Waiting for the Flood

By: Alexis Hall

Narrated by: Alexander Doddy

Length: 2 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

People come as well as go.

Twelve years ago, Edwin Tully came to Oxford and fell in love with a boy named Marius. He was brilliant. An artist. It was going to be forever.

Two years ago, it ended.

Now Edwin lives alone in the house they used to share. He tends to damaged books and faded memories, trying to build a future from the fragments of the past.

Then the weather turns, and the river spills into Edwin's quiet world, bringing with it Adam Dacre from the Environment Agency. An unlikely knight, this stranger with roughened hands and worn wellingtons, but he offers Edwin the hope of something he thought he would never have again.

As the two men grow closer in their struggle against the rising waters, Edwin learns he can't protect himself from everything - and sometimes he doesn't need to try.

©2015 Alexis Hall (P)2016 Riptide Publishing

A lovely story about believing in one's ability to love again.

Fantastic! Waiting for the Flood is one of my favorite novellas and I am so pleased with what the audiobook brought to the whole experience. Alexander Doddy did a lovely job bringing this wonderful story to life and I know that this will become one of those books I listen to quite a few times.

😍 Narrated by Alexander Doddy 😍

Any additional comments?

Alexander Doddy was absolute perfection as Edwin and Adam. Finally, a young British voice that I've been desperate to hear happened in this sweet charming tale of a young man taking a chance at happiness again.

Everything was done right with this story and I so want more of a story with Edwin and Adam's happily ever after.

Alex...Alex...Alex! Alexander Doddy's accent, the sweetness of his voice, and that deep melodic timber at moments had butterflies fluttering around in my belly. I swear I could just listen to him speak all night long. And as Edwin, that stutter was so believable!

Lovely tale, performed excellently.

Perfect marriage of story and narrator

Whenever I need to feel good about life and people and the world this is the book I turn to.

Every time I listen to this or read it I fall more in love with it. It is the most beautifully quiet simple love story about two average men falling in love in the rain. The pictures Alexis Hall paints with words make me joyful.

Alexander Doddy is the perfect narrator for this book. His presentation of Edwin and Adam is outstanding. It fits the mood of the story and the characters in the best way.

What a treat to listen to

What a treat! Alexis Hall is such a wonderful writer. This is a short story about grief and self discovery set in the back drop of potential flooding in England. There really is no "action" in the story and it is a slow burn. Both the MCs have great warmth and depth and there are wonderful supporting character that just made this story great. This is anew narrator for me and he does an excellent job. The combination of Mr. Hall's writing and the wonderful narration, really made this a joy to listen to.

So, so rich, fulfilling

This is my second book by this author. I fell in love with him after listening to Glitterland. This book is different but still so enjoyable. It's melancholy but not in a down way, just quiet. And the source of its richness is varied and immense. So many times, while listening, I thought, "I should use that as an example of its richness." But I kept thinking that, and, therefore, would've ended up quoting the whole book as examples of its richness. I think the author has something for everyone, but this book may not be for everyone. But if it's your flavor, you can hardly find better. I felt the same way about Glitterland too. But the latter was considerably more sexual. This book has nothing beyond kissing and minor words of desire near the end.

Thoughtful, Poignant, Quietly Triumphant

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Most definitely! Though not all my friends. This is for those who are looking for less romance and more of an internal life journey. There is romance and its one I loved and cheered for, but it isn't the focus. It's also very introspective with a limited setting and few in the cast of characters. I loved it and I know others will, too.

What did you like best about this story?

I liked how every element of the story was working to tell the story. I know that is an odd thing to say. What I mean, is that this is the story of an isolated man who faced the devastating life altering fact that the man he loved didn't love him back any more. So the small set, small group of characters, lone narration, introspection, and writing all start in his dark, dreary, isolated world.
And then with the flood comes a catalyst for change. In the end, Edwin's world is colorful, open, and full of possibilities as he plunges into life.

Which scene was your favorite?

Edwin in the attic having his dark hours epiphany. And of course that innovative choice for the ending.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

One Man's Personal Journey Through the Floods of Life

Any additional comments?

I received this book from Riptide Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

How to let go of an old relationship

This short, told from Edwin’s POV, Is an angst filled tale of Edwin trying to let go of the future he thought he’d have with his now ex. He is helped along this path by his neighbor, his ex’s mom (a great MIL), and Adam, who comes with the flood, bearing Wellingtons.

I love the descriptions of Edwin’s saved ephemera. I love how matter of fact his elderly neighbor is. I love how patient Adam is with Edwin’s stutter, in that he doesn’t seem to think of even needing patience. Having a stutter isn’t the thing keeping Edwin from moving on but it doesn’t help the process. I like that it ends happily, in ephemera and marginalia.

