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Water
Tully's life is controlled by her father's strict rules. Keep away from strangers. Don't stay at home alone. And never, ever go into the water. All she wants is to be like everyone else. But when a mysterious stranger comes to the door, Tully discovers the horrifying secret her father has been trying to protect her from...Ages 10+.
208 pages, Paperback
First published June 21, 2010
12 people are currently reading
63 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 3, 2016
This book claimed to be a gripping, heart-stopping thriller. Unfortunately, it did not reach expectations. While I loved the cover of this book, the story itself was bland. The concept of creating humans who can live comfortably underwater was interesting but the author only skimmed the surface.
The feeling of excitement and anticipation was missing throughout the story, especially when Tully and the other experiments were trying to escape the future that the evil scientist, Bill, had planned for them. I also found it difficult to pin-point how old Tully was supposed to be. At the beginning she seemed to be quite young, but near the end of the story she appeared to be in her mid teens. Overall, the book could have been so much better and while it finished in a way that could easily lead to a sequel I don't think I'll be reading it.
The feeling of excitement and anticipation was missing throughout the story, especially when Tully and the other experiments were trying to escape the future that the evil scientist, Bill, had planned for them. I also found it difficult to pin-point how old Tully was supposed to be. At the beginning she seemed to be quite young, but near the end of the story she appeared to be in her mid teens. Overall, the book could have been so much better and while it finished in a way that could easily lead to a sequel I don't think I'll be reading it.
September 16, 2010
Water was an odd, and could have been wirtten alot better, although the plot was interesting.
The way it was written annoyed me and it was unclear at times... 2*
The way it was written annoyed me and it was unclear at times... 2*
October 13, 2011
Fantastic science fiction novel about a girl and her over protective father.
Suspense thriller, for children,I couldn't put it down and you won't either.
Suspense thriller, for children,I couldn't put it down and you won't either.
dnf
February 11, 2022DNF @20%
Incredibly boring book with so much happening yet there's no plot. Writing might be the worst I've seen in a book, we know nothing about the characters and do not care for them, and I could feel myself going into a reading slump reading this book.
Incredibly boring book with so much happening yet there's no plot. Writing might be the worst I've seen in a book, we know nothing about the characters and do not care for them, and I could feel myself going into a reading slump reading this book.
April 27, 2023
I first read this book in high school, and reading it again at 24 I can say it holds up. An easy read, but still gripping. A satisfying ending but some questions are left unanswered which is what you want in a thriller
November 30, 2021
it wasn't THE book for me.... the perpectives were kind of hard to catch up, alothough the theme was interesting.
January 17, 2025
Tully deserves the cutest little underwater tent wow
April 15, 2016
Water
By Geoff Havel
1) I decided to read water after my friend suggested it saying “It was her favourite book and the best book”. I also decided to read it after I had reading the phrase on the front cover “secrets always float to the surface”. Which made me exited and gripped to this book. While I was reading the beginning of this book I came up with so many question. I was begging to find out what happened to Tully and her dad. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the many mysteries to be solved. I can’t wait to read more.
2) I am half way through the book and I’m in love with it. My friend was definitely right, this is the best book. The characters are so mysterious and a lot of things are untold about them. One of the main characters bill is hiding many things for Tully. Some that were being hidden from her, her whole life. After I read some more, the truth was told. It was definitely not what I was expecting. I was quite disappointed with the outcome. I thought maybe she was a mermaid or fish, instead she had been created in a lab. This book is thrilling and exciting but if I was the author of this book I would make many changes, one being that she was born a mermaid and her dad was keeping her away from the water. Instead of being created in a science lab where she would be sent to mars to live. The lead up to the solved mystery was intense, so I wanted the conclusion to also be intense. I still love this book, and it has met my expectations. One of the other characters called Dad (Tully’s dad) hides her away from Bill (undercover scientist) who is doing experiments on her. It turns out that Dad was actually working with Bill, which the outcome also surprised me.
