Elegant Freefall

by Angelic Rodgers

Sylvia Townsend, a control freak of a literature professor, has wallowed in misery for two years since finding her girlfriend in bed with an ex. When a colleague seduces her at the faculty Halloween party, followed by her dream job opening up, she thinks all of her planning will finally pay off with the perfect life she's tried to construct. When reality gets in the way, Sylvia has to learn to let go.

Genres: LGBT, Lesbian

278 pages, Paperback

Published March 16, 2019

About the author

“Signs & Wonders” offers a gripping look at how religious belief and personal identity can come into conflict within tight-knit Southern communities. While it touches on themes of religious nationalism and friendship, its real strength lies in its portrayal of one woman trying to navigate her spirituality amid the pressure from her church and her marriage. It’s a thoughtful, absorbing read for fans of books like “The Dearly Beloved”, “God Spare the Girls”, or “The Book of Essie” and anyone interested in cult dynamics. --BookShelfie

Read the full BookShelfie review of Signs & Wonders, available now! https://book-shelfie.com/review/sings...

Keep up with me on my personal site www.angelicrodgers.com

Reviews

[Val · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ugh academia...

This book is about a college professor who grows up during the course of this story. I say “ugh academia” because I have found it can often be a pathological environment. There are uncontrollable egos and tenured positions for those that should have been terminated years ago. That being said, there are many, many professors who are truly wonderful teachers. I had the privilege of being taught by several while in a graduate program. It is quite clear that they love their job and are highly invested in the success of their students. As Sylvia learns in this story, it is best to learn all you can from those that truly care and disregard the asses. Great story and an excellent read.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an unusually structured romance, with a slightly slow pace. I stopped reading for a while, then picked it back up. I didn't love it, but I did find the story interesting.

[Tammy Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging characters with a surprise or two plot twists.

This book explores academic collaborations and exploitation of student material bundled cozily with sexual exploitation.
I particularly enjoyed the positive spin on Arkansas!

[Patricia OHara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy ending

I initially felt happy Silvia found romance once again after the awful break up. Unfortunately the drama that followed her career and love life caused havoc on her mind. Finally getting things right made me feel happy for her ending.

[R.T. Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I haven't lived in the world of traditional academia, with its emphasis on tenure and position, so Elegant Freefall provided a rare glimpse into this world that I found engaging and entertaining. The main character, Sylvia, is well-developed, and the revelation she experiences at the end was truly satisfying. I was cheering Sylvia throughout the book, even in the parts where she was annoying and self-centered. The antagonist, Lily, is also intriguing, and her sudden transition from "the one" to "a terrible mistake" makes for an exciting conflict. The story is entertaining and definitely keeps you reading.

I didn't completely connect with the characters myself, but that's because the book was not written for me. Concerns about who's sleeping with whom and the search for love aren't among my favorite plot points, but I found that Rodgers captures those feelings very effectively through dialog that sounds real. My favorite feature of this book is that the most lovable characters were Arkansans, all begging Sylvia to return to her home state and her roots. As a native Arkansan who left the state to seek her fortune, only to return after learning there's no place like home, I loved the descriptions of some of my favorite places in Arkansas. I definitely connected with Sylvia's reluctance to return to a state that isn't necessarily known for its open-mindedness, yet is so beautiful, so friendly that natives are drawn to it despite its shortcomings. The descriptions of Arkansas and of relationships with parents and friends kept me reading, and I'm glad that there was a happy ending, and perhaps a change of heart, for Sylvia at the end.

[Cindy Stein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sylvia is a professor of literature at a California state university, having moved there two years before to follow her girlfriend, another professor. When that relationship ended, Sylvia focused on her work. The book opens at a Halloween party where Lily, a professor in Sylvia's department, kisses Sylvia and quickly, the two begin a relationship. Much of the book focuses on the development of that relationship, and it's various ups and downs. Lily is bisexual and is not out to her family, which concerns Sylvia. Sylvia is being courted for a position at a university in Arkansas, her home state and the home of her best friend, Nancy, another professor. Sylvia is determined to stay in California with Lily, but fate has other plans.

This book spends a lot of time in the academia bubble, focusing on professorial intrigues and the dilemmas of professor couples. Yet, there's not a lot of information about the work that Sylvia or her professor friends do. It's a strange omission.

There's a late twist in the story that while interesting really points out the slowness of the earlier half, which gave little indication that we were in store for this kind of change. There's a lack of some kind of plot planning or authorship skill that would have made those earlier pages turn faster.

[monica.b.czuba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elegant Freefall

This. was about a Dr of literature who hadn't had a relationship in two years,after finding her girlfriend in bed with an old flame. She meets another woman at a party who is also a Dr. Of literature and they spend the night together. But finds out she is bisexual and not out to her family either. They eventually start a relationship. But each time she invites her to meet her friends when she going away she always has an excuse or made plans already. It basically revolves around her relationship and scandal . Not a great read but was interesting.
Angelic Rodgers the author did an excellent job writing this book and this is why I have it 4 stars. Some people may enjoy it others not. Me I'm on the fence.
Would like to see if she will write another one ???.