Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read and review The Art of Falling by Danielle McLaughlin. This novel was perhaps closer to 3 1/2 stars as a rating because though it was mildly interesting, it failed to make me care very much about Nessa, her job, her family and her past. It was difficult even to be very interested in the sculptor, Robert Locke, whose work is at the heart of the story.

Nessa, forty-ish, is married to Philip, who has just had an affair with the mother of their daughter's school friend. They are in couples' therapy to work that out. Nessa's job at an art gallery leads her to head up an exhibit of a sand sculpture by Locke. Locke's widow and daughter are about to donate the statue when an old flame of Locke's shows up, claiming to have been one of his former lovers and the actual sculptor of the statue. Meanwhile, an old flame of Nessa's and his son show up. They are the widower and child of her dearest friend, the lovely Amy, who committed suicide many years ago. . Enough complexity for you? There is actually even more but none of it truly engaging.

McLaughlin's writing style is good and perhaps her next effort will contain more interesting characters and plot, but this one left me struggling to pick it up each time I put it down.

This falls in the middle for me. The characters, setting and story were good and for a debut novel that is tackling just the regular human condition I liked that. I just didn't engage as much as I would've wanted to but it was a lovely weekend read; I know the author also generally works in short stories so I expect that with this under her belt the author, working within the constraints of a novel will make her next endeavor highly anticipated

This is a novel about betrayal and forgiveness. The couple at its center both had affairs during their long marriage, affairs that weave around their current lives. The wife is involved in a controversy about the provenance about a sculpture with a prominent but long-dead Irish artist, and as she uncovers his life and affairs she has to deal with her own. Finding out what happened in the past is never certain, even if she is deeply steeped in the artist's works and papers. It is a tale that will captivate you until the very last page with a strong finish that shows you how much each of the characters has grown and changed their points of view since the novel's inception. I really liked this book and found it fascinating and insightful about my own human foibles.

Unfortunately, I had a heck of a time staying engaged in this story. The writing is great, the imagery beautiful but I just couldn't connect with the story. There was too much going on for my personal taste - too many plot lines and too many characters that I just didn't seem to connect with.

I received a complimentary copy of The Art of Falling from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
This was a good book, with more inward action than events. A real, "take a look at yourself" line of thinking that exposes the inner workings of several characters.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Art of Falling by Danielle McLaughlin is an excellent fiction that kept me interested from beginning to end.

I enjoyed the unraveling of details of the life and existence of Nessa McCormack and her complicated life, family, and past. I liked how the author was able to add snippets and stories while weaving the story from past to present to create an interlocking story line that kept it fresh and interesting.

I enjoyed reading about the art gallery /Nessa's professional conundrum just as much. The twists, turns, and revelations that are sprinkled throughout with the fluctuating timeline really added a complexity to the novel. I thought the inclusion of the secondary character cast and the ending were well-thought out and satisfying.

This book ended up being much more then I originally thought. I liked Nessa, she was real, frustrating, flawed, imperfect, but yet realistic, likeable, and complex. I am glad I was able to experience this author's debut novel. She most certainly has a talent, and I look forward to reading further novels from her in the future.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

I loved this book. It was full of complicated, richly layered characters, with faults and dreams and kindnesses and regrets. I couldn't put it down. I loved the glimpse into the world of an art historian, too.

This is one of those books where the characters are so well fleshed out that the full spectrum of emotion is experienced while reading. I loathed them, I liked them, I wanted to reach in and tell them you can’t get what you want unless you ask for it, and even then maybe consider asking nicely? There was a lot going on here but it somehow all fit together in the end and didn’t feel unrealistic but rather true to life—you can’t pause grief just because another emotion has slipped onto the scene. A quiet character study that continues to stay with me

Nessas daughter Jennifer is struggling in one of her classes. Jennifer is supposedly bullying another girl Mandy. I couldn't get interested in the characters or events

