Ready to Fall

Rating:
Summary: Dea incessu patuit
Review: "Dea incessu patuit: 'And she revealed herself to be a goddess' (Virgil), as Venus did before Aeneas. And so, we are challenged to find our own goddess within, the part that makes you uniquely YOU." The life of Beth has become the Life of the Unfulfilled and Underappreciated, as she raises her 3 children into adolescence and struggles to find something to say to her spouse of many years. And then ... she plunges into the cyber world through e-mails to her traveling neighbor. Will she thrive and survive with this new allegance, or is she coming to learn more important things about herself? Through one sided e-mails, we go along on her Special Delivery discovery tour. It isn't necessarily Great Fiction, but it is fun and it is honest and written with plenty of wit. - The Goddess Mamalinda

Rating:
Summary: Dea incessu patuit
Review: "Dea incessu patuit: 'And she revealed herself to be a goddess' (Virgil), as Venus did before Aeneas. And so, we are challenged to find our own goddess within, the part that makes you uniquely YOU." The life of Beth has become the Life of the Unfulfilled and Underappreciated, as she raises her 3 children into adolescence and struggles to find something to say to her spouse of many years. And then ... she plunges into the cyber world through e-mails to her traveling neighbor. Will she thrive and survive with this new allegance, or is she coming to learn more important things about herself? Through one sided e-mails, we go along on her Special Delivery discovery tour. It isn't necessarily Great Fiction, but it is fun and it is honest and written with plenty of wit. - The Goddess Mamalinda

Rating:
Summary: A unique and thoroughly contemporary novel.
Review: Claire Cook's Ready To Fall is an intensively involving story of contemporary marriage and mid-life longing. We meet Beth Riordan, a 40-ish, taken-for-granted suburban wife and mother. Beth, through wry, revelatory emails to Thomas, an attractive neighbor who is the midst of a divorce, takes a zany romp with love through cyberspace. Ready To Fall is a highly recommended and thoroughly contemporary novel of identity, longing, love, family, friendship, and the Internet, cleverly and appropriately written in the format of email exchanges.

Rating:
Summary: time that I will never get back
Review: I am not a big reader of fiction, but this story is beguiling, humorous, and wonderfully refreshing. The technique is very interesting and took courage, and I agree with other reviewers in that I felt as though I was ease dropping. Ms. Cook writes with verve and intelligence and is respectful of the reader. I found the book more amusing than side splitting, but, then again, I am a guy. I wish there was as much acceptance of an unfulfilled husband's life as there is a wife's. Good for Claire for breaking through with a lovely, well written and developed story and peculiar characters that are actually believable.

Rating:
Summary: I couldn't put it down
Review: I picked up "Ready to Fall" because I was intrigued at the thought of a book written strictly in the form of emails. It was a nice glimpse into the life of Beth Riordan, but what I felt was missing was the other end of the conversation with her neighbor Thomas. It left too many gaps for me. However, you can still follow the conversation quite well and see the transformation of their relationship. it was much like reading someone's private diary.

Rating:
Summary: A Fun and Fabulous Read
Review: I was hooked and laughing out loud on the first page of Ready to Fall. The sparkling language alone, including the great quotes sprinkled throughout, were enough to keep me reading. But then there were the characters, fully rendered and compelling each in their own way. The details of suburban life were sad and funny. I wanted this book to never end.I want to go to the island with everyone next time they go. I want to check in and see how Beth and Heather are doing a year from now. I want to read Claire Cook's next book.

Rating:
Summary: Laugh out loud funny!
Review: It is rare to read a book that makes you laugh out loud, but Claire Cook accomplishes this on the first page! Her email format is truly unique. You can bet others will be copying her believing that her witty style will be easy to replicate. I'm sure they'll find they are wrong. She manages to create the same excitement for the reader as they would get if they were intercepting email from a quirky neighbor about her semi-psychotic crush on the man next door. It doesn't get more innovative or seductive than this novel. If you want a book you simply can't put down, this is it! I can't wait to read more from this author.