A must add to your personal collection!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 5, 2022

Brilliantly narrated! Picked this book up on a whim and couldn't be happier that I did. An absolutely gripping story. I loved the connection to Hong Kong and the vivid and realistic nautical descriptions which wouldn't let me put the book down. The emotional roller coaster was intense and I loved every page of it.

A great Christmas gift and a definite must-read to add to your reading list this Christmas or for 2023!

I hope the author has more works coming out soon.

Gripping!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 25, 2022

I bought the book hoping to read it over a long lazy weekend but my great plan didn't work out because once I started, I couldn't put the book down and I stayed up late into the night and read it in one go! The author quickly draws in the reader thanks to her innate way of relating to you like a best friend sitting down and telling her story over a glass of wine. The description of the book is exactly what you get. The family dysfunctionality is laid bare and I think if we're all honest we're all going to recognise some of ourselves in the narrative. The book flits between the author's childhood and upbringing in the UK and her married life in Hong Kong and ultimately of course the ill-fated voyage on their yacht and the harrowing rescue. It's clear that every negative experience the author experienced did not beat her but rather used by the author to build up her resilience and tenacity to keep moving forwards and to stay above the water. This is a must-read.

Story of rebirth and redemption

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 26, 2022

As a Hong Kong expat, I was drawn to Carolyn's story as her life journey took many twists and turns from the UK to Hong Kong. Once I started reading the book, I was more than intrigued by what happened next, and could not put the book down. The Water Rabbit took me on an emotional journey as you're organically drawn in deeply with her story. Brilliantly written, this is a beautiful life story of loss, trauma, family, love, redemption, and rebirth. The message of resilience is also powerful, knowing that there's a force beyond our comprehension and the realization that perfect love and the will to survive casts out fear.

An incredible true story

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 26, 2022

Living in Hong Kong - I had heard about and seen the news coverage of the sinking which forms the backbone of this story — but this first person account brings every harrowing detail to life. The lynchpin of the narrative is the sinking itself, and how that singular event rippled through the characters’ lives. This book is a definite page turner, and the author vividly portrays the near death experience of many on board. Highly recommended both for those who enjoy action and those looking for a story about transformation and change.

Resilience and Courage

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 27, 2022

The words resilience and courage spring to mind as I think about Carolyn’s story. An incredible true story, it is not just about survival over one traumatic event but it also about surviving and making choices even when life is hard. I loved this book and the way in which the story weaves back and forward in time giving us insights into how she came to be a survivor in so many senses of the word. Highly recommended.

A high seas adventure vividly captured and expertly narrated...I felt like I was part of it!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 25, 2022

Initially drawn to the story from its location (Hong Kong) I decided on this book for my lazy Sunday afternoon read. I knew once I was just a few pages in that I wasn't going to put it down until I had finished the last page. The Water Rabbit is a story of the author discovering her strengths in what can only be described as a story that is incredibly hard to imagine and yet so absolutely true!

Such a great read--highly recommend!

Amazing story of resilience!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 7, 2022

Once I started reading The Water Rabbit I couldn’t put it down. The book is an amazing story of resilience, not only because of the harrowing rescue but also the story of the author’s resilience through her life experiences. The book is told in such an engaging way that as you read the story about the rescue and snippets of the author’s life throughout the book, it feels like you’re right there as it happens. I literally held my breath as I followed the story about the incredible rescue. This is a book about survival and resilience but ultimately it is a love story. A love story of a mother’s love for her children. A love story of the ultimate love of your life.

Amazing Story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 20, 2023

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What an amazing story, full of sadness, drama and finally happiness. I like the way the book is written, alternating between the authors dramatic experience at sea and her life as a child through her marriage, children and finally finding herself and happiness. I could not put this book down but at the same time did not want to get to the end.

Absorbing read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 15, 2022

Verified Purchase

This was a really well written autobiography with a charming frankness that hooks you on from the start. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Utterly inspiring

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 13, 2022

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Bloody hell I have no words! And puffy eyes from the tears of shear relief, joy, sadness…what an emotional rollercoaster.

A gripping and moving true story: I couldn't put it down

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 27, 2022

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This is an amazing book! They say the truth is greater than fiction and this has never been more true in the case of Carolyn's story. The 'back story' of her life is incredibly moving and yet it is told in a refreshing way as it never becomes sentimental and we are never asked to sympathise: we can arrive at our own response to the innumerable injustices and vindictiveness she faced. The account of the disaster, and subsequent rescue is ‘edge of the seat’ stuff and I defy you to put the book down once the tragedy at sea unfolds. I also appreciated the fact that the insurance report and the rescue report from the shipping company was included in the appendix, as this just confirms all the details that Carolyn has recorded in the book. I also think it is important as it gives the wider story of her life huge credibility and makes the tales of sadness even more poignant. You will not read anything better this year.