I am not sure what to make of this novel. It is well written with a very precise use of language but I didn't feel comfortable reading it. It almost needed more threat to make it a psychological thriller but it is more a frustrating story of mistakes and misdemeanours than true malice. I did find the deep ongoing impact of a couple of events from years ago difficult to believe as it seemed almost irrelevant to the main thrust of the story. Overall a rather disappointing read so three stars. With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review and e-ARC of this title.

As an admirer of Danielle McLaughlin's short stories, I was very excited to see a novel on here! The Art of Falling is a fascinating, slow burner of a novel, which explores many themes: art, ownership, fidelity, family, academics, truth and memory.

Not one word is wasted in this novel, Danielle McLaughlin writes with extreme precision and every detail earlier in the book is drawn into the conclusion. I really enjoyed savouring this book, it's a very modern Irish novel without any bells or whistles, it's simply great writing. Thank you to John Murray for approving me for this proof.

‘The Art of Falling’ by Danielle McLaughlin didn’t really engage me. Parts of the story were quite interesting, particularly details behind the history of the artist Robert Locke. The storyline that ran alongside, that of the realationship between Nessa and her daughter was less so.

A slow moving story about Nessa who is having difficulties at home with her husband who was unfaithful and her teenage daughter who is causing problems at school.
Unfortunately this story failed to hold my interest.
Thank you to NetGalley and John Murray Press for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this a slow-burning novel with lots of complex threads and characters. It was a little slow for me and I found it hard to get into the main plot of who created the sculpture. But it was well written book and a good debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for a honest review.

This is a novel about secrets and truth, with the central character being Nessa McCormack. She needs to confront the truth in her fractured real with husband Philip and repair the fallout with her daughter Jennifer. In her work life as an art curator the truth about the provenance of The Chalk Sculpture the gallery is to display by deceased artist Robert Locke needs to be investigated when Melanie Doerr claims it is her work.

This is a good debut novel which is complex, intelligent and well written. I like the way the apparently disparate elements are woven together as Nessa goes on her own journey of confronting her guilty secrets and facing the truth alongside seeking the truth of Doerr’s claims. The characterisation is excellent especially that of Doerr who I find fascinating in her eccentricity and certainty. She’s intelligent, perceptive and definitely odd but seems truthful. The dynamics between the various protagonists is good, the dialogue is realistic and the storyline is engaging. I like the art element and as that mystery deepens you become invested in establishing the veracity of the claims. The novel builds well, there are good descriptions especially as things start to spin out of control in a kind of ‘it never rains but it pours’ fashion that mirrors life. The title is clever as there are several examples of ‘the art of falling’.

Overall this is a well written multilayered novel which ties together well as it takes its seemingly meandering path along the way - that takes skill.

With thanks to NetGalley and John Murray Press

There are some interesting threads in this novel. Nessa has difficult relationships with her husband and her daughter. Her daughter is having difficulties with friendships at school. An old friend turns up and secrets from Nessa's past are revealed. Nessa is working on planning an exhibition for a strange sculpture and has to negotiate with the artist's difficult daughter and mother. A strange woman turns up and claims she is the artist responsible for the work. All the threads in Nessa's life are unravelling and she is not handling anything well. The writing did hold my interest to a point, but as I had no interest in the main topic of the bizarre sculpture and its crazy claimant, and did not have any sympathy with any of the characters, it has to be a low rating from me.

I found this book a little difficult to get into, mainly because I found Nessa, the narrator, an unattractive character. I also thought I’d find the rather didactic style of describing artworks irritating - but in the end I got caught up in the story so much that the attractiveness/unattractiveness of all the main characters didn’t really matter. Nessa doesn’t have much going for her: a marriage that’s clearly at a difficult stage, a stroppy teenage daughter, uncooperative collaborators in her research into the life of a famous sculptor, Robert Locke. The situation in regard to her research is complicated by the arrival of a mysterious woman who claims ownership of Locke’s best-known sculpture. The situation in regard to her marriage (and the stroppy daughter) is complicated by the arrival back in her life of a former lover, his son and the memory of her betrayal of her friend, which Nessa has clearly never quite recovered from.
I’d have liked to find a more defined ending to the story, but the whole thing is beautifully-written, which redeems its rather slow pace.

