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The Art of Falling
In 1944 Tom Wainwright, a British soldier, arrives in the small Italian town of Petriano. The war is nearly over, and in the lull before the Allied troops move further north to capture Florence Tom forges a friendship with the Parini family â and in particular with the eldest daughter, Giuliana. When the war ends he chooses to stay in Italy, planning to build a life with the woman with whom he has fallen deeply in love, but in the chaotic, tragic fallout of the end of the Second World War his hopes are dashed.
Fifty years later Isabel Wainwright, Tom's daughter, sets off for Petriano herself, to attend a ceremony naming a piazza in the small town in her father's honour. But Isabel isn't so much going to represent her father as to find him â for she and her mother have heard nothing of him since, nearly twenty years earlier, he went out one day and never returned. She doesn't even know whether her father is dead or alive, but hopes that by discovering something of his past, she can build a picture of the man she hardly knew.
Fifty years later Isabel Wainwright, Tom's daughter, sets off for Petriano herself, to attend a ceremony naming a piazza in the small town in her father's honour. But Isabel isn't so much going to represent her father as to find him â for she and her mother have heard nothing of him since, nearly twenty years earlier, he went out one day and never returned. She doesn't even know whether her father is dead or alive, but hopes that by discovering something of his past, she can build a picture of the man she hardly knew.
400 pages, Paperback
First published August 23, 2005
7 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Lawrenson
12 books164 followersAfter a childhood of constant moves around the world - my family lived at various times in Kuwait, China, Belgium, Luxembourg and Singapore - I read English at Trinity College, Cambridge. I trained as a journalist on a weekly South London newspaper, then worked on several national newspapers and magazines.
My first novel Hot Gossip (1994) was a satire based on my experiences working on Nigel Dempster's diary column, and was followed by a sequel, Idol Chatter (1995). The Moonbathers, a black comedy, followed in 1998.
The Art of Falling was a complete change of direction, which took five years to research and write. But trying to get it published was like starting from scratch again. In the end, after many false dawns and disappointments, I published it myself under the Stamp Publishing imprint in September 2003.
Almost immediately it became clear that the novel had struck a chord with booksellers and reading groups around my home in Kent. Ottakar's liked it enough to recommend it to their stores nationwide, and the rights were sold to Random House.
The Art of Falling was republished by Arrow in July 2005 and chosen as one of the books for the WHSmith Fresh Talent promotion that summer. It went on to sell more than all the others put together!
Songs of Blue and Gold is in a similar style: a story that grew out of my curiousity about past events and a love for the warmer shores and colours of southern Europe.
My latest novel, The Lantern, has been chosen for The TV Book Club Summer Reads 2011 on Channel4 and More4. I have also written a linked short story for Woman&Home magazine's 2011 summer reading supplement.
I currently divide my time between rural Kent and a crumbling hamlet in Provence, which is the atmospheric setting for The Lantern.
My first novel Hot Gossip (1994) was a satire based on my experiences working on Nigel Dempster's diary column, and was followed by a sequel, Idol Chatter (1995). The Moonbathers, a black comedy, followed in 1998.
The Art of Falling was a complete change of direction, which took five years to research and write. But trying to get it published was like starting from scratch again. In the end, after many false dawns and disappointments, I published it myself under the Stamp Publishing imprint in September 2003.
Almost immediately it became clear that the novel had struck a chord with booksellers and reading groups around my home in Kent. Ottakar's liked it enough to recommend it to their stores nationwide, and the rights were sold to Random House.
The Art of Falling was republished by Arrow in July 2005 and chosen as one of the books for the WHSmith Fresh Talent promotion that summer. It went on to sell more than all the others put together!
Songs of Blue and Gold is in a similar style: a story that grew out of my curiousity about past events and a love for the warmer shores and colours of southern Europe.
My latest novel, The Lantern, has been chosen for The TV Book Club Summer Reads 2011 on Channel4 and More4. I have also written a linked short story for Woman&Home magazine's 2011 summer reading supplement.
