When I try and think of a comparison to this book, I can't. I have simply never read anything like it. I would describe it as a seriously twisted cult fiction dystopian novel... If you have seen the movie "Mother!," you walk away with the same feeling. The feeling of what in the world did I just read, and you're quite sure if that's a good thing or bad. The storyline was a bit slow.. And yet.. the whole book you felt as though you were a part of this world. You lived these poor girls lives, with them and it began to feel so normal that the what should have been climactic moment.. ( in the most messed up way, ) it seemed to make sense. This book was creepy, and yet strangely realistic. It was nearly medieval, and cruel, it was well written, but not necessarily a book ill pick up for a read.

Not quite sure how to feel about this one. The writing is beautiful! In so many places, it reads like poetry and I found myself highlighting so much. However, as far as the actual storyline goes, by the end I had so many questions. The story was incredibly vague, which I do think was intentional by the author. But I needed more specificity with what was actually happening and why. This book is just hard to describe and is definitely not for everyone. But again, writing was so beautiful.

The book’s synopsis sounded really interesting and I was intrigued; however, I couldn’t get into it. So, I DNF this one.

I have mixed feelings towards The Water Cure. This book has been hyped up as a feminist dystopia and it really isn't by any means. Three women live on an island with their mother and "King" aka their dad, because according to the vague prose this book is riddled with, there is some kind of toxin that hurts women and men give it off (????). Of course the women only know this because it is what they have been told by their parents, nothing fishy there.... King goes missing and is assumed dead. Two men and a boy end up on their remote island seeking shelter. From the very start of the book the reader can feel something is off on the story the daughters are being told about toxins, which immediately eliminates the feminist dystopia ruse and I can't help but feel it got that label to get the book more attention or try to act like it is a feminist dystopian so the big surprise is a shock, in which case the story immediately falls apart). The vagueness of the prose style writing was a bit annoying as well.

"Once there was a father who thought he could protect us."

King has sequestered his wife and 3 daughters in a large house by the ocean. Their aim is to be kept separate and safe from the rest of any place off their property where men and civization are toxic. The parents have strange ideas about raising Grace, Lia and Sky and they are subjected to all sorts of strange therapies and treatments -- including "the water cure." The notions and fallacies forced upon the girls by their parents shape them into creatures devoid of most female tendencies and bereft of true knowledge about themselves and the world at large. It is the worst kind of dystopia and their formative years spent in this place have warped them. When King goes off to obtain provisions and never returns, the girls and Mother are ill-equipped to continue on. Then, one day, 2 men and a little boy appear on the shore. Nothing has prepared them for this invasion. NO SPOILERS.

This has to be, without a doubt, one of the weirdest books I've ever read. I don't even know if I liked it but only that I was so glad when I finally finished. It was confusing, rambling, and hard to follow as the narrators changed and sometimes I wasn't sure whose voice I was hearing. The girls had some very peculiar thoughts, obviously warped by their upbringing and all so extremely odd. I didn't know whether to pity them or root for them not sure at all where this was all going. The underlying theme seemed to be that women should be very wary of all men who only meant them harm. Also that love was a dangerous feeling and the sisters had no way of understanding themselves without a barometer with which to measure themselves. I don't think this was the book for me but I've no doubt that others will find something profound within the pages that just escaped me. I can't enjoy working this hard to enjoy a book and this was a difficult read because of the subject and the strangeness of the lives the girls led. I don't know who I could recommend this book to. The characters were all messed up and no wonder with what they had endured by their parents in the name of protection and under the guise of love.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Publishers for the e-book ARC to read and review.

This book was very unusual and I spent the first chunk of the book trying to figure out what was going on. Once I did, the story was just ok, but this might be a case of personal preference. The main plot of this novel is male patriarchy over women and this theme just boils my blood! The writing is very fluid and poetic even, which was nice and the story is definitely creative. But overall it just didn’t wotk well for me.

I thought this book was just ok. The story takes place in a time when men are bigger and more ruthless. Women are mistreated and vulnerable. There is also vague talk about toxic air and sickness.

Lia, Sky and Grace live an isolated life on an island with their mother and their father, known as King. It is very vague about what this new world is like (men vs. women) and why their is sickness. I think the author probably did that on purpose for the readers to have a feel of the sisters and how little they know of the world. They only hear about the evils of the world as told by their parents. They are cruel and through numerous "therapies", condition their children to be tough and banish feelings. It really is child abuse and it is no surprise the three become brain washed and disturbed.

When King disappears and 2 men and a young boy wash up on shore...things come to a head. I just found this book difficult to read because the women were beyond hope. The book is described as feminist dystopian, but it really is a psychological look at how abuse and isolation can alter a sense of humanity and kindness. It also reminded me of a cult. I received a complimentary e-book from the publisher at Netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Unfortunately this one did not do it for me. I finished, and thought the writing was well done, but I could not get behind all of the abuse. The book is pitched as a world where women do not feel safe, however the main woman causing the problems was the mother. The father was a huge problem too, but the book makes it clear that men are to be feared. However the three sisters have turned on each other due to the abuse from the mother, which is hardly surprising. I had to keep reading to see how this would end, but not because I was enjoying it.

While the book had a lot of intrigue, I was left with too many questions at completion. For most of the book, I could not tell the age of the characters, as they seemed very childish, perhaps due to their circumstances. I did not enjoy the fact that so many horrible things happen to the main characters, and even once free, they might still face their demise. It was a very depressing tale. Overall it had an intriguing plot, but it was too bleak and morose.

The Water Cure is not my usual genre but I decided to step out of my comfort zone. The writing was beautiful but I sometimes had a hard time with the multiple viewpoints.

It's very hard to review this book. It's a story of three sisters, growing up isolated on an island with both parents. You can immediately tell that something is off, but you're never able to put your finger on it. Mackinstosh's writing is lush, dreamy, and opaque. The Water Cure falls in the realm of feminist dystopia, and it is, filled with monsters. The monsters are all just women.

In the near future, a father, mother and three daughters seek refuge on an island to escape the dangers of the outside world. The father, King, tells his daughters that women are no longer safe from men, and the daughters participate in various “therapies” to cure them from the abuse of men. One day King disappears, leaving Mother and the daughters to deal with two men and a boy who wash ashore. How are they to manage this threat? Somehow, I feel like this whole book should take place under water, and in some ways, it already feels like it does. It has the feel of a dream, the hypnotic rhythm of water, the haziness of only seeing what the narrator/author wants you to see. The story was told in first person point of view from the isolated daughters’ perspective and was effective in leaving many parts of the story vague and open to interpretation, which I think made for an interesting and engaging read.

I finished this book about a week ago, and have waited to write my review because I wanted to see how time would impact my feelings and thoughts about this book. What I am left with is this: the writing is gorgeous, the storyline intriguing, the characters not quite as fully developed as I’d have liked, but enough so that I am thinking about them these many days later. I am ambivalent about the question of whether or not this is a dystopian novel - it is, for me, simply a story about abuse, and isolation, lies and half-truths, and how these things affect the relationships these sisters have with each other, and ultimately with the first group of outsiders they have the chance to encounter. The questions which arose in my mind are these: Is isolationism the answer to the violence of our current society? Can violence ever be justified? How does fear color our vision of the world? How do women banish that fear and step into the power they hold but have not wielded? How many lives will be turned upside down while we continue to avoid any real dialogues about mental illness and its connection to violence? This is an eerie story told in languid prose, and it is the kind of story not easily labeled, maybe not even easily liked, but it grabbed me and would not let me go.

This book was a dreamy, languid, liquid-feeling dystopian tale, with the tangible, heavy heat and humidity that immediately brought to mind J.G. Ballard’s “Drowned World”. But I should say that that is really the only similarity. Unlike Ballard’s dystopia, this book gives the illusion of dystopia by isolating a family on a supposed island, with boundaries of barbed wire and ocean. More cult-like than anything else, this book takes on the similar tales of isolated women relying on themselves out of forced necessity, then left to fend for themselves and apply what they’ve been taught about the world especially in relation to the men who lurk out in the world. And because they are taught about the awfulness of men, a man is most definitely the only intruder to appear after the adults in these scenarios disappear. The difference with this book is the masterful writing and telling through narration, rather than heavily relying on dialogue or much action.