For Nessa McCormack the main character in “The Art of Falling” things appears to be taking a turn for the better after a difficult period where she agreed to put her husband’s dalliance with a local married woman behind them and move on together. Nessa is working to bring an exhibition to the gallery of local artist Robert Locke whom she had studied in college even meeting him on occasion. However an unplanned meeting with an old friend and an unusual visitor could be about to unsettle Nessa’s upward trajectory.

Nessa is a totally believable character at home and at work, moreso as we become aware of events recalled from her past; we share her frustration and outrage at some of the things that are now coming to light years later where all context is lost. Jennifer, Nessa’s daughter and would-be photographer Luke are likewise perfectly depicted as the young adults they are, equally unpredictable as they are biddable. The Locke mother and daughter characters and the mysterious lady make this story a compelling and formidable novel.

I was interested to read this book as it is set in Cork - a part of Ireland I recently visited. It weaves together several strands into a slow-burning but ultimately satisfying read. This is essentially a novel about relationships- old college friends; husbands; children; clients - all feature as Danielle McLaughlin takes us from the past to the present and neatly ties up all the loose ends.

Thank you to Danielle McLaughlin, John Murray Press and Netgalley for the ARC of the ART OF FALLING.. This is a slow burning novel, and to be honest I nearly lost patience with it, and with Nessa who on the surface seems to be an intelligent woman, yet she makes some strange decisions, not least that she berates her husband for sleeping with her daughter's friend's mother and yet she is doing something similar with an old flame. She seems to spend a lot of time trying to please everyone around her and failing. I skimmed through quite a bit of the second half of the book, and the denouement was pretty much set out when we discover the artist she is studying turns out to be how we guess,

The Art of Falling is a confident and absorbing piece of work.
As an art curator, Nessa is in charge of the procurement of The Chalk Sculpture for the gallery, liaising with the sculptor’s widow and daughter. Difficulties arise when an eccentric woman claims a credit in it.
Meanwhile, at home, struggling to reset her family in the wake of her husband’s recent indiscretion, the unexpected appearance in her life of the son of a college friend creates even more complications.
Well written, with stark visual descriptions and beautifully balanced character development even if biased in favour of women, The Art of Falling is a very special book. The detailed analysis of The Chalk Sculpture itself and its influences, from the maquettes to the imagery of the photograph on which is said to be based, is daunting but fascinating.
With secrets tumbling out from every direction and threatening to overwhelm, the narrative kept me enthralled.
I really loved this read.
With thanks to Netgalley and John Murray Press

This is a slow-burner. As you move through the chapters, Danielle McLaughlin has weaved multiple story narratives into one to gain momentum. The story is based in Cork and follows Nessa, a middle aged woman who has problems with her marriage, job and child. The main story arc revolves around Nessa’s art gallery acquiring work by Robert Locke, a famous Scottish artist, and Nessa working with Locke’s widow and daughter to detail the collection and his life. However, they soon find a spanner in the works when Melanie arrives at the gallery. Throughout the novel, Nessa’s personal life seeps through and skeletons threaten to come rattling out of the closet.

Parts of this book, particularly the nods to art and art history, reminded me of ‘The Goldfinch’. I would recommend this to people who like slow burners and novels that explore familial issues

This is a book of troubled people brought together cleverly to serve several different threads. Nessa has had marital problems but she is not totally an innocent herself. Then she has problems at her work in an art gallery when the planned exhibition of the work of renowned sculptor Robert Locke is in jeopardy as he too was not what he seemed in either his personal or professional life. Then there is the past when three student friends acquired secrets which emerge later. The book reads well but there are many dysfunctional characters. At last Nessa seems to get her act together.