All the Water in the World: Shortlisted for the COSTA First Novel Award
As seen:
By Karen Raney
avg rating
2 reviews
Shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2020. Shortlisted for the McKitterick Prize 2021. Runner up for The Paul Torday Memorial Prize 2021.
‘VERY MOVING, A WARM AND COMPASSIONATE NOVEL’ Diana Evans
‘TENDER, HEARTFELT AND HEART-BREAKING’ Francis Spufford
Optioned for film by Monumental Pictures/Lionsgate.
Maddy is sixteen. She has loyal friends, a mother with whom she’s unusually close, a father she’s never met, devoted grandparents, and a crush on a boy named Jack. Maddy is also dying.
Told alternately by Maddy and her mother, Eve, All the Water in the World is a heart-breaking story of a family doing its best when faced with the worst, and a poignant testimony to the transformative power of love.
‘DEEPLY REWARDING AND WHOLLY UNFORGETTABLE’ Bret Anthony Johnston
‘CAPTIVATING AND WARM AND REAL’ Janet Ellis ‘ASTONISHINGLY MOVING’ Joanna Hershon
‘A TENDER BRUISE OF A NOVEL’ Mary Paulson-Ellis
Reviews
This really divided our book club - some loved it and others did not enjoy it at all. The writing style divided us and although the subject matter should have been one to elicit sympathy that was not always the case. Some thought it very well written, the story interesting and the characters engaging while others felt the opposite sadly. The overall score was 6 out of 10
I adored this book. A very tender portrayal of the loss of a child through illness. I loved the dual narrative and the evocative descriptions of place. We are reading this as a staff reader but will share with some of our older students.