I currently divide my time between rural Kent and a crumbling hamlet in Provence, which is the atmospheric setting for The Lantern.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 14, 2008
I can't understand why other readers have given this such bad ratings. It's a really lovely book about a daughter's search for her father in Italy, and what the war had to do with his disappearance. The writing is beautiful and the storylines are very cleverly interwoven. Highly recommended.
June 3, 2008
I like fun romantic books. I also like a little taste of history with a dash of travel. This book has all of that. Pick it up!
October 26, 2020
Many writers have set books in Italy such as A Room With a View by EM Forster, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemmingway and The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco. I was particularly drawn to reading The Art of Falling by Deborah Lawrenson because this book is set in Pisa, one of the best known towns in the Tuscany region and one that I had the pleasure visiting a few years ago. Who hasn’t heard of the Leaning Tower of Pisa? Well, this book is based around the famous tower and a young woman named Isabel’s search to find out the truth about her soldier father’s mysterious disappearance during World War Two. There are some beautiful descriptions of places like the Piazza dei Miracoli, Le Macchie, Tolentino and Petriano. Although this book is primarily historical fiction with strong themes of love, war, family and heroism, it will take you on an unforgettable journey through Italy without even leaving home.
June 13, 2016
Great summer read! As always, Deborah Lawrenson delivers in spades with her gorgeous place descriptions... this book reminded me very much of a trip my mother and I took to Italy - the tiny towns, the village folks, the closeness of families which sometimes leads to strained relationships... And, as always, when I finished the book, I wished it was longer. Ms. Lawrenson has the distinct talent of writing stories like sunsets or sunrises... you get so caught up in the soft beauty of the story you don't even realize that time is passing.
August 12, 2020
A lovely read. Tom served in the 2nd world war in Italy and later returned to England to continue his life. he met and married Pat, they had one daughter, Isabel. When Isabel is 17 her dad disappears. They do not here from him or about him until they receive an invitation to a ceremony to mark in a piazza in a village in Italy where Tom had performed an heroic deed. Isabel attends the ceremony, against her mothers advice. After the ceremony she is compelled to search for the mystery behind her father`s disappearance.
January 2, 2009
A pleasantly distracting, airplane-read type of book -- a historical romantic fiction that was well-written enough that I wanted to keep reading, but was basically forgotten once I closed the cover.
March 8, 2023
A beautifully written story about the love of a country, family, friends, a romantic interest and a subject of interest.
The narration describes Italy wonderfully and transports those who have visited the regions mentioned back in an instant, well it did for me anyway.
The dedication to self-discovery and uncovering the truth about who, and why, we are the way we are shone through with the quest to find out who Tom, aka Dad, really was.
With hurt and perceived betrayal, a lack of communication destroying families, many readers will be able to relate to the family drama as it unfolds.
Sharing some of the newly reveal truths about the second world war is also cleverly woven into the story, and for those who really read what is going on, these facts peak the interest for further investigation about what else are we being lied to about by governments.
As a single woman, it is always hard to believe some of the actions, thoughts and emotions of the men described in love stories written by women, and men for that matter. Is it all simply the stuff of fairy tales and make believe, or do men actually love that deeply? Would they really go to the efforts Tom did in this story? Hard to tell, and the only part of the story which I found a bit far fetched.
A good read, and I completed it in just 5 nights (approx 5 hours).
The narration describes Italy wonderfully and transports those who have visited the regions mentioned back in an instant, well it did for me anyway.
The dedication to self-discovery and uncovering the truth about who, and why, we are the way we are shone through with the quest to find out who Tom, aka Dad, really was.
With hurt and perceived betrayal, a lack of communication destroying families, many readers will be able to relate to the family drama as it unfolds.
Sharing some of the newly reveal truths about the second world war is also cleverly woven into the story, and for those who really read what is going on, these facts peak the interest for further investigation about what else are we being lied to about by governments.
As a single woman, it is always hard to believe some of the actions, thoughts and emotions of the men described in love stories written by women, and men for that matter. Is it all simply the stuff of fairy tales and make believe, or do men actually love that deeply? Would they really go to the efforts Tom did in this story? Hard to tell, and the only part of the story which I found a bit far fetched.
