This is a novel about secrets
It is a very well written book with depth to it
It is very much a character driven book
A good book

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This is quite a slow-paced novel, almost gentle in its composition, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t an absorbing read. It really is.

Nessa is a well-drawn main character, and it’s a relief to read about a middle-aged woman who has a lot of the faults and worries and insecurities that most of us do. She’s at a point in her life when things should be going smoothly – her career is established, her marriage has survived an affair, her daughter is growing up, she lives in a beautiful house – but it doesn’t take much for it all too start falling apart.

The little details of ordinary life really add something to the narrative. It makes it all feel so real, so authentic. And Nessa isn’t some sugar-coated super woman. She has her faults, can be childish and petty, selfish and shallow. But aren’t we all, sometimes?

It’s skillfully written, every word well-chosen. It’s one of those books that forces you to slow down, to read carefully, to enjoy every page.

My only gripe was that I did feel that Nessa let her husband off the hook rather too lightly, and I did feel we could have known a bit more about him, and his motivations.

But this is a thoroughly enjoyable novel.

This would have made an amazing short story, still lyrical and flowing with some beautiful prose, I enjoyed my time with this book.

I would like to extend my gratitude to NetGalley for giving me this advanced readers’ copy in exchange for an honest and frank review.

Unfortunately, I could not get into this book at all. It sounded good but I just found it too difficult to read. I do not think it is anything to do with the way it is written. I think it just was not for me.

This is a gorgeous debut novel from Danielle McLaughlin. The story is told through the eyes of beautifully drawn characters whose thoughts, feelings and instincts play a large part in the action of the piece. In The Art Of Falling we have a wonderful example of how everything might look calm and composed on the outside while everything within is falling apart. The writing was precise, almost musical in nature and I look forward to reading more from this author in future.

I found this slow to start and thought it was the usual husband has affair, couple go through difficulties but are stronger eventually. Much more to the novel with twists, turns and breathless moments.
Nessa works at an art gallery and is liaising with a dead artist's family to set up an exhibition, what should be a success for her turns into a farcical situation of ownership and lies. Nessa is also struggling with her husband's affair and the impact on their teenage daughter.
A chance meeting with an old friend leads to revelations about Nessa's past which show her not to be as innocent as she appears.
The novel seems to end quite abruptly for me.

Nessa is married to a man who has had an affair, but they are trying to make things work.
She is an art historian and expert on a local sculptor, Robert Locke. One of his sculptures is the focus of the book, as its provenance is questioned.

As the book goes on, one of his students, by now an old lady, claims that she was the sculptor, not him.

There are many relationship traumas, dubious motives and twists in the story but, for me, this story didn't quite work. Somehow, the characters weren't quite credible, and few of them were likeable. And there was the annoying capitalisation (or lack of it) which I found very off-putting.

I really enjoyed this, it's the second book I've read about a family in Ireland where the main character is working through her family dilemma's through her exploration with an artist. In this book, the artist is a male sculptor, where a woman comes forward to say she actually sculpted his most famous statue. Nessa is curating an exhibition of his work at the gallery where she works, whilst recovering from her husband's affair and navigating her daughter's teenage years. The complex family dynamics are believable and their energy is matched by the drama of the sculpture and the strange woman who comes to claim it. There is room for Nessa to grow and change, as does her daughter, her husband however is sometimes neglected, I would have liked to see more after he explodes later in the book, the what happened next was glossed over in the last chapter. I wonder if the author didn't know how to finish the book. I was gripped by the emotional exploration of this book, reflected in the description of the place it is set in, where you get a sense of the expansive countryside but also the claustrophobia of a small town.

With thanks to the publisher and netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Art of Falling

Decent story, good characterisation and talented writing. I should have loved this book but sadly I didn’t. Although there were lots of storylines I just wasn’t gripped by any of them and I was never really invested. Sorry 😞

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for my copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for this ARC

Was an nice quick read, lots of drama and family issues.

Nessa McCormack and her husband Philip have just sorted out their marriage after Philip’s affair when ghosts of the past reappear. Her former best friend’s son Luke and his father Stuart appear out of nowhere after almost two decades without any contact. After Luke’s mother’s suicide they did not stay in touch, not only because times where difficult but also because Nessa and Stuart had a brief affair. Also at work things become complicated when Nessa is curating an exhibition of sculptor Robert Locke and a mysterious woman appears who claims to have created the most impressive piece of the exhibition. Yet, Locke’s widow and daughter claim to have provided all materials and never to have heard of the woman. However, she has set her mind on finally being recognised as an artist.

