Book Description Review “A family drama that twists and turns like any good roller coaster…witty and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. Perfect for fans of Jonathan Tropper’s This Is Where I Leave You.” —Booklist“At once hilarious and poignant, A Beginner’s Guide to Free Fall explores the ups and downs of love, marriage, family, and all that life encompasses with such wit and incision, you’ll wish you hadn’t read the whole book so quickly.” —Allison Winn Scotch, New York Times bestselling author of In Twenty Years“Childhood wounds often linger long into adulthood, as siblings Davis and Molly discover in Andy Abramowitz’s wry, compelling new novel. A story about second chances and the power of family, A Beginner’s Guide to Free Fall is a potent reminder that as long as we’re alive, it’s never too late to make a change.” —Camille Pagán, bestselling author“A Beginner’s Guide to Free Fall has all the thrills, emotions, and unexpected turns of the best roller coasters. I immediately connected with these characters and couldn’t wait to see what was around each bend in the track of their story. Take a seat, pull down the safety bar, and settle in, because you are not going to want to get off this ride until you turn that last page. This is a great book!” —Elizabeth LaBan, bestselling author of The Restaurant Critic’s Wife, Not Perfect, and Beside Herself Read more About the Author Andy Abramowitz is the author of one previous novel, Thank You, Goodnight. A native of Baltimore, he lives with his wife, two daughters, and their bichon poodle in Philadelphia, where he enjoys classic rock, pitchers’ duels, birthday cake, the sound of a Fender Rhodes piano, and the month of October. He could never build a roller coaster, not even if his daughters begged him to, because he’s terrible at math and he can’t draw. Read more Customers Review: What do you get when you mix a sister who’s a struggling writer and a brother who designs roller coasters? A very touching story of the daily struggles of love and relationship and just daily living.The book opens with a wham-BANG at the (seeming) death of Davis Winger under the renegade tire of an out of control car that crushes him on a deserted beach (What???) and that just shows you–the end of the story is merely a detail; it’s the living that important. And so the story talks about Davis’ designing parks and troubleshooting faulty logs in water rides that trap overboard riders and about how he met his beloved. And how Molly tries to fit her writing into the vagaries of media marketing where ads for escorts seem to indicate a readership she’s not prepared to work for.The story meanders around but ends up where each character learns what’s most important in life.Lots of funny stuff and also tragic, and the writing is crisp and almost telegraphic. Short chapters, quick action and funny details. Very readable.
Psychological family trauma, quirky characters, prose waxing poetic – literally and figuratively – there’s so much about this book that I should adore. And yet, it fell flat for me.Davis, the older sibling and lead character, blends into the background of the world churning around him save for one poor decision and the improbable disclosure of it to his wife. Molly, the younger sibling, finds herself and her strength, though she doesn’t believe it, through writing about maternal abandonment. Britt, Rachel, Charlie, Kitty, and Norman all weave in and out of the narrative… McGuinn steals the stage. I’d like to read more of him, his life and beliefs rather than the tepid, understated lead characters.While it’s not bad, the languid, thoughtful pace felt too slow to engage me for most of the characters’ stories. An example of the writing: “At last the train crested the summit, and for the brief moment that separated the climb from the fall, a chip in time fraught with glorious possibility—or needless endangerment, depending on one’s orientation—father and daughter teetered over everything: the bumper boats, the carousel canopy, the pony rides. Then Davis hooted an exuberant “Here we go!” and the track beneath them dropped away, sucking them into a steep plummet. They both screamed.”
To be honest, about a fourth of the way through this book I was regretting that I had wasted my free Prime choice on a slow, seemingly predictable book. I stopped reading it and almost whooshed it off to the cloud. I’m not sure why, but yesterday I delved back into and boy howdy I am sure glad I did. This is the story of so many of us, with wonderful turns of phrases, beautiful insights and some downright, laugh out loud, funny lines. “…. everything came with a boob of coleslaw.” If that doesn’t describe a side dish in the funniest fashion, then the reader has no sense of humor. The ending was a total surprise (I was thinking bad things about the author, but he rectified it). Thank you for this rollercoaster ride Mr. Abramowitz.
As a 60 something with an abandonment issue, I thank the author for the space to see my parents and myself in a different light. I occasionally got lost in the pop and literary references but appreciated the gentle revelations they exposed. Before reading “Free Fall” I thought there were no depths left to plumb. Well-written, educated prose with deeply flawed and sympathetic characters. Recommended for anyone whose life has been one big search.
This is a great read! This book is just well written with characters that will charm you. I have to disagree with this being labeled Women’s Humorous Fiction though. The story alternates between the POV of siblings Davis and Molly so I think it’s wrong to ignore to ignore the central character of Davis by calling this Women’s Fiction. It’s also misleading to categorize this as Humor. Sure it has some funny moments but it has a lot more poignant and even heavy ones. Again it’s a great read for the right audience so I don’t want you to be disappointed by having the wrong idea about this novel.The story opens with an ominous flash forward about what is in store for Davis that will hang over the novel for the reader. Davis is also about to have the worst day of his life as the novel opens which will put his career and marriage at risk. He is such a good guy that you will find yourself rooting for him even though he should be considered more of a villain for his actions. I wasn’t surprised to find out that the author is a father of two little girls in his author’s bio at the end of the book because Davis has a daughter Molly who is a joy to read about and very authentic. This novel will be about Davis coming to terms with his choices and finding out what is next.For his sister Molly her story is about coming to terms with her past and believing in herself. Unlike her brother Molly lacks confidence and needs to find her way. Molly will become more assertive and start making some changes in her life which will set her on course to face her past. Molly is a wonderful character that can hold her own with Davis’ chapters and you will find yourself enjoying both of their stories.This is a character story more than plot driven. This book is about hanging out with these characters and enjoying their journey. At times I did feel like it needed more, or maybe less of some things like the constant references to their childhood or their separate personality traits, but overall it’s a great read. This is an author I look forward to reading again! |
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