Kathryn Craft

First off, a disclaimer: this is not a book I would have ever picked up, as I know nothing about dance or the dance world, and never had any desire to learn. If I saw it in the bookstore, I'd assume it was along the lines of that short-lived TV show, Bunheads, which I also never looked at. But I had taken a writing workshop with the author, Kathryn Craft, and was thrilled with how much she taught us about story, so I knew I had to read The Art of Falling when it was released.

It's an show more understatement to say I was not disappointed. As a writer, Ms. Craft "walks the walk" of what she teaches. The Art of Falling was a pitch-perfect example of fine storytelling. As readers:

-We care about the protagonist
-We watch her grow
-We experience surprises throughout the book
-We rejoice in the protagonist's accomplishments and cry at her defeats
-We hate to see it end

As I only have time to read at night, I lost many hours of sleep during the week I read this book, often staying up after midnight to 'just finish this chapter.' I thoroughly enjoyed The Art of Falling, and can't wait for Ms. Kraft's next book. show less

The Far End of Happy is intense and intimate, grabbing you from the start and not letting go. It is a novel, but it is based on events from the author’s life. She has stated, “It wasn’t long after my first husband’s suicide that I knew I’d one day make a story of it . . . .” So while it is fictionalized and she does not try to speak for anyone but herself, it has such a powerful ring of truth to it that you are mesmerized, tense, afraid to watch events unfold.

This is the story of show more Jeff’s suicide standoff that unfolds over twelve hours of absolute horror, fear and sadness not only for his wife Ronnie but for their sons Andrew and Will, her mother Beverly and her mother-in-law, Jeff’s mother, Janet. Ronnie and Jeff have been married for a number of years but most of those years have not been happy. Who is to say who’s to blame, but Ronnie has finally decided that this is it, she is going to through with the divorce she has thought about for so long. There have been bad business decisions, failed ventures, money mismanagement, and always at the core of it is Jeff’s need to control Ronnie, to make his dreams her own, to make it clear he cannot and will not live without her. She just can’t take any more. She has lost so much of herself; she can’t lose everything that makes her Ronnie. But then a drunk Jeff pulls into the driveway and the long, horrible, unbelievable day that feels like it will never end – with all of those involved afraid of how it might end – begins.

It is unlikely that most readers have been through a tragedy like this and can relate directly to Ronnie’s experience that fateful day. But The Far End of Happy sticks with you in a way you won’t forget once you’ve turned that last page. It’s not just about a man threatening to take his own life rather than lose his wife, it’s about the slow erosion of a wife’s personality, desires, dreams, about making her think she wants what he wants, about excessive drinking, spying, threatening, about subtly forcing her to make decisions and concessions that aren’t what her heart desires. And about her finally realizing she will disappear completely if she does not escape. It’s about family members with their own issues and backstories that have affected Ronnie and Jeff, about a mother who is fiercely loyal to her son and believes his choices are the only correct ones, and another mother who can’t understand why her daughter can’t just be satisfied with what she has, why she wants so much more or so much that is different. Ronnie’s case was extreme, but many women feel stuck, don’t know exactly how they got where they are but don’t think they can stay put, even if there are frightening consequences to their leaving.

The Far End of Happy is a sad, sobering, gripping story about a very strong woman. Thanks to the author for providing this very well-written book that I just could not put down. I leave this review voluntary and all opinions are my own. show less

Penelope Sparrow is a dancer. For reasons she can’t seem to remember, she has jumped off of a 14-story building and woken up in the hospital alive.

Penelope Sparrow’s story tries to be a lot of things. It tries to be a story of finding oneself using the metaphor of modern dance. It tries to be a treatise on the inner-mind of a woman with an eating disorder. It tries to be an interconnected tale of the different ways love comes to us in our lives. It tries to be far too many things at once show more and because of it’s over-zealousness all of these threads end up flat and lifeless.

Penelope Sparrow is one of the most unlikeable characters I’ve encountered recently, and in my opinion, she does not redeem herself at the end like I hoped she would. She is so incredibly self-centered, self-involved, and selfish that by the time she finally realizes that through her new best friend she as “experienced a kind of love I’d never known before” it seems forced and ultimately untrue. We are supposed to believe that Penny has opened herself to love but all I saw was someone that made her friend’s illness more about herself and her own pain than anything else.

Perhaps most uncomfortable in the story is Penelope Sparrow’s relationship with her mother. The reader is supposed to believe, based on Penny’s POV, that her mother has been a demanding task-master that has cared about nothing other than living her own dream of dance through her daughter. What we actually see, however, is a loving, supportive mother that has given up her life and dreams FOR her daughter and in return has lived through 28 years of tantrums. Penny spends the entire book commenting on her mother’s weight - in the first half being openly disgusted with how “fat” her mother is, and in the second half constantly commenting on her mother’s new “slimmer figure” as if that has somehow made her a better human being.

I could sit and pick apart ever other relationship Penny has in the book and how she treats everyone in her life like utter trash, but I think my point is made. I do want to mention how, after working 3 days in a candy factory, she complains how “this job is killing me” - it was such a clear illustration of how spoiled and privileged her life is (and clearly always will be) that I had to laugh out loud.

Everyone else in Penelope Sparrow’s story was wonderful, and each one deserved a better friend, and a better daughter. show less

On the day that Ronnie's husband, Jeff, is supposed to move out of the home that they share with their two sons, he shows up drunk with a shotgun and a threat to kill himself. The book takes place over the next twelve tense hours. We learn the back story of Jeff and Ronnie's marriage as well as the secrets in her mother and Jeff's mother's lives. I found the story to be very riveting. Even though much of it took place in Ronnie's mind, I could understand a lot of her feeling of ambivalence show more over what she should do to make everything right for herself and her sons. This was an excellent and well written book. I didn't know until the end that it was based on something that happened in the author's life. Once I realized that, it made the story even more remarkable to me. This would be a great book club read as there are many parts to it that would be great discussion points. Even if you aren't in a book club, you need to give this a read. show less