Customer Reviews

Catch Me When I Fall

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Seemingly Holly Krauss has everything -- youth, beauty, a successful job, good friends and a loving husband. But there is another side to Holly, a darker side that craves danger and excitement. And one night, when her wild side takes over, Holly commits an incredibly foolish indiscretion, an act that suddenly puts the two separate halves of her life on a collision course, ready for all her secrets to be revealed. As Holly franticly tries to contain the damage and gain back control of her life, she begins to make more and more mistakes, alienating friends and loved ones. Feeling stalked, harassed and all alone, Holly beings to realise that not everyone loves her, or even likes her. Is it too late for Holly to change and salvage her life? and what can she do about the very serious danger she faces from those out to harm her?

I can almost understand why the reception of "Catch Me When I Fall" has been somewhat lukewarm. While well written, compelling and completely engrossing (I read it in one sitting), this novel doesn't really fit in with previous Nicci French novels. Nicci French is well known for writing taut, highly suspenseful reads, and "Catch Me When I Fall" is not all that edge-of-your-seat suspenseful. And fans not ready to for this departure in style may be disappointed. However, I have to wonder, disappointed though one may be, why so much of the plot was revealed in the trade reviews? This was not well done in my opinion.

About two-thirds of the novel is written from Holly's point-of-view, and the author does a fantastic job of conveying Holly's franticness, her anger, her frustrations and her fear -- we're drawn into Holly's messy world and feel sympathetic towards her (well at least I was) even as we're repelled. The sense of mounting urgency, fear and regret that Holly feels about her actions and what they have cost her is masterfully portrayed. The last bit of the novel is seen through Holly's best friend and coworker's eyes, Meg. And it is in this section, as Meg races to save Holly, that the suspense is really felt. All in all, even though "Catch Me As I Fall" is not the usual Nicci French fare, the book was still a good read. So that if you're looking for a well written, urban-London novel that is absorbing and engrossing, you'll definitely enjoy "Catch Me As I Fall."

Unlike the editorial reviewers, I enjoyed "Catch Me When I Fall" immensely, and thought the novel was classic French (I must admit I am a fan of this wonderful husband and wife writing team).

The story follows Holly, a spectacularly irresponsible firestorm of a woman who sweeps through people's lives, charming some, and making dangerous enemies of others. If you have ever cared about someone who suffers from bipolar disorder, I think you will recognize and warm to Holly's infuriating lovability. Perhaps Holly's greatest asset, though, is her long-suffering best friend, Meg, who gets drawn deeper and deeper into Holly's darkest dramas.

Everything that I love about Nicci French's writing is here: the vibrant characters, the mystery, the suspense. Admittedly, the plot was more predictable in "Catch Me When I Fall" than in previous French novels, but I still found this one an absolute page-turner.

As one of the first Amazon reviewers of this book, I've given "Catch Me When I Fall" five stars partly because I'm a French fan, and partly because I was surprised at the harshness of the editorial reviews, but mostly because this is a good, enjoyable read.

Holly Kraus lives life in the fast lane, taking walks on the wild side and running amuck around London.

Nicci French has a way of describing a hypomaniac in action. Although this is classified as a psychological thriller, the basis of the story is more following a manic-depressive through her daily routine for several weeks or months.

The story moves through Holly's doings (and undoings) of herself. When she falls, she falls hard and fast. Holly writes that she died twice but after all her turmoil, who can she trust to catch her when she does fall?

When reading, I knew the ending of the first time Holly dies but not the second. The second time was unexpected in a way.

Armchair Interviews says: The first one-third of the book is a bit slow but the story does pick up after that and keeps the reader involved

I really enjoyed this novel, and while it wasn't necessarily the same as other books I've read by French, that didn't bother me at all. I thought this book gave the reader a really good idea of what it might feel like to be a person dealing with mental illness and to be that out of control. I was definitely surprised by the ending, and while I had some suspicions, I didn't suspect the ending at all. I also like the way French changed the book's point of view half way through. The first half told by Holly and the second told by Meg. I thought that was very refreshing. All in all I enjoyed this book a lot and it was easy to read. I am a big fan of this writing duo and hope they continue writing entertaining novels.

Nicci French's latest outing concerns a bipolar woman who spends most of her time in manic-land. Holly Krauss' story forms an excellent case history for those learning about bipolar disorder in that she displays all the classic signs of the illness.

Early on in the story, we get the point--Holly's sick. The other characters, who before seemed satellites revolving around Holly, take on additional depth as the novel progresses. There is a suspense story in Holly's nonstop rollercoaster existence, but it takes quite a while in the story before this is apparent. You won't be disappointed!

The writing is excellent; and although we can't really come to like the protagonist (when in the previous French novels we always could), the finished product is well worth any thoughtful reader's attention. Maybe not the best, but it's still great stuff.

With Catch Me When I Fall you have Holly Krauss, who is a successful business owner and wife. She is the typical happy woman who seems to have everything on the outside but inside it's a different darker story. So things go awry after she has a one-night stand with a guy named Rees, who has a sinister and evil side to him. She continues making enemies by firing one of her employees, insulting clients (not being her normal and happy charming self) then looses a lot of money in a poker game. So her life gets all in an uproar and ugly with a loan shark on her back, Rees and a client stalking her, and the employee she fired is now trying to sue her company.

Can things get any worse?

Yes, because on top of all of that, she now is suspecting that her husband is having an affair and has distanced her best friend and business partner Meg, causing everything to fall apart at once. This puts Holly into the hospital with a mental breakdown and she attempts suicide. She has a much needed realization and is faced with trying to put everything back together. So wow, does Holly have problems. Can she work her way through them? Gotta catch this book to find out.

I have read most of Nicci French's novels, starting with "Killing Me Softly," which I consider the best of the lot. This book, "Catch When I Fall," was a master chore to finish. I read books to be entertained, no matter the genre. I was not entertained with this novel. I felt nothing, in fact I found it to be laborious to complete. Some part of a book usually reaches out and grabs me, whether it be fear, humor, disgust, heart beating romance ,or some action-adventure, but this book and Holly Krauss bored me. Her long winded descriptive details of her miserable life bored me. I skimmed pages and would stop and read the same pathetic boring drivel. The only characters that I found even remotely interesting were her husband Charlie and her best friend Meg... Not what I expected.

I love mysteries, I love psychological suspense thrillers. Nicci French manages to combine both genres into this ingenious story about the suffering endured by those afflicted with Bi-Polar Disorder and the suffering of those whose lives touch them. Ms. French never fails to offer us a wonderfully woven mystery, develop interesting characters, and give us necessary information at the same time. This story keeps us guessing until the end, and wraps it all up nicely, showing us that even those among us who suffer psychological disorders can have happy endings. One of her best books yet!

You're a whirlwind. You're a success. You're living your life on the edge. But your next step can take you into the abyss.

Holly Krauss lives her life in the fast lane. A successful, happily married businesswoman, she is loved and admired by everyone she meets.

But that's only one side of Holly. The other takes regular walks on the wild side and is making reckless mistakes.

When the two sides of Holly's life collide, her world quickly spirals out of control. She thinks she's being stalked, that someone is trying to export money from her, and that threats lurk around every corner. Soon the people cloest to her are running out of patience...

But are her fears due to paranoia and illness. or is the danger very, very real?

And if Holly's judgment and mental health are not sound, eho will catch her when she falls?

This was the first Nicci French book that I have read. Although I enjoyed it and read it in a day, I'm not anxious to read any of her other novels. I thought she chose an interesting subject for her main character, but could have developed a better story line. The narrative changed more than two thirds of the way through the story and the ending was strange, at the very least.