Review: A gutwrenching, heartbreaking story - keep the tissue box nearby
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 22, 2013
Hands down a gut-wrenchingly, heartbreaking read. I cared quickly and deeply about both Charlie and Pearl - the writing drew me into their evolving love story with deft and steady intensity. You'll probably guess where the story is going before the mid-point but that's OK - it only brings you closer to the challenges the main characters must face.My first thought on reading the book's synopsis was that the story line seemed to parallel Nicholas Spark's book, Safe Haven. I may have thought this because I saw the movie recently - a girl running away from something to a small beach town, a guy working in a store of some type. The similarities soon fall by the wayside as Robinson's story unfolds.Besides a great love story, Robinson paints a stunning picture of the New Zealand landscape - the ocean, the sunsets, and the many small details that make one feel grounded in a particular area. She also manages to nail that small town ambience that anyone from a rural area will quickly recognize.There was a smattering of typos (words repeated or left out). There is no real substitute for repeatedly reading your book out loud to weed out this type of thing.The above issues were certainly not jarring enough to sideline anyone caught up in the story. I would recommend Robinson's book. It invites the reader to gaze into the choices Charlie and Pearl make like looking into a mirror. You'll find yourself asking questions: What would I have done? How would I feel? How does what they did reflect what I would want? Charlie and Pearl does its job - it manages to get the reader thinking.