't hold my interest.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley..
This was my first book by this author.
This was a powerful book. I definitely wasn't expecting that, but it led me to question what I would do in tat situation... how would I manage.. what would i decide to do?
I will definitely read more books by this author.
I was eager to read this book and the compelling plot definitely sucked me in. Enjoyed getting to know the characters but then became frustrated with the constant repetition of events through another characters eyes. While I usually enjoy this technique, in this read it was used too much. It would have been so much more effective if used just at peak times in the plot line. I had to force myself to finish this read. Thank you to Virginia Moffat and NetGalley.
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this book
The wave conjures up an image of devastation on the other side of the world but in this case it was Cornwall. I'm not sure about this book, but it really did make me think. Would I recommend possibly. Its just one I'm not sure about.
When a tsunami is predicted to hit the coast of Cornwall, with little or no chance of survival expected, a group of people come together to spend their final moments - each bringing their own tales, their own secrets. Whilst not without its niggles, this is an engaging, emotional tale exploring human nature - character by character - with a haunting premise.
I was swept away by this book excuse the pun but it was a brilliant take on a life changing devastation novel. How humanity can either come together or fall to complete pieces in the face of such devastating events. The fact a small group was used gave a more intimate view and allowed for their voices to be heard. The internal fight to accept and come to terms with an inevitable destination tore at the heartstrings. Moving, uplifting and powerful in my opinion.
I was really drawn to the premise of this book – the idea of a tsunami heading towards the Cornish coast leaving the people there with no real chance of escaping it is chilling but also an intriguing set up for a novel. I found this book really hard to put down. I really liked most of the characters and there were some really moving moments within the story. I did find it a little jarring at times though as I didn’t believe that people who have chosen to spend their final hours on the beach enjoying their last moments of life would then end up debating politics. It seems to me that in that situation people would be more likely to be either in quiet reflection or bonding with others as they talked about their lives – their happiest moments and their regrets. As I said before though I still found this a compelling book that I didn’t want to put down and even though we know how the story is going to end for these characters, I still spent the whole book hoping it would be different for them. I’ll definitely look out for more from this author in the future.
This is an uplifting story of life’s regrets, unsaid moments and grasping what is important while you can. It is beautifully told through the eyes of multiple narrators shying away from and yet trying to accept the prospect of certain death. The setting of the beach is the perfect, tranquil place for such reflection. The quality of the writing makes you believe in this group of people who are quickly drawn together before impending oblivion.
It will make you ponder you own existence and achievements while your heart breaks for the plight of this group of new-found friends.
Climate change is on the tip of everyones tongue nowadays, and we are all too uncomfortably familiar with how it is changing our world. So a book about a devastating tsunami coming full steam at Cornwall, and the impact that would have, was a book I wanted to read.
Thanks to HarperCollins UK for giving me for giving me a copy of this book for review consideration. As always, no matter what the source of the book, you get my honest, unbiased opinion.
MY THOUGHTS ON THE WAVE BY VIRGINIA MOFFATT
This book is told from the various points of view of people who have become trapped in Cornwall, and retreat to the beach for the last night of their lives. They have done the maths, and realised that escape is impossible, so instead they have resigned themselves to their fate.
As you can imagine, this made for a poignant read, as the characters examined their lives and regretted certain aspects of their lives. I did get caught up in the plot, but found there were too many main characters (seven of them!) for me to get really attached to any of them.
I think its a good book for raising environmental issues, and that can never be a bad thing. But it fell a little short for me, as I thought it would have gripped me more. Overall I’d rate this as an ok read.
WHO SHOULD READ THE WAVE BY VIRGINIA MOFFATT
I’d recommend this if you want a book that has a realistic dystopian setting, and are looking for a quick, easy read.
Thrilling story, great plot and characters that keep you guessing right til the end. Great for fans of this genre. Really enjoyable.
The publishers really have used all the right words – “haunting, scarily real and brilliantly executed”, “the heart-stopping novel that everyone will be talking about”. But what intrigued me was what the book was “about” – I notice “psychological thriller” in its categorisation, and with the approaching tsunami I guess you could reasonably add “pre-apocalyptic”. I did think that might just put it rather outside my reading comfort zone, but I was pleased to discover that it most emphatically didn’t: and that’s because its focus is on people, their interactions and relationships, their pasts and their regrets, their choices and priorities when they realise there’s no possibility of a future.
