Extraordinary tale of the intertwining of the tragic life events of the individuals that inspired the quest for the persona of Rescuci Anne, the CPR model used throughout the last 70 years and still in use today. L’Inconnue de la Seine was an unidentified young French woman who drowned herself in the Seine at the end of the 19th century. The beauty of her death mask captivated the aristocracy and artists alike during the first half of the 20th century and was considered the only choice for the identity of the CPR model by its creator, a Norwegian toy maker in the 1950s.

Beautifully written and sad to read. I found each of the stories interesting and the scenes were easy to visualise

What an exquisite, ambitious and beautifully-written book. I loved The Mountain Can Wait, but this was even better. Deeply moving.

This book combines three stories in different time periods, with a common theme of drowning. The opening story, set in nineteenth century Paris, was fascinating and I wish the whole book had been this one story. The other two stories I found much less interesting, and the constant switches between stories was jarring, so I never felt fully immersed in each one. I did enjoy the fact that two of the stories were based around actual events, and I immediately looked up the death mask upon finishing the book.

Coming Up for Air is beautiful and very, very sad. It is story of three people across different time periods tangentially connected by one image. The first of these is a young woman who takes her own life in the River Seine. She is very fragile after having her heart broken, and I desperately wanted her to have a happy ending. The next is a self-absorbed toy maker, Pieter, who suffers a devastating loss that nobody would get over. The last story is that of resilient Anouk, who struggles with cystic fibrosis and finds meaning in writing and swimming. I would heartily recommend this book.

What links a woman servant in Paris in 1899, a toymaker in Norway in 1921 and a woman with cystic fibrosis in 2017? You will never guess, in fact I was beginning to think that there was no connection until very near the end. There are themes of loss, of water and drowning - any one could have been the link. Each story is carefully told in alternating chapters, and the author really brings these characters alive so that you care what happens to them, although Pieter's story is slightly less engaging than the others. The writing is beautiful, maybe slightly over-descriptive in parts (I did skim a bit). However, I thought it was clever and I loved it.

Coming up for air by Sarah Leipciger is three stories in one. The main one it’s 1899 of the banks of the River Seine a heartbroken woman jumps into icy river to her death which, causes a series of events later. A Toy maker in 1950 Norway near a breakthrough of invention that changes people’s lives and present-day Canada a journalist with Cistus Fibrosis is drowning in her own lungs and does everything to try and live.
Even though I found this book to be well written, I just got so annoyed that every time you seem to get to know what happened in one story. It quickly changed to a different one so quickly, that you couldn’t remember what happened in the last. Because of this I lost interest in this book. I also couldn’t see what the significance was between both stories that joined them together. I DNF this book at 50%.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

Even though I liked this book I found it difficult to be equally interested in the three storylines. It was the first one that caught most of my attention, the second one less so, and the third one about cystic fibrosis was fascinating again. The book is written in a language that flows and the author has created characters that are alive and believable. The link between the three storylines is strong but I found it difficult that just when I was getting into one of the stories, it skipped to another one. A minor inconvenience in a well-written interesting book.

I really enjoyed this book of three people separated by time and place, the river links them all, and particularly the drowning which sets the scene at the beginning. Themes of disappointment and tragedy are at the heart of these lives, the minutiae of their worlds interrupted by instances of quite nonchalant cruelty. The natural world suffers at the hands of man, and nature it seems has its revenge. Over all this there is a connection between the characters, and this gives us hope.

Beautiful prose and well researched historical fact. A book that I found a truly harrowing experience. It was a real fight not to call it a day. It's an amazing piece of work but so close to home it really was a struggle to make it through to the end. It's a novel that won't be for everyone and one that has the power to grieve. The pen is indeed mightier than the sword.

Thank you to Sarah Leipciger, Random House, and NetGalley for the ARC of Coming Up For Air.
Deeply moving and beautifully written. A stunning three part story linked by river water and an incredible sense of loss and rejuvenation. Superb!

A lovely, if tragic, read. Three intertwined stories, three protagonists separated by time and location culminating in a beautiful story. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC egalley.

Coming up for air is a beautiful, moving story about breathing and water – both metaphors for life itself! It follows three different, but brilliantly drawn characters, in three very different povs/ narratives. The links between these narratives are delicate and you need to pay attention but it’s an immensely rewarding reading experience. The story moves along portmanteau fashion from 19th C to present day. Historical detail and a certain amount of true story is also woven in. If you’re looking for a powerful, lyrical read that’s a bit different, I highly recommend this.

I loved this book and read it in one afternoon. The three stories are fascinating individually, but when you realise the threads that bind the stories together, the whole thing is outstanding.
I felt genuinely moved by these stories, and know others will too.

What an outstanding read, I’m going to be recommending this far and wide.

Linked by the themes of breathing and of water, three different stories span the narrative of Coming Up for Air:

We follow Anouk’s life in the present day as she negotiates a constant battle to breathe with cystic fibrosis and it’s constant demands upon her body, her relief found in open air swimming and being under the water; back at the end of the 19th century, a young woman in Paris, worn down by life, seeks out the water as an end to her life; and in 1950s Norway, Pieter, a toy maker by trade, his life forever changed by a drowning, is sought out by reputation to create the prototype of the Resusci Anne doll

Every single character in this book is so well fleshed out, so tangible, as are the locations. The emotions the characters experience are raw and harsh, and you cannot help but care for them. I do love a book which centres around a true story, and Sarah Leipciger explains exactly this detail precisely at the end. All round brilliant and highly recommended.

4.5 stars
This book contains a kernel or two of truth and historical fact, explained at the end. It’s concerned with breathing, or the inability to do so. There are three main protagonists and we dip into each story. It can be a little disorientating as these individuals’ stories also move up and down their timeline so you need your wits about you. Each chapter is clearly marked with ‘who’ and ‘when’. The writing can be hugely evocative but also a bit jerky – sentence fragments etc. However, the book itself hangs together as a really unusual telling of a very memorable tale. I raced through it and enjoyed it immensely.
Many thanks to Penguin Random House for the chance to read an early copy of this book.

You must read this beautiful, riveting novel.
There are three main stories within it.
In 1899 a young girl becomes a companion to an elderly Parisian woman, and a love affair leads to a series of terrible events, and to the banks of the River Seine.
In the 1950s, a Norwegian toy-maker writes a love letter to his little boy.
And in present day Toronto, journalist Anouk struggles to breathe as she battles with cystic fibrosis.
The three stories are linked in unexpected ways but it’s not a book that has a pat ending that neatly ties up the loose ends.
The stories have the same themes running through them: breathing, rivers and the freedom of wild swimming, drowning.
Leipciger’s writing is utterly sublime and poetic. It is also compelling and this novel is just a really gripping good read.
One of those novels that feels so real, you feel bereft at finishing and having to say goodbye to the characters: highly recommended.

I think this book will polarise readers, who will either love it or not. Let me tell you why......... the book is a series of short, beautifully written tableau, telling the stories of three different families, and if you spend all the book wondering how and when the stories will converge, you may be disappointed, as the links are pretty tenuous. However, if you read it with an open mind and accept it for the thoughtful, compassionate and stunningly characterised book that it is, you will love it. It worked for me and I will certainly be looking out for more from this author.