3) This book has definitely met my expectations. I can’t stop thinking about the ongoing mysteries. I feel that this book is thrilling and exciting, but the author could have made the conclusions as exciting as the mysteries. I feel a pump of energy while reading this book because of its many twists and turns. It is definitely a MUST read! If you love mysterious, thrilling, heart pumping and exciting books you will LOVE this one! Overall this book has been great, and maybe one of my favourites. I loved it so much because I’m not used to reading this type of genre and it was a great book to start me of with reading fantasy, I usually just stick with teen fiction but I am glad my friend suggested this book because it opened a whole new door for books for me to read. I recommend this book to children from the ages 10-13 who want to take a different path in reading and to step out of their comfort zone. I had high expectations for this book after my friend said it was the best book ever and this book was high above my expectations. I rate this book 9.5/10.
Lily Karro aged 12
By Geoff Havel
1) I decided to read water after my friend suggested it saying “It was her favourite book and the best book”. I also decided to read it after I had reading the phrase on the front cover “secrets always float to the surface”. Which made me exited and gripped to this book. While I was reading the beginning of this book I came up with so many question. I was begging to find out what happened to Tully and her dad. I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the many mysteries to be solved. I can’t wait to read more.
2) I am half way through the book and I’m in love with it. My friend was definitely right, this is the best book. The characters are so mysterious and a lot of things are untold about them. One of the main characters bill is hiding many things for Tully. Some that were being hidden from her, her whole life. After I read some more, the truth was told. It was definitely not what I was expecting. I was quite disappointed with the outcome. I thought maybe she was a mermaid or fish, instead she had been created in a lab. This book is thrilling and exciting but if I was the author of this book I would make many changes, one being that she was born a mermaid and her dad was keeping her away from the water. Instead of being created in a science lab where she would be sent to mars to live. The lead up to the solved mystery was intense, so I wanted the conclusion to also be intense. I still love this book, and it has met my expectations. One of the other characters called Dad (Tully’s dad) hides her away from Bill (undercover scientist) who is doing experiments on her. It turns out that Dad was actually working with Bill, which the outcome also surprised me.
3) This book has definitely met my expectations. I can’t stop thinking about the ongoing mysteries. I feel that this book is thrilling and exciting, but the author could have made the conclusions as exciting as the mysteries. I feel a pump of energy while reading this book because of its many twists and turns. It is definitely a MUST read! If you love mysterious, thrilling, heart pumping and exciting books you will LOVE this one! Overall this book has been great, and maybe one of my favourites. I loved it so much because I’m not used to reading this type of genre and it was a great book to start me of with reading fantasy, I usually just stick with teen fiction but I am glad my friend suggested this book because it opened a whole new door for books for me to read. I recommend this book to children from the ages 10-13 who want to take a different path in reading and to step out of their comfort zone. I had high expectations for this book after my friend said it was the best book ever and this book was high above my expectations. I rate this book 9.5/10.
Lily Karro aged 12
December 23, 2012
This was a book that had sat on my shelf for years before I finally picked it up to read it, and when I finally did I wish I had have read it earlier.
Not because it was a good book, but because it might not have been such a chore to read in the days before I had read much more than Twilight and Roald Dahl.
Tully had always lived my her father's strict rules: 'stay away from strangers', 'don't stay home alone' and 'never, ever go in the water' until a mysterious stranger arrives at her door and Tully discovers the secrets her father has been keeping from her. The novel promises to be a "gripping, heart-stopping thriller".
Geoff Havel's writing, in short is simplistic and dull. Particularly during the first few chapters (though it was scattered throughout) there was an overload of cliché imagery, which didn't flow with the rest of the work. Tully's mental voice was very repetitive, she only ever seemed to think the same things from chapter to chapter: "where is dad?" "why did he say that?" "what does bill want?" "it's not fair?" or some variation, also phrasing stupid questions "What did dad mean when he said I wouldn't drown?" She also frequently refreshed the readers memory about past events that happened as few as a few pages ago. She was not a particularly enjoyable character to read through.
The novel was very predictable and flat, lacking any plot twists or startling moments, which are generally required of "thrilling novels". The only part of the novel that even slightly resembled suspense was not until near the very end of the book (excluding Tully's 'great reveal', which was blatantly obvious, given the title and her father's 'rules') when Jack stifled "a gasp of horror" *end scene*.
Overall this was not a particularly enjoyable novel and the only reason I reached that last page was because I wanted to judge it fairly in this review. Premise wise it is not a horrible idea, but in this case it simply did not work. It's only saving grace is that it is targeted at a much younger age group than I (10-12), who may be more appreciative of the novel. It only get's 1/5, and probably wouldn't recommend this book to anyone over the age of, say, eight (though I have heard that it is required reading for some ESL students - I'm sorry).
