Nonie has gift—she can sense weather patterns before they happen—a very useful skill when your entire city is underwater. Along with the rest of her family, she lives on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH—pronounced "Amen") and works to document the artifacts of the museum for future generations who may never get to learn the history themselves. When the family flees a "hypercane" (think: a hurricane on steroids), they grab a canoe from one of the exhibits and travel up the coast to Massachusetts to find refuge and community. Along the way, they encounter other communities of people, some friendlier than others, trying to survive in a hostile world.

Sadly, I found this book incredibly boring. I'm usually all for low-plot, character-driven novels, but this one really takes the cake. The set up for the story was super interesting, but it didn't really feel like much of anything actually happened. Because it's narrated by a young girl, the thoughts and actions end up being simplified and lacking depth. It felt more like a eulogy of Earth than a story about a possible future. (There were also some things that never really made sense, like, how are they living on the roof of AMNH and canoeing through the city watching out for the tops of trees while still able to hunt deer in Central Park?) If you're looking for a similar, but better version of this story (climate fiction where the world is flooded from the POV of a young girl), try The Past is Red, which is a fantastic read and one I still think about to this day.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed this book. I felt like the comp titles were appropriate, and I had an expectation of what the story would be like based on other reviews before starting this. My biggest complaint is I wished there was more plot development. There were so many moments Nonie talks about, or experiences, that would have benefitted from more detail. There were so many characters mentioned or discussed that could have been fleshed out further, through flashbacks or even conversations in the present. Honestly, this book could have been 150 pages longer and it likely would have been beneficial.

I don't know what I was expecting when I picked up All the Water in the World, but I loved Station Eleven and I'm a sucker for climate change thrillers so I hoped it would be right up my alley ---- and it exceeded everything I'd hoped for. Beautiful, moving, post-apocalyptic journey that expertly weaves in jumping timelines and multiple character arcs across a sometimes heart wrenching, sometimes breathless, and sometimes joyful story of how life goes on even after the world has ended.

Enjoyed this read! Reminded me of the movie "Day After Tomorrow". Nonie is part of a group that has survived the flooding after the flood walls break, and New York City is not the same any more. Nonie has the ability to see coming storms, which helps them as they travel to find safe zones. What they encounter is a world that is very different, and some have worked together to survive. As those that travel find, if they stick together, they can survive. This is the first book I have read by Eiren Caffall, and I will be looking to read others. Thanks to Ms. Caffall, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Unfortunately did not connect emotionally with the main character at any point. I quite enjoyed the dystopian world and the set pieces themselves. Pace was slow for me as well. I don't mind slower pace when I enjoy living in the narrator's head but that was not the case here.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I loved the concept of this book. I read a lot of dystopian novels and was intrigued by the premise of protecting and preserving knowledge of the artifacts at AMNH. For me personally, it fell a little flat for living up to what I’d hope it would be but I still enjoyed it well enough.

The premise is sound and the author has her heart in the right place, but this book was very disappointing. I don't know if it was just a marketing issue or what, but I was expecting mature literary fiction with a sci-fi slant and instead I got an overly didactic Young Adult novel -- and one in which I didn't find any of the characters particularly interesting or complex. My trouble is not with having a young POV character, not at all. My trouble is the writing.

This is not a BAD book, but one that will have trouble finding its niche. I'm not it.

A fresh, interesting novel that is extremely thought provoking. Set in NYC in the near future when a mass glacier melt causes apocalyptic flooding. Taking refuge on the rooftop of the American Museum of Natural History, the small settlement needs to choose what to save from the museum and how to survive. They carry a book that records the lost collections. Told from the perspective of Nonie Mayo who has the ability to sense storms coming and a curious relationship with water. Fighting for survival, lawlessness, looting, and hunger, the settlement is faced with brutal storms and deciding how to move forward.
Very imaginative and interesting perspective of humanity vs climate change.

Set in a near-future New York City drowned by climate disaster, the story centers on Nonie, a quietly brilliant teenage girl who lives with her family and a small group of survivors atop the American Museum of Natural History. It’s a surreal but poignant setting: a place meant to preserve the past, now serving as the last refuge of the present. As storms grow more violent and the fragile safety of the museum begins to crumble, the characters must venture out—along the river, through broken landscapes, into uncertainty. The journey becomes both literal and emotional: a reckoning with what has been lost, and what remains worth saving.

This was such an interesting and believable book about the melting of the glaciers and subsequent storms and floods. I can imagine if the earth was flooded to the extent in this book, that people who are trying to survive would turn savage in their efforts to fight off others who threaten their ability to succeed.

I was very connected with Nonie early in the book. She was a relatable character, along with her relationships with her sister and parents. It also helped that I am from upstate New York and knew all the towns that they passed or talked about as they went up the Hudson.