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was a novel that I had to wish for on Netgalley and the publisher granted my wish. I am not sure I even read what it was going to be about because the cover and the title really drew me in. That being said, I really enjoyed the book. :) Nessa and her family are the main characters, for the most part...the cheating husband, the teenage daughter full of angst, and Nessa herself (who has many secrets, by the way). We jump from past to present frequently but it is easy to stay on top of what happened and when. It is really hard to explain this book, actually, because there are so many side characters. Nessa works for an art gallery and she is in charge of the upcoming display of a dead sculptor...this display includes an enormous piece of art called the Chalk Sculpture. In preparation, she has been interviewing the widow and daughter about how this Chalk Sculpture came to be. Suddenly, Melanie shows up and claims that she had a large part in it's creation. ALL of these side characters and stories from the past ultimately have something to do with each other and tie the story together quite nicely. In the end, I really enjoyed the story. :)

This compelling novel explores the sins of the past threatening an already tenuous present and unsure future. It explores the complexity of friendships, the intricacies of marriage, and the spectre of the past within the framework of an art-world mystery. I enjoyed that the main character was not a saint, as we often see in this type of literature. She is a woman of passions; not in an entirely reckless or unrelatable way, but in a way many people will recognize within themselves. Interesting characters and a captivating plot make this book a great read.

**ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review**

Really really interesting, unique premise, but might have been better suited for a short story or collection. Plot became a little confusing, but character development is fascinating. Other than the slight overcrowding, loved the fresh direction and emotion.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. The book is deadly dull. Read a few pages and you have the plot. Read a few more pages and you are entangled in dozens of boring plot lines. There isn’t one empathetic character. Pages and pages filled with description of scenery on the same drive that Nessa has driven dozens of times. I finished it, but what a waste of time when there are so many other books I am looking forward to reading.

This would have been such a spectacular short story.

I thought that throughout the book, which felt long even though it is not that long (384 pages). I did not realize until I reached the end that this is the debut novel of an award-winning short story writer.

Taking it as a debut novel, it’s good - better than most debuts. The writing is polished and assured, the images are amazing, and the characters are flawed in a relatable way. The descriptions of art and landscapes are immersive and compelling, particularly the descriptions of light and water. The main storyline held the most interest for me: Nessa works for a gallery, negotiating the acquisition of a legendary sculpture with the late artist’s protective and evasive family. When a strange woman claims she created the sculpture, issues of appropriation, betrayal, collusion, and insistent ignorance unsettle Nessa’s personal and professional lives.

I applaud the author for stretching beyond a genre in which she is obviously so accomplished. Although I think a shorter work would have left a raw, resonant edge and let the astonishing images better advance the narrative, I look forward to the author’s next book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

On Goodreads (and presumably in other places) this novel has the title 'Retrospective'. The opening chapter (Nessa goes into school for a meeting with her teenage daughter's head of year) led me to believe this was going to be about teenage girls being mean to one another, and I wondered how soon I could decently give up on it. Fortunately I persevered and instead the novel turned out to be more about Nessa's work project and only in a secondary and broader way about her family.

Nessa works for a gallery which is acquiring for display the studio of a sculptor called Robert Locke, including an enormous artwork called the Chalk Sculpture. She has been interviewing Locke's widow and daughter about his life and the circumstances of the creation of the Chalk Sculpture. Then a woman called Melanie comes to the gallery and claims the artwork belongs to her and that she had a large hand in creating it. The Lockes claim they have never heard of Melanie.

Once I got into this story, I enjoyed it very much, although Nessa did tend to refuse to listen to people in a very pig-headed way until it suited the plot for her to do so. I thought the depiction of her relationships with her husband, daughter and friends was well done. The ending was a little drawn out, with the author tidying up all the loose ends, but was nevertheless satisfactory.

I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review

I like this book, but it couldn’t decide whether it wanted to be about art or marriage. Not saying it couldn’t have been about both, it just didn’t seem like a very clear narrative path

Not quite what I expected and not really my style unfortunately. Didn’t jive with me but others may enjoy more than I did.

For some reason I couldn’t stay involved in this novel. One of my pet peeves is overcrowding in a book and I found this over crowded with plots and characters. I simply couldn’t focus or identify with the main character, Nessa. It just seemed like there was too much going on, too many revelations and too much history.

This was not a novel that I found engaging.

Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A gallery worker is writing an article on the works of a deceased artist. Her past and his life have interesting parallels which blend together in a plot twist.

I love the book. It is a great storyline with flawed, but likeable characters.