A good read, and I completed it in just 5 nights (approx 5 hours).
January 4, 2018
Enjoyable and nicely written. Descriptive and emotive
March 21, 2021
Beautiful book about a soldier in Italy falling in love and his fascination with leaning towers.
February 20, 2017
Loved reading this book, although you could see the twist you didn't know if it would be revealed to the people within the story which is unique, so read to find out that and if there is a happiness to unfinished business
August 6, 2011
I was glad of the synopsis on the back cover of this novel, which helped to get the varying time-lines of the plot into some order in my head. It is very easy to get lost, or to forget how old people are at any given time in this story of past and present, in which a daughter follows the trail of her long lost father through Italy. The writing is confident, full of detail about the history and geography of Italy, and I got a real sense of the Mediterranean within its pages.
The story is told rather more through description than dialogue, but all the way through the thoroughness of the author’s research comes through clearly. What I liked best about the novel was the way the central mystery was set up, as well as a lot of smaller mysteries along the way. All along there is a hook pulling the reader through to the end, and there was never the remotest chance of me leaving this unfinished.
As I understand it, this novel was originally self-published, but its popularity subsequently attracted a publishing firm. On the one hand, it’s a bit depressing really – to think that a book of this quality can’t make it past the gatekeepers. On the other hand, perhaps it is a source of hope for anyone buried under rejection slips, that if your book is good enough, self-publication can still be a route to the big time.
The story is told rather more through description than dialogue, but all the way through the thoroughness of the author’s research comes through clearly. What I liked best about the novel was the way the central mystery was set up, as well as a lot of smaller mysteries along the way. All along there is a hook pulling the reader through to the end, and there was never the remotest chance of me leaving this unfinished.
As I understand it, this novel was originally self-published, but its popularity subsequently attracted a publishing firm. On the one hand, it’s a bit depressing really – to think that a book of this quality can’t make it past the gatekeepers. On the other hand, perhaps it is a source of hope for anyone buried under rejection slips, that if your book is good enough, self-publication can still be a route to the big time.
May 26, 2010
This was a book that had potential of being fantastic. I loved the imagery and descriptions of the different places in Italy. I had to pretty much force myself to finish it, however. I didn't care much for reading the parts about Tom's daughter... she annoyed me. The ending of the book felt thrown together. Finding out what happened to Tom felt very anti-climatic. Overall the book was just okay for me. There's really nothing about it that makes me want to re-read it, or even really remember much of anything that happened within it.
December 11, 2013
For the first time, I am giving five stars for story content alone...nothing else. From the waning years of WWII and the aftermath of its effects on Italy, the story spoke to me...maybe it was the fact that my father was an American soldier in 1944-1945 and in that area of the world...maybe it was Italians 'shoulding up' during a time of war and devastation...maybe it was the budding romance between a young Tommy and his girl...or his daughter's later search for her father...I no longer know. The story was full, complete and a quite lovely read.
October 13, 2015
This is my favourite of Deborah Lawrenson's books. Again and again, it draws me and I have read it three or four times.
The time, the setting and the love of two people who lose touch make it both poignant and romantic.
The time, the setting and the love of two people who lose touch make it both poignant and romantic.
November 11, 2014
I enjoyed this story of separation and misunderstanding. The author painted an excellent word-portrait of Italy but I felt she was guilty of over-writing. A simpler style would have improved it, I think.
February 15, 2009
I really enjoyed this book. It's a compelling story that made me want to sit up and read jsut one more chapter. It has all the atmosphere of Italy and a moving story.
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July 29, 2011Although I enjoyed this book, I felt as though I had read it before, perhaps I have read too many of this genre. If you enjoy interwoven stories from different era's, then I recommend this.
October 3, 2012
what a great love story
January 17, 2013
the first 200 pages were slow, after that the book became much more interesting.
September 2, 2015
Really enjoyed this book, but I felt the ending wasn't very strong and kind of a letdown.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews