tearnest's review
5.0
I enjoyed this book greatly! I went into the book thinking it was a book about a woman overcoming tragedy and finding herself along the way. Which it is...but it's so much more! It covers heavy topics such as suicide, illness, mother/daughter relationships, eating disorders, and self discovery in an uplifting, hopeful way. What an enjoyable read!
daleann's review
3.0
This book is really a 3.5 star book. The writing is good and the story keeps you interested. The subject matter just didn't speak to me, although the book has stayed with me.
morepagesplease's review
4.0
I enjoyed this novel. Penelope was a likeable and sympathetic character, even if I did start feeling weary of her self loathing occasionally.
chrissireads's review
3.0
3.5 stars!
The Art Of Falling surrounds the mystery of whether Penelope Sparrow meant to jump off the balcony. It’s definitely what kept me turning the pages. The story turns into Penelope learning to appreciate life again after suffering a horrendous accident. She has to accept her past in order to move forward.
Penny isn’t always a character that you understand, but I like how she developed through her friendships with Angela and Marty. She really grew as a character and began to appreciate her life. Angela suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. I thought the way Angela’s situation was handled was incredibly well written. It felt real and emotional.
I did like how The Art Of Falling was humorous in parts. It’s nice to have a bit of humour when there’s sad elements to a book. It makes it much more readable. I was impressed by Kathryn Craft’s writing. She’s definitely someone to watch out for!
The Art Of Falling surrounds the mystery of whether Penelope Sparrow meant to jump off the balcony. It’s definitely what kept me turning the pages. The story turns into Penelope learning to appreciate life again after suffering a horrendous accident. She has to accept her past in order to move forward.
Penny isn’t always a character that you understand, but I like how she developed through her friendships with Angela and Marty. She really grew as a character and began to appreciate her life. Angela suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. I thought the way Angela’s situation was handled was incredibly well written. It felt real and emotional.
I did like how The Art Of Falling was humorous in parts. It’s nice to have a bit of humour when there’s sad elements to a book. It makes it much more readable. I was impressed by Kathryn Craft’s writing. She’s definitely someone to watch out for!
kle105's review
4.0
Such a great book. After Penny falls 14 stories she finds herself in the hospital and becoming friends with the patient next to her and the baker who owned the store below where she lived and whose car she landed on. Being a dancer was all Penny ever knew and as she recovers she has to figure out if she can dance again and if not what to do with her life. There was an element about eating disorders that was a little forced at times but I can see how it would fit into the life of dancers. All the characters were well developed and I really enjoyed the whole book.
jillhannaha's review
5.0
As if the world of ballet wasn't physically difficult enough, this great read gives us a glimpse into the other underlying demons many people in ballet face--the perfection of their body (and denying it nutrition), fierce competition, and rejection...especially if you don't fit into the typical "body" mold, as Penny does not.
Penny is a relatable (and somewhat complicated) character. Her two unlikely friends and supporters, Angela and Marty, are likable and endearing. Her journey in the story is so much more about "falling" out of a fourteen-story window. It is about whether we can ever dip to that low point and pick ourselves up again. Does Penny? Well, you'll have to read this great book to find out!
Penny is a relatable (and somewhat complicated) character. Her two unlikely friends and supporters, Angela and Marty, are likable and endearing. Her journey in the story is so much more about "falling" out of a fourteen-story window. It is about whether we can ever dip to that low point and pick ourselves up again. Does Penny? Well, you'll have to read this great book to find out!
acinthedc's review
3.0
Penny Sparrow has danced all her life. She finds comfort and expresses herself through movement. When she wakes up in a hospital room and is unable to move, she is completely lost. As Penny recovers from her fall from her dream dance job, as well as a fall from a 14th floor balcony, she makes some new friends, finds her voice, and learns to appreciate herself and those around her.
I almost shelved this as chick-lit, but it's got some depth and any dancer/artist can appreciate some of Penny's struggles. While this was a good story, Craft spends more time describing Penny's relationships with others than showing them. This leads to moments that should have a strong emotional resonance that fall flat.
I almost shelved this as chick-lit, but it's got some depth and any dancer/artist can appreciate some of Penny's struggles. While this was a good story, Craft spends more time describing Penny's relationships with others than showing them. This leads to moments that should have a strong emotional resonance that fall flat.
resareads's review
4.0
The language of this book captures the movement of dance only someone familiar with that movement and rhythm could accomplish and while the actually plot of this novel could have (and has been) explored in a different setting with the same intensity it is the beauty and movement of prose that brings this book into the world of dance and the sometimes painfully memories that can come up when you think of the darker side of that world.
I was a bunhead for fourteen years before finally trading in my toe-shoes for textbooks and heading to college for a non dance related major. Kathryn Craft was able to bring all those old feelings, good and bad, back to my mind with a vividness I didn't expect. Penny is a dancer, one that rings true and authentic. She deals with things all dancers feel. That desire to make sure we are in top shape, able to compete with our friends, and the perfect weight to make the first two things a possibility. Health, weight, and fitness, while not overtly talked about in dancer training, are the ghosts that haunt us on and off the floor. The thing you know will eventually make or break you, and the body type you were born with can eventually become a curse.
Add all that to the regular issues a woman has with her appearance and you can start to tell what may have driven Penny off that balcony, or at least the feeling that got her that close to the edge to begin with.
The rest of the characters in this book are as dynamically and beautifully written, but it's my personal experience that makes me feel Penny stands larger than they are.
This is not just a book about a woman who has hit a wall in her dance career, loses her lover, and gives up. It is a book about passion, uncertainty, failure, self-denial, regret, and depression. Emotions any woman can relate to whether you've danced or not.
I was a bunhead for fourteen years before finally trading in my toe-shoes for textbooks and heading to college for a non dance related major. Kathryn Craft was able to bring all those old feelings, good and bad, back to my mind with a vividness I didn't expect. Penny is a dancer, one that rings true and authentic. She deals with things all dancers feel. That desire to make sure we are in top shape, able to compete with our friends, and the perfect weight to make the first two things a possibility. Health, weight, and fitness, while not overtly talked about in dancer training, are the ghosts that haunt us on and off the floor. The thing you know will eventually make or break you, and the body type you were born with can eventually become a curse.
Add all that to the regular issues a woman has with her appearance and you can start to tell what may have driven Penny off that balcony, or at least the feeling that got her that close to the edge to begin with.
The rest of the characters in this book are as dynamically and beautifully written, but it's my personal experience that makes me feel Penny stands larger than they are.
This is not just a book about a woman who has hit a wall in her dance career, loses her lover, and gives up. It is a book about passion, uncertainty, failure, self-denial, regret, and depression. Emotions any woman can relate to whether you've danced or not.