Rockfall

by Diane Winger

Two horrified witnesses watch as a mountainside crumbles, crashing down on a party of hikers. Searchers find no signs of life. Three missing, all presumed dead. Three families begin the difficult process of grieving.

But one of the missing is alive. Alone, injured, and terrified, she struggles to survive, hoping against all odds that someone will find her … before time runs out.

Emotionally charged and engrossing, Rockfall is a novel that plumbs the depths of tragedy and celebrates the resiliency of the human spirit.

Genres: Thriller

180 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 15, 2014

About the author

I describe myself as a “retired software geek” who loves hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, camping, and cross-country skiing when I'm not reading, writing, or watching cat videos.
I'm a passionate volunteer with several organizations which focus on literacy projects in my community.
My husband, Charlie, and I are co-authors of several guidebooks on outdoor recreation. I was born and raised in Denver and we currently reside in western Colorado. I write fiction featuring strong, adventurous female protagonists.
Please follow me on BookBub to receive notices of new titles, books on sale, and for book recommendations by other authors. http://tinyurl.com/FollowDiane

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Blend of Stories

Great Blend of Stories

I enjoyed this somewhat of a short novel (I read it in one day). I liked how each character had their own chapter and it never got confusing on whose story we were reading. I, personally, would have liked to read more about the survival instincts of the survivor but it was a good read nonetheless.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, foul language

This was a pretty good story, although as with all the Winger books I've read, somewhat choppy at times. What i didn't like was all the foul language. Yes, i realize it's common enough to hear that now, but not all of us speak that way and for me, it really detracts from the story. With my bad eyes i use a reader and all those spoken curses really bother me. A few, i can deal with but there are so many in this book. It's not really necessary.

[Donna Hewell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each story is unique

Diane Winger is my new first choice author. Her stories move forward at a good pace and hold it to the end. Rockfall has a suspenseful story line and we'll developed characters. You will not be disappointed.

[Bonnie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Confusing POV changes were very distracting and kept me from finishing the story. In fact, I didn't make it past chapter four and I very rarely put a book aside without finishing it.

I've nothing against first person point of view. Some of my favorite stories are written in first person and it can be a great way to help the reader become intimate with the protagonist. But this story kept head-hopping while in first person. It was distracting and, at times, downright confusing. By the fourth chapter I was already frustrated by it, so when the author did a sudden change into third person mid-chapter -- at a point where the first person perspective could have, finally, gotten interesting -- I closed the book and moved on to something else.

It's quite possible there is actually an interesting story in here. It is also quite possible that once the narrative settles on the protagonist (assuming it does so) the POV choice will actually work. Problem was, I couldn't get far enough into the story to find out. The perspective switching kept pulling my attention away from the story as I tried to figure just who I was supposed to "be" now.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an enjoyable way to spend a Sunday afternoon. It's a tale of loss, a tale of survival and ultimately a tale of triumph. Telling the story from each charactver's point of view shines light on the fact that grief is a personal thing and we all grieve differently. There is no formula for dealing with tragedy. I appreciated that very subtlety it showed that yes you can say the wrong thing. And yes the most important thing you can do for someone who has suffered a loss is to just be there.
At first I was of two minds regarding the way the daughter's story was presented. The inner grammar nut screamed fix those mistakes and the other side screamed back that makes it real. Keeping it real won.
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for agreeing to write an honest review.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our lives can change in a heartbeat...

Three women and two men go hiking in the Colorado Rockies; a man and a woman make it out to call for help after a huge rockside impacts the other hikers. In the blink of an eye so many lives were changed.

I thought this was an exceptionally well written story. It's not too long BUT it's just the right length. Crisp prose, very believable characters and dialogue - I felt like I could be reading a non-fiction account of just such an accident.

Each chapter was narrated by either a survivor or the family of a survivor and it took a few chapters to get the characters straight in my mind but once I did, I enjoyed this tale very much.

It was interesting to see how the different characters dealt with the tragedy - the grief, the survivors' remorse, the terror.

This is an excellent book for teens through adults in my opinion.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rockfall is a very written story, for the most part. The reader can feel the emotions, the sorrow of losing a loved one in a tragic accident, the terror and pain suffered by the only survivor.

I should have made a list of all the characters in the book to keep track of them, I did enjoy the story being told by each POV, but I totally did not like that the "major majority" (I know...) of the chapters began with the word "I". I who? One had to read several paragraphs to find out who the "I" was.

Rockfall is a fast, easy read good story, but my problem with the word "I" resulted in giving it only 3 stars.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worthwhile read

I can recommend this book. At first I was going to give it four stars. However, after finishing it, I decided it deserved a five star rating. I enjoyed the book. The only thing I couldn't get used to was so many characters writing in the first person. The story would switch to a new character and it would still be "I.....". It would take me a few paragraphs to figure out who was talking. It was confusing. If there were subheadings telling us who was going to be speaking, it would have helped. This is a " people" book - so don't expect a lot of chase scenes and shoot-em-ups. Still an enjoyable read.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes

There were several times in this book where I was terrified for the outcome. I enjoyed the way the author let us see a horrific accident from the perspective of those involved. VERY realistic (and only one typo!!) with many valuable life lessons. This is the third book of her's that I've read and I would wholeheartedly recommend any of them, particularly to teachers to use in the classroom (read first to determine if it's appropriate for your particular level and administration!).

[Janet Furnee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was given this book through Library Thing. I read this in one day. Smooth prose and likeable characters kept me reading. I am probably the wrong audience for this book, as I am older and slightly disabled, but I can see hikers and young adults relating to it. In my younger days, I would have given it much more than 3 stars.

[Malin · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the very first page the book captivates you and takes you on a very emotional journey of life, sorrow and death. I found the book well written and very easy to read. I was impressed a few times when I found myself feeling like I was actually there, going through the emotions with the characters.

I was given a copy of the book from the author for an honest review.

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick easy read about the aftetmath of a hiking accident told from multiple POVs. It was pretty good, entertaining, would've loved for it to be longer.