The concept is very clever – when escape becomes impossible, a random group of people respond to Poppy’s Facebook invitation to spend their last night with her at Dowetha Cove. In many ways, it could be seen as a story about and for the young – there’s a heavy focus on social media interactions, the good, the bad and the recognisably ugly. But it’s more a story for our times, with the phones, the iPads, the Skype calls, and the posting of videos on Facebook providing the group with the means to right wrongs, to assuage their guilt, to forgive and to seek forgiveness, and to say their final goodbyes to those they love.
I liked the story’s construction, around the Liturgy of the Hours, the prayer cycle marking time and the way it’s running out. The story progresses by seeing events from the viewpoint and through the eyes of each of its seven characters: and that does mean there’s a degree of repetition, overlapping and returning, that might not appeal to everyone. But I did rather enjoy that constant circling – a little dizzying at times maybe, but with the different perspectives and distinctive voices fleshing out the characters and focusing on what is most important to each of them. And as time passes, the characters who started the journey become multi-dimensional, their stories fascinating, their remaining dilemmas and actions poignant and emotional.
Although I was totally engrossed by this book, I didn’t love it unconditionally – the arguments about politics and life’s issues, the abstract rather than the personal, did make me wonder whether anyone would afford them so much importance during their final hours. And I did rather question whether I’d be outraged by Facebook trolls, blocking them as I was facing death. But that’s one of the things that makes this book so fascinating – it becomes painfully personal, and an intense experience. You find yourself questioning what you would do if in their position. Faced with a similar time frame, what would become important to you? Is there anything you’d want to put right? Who would you feel the need to talk to? And who would you really want to say goodbye to – and tell them that you loved them?
(Copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)
I’m not sure what I expected when I picked up this book and if I’m honest I think it definitely helped to go in with no expectations. I just sat back and let the story unfold! The Wave is a character driven story where we meet a group of strangers brought together as a tsunami is due to hit the Cornish coast. I found it easy to become involved in both the story and the characters especially seeing their back stories revealed bit by bit. It all helped to build up an emotional connection, one that continued the whole way through.
In The Wave you see ordinary people coming together in extraordinary circumstances along with finding out their reasons for being on this beach. The way the book is set out you get chapters with various points of view so you do get a rounded feel for everything. My only niggle is that you were sometimes shown the same event just from a different characters perspective. Which gave the story on occasion a repetitive feel, this was only a minor thing and to be fair at one point in the story it ended up working out really well. What I really appreciated was how different The Wave ended up being to anything that I had read recently which made it stand out just that little bit more.
The Wave is an emotive and engaging story!
I really enjoyed reading The Wave. It was a quick read, full of action. The book takes place in Cornwall. A Cornwall that is threatened with obliteration from a mega tsunami. Even the thought of that was enough to make me feel scared and nervous and worried, without actually reading the book. The characters in the book are all rounded and real, and the way they relate with one another in the face of this disaster is what makes the book so easy and interesting to read. The end of the book came too quickly for me but thinking about it, I imagine the writer was told to stop writing at that point. There was no more to add.
I would read anything else written by this writer as I enjoyed the writing style. If you’re thinking about reading it, please do - unless you have a holiday coming up in Cornwall that is ...
This book is both scary and sad
I loved all the description of places in the book.
The ending was predictable but very sad.
A good reqd
Wow what a book, I loved this book. The description of the traffic jams on the A30 in Cornwall conjured up pictures of a hot summer at the coast with lines of cars shimmering in the hot sun going nowhere. The writer managed to paint such a vivid picture in my mind of what these people were facing and how they coped with what was coming their way.
I felt sad at the end as I was hoping that the authorities had got it wrong and there was no wave coming but it was not to be.
I want to read more of this author and have already earmarked another book of hers to read on my to be read list.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Harper Collins for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I found it was fast-paced and interesting. It is the first book by this author that I have read and I will be looking out for more! I have always been interested in the subject of the Tsunami and this book was a real eye-opener. Thank you!