“Cruelty” may be the word I would use to most characterize this book. Cruelty by the outside world and men towards women, in general. Cruelty towards one’s children out of perhaps fear and maybe some love, but cruelty nonetheless. Cruelty towards outsiders, the innocent, and oneself. The question is really how this came to be what this family felt they needed to teach above all else. I realize there is a hum of fear, anger, and love beneath the cruelty, but I don’t feel like they broke through in the end. I could definitely see this being a pretty interesting art house film. I loved all the texture and imagery of white muslin draped over bodies, wetted by tears and salt water, and the water itself. The feeling they all had about the rescuing qualities of water was also quite interesting.

Grace, Lia and Sky have been raised away from the world. Their father King, and mother, have convinced them that men are dangerous, the world is toxic, and they must undergo a number of "therapies" to keep themselves healthy and fortified. After King's death, three men wash up on shore. Shortly after their arrival, Mother disappears, leaving the girls alone with the men. Lia finds herself drawn to the men, craving touch and attention.

This book was a bit slow and surreal. The author never explained how King was able to isolate his family. This book could have taken place in any number of times, making the story seem half-formed. I also don't understand why only Grace and Lia was given a voice. Neither one seemed like an individual, or had a unique voice. Overall, this book was a bust.

Unfortunately this book wasn’t for me. The dystopian concept intrigued me, but I could not feel emotionally invested in the story. At times it felt too vague and I was left with more questions.

I recently read that "toxic" is Oxford Dictionaries' word of the year for 2018. It makes you think of how broadly the word toxic can be used. Oxford chose this word to reflect on its use in today's world and I think this book does the same for how women feel in today's society in a deep and gripping way.

In "The Water Cure," toxic is used to describe men, and the forbidden mainland in relation to the female characters of this story. Under the surface, it is also used to describe the relationship between the main characters and how they go about functioning in their world.

The story moves slow and deliberate spoken inside the head of the three sisters. Their world is different and dark. I could absorb the descriptions of author Sophie Mackintosh for ages. Her world she creates is familiar but abrasive, beautiful and somber, a little sterile but somehow organic. If my description about this book isn't making sense, it's probably because this book took me on a trip.

Based on the description, 'dystopic feminist revenge fantasy,' I assumed this was for a female audience. I'm glad I was mistaken. I enjoyed this novel and found it to be more than a dystopia. I appreciated the characters and the author's ability to make me wonder what I would discover on the next page.

There are two ways to read this book: as some kind of feminist themed dystopian novel with a big important message. Or, as a story of a dysfunctional family with a father who has the narcissistic appeal of a cult leader. If you read it as the former, I think you will be sorely disappointed.

I loved the language and foreboding atmosphere of the book, the unrelenting tension. The author is purposefully ambiguous and that creates interesting work for and engages the reader. The writing itself is really evocative, and I loved it. However, at the end of the day, the story seems to be merely one of family dysfunction at a new level, but derivative of other books about cults or other situations where people are entrapped by the mentally ill.. An interesting literary excursion overall and actually, I did find it a page turner.

I could not get into this title, which is always difficult as a voracious reader to not be able to love a title that is being longlisted for awards and winning accolades, but I felt disjointed and confused while reading this novel, never really able to grasp who the characters were or what was happening.

The Water Cure by Sophie Mackintosh releases 1/8/2019 from Hamish Hamilton (#partner). Described as The Handmaid's Tale meets The Virgin Suicides, this debut novel was long listed for the Man Booker Prize for 2018 and I predict it will be one of the first big hits of 2019. This dystopian fiction story of 3 sisters raised to fear men and kept separate from the rest of the world was a bit of a slow starter for me. However, once I got my footing on the structure and style of the story, I tore through it. Author Sophie Mackintosh's writing is clean but raw, it will slice your heart and drop your jaw. This is a novel that is difficult to explain without giving away any spoilers, but I definitely agree with the description of The Handmaid's Tale meets The Virgin Suicides. I know that every feminist dystopia is labeled "the next Handmaid's Tale" but I rarely agree (Vox may have been the closest). The Water Cure is primal and psychologically addictive. I recommend this if you love feminist fiction and are comfortable reading something a bit left of mainstream.