Frances Whiting

Tallulah de Longland and Annabelle Andrews were the best of friends from the day they met at St Rita’s in Grade Seven. For the next six years they were inseparable, finding in each other an ally against Sister Scholastica, The Piranha Sisters and the eccentricities of their respective families. And then on the day of their high school graduation, Lulu discovers Annabelle in the arms of Joshua Keaton, and her future lays in tatters.

In part a coming of age tale, Walking on Trampolines is a show more delightfully engaging story about the joys and sorrows of friendship, first love and family.

Most of us, at least briefly, have had a best friend like Annabelle or at least recognise the dynamic. Lulu and Annabelle’s relationship is a reminder of the all consuming nature of teenage friendship, and the devastation of the inevitable betrayal that destroyed it. Since I spent hours on the trampoline with my childhood best friend, the title, with the tagline ‘It’s not how far you fall but how high you bounce.’, resonates with me particularly, conjuring memories of promises made on a mat of blue elastic weave, to be ‘best friends forever’.

Oh and first love, the thrill, the excitement and passion and then the crushing pain when dreams of forever collapse. For Lulu the simultaneous loss of her boyfriend and her best friend paralyses her so that while Annabelle lives the life with Joshua that she had imagined, she is stuck, keeping the books for her father’s plumbing business, until her father forces her to take a risk.

Family is an important theme in Walking On Trampolines but it is the complex relationship between mothers and daughters that Whiting captures particularly well. Lulu’s mother names her dresses, ‘Grace’ is “…buttercup yellow with a Peter Pan collar and a row of pearl buttons down the front to the waist…” but when the shapeless ‘Doris’ makes an appearance, Lulu knows to tread lightly. Annabelle’s artistic mother doesn’t make lunches, or do birthday cakes and abandons her husband and daughter for a fling with her brother in law.

Further populated by a charmingly flawed cast of characters from Annabelle’s eccentric father, Frank to Lulu’s crass, yet wise mentor, Duncan, and the rabidly Catholic Stella, Walking on Trampolines offers heart, humor and drama as Lulu learns that she too is capable of the extraordinary.

Funny, tender and bitter sweet, Walking in Trampolines is a wonderful debut fiction novel from Australian columnist, Frances Whiting. I adored this story and I am looking forward to her next already. show less

Walking on Trampolines by Frances Whiting is an absolutely beautiful novel of friendship, family, love, betrayal and forgiveness. This captivating story is a wonderful mix of humor that is laugh out loud funny and tender, poignant moments that are heartbreakingly sad. The true to life characters are multi-faceted and flawed but so likable and sympathetic it is impossible not to root for them as they experience all of the joys and sorrows of life.

Despite their very different backgrounds, show more Tallulah "Lulu" deLongland and Annabelle Andrews became instant friends at the age of twelve. Neither girl has what would be considered an ideal home life but they each find enjoyment in one another's homes. Lulu helps her dad raise her younger brothers because her mother suffers debilitating depression for much of her childhood. Annabelle's parents are eccentric artists and her alcoholic father is more reliable than her less than maternal mother. Nonetheless, the two girls giggle their way through adolescence and support one another through the various ups and downs of their respective lives. But their once rock solid friendship comes to an abrupt end after a shocking betrayal and although Lulu and Annabelle eventually reunite as adults, a split second decision once again threatens their relationship.

Lulu is a wonderful lead character; genuine, kind, loving and incredibly loyal. She is, in so many ways, the anti-thesis of the much more outgoing, rather dominating and larger than life Annabelle. Their friendship is all consuming, intense and excludes Lulu's other friends, Simone and Stella. In the wake of devastation, Lulu retreats into a safe life until she is forced to step out of her comfort zone. Leaving her family and small town behind, she begins working for a dynamic radio personality who is as wise as he is crass.