My copy is going to the local book drive (for disadvantaged children) in hopes that someone will find joy within it's pages.
Not because it was a good book, but because it might not have been such a chore to read in the days before I had read much more than Twilight and Roald Dahl.
Tully had always lived my her father's strict rules: 'stay away from strangers', 'don't stay home alone' and 'never, ever go in the water' until a mysterious stranger arrives at her door and Tully discovers the secrets her father has been keeping from her. The novel promises to be a "gripping, heart-stopping thriller".
Geoff Havel's writing, in short is simplistic and dull. Particularly during the first few chapters (though it was scattered throughout) there was an overload of cliché imagery, which didn't flow with the rest of the work. Tully's mental voice was very repetitive, she only ever seemed to think the same things from chapter to chapter: "where is dad?" "why did he say that?" "what does bill want?" "it's not fair?" or some variation, also phrasing stupid questions "What did dad mean when he said I wouldn't drown?" She also frequently refreshed the readers memory about past events that happened as few as a few pages ago. She was not a particularly enjoyable character to read through.
The novel was very predictable and flat, lacking any plot twists or startling moments, which are generally required of "thrilling novels". The only part of the novel that even slightly resembled suspense was not until near the very end of the book (excluding Tully's 'great reveal', which was blatantly obvious, given the title and her father's 'rules') when Jack stifled "a gasp of horror" *end scene*.
Overall this was not a particularly enjoyable novel and the only reason I reached that last page was because I wanted to judge it fairly in this review. Premise wise it is not a horrible idea, but in this case it simply did not work. It's only saving grace is that it is targeted at a much younger age group than I (10-12), who may be more appreciative of the novel. It only get's 1/5, and probably wouldn't recommend this book to anyone over the age of, say, eight (though I have heard that it is required reading for some ESL students - I'm sorry).
My copy is going to the local book drive (for disadvantaged children) in hopes that someone will find joy within it's pages.
December 1, 2015
This book was sweet and described the characters well, I really wish there had been a sequel to the book. The author was clever and never gave away what was going to happen, it made an adventure behind every page corner. It was a hard pill to swallow that not all of the kids escaped but it did make sense as if there was a squeal there would be too many main characters.
I liked how the main character felt a sense of belonging when she found the other girls and how the author clearly compared the lifestyle of when she lived in the town to the lifestyle she was living at the research center. It really helped me to feel like or to relate to her.
I liked how the main character felt a sense of belonging when she found the other girls and how the author clearly compared the lifestyle of when she lived in the town to the lifestyle she was living at the research center. It really helped me to feel like or to relate to her.
November 24, 2013
Perfect!
It did something to my mind; gave me a taste of imprisonment, and I felt desperate for Tully to break free. Escape.
I really felt the emotions in this book, which is what kept me clinging to every page.
I know I really enjoy these types of books. If you enjoy reading books about being trapped, desperate, helpless. This is the book for you.
It did something to my mind; gave me a taste of imprisonment, and I felt desperate for Tully to break free. Escape.
I really felt the emotions in this book, which is what kept me clinging to every page.
I know I really enjoy these types of books. If you enjoy reading books about being trapped, desperate, helpless. This is the book for you.
April 3, 2014
This book is very adventurous, mysterious and exciting to read. IT is about a girl who got put in to water tanks so that she could get used to breathing underwater and that is how her adventure starts.
January 25, 2011
Unlike anything I've read before! A wonderful story, which will keep you guessing right up to the very last page!
Currently reading
April 1, 2011I love this book! One of the best heart stopping, thrillers I have ever read :D
October 1, 2014
a little comfusing but overall a good book
December 21, 2015
It was interesting, but a bit odd and creepy. Could have been written better.
November 11, 2012
It was interesting, but a bit odd and creepy. Could have been written better.
August 19, 2013
So cool! It was captivating and interesting. Love it!
October 25, 2013
The book Water took me time to get into but it was a great story none the less!!! It's a should read!
July 20, 2021
This is a good book, exploring different themes, loved it but feel like there should be a sequel.
May 9, 2012
This is one of my absolute favourite books in the world... absolutely stunning.
October 2, 2013
i have read heaps of books like this..... so it was interesting and ok to read i guess.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews