Free Falling – Nicola Moriarty
What’s it about?
This is the story of two women coming to terms with their grief. Andy dies and his fiancée, Belinda, struggles to come to terms with what happened or face her future without him. Andy’s mother, Evelyn, unfairly blames Belinda for Andy’s death and also goes through a torrent of emotions that compel her to take up skydiving as a hobby. The book explores how each woman responds to the loss of the same man, how their grief separates them and eventually draws them back together.
Who’s it for?
Amazon categorises this “contemporary fiction” and calls it a “tragic-romantic comedy” (although I’m not so sure about the comedy).
Would I recommend it?
Yes, I thought this was pretty good. It’s not my favourite of the books I’ve read this year, but it’s still worth a read. It was smooth to read and the characters were developed well. My one complaint is that some of the plot points were very predictable to me and others were a bit unrealistic.
Would I teach it?
No. This is a decent book and any reading is good reading, but it’s not the kind of book that warrants (or needs) class discussion and consideration of how ideas have been conveyed. It’s also not really relatable for many teens.
Final thoughts
Like many of the reviews I’ve read, I picked this up because of an existing love for one of the Moriarty sisters. While it would be nice to have that kind of instant interest for your books, I do think Nicola holds her own and has written a decent debut. For those following along with my virtual trip around the country, it’s been a few weeks since I read this but I think it was set in Sydney.
What’s it about?
This is the story of two women coming to terms with their grief. Andy dies and his fiancée, Belinda, struggles to come to terms with what happened or face her future without him. Andy’s mother, Evelyn, unfairly blames Belinda for Andy’s death and also goes through a torrent of emotions that compel her to take up skydiving as a hobby. The book explores how each woman responds to the loss of the same man, how their grief separates them and eventually draws them back together.
Who’s it for?
Amazon categorises this “contemporary fiction” and calls it a “tragic-romantic comedy” (although I’m not so sure about the comedy).
Would I recommend it?
Yes, I thought this was pretty good. It’s not my favourite of the books I’ve read this year, but it’s still worth a read. It was smooth to read and the characters were developed well. My one complaint is that some of the plot points were very predictable to me and others were a bit unrealistic.
Would I teach it?
No. This is a decent book and any reading is good reading, but it’s not the kind of book that warrants (or needs) class discussion and consideration of how ideas have been conveyed. It’s also not really relatable for many teens.
Final thoughts
Like many of the reviews I’ve read, I picked this up because of an existing love for one of the Moriarty sisters. While it would be nice to have that kind of instant interest for your books, I do think Nicola holds her own and has written a decent debut. For those following along with my virtual trip around the country, it’s been a few weeks since I read this but I think it was set in Sydney.
Zac and Mia – A J Betts
What’s it about?
Two teen cancer patients: Zac is having a bone marrow transplant after several rounds of chemotherapy didn’t kill his leukaemia. Mia is having chemo and surgery to remove cancer in the bone of her ankle. They’re in hospital rooms next to one another. Comparisons to The Fault in our Stars are inevitable but it’s not a love story; it’s a story focused on how each character faces their treatment and recovery. Their friendship is of course central to the book, but other themes that come through are grief, family, and the will to fight.
Who’s it for?
This is comfortably YA, but as we all know, YA is attracting a bigger and more adult audience all the time. Plenty of grown-ups would enjoy this.
Would I recommend it?
Yes; it’s a well-told story and I connected to the characters easily. The pace is reasonably quick, none of the events stood out as unbelievable, and harsh ideas are explored with a gentle touch. Of the books I’ve read and reviewed this year, this is definitely one of my favourites.
Would I teach it?
Yes, I think it would be good for a year 9 or 10 class. There’s swearing in there, references to sex but no sex scenes. Every character has faults, nobody’s life is easy, but nobody’s life is so angst-ridden as to be depressing either. It’s the kind of book that works well in a mixed-gender, mixed-ability classroom.