Annabelle is, surprisingly, an enjoyable character to get to know. Without a doubt, she is self-centered and she hurts Lulu is the worst possible way, but it is impossible not to like her. In spite of these flaws, Annabelle is Lulu's staunchest ally and supporter throughout their childhood. As an adult, despite their strained relationship, Annabelle is there for Lulu when she needs her most.

The secondary cast of characters is quirky, well-developed and quite appealing. Lulu's childhood friends Simone and Sophie are complete opposites but incredibly supportive of her no matter what mistakes she makes. Lulu's boss and friend Duncan McAllister is deeply flawed but this just adds to his (sometimes dubious) charm. It is impossible not love Lulu's dad, Harry, who depends on her more than he should but always has a comfortable shoulder for her to lean on when she needs one. Lulu's mom, Rose, is such a heartbreaking character as she battles to overcome the depression that keeps her from participating in the lives of her loved ones. And, of course, the list of favorite characters would not be complete without mentioning the lovable canine, Barney, who provides Duncan with the means to aid Lulu as she makes peace with her past.

Walking on Trampolines is an emotionally compelling novel of redemption, forgiveness and love. With much laughter and a few tears, Frances Whiting brings life's messiest moments vividly and unapologetically to life. An absolutely breathtaking story that I absolutely loved and highly recommend. show less

Walking on Trampolines by Frances Whiting is a highly recommended coming-of-age novel.

Set in Juniper Bay, Australia, Annabelle Andrews and Tallulah (Lulu) de Longland became best friends when they met for the first time at St Rita's in seventh grade. After meeting they become inseparable, like sisters , but we know from the opening scene that their friendship is likely going to be more tangled and complex than it appears at the beginning. Inevitably, there is betrayal and one of the girls is show more left wounded and floundering, trying to recover but still suffering. The question is, after the opening scene, who betrayed whom and why.

This is a very well written and easy to read novel that was almost addictive at times. You will want to know what happens and then what happens next. There are several strong bonds of friendship between different characters and the bond between parents and their child is also represented. The families represented in Walking on Trampolines are complex and unique, as are the friendships. None of the relationships are presented as perfect. They are all complex and fraught with difficulties. Bonds between characters are broken and, when restored, they are changed. Characters need to forgive and, maybe, move on to form new relationships.

If there is any weakness in Walking on Trampolines it is that the ending is a bit too pat and easy to predict. Life rarely all falls into place so comfortably. But if you are looking for chick-lit that is well written and conflicts are resolved, you should try this debut novel by Frances Whiting.


Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Gallery Books for review purposes. show less

Annabelle and Tallulah are two young girls from very different backgrounds--Annabelle from one of Australia's most famous and celebrated artistic families, Tallulah the daughter of a plumber--when Annabelle's family moves to small-town Juniper Bay and enroll her in St. Rita's, Tallulah's school. They are nearly instant best friends, and the lives of the two girls and their families become inextricably intertwined. The two girls become as close as sisters, and the two sets of parents, show more Annabelle's parents Annie and Frank Andrews, and Tallulah's, Harry and Rose de Longland, parent them both, each couple's strengths filling in for the other's weaknesses.

Even when, as they are seniors in high school, Tallulah has her first real boyfriend, Josh, the two girls remain close, sharing everything--more than Tallulah realizes.

At the core of the novel is a painful betrayal, one that winds through their lives for more a decade after.

I love both these girls, and their parents, and their complicated, tangled relationships. Harry is the most solid and stable among them, but Rose has a resilience and ability to accept others that seems to come from her own struggle with depression. Annie and Frank are both more mercurial and even flighty, but they each bring a creativity, a confidence, and a message to the two girls to value and trust their own talents.

We see the story through Tallulah's eyes, and it's her story most of all. It's her struggles, failures, and triumphs we see most intimately, but she's surrounded by equally rich and compelling characters. Those include not just the two families, but their other friends, and Tallulah's deeply flawed and totally delightful boss and friend, Duncan, after she leaves Juniper Bay.

It's an emotionally rich and rewarding story. Recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. show less