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T Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars 5 star read about letting go and moving on
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2019
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I’ve been slowly moving through Hall’s novels, with deep appreciation for how excellent they are. Waiting For The Flood, though a novella, is no less well-wrought, perhaps more so, because of what Hall accomplishes in a shorter work.

Essentially, the plot develops over the course of a few days (perhaps a week) in which flood waters progressively rise in Oxfordshire, threatening the main character’s house, Edwin Tully, as well as those of his neighbors. Edwin is nursing his heartbreak over the end of his ten-year relationship with Marius, in the house they once shared. Along comes Adam Dacre, from the Environment Agency, and offering Edwin something new, if he would only take a chance.

In Waiting for the Flood, Edwin, like Laurie from For Real, is wounded by the abandonment of a partner he thought was his ‘forever.’ They are both just getting by emotionally. He’s intelligent (all of Hall’s main characters are, some in bookish ways, some in self-knowledge.) and shy because of his stutter, which I initially thought was nervousness. His preoccupation with phonetics in the first chapter should have clued me in to this fact. Adam is probably one of my favorite characters, besides Darian in Glitterland, because he brings so much acceptance to his budding relationship with Edwin. Using the house as a structure upon which to shape the novella was incredibly insightful. I won’t give the ending away but do pay attention to the subtle shift in the last chapter. And recipes. Always a recipe 😊.

One wonderful surprise was the depth of these two characters, given the length of the book. There is so much depth to Edwin’s mourning and Adam’s kindness. I should note that this expression of kindness and acceptance characterizes the relationships in Spires – there is a tender benevolence between the leads, even when the characters are acting in ridiculously myopic ways. This appreciation for the delicate emotion attempting to blossom between the characters lends each story an elegant beauty, particularly when the couples finally surrender to their feelings. There’s no intentional cruelty, only a struggle to love well as only people with histories and emotional scars can love. And it’s lovely to see.

This is a five star read, as are all the novels in this series. All worth reading and rereading.
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Cristal H.
5.0 out of 5 stars Alexis Hall continues to deliver
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2016
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Alexis Hall is officially my favorite writer on the planet. No other writer can evoke such feeling with their words, and no other makes me feel like they’re relaying my own thoughts and feelings with their pen. I swear, we have the same soul.

Waiting for Flood is an emotional little novella featuring two very lovable characters, one of them so lovable that he might be one of my favorites read, and I only knew him for 100 pages. Edwin Tully is an awkward, lonely, sweet, gem of a man and I loved everything about him. He’s the kind of quietly endearing character that I always connect with, but rarely find. Waiting for Flood follows him over the course of a few days as his town is flooded, and he falls in love.

For some reason, I connected with this book on a nearly visceral level and it’s not for the reason you might expect. Yes, the writing is spectacular and clever, which I’ve come to expect from Alexis Hall, and there are plenty of notable excerpts that’ll pop up all over my social media, as I do love to post his words everywhere. The actual words are immensely beautiful, but it’s the mood he set that pulled me in. Just the vibe of this book…it’s hard to describe. It’s intimate and touching. I can only equate it to those charming indie films that you watch on a whim, and then fall in love with it and wonder why the whole damn world isn’t talking about it. I felt close to this book, close to these characters, and watching this quiet love story unfold was just the sweetest experience.

Also, I listened to this on Audible, and the narrator was spectacular. Edwin stutters when he speaks, and he’s immensely self-conscious, and I think Alexander Doddy portrayed Edwin greatly, and perfectly conveyed Alexis Hall’s words. Waiting for Flood is a winner for me—both the text and audiobook—and I recommend it to the soft-hearted, romance lovers out there.
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Top reviews from other countries

Beanie
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written and oh so romantic!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 20, 2015
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The style in which this author writes is just so beautifully descriptive that I become so immersed in the tale, that when I inevitably have to return to the mundane, everything just seems a little otherworldly. He is just so talented I almost don't feel worthy of writing a review.

This story revolves around MCs Edwin (who we meet again briefly in For Real) and Adam, who meet when there is flood warnings issued for Oxford. I have to admit, this one had me on the verge of crying - lots! It's tough when you have to really look at your life after a very painful break-up and realise it's time to finally let go of the old and let someone new in, and you know, just move on. But, it's not all sadness, like For Real (sorry I read them out of sequence - although they are stand-alones), this story is also so full of hope and new beginnings.

This was such a romantic tale and I absolutely adored the character of Edwin - he was just so layered. I wish the story had been longer simply because I could have listened to his inner thoughts all day and was eager to learn even more about him and his past with Marius perhaps? And Adam was a real sweetheart too, such an open, honest and down-to-earth man. I'm normally wary of endearments, I find they're overused and contrived most of the time, but "Petal"? How could I not fall in love with that?

I find it so refreshing that AH leaves his stories with a HFN, which normally would leave me unfulfilled, but it just seems so right and realistic in this instance. A perfect ending.
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Fiona Glass
5.0 out of 5 stars Charming and realistic
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 22, 2020
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An absolute gem which manages to be both charming and realistic at the same time. Great characters that I felt I could bump into in my local post office, who were sympathetic and ordinary yet very attractive. The book is complete in and of itself, but somehow left me wanting more. I loved the odd flickers of wry humour (the 80 year old neighbour swearing like a trooper!) and the descriptions of the rising flood waters which felt very authentic. (I've been there...) If I had to criticise anything at all, I'd say the main character Edwin didn't seem quite anxious enough about the fate of his beloved rescued books in the deluge, but that really is picking nits. I loved the book and will happily look for more.
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Giselle F.
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it. Very well written.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 23, 2015
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I loved this. It is only a relatively short story (I think it might be novella length) but I found it very moving.

A main character who has never figured out that he is someone, someone precious - and that he is loveable. This story is even written in a way that only slowly reveals the main character's awakening and maturing until he is able to accept that the other MC is really attracted to him and that he himself is worthy of the attention.

There are no love/sex scenes in this but that's no bar to imagining what the two lovely guys might get up to after the span of the story as written. It is the kind of writing that stays with you.

The writing style is so well done, it is heads above many other books.

I will look out for more from this author. I did read another book by her ("For Real") and absolutely loved that (the two books are very different from each other). I must write a review that does that book justice.
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Cadiva
4.0 out of 5 stars Such a sweet stor
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2016
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This is just a really sweet story with a delightful and awkward MC finding new love during a flood.
This book is an automatic winner for me because it mentions my all time favourite joke about the Master of Wit and Repartee. Off you've never heard it, seriously go and look it up, it is, of course, all in the telling and my ex boyfriend was a true master at it.
Short but very sweet with only a light smattering of kissing and all the sexy times happening off page but that fits perfectly with the story narrative.
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verdigristwist
4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet as elderflower wine
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2018
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He needs to get over his ex. Move on. Junk his feelings of inadequacy and failure. Agreed. But why now, just as Adam is there, showing kindness, sharing, flirting maybe, is he turning people away?
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