Final comments
This is a prize-winner and the third successful novel from this author. It was published a few years ago now and didn’t crop up on my radar at the time. The advantage of this is that it should be relatively easy to find, even if it is now a one-copy-per-shop kind of book. AJ Betts is based in Perth (as is the book).
What’s it about?
Two teen cancer patients: Zac is having a bone marrow transplant after several rounds of chemotherapy didn’t kill his leukaemia. Mia is having chemo and surgery to remove cancer in the bone of her ankle. They’re in hospital rooms next to one another. Comparisons to The Fault in our Stars are inevitable but it’s not a love story; it’s a story focused on how each character faces their treatment and recovery. Their friendship is of course central to the book, but other themes that come through are grief, family, and the will to fight.
Who’s it for?
This is comfortably YA, but as we all know, YA is attracting a bigger and more adult audience all the time. Plenty of grown-ups would enjoy this.
Would I recommend it?
Yes; it’s a well-told story and I connected to the characters easily. The pace is reasonably quick, none of the events stood out as unbelievable, and harsh ideas are explored with a gentle touch. Of the books I’ve read and reviewed this year, this is definitely one of my favourites.
Would I teach it?
Yes, I think it would be good for a year 9 or 10 class. There’s swearing in there, references to sex but no sex scenes. Every character has faults, nobody’s life is easy, but nobody’s life is so angst-ridden as to be depressing either. It’s the kind of book that works well in a mixed-gender, mixed-ability classroom.
Final comments
This is a prize-winner and the third successful novel from this author. It was published a few years ago now and didn’t crop up on my radar at the time. The advantage of this is that it should be relatively easy to find, even if it is now a one-copy-per-shop kind of book. AJ Betts is based in Perth (as is the book).
The Chase by Christopher Kremmer
What’s it about?
Set in the late 1940s, the plot revolves around drug use in the horse-racing industry. It tells the stories of Frank, a poor stable-hand turned apprentice jockey; Jean, a bright chemist perfecting the drug testing process; and Howard, steward of the jockey club and Jean’s boss.
Who is it for?
Adult readers who enjoy drama or crime that doesn’t involve murder.
Would I recommend it?
Of the books I’ve been writing reviews for this year, this one is the first I didn’t finish. I can’t give a complete review or recommendation, all I can tell you is that personally, this book didn’t hold my interest. I stopped reading somewhere in the sixth chapter, around page 50. It got good reviews elsewhere and I can’t pinpoint a specific problem with it (it’s slow-paced, but the story does move forward in those early chapters). I’m putting it down to “not my style”.
Would I teach it?
No, for obvious reasons.
Final comments
I hesitated writing anything for this, but I thought a complete overview of my reading year should at least reference books I started but didn’t finish. I wrote a separate blog post where I mentioned giving up on Tim Winton’s Eyrie.
What’s it about?
Set in the late 1940s, the plot revolves around drug use in the horse-racing industry. It tells the stories of Frank, a poor stable-hand turned apprentice jockey; Jean, a bright chemist perfecting the drug testing process; and Howard, steward of the jockey club and Jean’s boss.
Who is it for?
Adult readers who enjoy drama or crime that doesn’t involve murder.
Would I recommend it?
Of the books I’ve been writing reviews for this year, this one is the first I didn’t finish. I can’t give a complete review or recommendation, all I can tell you is that personally, this book didn’t hold my interest. I stopped reading somewhere in the sixth chapter, around page 50. It got good reviews elsewhere and I can’t pinpoint a specific problem with it (it’s slow-paced, but the story does move forward in those early chapters). I’m putting it down to “not my style”.
Would I teach it?
No, for obvious reasons.
Final comments
I hesitated writing anything for this, but I thought a complete overview of my reading year should at least reference books I started but didn’t finish. I wrote a separate blog post where I mentioned giving up on Tim Winton’s Eyrie.
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