The most striking about Danielle McLaughlin’s novel is the protagonist and her development throughout the story. Apart from this, the dynamics between the characters is also remarkable, set in motion by the classic sins which you can find almost all in the novel: pride, lust, greed, wrath, sloth – you name it. They have always belonged to mankind, so why not to 21st century characters, too?

At the beginning of the novel, Nessa is on the one hand disappointed and fells devalued by her husband since he not only had an affair but chose a woman who isn’t even the slightest attractive in her opinion. On the other hand, her husband’s misconduct brings her into a morally superior position which she quite unashamedly exploits. She has got a big project in her job which will automatically come with a lot of kudos, undoubtedly, she is good at what she’s doing and an expert of the sculptor she curates. But small lapses leave cracks and with the appearance of the mysterious woman, the cracks start to deepen and threaten her reputation. At the same time, her daughter first seems to be on her husband’s side – the cheater! – and then openly opposes her mother to take sides of the other woman. There is not much left in her life which works according to plan and Nessa becomes increasingly irritable – until a secret, well-kept for many years – suddenly surfaces and threatens to destroy it all.

A lot of moral questions are addressed in the novel without providing simplistic answers or role models. The dramatic structure also creates the suspense that keeps you reading on. A compelling read I thoroughly enjoyed.

“To be, rather than to to seem” are the first words in the novel and the motto carved in stone upon entering a school. Upon exiting, we find the same words in Latin, having learnt our lesson. Are we really what we seem, the image we project onto the world? This complex, gripping novel explores the different facets of illusion and betrayal and what kind of compromises we strike with our secrets.

Phillip and Nessa are married and live in the Cork are with their teen daughter. Nessa is an art curator currently working on the acquisition of a Chalk Sculpture, the highest point of deceased artist Robert Locke’s creative output. Philip deals in real estate but is in financial difficulties. He has had a recent affair with the mother of their daughter’s best friend, which makes Nessa resentful and their daughter miserable. But can Nessa really claim the moral high ground? Once the husband and son of Nessa’s best friend (who committed suicide) reappear in her life and a stranger comes out of the blue claiming authorship of the Chalk Sculpture, we start wondering if we can put anything or anyone on a pedestal at all. Certainly not for too long.

To fall off a pedestal without disintegrating is an art in itself. McLaughlin is interested in the aftermath of the fall: how we live with our lies, how we process the damage, how we make reparation and how we can possibly piece ourselves together again, like in the art of Kintsugi. And she does so in a multi-layered, carefully orchestrated plot that kept the pages turning. Most characters are purposely imperfect, unpleasant and flawed, which makes them vivid psychological portraits. Among other things, I was really taken in by the mystery surrounding the Chalk Sculpture. The doubts surrounding its attribution, the question of its fragility and ephemerality, its contested value as expression of pure genius – they all contribute to make it a powerful metaphor for what happens in the novel.

An engaging, redemptive novel on being flawed and utterly human, certainly a recommended read.

Nessa McCormack is an art curator working in an art gallery in Ireland. Mother of one teenage daughter, wife to Philip, the husband who strayed with the mother of his daughter's best friend, Nessa finds herself not only in the middle of her own drama but also that of the family of the late artist Robert Locke whose work she is collating. The tale created by McLaughlin weaves together these threads along with childhood friendships, artistic controversy and interested academics.

The pace of the book varied throughout. A reasonably pacy start made way for a midsection that I found a little slow at times before picking up again. The pace gathered again as we reached the end of the book and this was the one change of pace that I really had an issue with as I felt that the ending was rather rushed and underdeveloped as the multitude of strands were brought together. The ending, as a result, felt rather flat and contrived. This is one of those tales where I would have rather been left hanging....

The characterisation was, in the main, good. I felt that I was able to imagine the majority of the main characters and understand their being. There were a couple of characters that I couldn't picture (Luke, Loretta and Katherine in particular).

I finished the book having enjoyed the time spent reading it but without the sense of satisfaction that I think it really deserved.