Steam: Low. M/M. No sexytimes on page, some thoughts about it. A sexy picture exists because the ex is a painter (Marius, a bit character in For Real).

Narration: Soothing yet devastating. Don’t know if I could have read this through the flood of tears. It’s not upsetting because of great tragedy, but the banality of one partner moving on in a separate direction being made profound. How he could read empathetically without bawling is a mystery. Slight background static noticeable when I turned up the sound to leave the room but was very minor for me.

Simply beautiful.

Don't miss This little Pearl. I confess that I didn't under standand everything (I'm italian), but I Loved the accent and the interpretation. I found myself misty Eyed a time or two...

Lovely narration, slow story

Edwin’s lover of a decade has left him, seemingly without much notice, leaving him a very lonely and slightly bitter almost-hermit. He loves his job/hobby – restoring old books – and that’s about it.

When Edwin’s little cottage faces the immediate danger of encroaching flood waters, he meets the engineer in charge, Adam. Adam is everything Edwin isn’t. He speaks well and frequently, he’s outgoing and sunny and - for whatever reason – he likes Edwin!

**
This is a short story and most of it is spent inside Edwin’s head. He has literal holes in his life where Marcus, the ex, was that gape open, wounded, and this occupies much of his thoughts. Edwin’s self-esteem, which has never been high due to his stutter, is at an all time low, so this is a pretty depressing place to be.

We don’t get to see much of Adam or really understand his attraction to Edwin. Their romance happens with a few chats around a kitchen table and on the street and goes from zero to sixty almost over-night.

Alexis Hall’s writing is poetic and graceful and full of wonderfully lyrical words and unique phrasing. To that end this is a lovely story.

What didn’t work for me was the distinct lack of any real struggle, the fact that Edwin really didn’t feel at all ready for a new romance, and the absence of much relationship building.

I appreciated the significance of the link between re-making the books and re-making Edwin’s life and it was pretty and poetic, but I wasn’t ever convinced of his repair nor was I that involved in his new “relationship” as it felt a minute old.

Audio

One thing that absolutely elevated this experience for me was the fact that I wasn’t reading this book but listening to it and the new-to-me narrator, Alexander Doddy, totally won me over! He did an amazing job with this. His stutter was fantastic and he gave both MCs very distinct voices and accents without going over the top. I loved his pacing and cadence and felt far more immersed in the story than if I’d read it as I’d have been tempted to skim, whereas he held me captive.

Book 3 of 5

Narration 5 of 5

Overall 4 of 5

Very sweet

The narration was my favorite part he had a voice that was perfectly suited to the sweet story. The characters likable and very relatable in this " what if I got hurt again "story, that we can all relate to.

Lovely, gentle story

This is a lovely story, and I've listened to it a couple of times since first buying it and I enjoy it as much now as when I first heard it. The characters are great, there's no major angst and there are moments of genuine humour throughout. The narration is good with clear definition between the characters and the little coda is delivered well.

Simply beautiful......

Simply beautiful....Alexander Doddy's narration was exquisite. I adore this story of sweet but lonely, dumped and still grieving Edwin and our hero Adam, civil engineer extraordinaire, trying to save Oxford from one of the worst floods in years. 5 stars without a doubt.

Wonderful audiobook

This one of the best audiobooks I have listened to. Good pace and the narrative really brings it alive. It certainly left me wanting more.

Too Unbelievable

I have listened to other books by Alexis Hall and loved them so when I saw this relatively short one I decided to give it a try. I’m sad to say I was disappointed though.
The story is odd really. It’s a little rushed in parts and makes for an unbelievable tale. The neighbour is nice one minute and horrid the next, the main character is weak but then strong, and the love interest just doesn’t fit with the main character. It just feels very haphazard and wrong.
As for the narration, it’s awful. Voices are started for characters and then dropped half way through a sentence. The reading is staggered and seems to break in the wrong parts. He is good at the stuttering sentences, but he makes the main character sound so weird at times. It would definitely put me off getting another book narrated by him.

Overall, a disappointment. Maybe reading it might be better but I still felt it rushed to a silly outcome in the end.

appalling sound quality

Was this a beta? Who approved this publication?
The acoustic is wrong. The noise reduction is missing. You can hear the editing points in the track. Sometimes you hear saliva noise. There are several times disturbing sounds in the background (even a sneeze). At one point another track accidentally replaces the ongoing track. The P often sounds distorted. It's horrible.

I kept listening because the story is great and the novel is no longer available.