I did wonder why there were not more people along the shores of the river as they traveled, as there had to be millions of people that were displaced from the city. But I also overthink things sometimes.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the early read. A sad and lyrical elegy for the lost world that is coming. I’m starting to feel like I can’t read climate fiction anymore. It’s not the writing, it’s the fact that it seems less fictional every day and it’s also sad and scary. The writing in this is lovely, but it’s also such a frightening story, because it’s so likely. Is the ending also likely? I’m going to choose to believe it is.

I was really looking forward to this book, unfortunately it fell flat for me. I found the pace to slow and the flashbacks made it feel even slower. I might give this another chance later on. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book about climate apocalypse kept me engrossed throughout. None of this book felt far-fetched. The climate crisis, human nature, and family bonds are all on display.

After years of climate catastrophes, Nonie and her older sister Bix live with their father and some of his colleagues on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. Most of the city's population left a long time before, but the museum workers decided to stay, save what they could, and document what was lost. (The author says she was inspired by other museum and library workers in war time and the lengths they went to in order to save and preserve priceless materials.) When the floodgates around the city are breached during a storm, there is no choice but to leave Manhattan. The goal is to reach a family farm up north where relatives may still live.

Most of the book takes place on their journey, much of which is on the Hudson River, using a canoe from a museum exhibit. They come across other people and communities - some good and some not so good. There are some narrow escapes and some unsuccessful attempts, which kept me turning pages. There are a lot of flashbacks, too, where we get glimpses of the family before the world collapsed.

My only critique is the ability Nonie has to "feel" water (storm, river, etc.), like a dowsing rod. The ability was used maybe twice and that was it. It wasn't necessary to the plot and could have been left out entirely.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4⭐
Diversity: yes

I really enjoyed this novel. It’s a haunting, quietly powerful story set in a world that feels both familiar and unnervingly altered by scarcity. There were elements that reminded me of The Road by Cormac McCarthy and the Children of Men film, except this story is less relentlessly bleak. Instead, it offers moments of tenderness and hope that shine through the struggle.

The writing is immersive without being overwrought, and I appreciated how the author let the tension simmer rather than relying on constant high-stakes action. It’s ultimately a very human story about connection, survival, and what we choose to hold onto when everything else slips away.

A compelling, thought-provoking read that lingers after you turn the last page.

This book is great for readers who like post-apocalyptic/dystopian fiction, character-driven stories, and atmospheric storytelling.

A climate change fiction (cli-fi) dystopia, speculative fiction novel - which in my opinion is way too much genre stuff. It was kind of boring. I did not connect with any of the characters.

After the glaciers, Nonie, who can feel the water, battles to survive with her family. At one point I thought it had some hope for keeping me engaged, but it fell short.

Thank you St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall on NetGalley.

Published: 01/07/25

Stars: 3

More Sci Fi and Fantasy than I care for. I found some of the writing engaging, almost poetic. However, in general I was confused and simultaneously bored.

If the synopsis piques your interest and Sci Fi as well as literary fiction are your gotos, All the Water in the World is for you.

Dystopian books will always have a special place in my heart. Eiren Caffall does a wonderful job of bringing all the elements we expect to see in the genre. There is the big city, high stakes, and so much more!

I picked this one up last night and was going to read a few chapters before bed. I could not put this down and finished it in one sitting. This was definitely something different for me and I am glad I gave it a chance. This was a dystopian survival coming of age/adventure of sorts. Climate change has reached its' zenith and has submerged New York in water. Nonnie and her family must relocate as their dwelling is no longer inhabitable. This was definitely a slower pace than I am used to, however I felt that it worked well for this book. There was a lot to unpack to really understand what the family has been through and how it affected them. I do not really want to share more than that as I do not want to ruin it for anyone. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. This was heartrending and beautiful.

In a flooded future New York, Nonie and her family flee their home — the roof of the American Museum of Natural History (AMEN for short) — from a superstorm with a book of preserved human knowledge, navigating a perilous river journey in search of a future and other refugees.

I’ve been on a massive climate-change/end of the world/struggle to survive-genre kick lately, and I was SO excited about this — the concept of living on the roof of AMEN is inspired and had me instantly hooked. But man, the execution was rough for me. I really appreciated Caffall’s world building and characterization, but the pace of this book was excruciating. It’s almost a bit baffling how this book’s ecosystem is so immersive and anxiety-inducing, but moves at such a glacial pace. It took me 2+ months to get through it, and I only finished out of sheer determination to see it through.

I wanted so badly to like this, but it ultimately missed the mark.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for provide an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This one was a disappointment for me. I could not relate to the characters or the plot. It was way too slow and I was bored.