Falling (Green)

Falling 
Jane Green, 2016
Penguin Publishing
384 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780399583285


Summary
A novel about the pleasure and meaning of finding a home—and family—where you least expect them...
 
When Emma Montague left the strict confines of upper-crust British life for New York, she felt sure it would make her happy. Away from her parents and expectations, she felt liberated, throwing herself into Manhattan life replete with a high-paying job, a gorgeous apartment, and a string of successful boyfriends.

But the cutthroat world of finance and relentless pursuit of more began to take its toll. This wasn’t the life she wanted either.
 
On the move again, Emma settles in the picturesque waterfront town of Westport, Connecticut, a world apart from both England and Manhattan. It is here that she begins to confront what it is she really wants from her life. With no job, and knowing only one person in town, she channels her passion for creating beautiful spaces into remaking the dilapidated cottage she rents from Dominic, a local handyman who lives next door with his six-year-old son.
 
Unlike any man Emma has ever known, Dominic is confident, grounded, and committed to being present for his son whose mother fled shortly after he was born. They become friends, and slowly much more, as Emma finds herself feeling at home in a way she never has before.
 
But just as they start to imagine a life together as a family, fate intervenes in the most shocking of ways. For the first time, Emma has to stay and fight for what she loves, for the truth she has discovered about herself, or risk losing it all.
 
In a novel of changing seasons, shifting lives, and selfless love, a story unfolds—of one woman’s far-reaching journey to discover who she is truly meant to be. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—May 31, 1968
• Where—London, England, UK
• Education—University of Wales
• Currently—lives in Westport, Connecticut, USA


Jane Green is the pen name of Jane Green Warburg, an English author of women's novels. Together with Helen Fielding she is considered a founder of the genre known as chick lit.

Green was born in London, England. She attended the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and worked as a journalist throughout her twenties, writing women's features for the Daily Express, Daily Mail, Cosmopolitan and others. At 27 she published her first book, Straight Talking, which went straight on to the Bestseller lists, and launched her career as "the queen of chick lit".

Frequent themes in her most recent books, include cooking, class wars, children, infidelity, and female friendships. She says she does not write about her life, but is inspired by the themes of her life.

She is the author of more than 15 novels, several (The Beach House, Second Chance, and Dune Road) having been listed on the New York Times bestseller list. Her other novels Another Piece of My Heart (2012), Family Pictures (2013), and Tempting Fate (2014) received wide acclaim.

In addition to novels, she has taught at writers conferences, and writes for various publications including the Sunday Times, Parade magazine, Wowowow.com, and Huffington Post.

Green now lives in Connecticut with her second husband, Ian Warburg, six children, two dogs and three cats. Actively philanthropic, her foremost charities are The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp (Paul Newman's camp for children with life-threatening illnesses), Bethel Recovery Center, and various breast cancer charities. She is also a supporter of the Westport Public Library, and the Westport Country Playhouse. (Adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 4/20/2014.)

Book Reviews
[A]lthough Emma could certainly be a more compelling heroine (most of the main events of the plot happen to her without requiring much action or decision on her part), her community is full of nuanced characters that elevate the story above its cookie-cutter beats and add extra impact to the tearjerker ending.
Publishers Weekly


Emma Montague, an English expat, has just moved from her high-powered, stressful banking job in Manhattan to the small suburb of Westport, CT.... [T]those who enjoy a love story with heart will adore this tale of homecoming and transformation from Green .—Kristen Stewart, Pearland Lib., Brazoria Cty. Lib. Syst., TX
Library Journal


When Emma Montague left England behind, she embarked on a fast-paced and stressful financial career in Manhattan..... Though Emma's life changes drastically, the reliance on cliches and all-too-familiar tropes makes it difficult to reach an emotional payoff.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
We'll add specific questions if and when they're made available by the publisher. In the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion...then take off on your own:

1. Why did Emma leave England for the U.S.? What did she want to escape from, and what did she hope to find across the pond?

2. Emma achieves success in the financial world. What, however, is lacking in her life? Why does she want a change?

3. Once she begins to build her new business in Westport, Emma comes to know her clients quite well, perhaps better than they know themselves. How might a designer come to learn about a person's inner life? What do our homes reflect about any of us? About you, for instance?

4. Is the relationship between Emma and Dominic realistic? Do you feel the chemistry between the two? Talk about the numerous obstacles the couple has to overcome.

5. What about Jesse? Does Jane Gre.en do a good job of portraying a six-year-old boy? Talk about his complicated feelings regarding Emma...and hers regarding him.

6. How do the two sets of parents differ from one another, especially in their responses to Emma and Dominic?

7. Talk about the different kinds of love found in Falling. What exactly is the meaning of the "love is kindness" mantra (it comes up three times in the course of the book)? What about family—what makes a family?

8. Does this book engage you? Which characters do you find more compelling than others? If you've read other books by Green, does this live up to, fall short of, or surpass her other novels?

9. How does socioeconomic class come into play in this novel?

10. Were you expecting the final twist? How did you feel by the ending?

(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)

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