What readers think of Water, Stone, Heart, plus links to write your own review.

I loved Will North's novel. I was attracted by the main character Andrew who found himself shattered when his first wife opted out of their marriage. I loved the location of the story in Bocastle, England. The locals were easy to like, and I have to confess my surprise when a sudden event changes the lives of Andrew and his new friends.

This book is principally about two people finding themselves and their way back after heart-breaking life events. I loved all of the quicky characters and the descriptions of the artistry involved in stone hedge building. I did find the quickness in which Nicola was able to trust Andrew after her extremely abusive past a little unrealistic. However, having experienced some of this on a smaller scale, the over-all message left me feeling like we can heal and their is hope and life after loss. A little too-good-to-be-true for me but overall an uplifting and encouraging read.

This book made me want to move to Cornwall and live amongst the characters in the book. Will North does a terrific job of making the characters come to life. The notes about the flood at the beginning of each chapter help build up to an exciting ending. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and its characters and location.

Thanks to Will North my next vacation may be to the coastal villages of Cornwall. I loved this book from the very beginning and I rushed through it in the way a fast moving river makes its way to the sea, much like the rivers did in the catastrophic flood of Boscastle depicted in the novel. I loved North’s reverence for the natural world and how he incorporated the magic of the region with its folklore, witchcraft and piety for the community as a whole. The “heart” of this story is its characters, the inhabitants of Boscastle and those that come to live there to rebuild their lives. This novel builds up to its climatic ending as surely as one builds the walls of stone that crisscross the rugged landscapes of this part of the world. Its perfect for that afternoon when you want to get away from the drudgery of everyday life but be prepared to read late into the night because you won’t want to put this book down.

This book grabbed me from the start. It reminded me of Maeve Binchy's style of writing. The reader is taken into the psyche of the characters immediately and shown their vulnerabilities, defenses, and perspective on life. The setting is a real village in Cornwall called Boscastle. I felt a part of this small rural village as the story progressed. The book pulls you in and makes you an intimate observer of the villagers. It offers a variety of characters from a nine year old girl who is very wise for her age and knows everything that goes on in the village to "witches" who have compassion, understanding and intuition. (There is a witchcraft museum in this village so witchcraft is a part of the village culture).

The two main characters, Andrew and Nicky meet here. Both have been deeply wounded by people they love, Andrew emotionally and Nicky physically. Andrew comes to the village to take a class on constructing stone hedges from a master builder in the village. I loved learning about how to build stone hedges. It was like I was part of the class, as well! As he learns about building with stone, he ironically begins to deconstruct the wall he has built around himself. Nicky moved to the village to escape an abusive relationship. She is a gifted artist and slowly learns to build trust again as she becomes part of the village. I looked up the village of Boscastle on the internet because it is a place I would love to visit after reading this book. Good book!

I just didn't want to put this book down, because there was always something new on the next page. I really didn't know what to expect, and the characters were fascinating.

At the beginning of each chapter, there is a report of rains for the area, but you aren't sure if they've taken place before or are about the storm mentioned on the back of the book. As I got more into the book, I kept waiting for them to hit. WOW!

This book is very well written, and I HAVE to read Will North's The Long Walk Home.

The first 150 pages kept me interested with the location description and the character introductions. The stone hedge building was a different addition to a novel about the UK. Around page 170, I started to skim as I was losing interest. The book ended with a ho-hum. It had potential in the first half but lost me in the second half.
The characters in the hedge building class were colorful and I would have enjoyed it if they were followed to the end of the book. The love scene was not exciting. Disappointing second half. It was a decent enough story to be made into a Lifetime Movie for Women or just a summer beach read requiring little attention.

This book covered everything - suspense, love story, geography and history lessons, and human relations.

The descriptions of the landscape and gentle people encouraged me to include Cornwall in my list of places I would like to visit. The writer has talent for revealing the strength and character of the inhabitants of the village. I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful story.