With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was an ok read, not gripping or with characters I took to in any big way. In fact the characters came across as impersonal even though there were big family/friends dramas and secrets coming out. Set in the world of art, Nessa is working for a gallery on the life and work of artist and sculptor Robert Locke, whose most famous sculpture is currently in his family home with his reclusive widow and daughter. A mysterious woman turns up claiming the work is hers. With personal upheaval in Nessa's family, this affects her more than expected. An exploration of relationships as well as a story with some mystery. #netgalley #theartoffalling

Danielle McLaughlin proves herself as adept at the novel as she is at the short story. The Art of Faling is an intriguing debut, set in the art world and exploring secrets, artistic agency and the pull of the past. McLaughlin handles the character driven and plot heavy narrative with ease, merging the stories of three relationships and the effect of past actions on present lives. Highly recommended.

Despite having absolutely no interest or knowledge about art, I absolutely love books set in the art world.

This is a both a family drama about secrets and betrayal and secrets and it’s set in the art world so I was immediately interested in this.

Nessa is a project manager on a project to restore the art of Robert Locke, who is deceased, with help from his family. Eleanor, his wife, who is difficult, and Loretta, his daughter.

Simultaneously it’s also a novel about relationships and affairs and parenting and secrets from the past.

At the beginning Nessa is recovering from her husband’s affair with the mother of their daughter’s school friend and the theme of betrayal is present throughout.

There are a few subplots and other characters who come into the story as it progresses, before it all comes together at the end.

There’s a lot I liked about this, but I didn’t quite love it as much as I expected. I found there were too many subplots at the risk of characters not being fully developed.

However I would definitely read another book by the author in the future.

3.5 stars

It’s difficult to explain why I didn’t love this book because there are few things I can pinpoint that I think could have been done better, but unfortunately there is nothing special about it. It’s the story of a family in Ireland, Nessa, Philip, and their daughter Jennifer, who are suffering from the fallout of Philip’s infidelity, which has fractured the bonds between them all. The novel follows Nessa as she works to create an art exhibition dedicated to a beloved local artist, when a mysterious woman appears, claiming to have been involved with the creation of his most famous piece, the Chalk Sculpture. The secrets of Nessa’s past, her family life and the complications of the exhibition all get tangled up as a chance encounter with an old friend leads her to meet the son of her university friend Amy, who committed suicide years before.

There’s a lot going on in this book and its plotting deserves admiration - there are a lot of strands that join together in different ways but it was never confusing. The characters are mostly well-developed, which is impressive given how many there are, although the depiction of Nessa’s teenage daughter did occasionally annoy me, especially in one instance where she acts as a stereotypical insensitive teenager just for the sake of some clumsy exposition. The discussions of art also didn’t interest me, it was like being told about someone’s dream that was obviously very interesting to them but doesn’t hold any weight as a story told in words. I enjoyed the second half a lot more, once the exposition was out of the way and the plot thickened a bit. But I was left feeling cold and unsure of what I was supposed to take away from this story. Nothing was bad, but there’s nothing exceptional about it either - the writing is fine, the story is well-plotted but not particularly interesting… I don’t know. It just didn’t do anything special for me.

I was attracted to this novel by the the art history aspects. Nessa McCormack is drawn to the work of the fictitious sculptor Robert Locke
whose work is being posthumously presented at her art gallery in Cork. This brings her into contact with his wife Eleanor and daughter Loretta as well as Melanie Doerr, a figure from his past. I personally would have liked more on that side of the story and less on the modern family drama which I was less convinced about. This novel is ultimately about the rights of ownership both personally and professionally and how those rights are abused and confused.

Thanks to Netgalley and John Murray Press for the review copy.

The Art of Falling follows gallery curator Nessa and the drama unfolding in her family, her husband's affair and her daughter's reaction and actions following this discovery. I struggled at times to find the male characters within the story to be believable, Nessa's husband (Philip) in particular behaved in a way I did not feel to be authentic as well as the actions of other male characters later throughout the story.

The pacing worked well for the narrative and there were pleasant details about the Irish landscape but other than that I would not say that this was a memorable book and I am not quite sure I who I would recommend it to. That being said, I will definitely keep an eye out for McLaughin's other work.