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The Longer the Fall
The scandal could ruin everything.
Meet Madeline Thomas. A caring mother. A loving wife. An ambitious politician. A cheater?
The clock is ticking on her reelection campaign. A win would help her pursue her agenda to fix race relations in America. When she receives a letter containing compromising photos, she wonders: which of her enemies is trying to take her down?
A scandal will surely ruin her career, and her marriage, whether or not the allegations are true. She’ll do whatever it takes to stop the scandal from breaking, even if it means she’ll have to pick up the pieces later.
While juggling her children, her marriage, and her ambitions, Madeline discovers that no one is who they seem to be.
How far will Madeline go to win?
Meet Madeline Thomas. A caring mother. A loving wife. An ambitious politician. A cheater?
The clock is ticking on her reelection campaign. A win would help her pursue her agenda to fix race relations in America. When she receives a letter containing compromising photos, she wonders: which of her enemies is trying to take her down?
A scandal will surely ruin her career, and her marriage, whether or not the allegations are true. She’ll do whatever it takes to stop the scandal from breaking, even if it means she’ll have to pick up the pieces later.
While juggling her children, her marriage, and her ambitions, Madeline discovers that no one is who they seem to be.
How far will Madeline go to win?
359 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 21, 2021
13 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 7, 2023
An interesting book that prompted a slew of emotional responses from me!
This is the second novel of Ms. Gat's that I have come across, and I continue to be impressed with her writing skills. She creates complex, but believable, characters, and their interactions seem very real-life to me.
This book follows a beautiful (of course) woman in her 30s who, already a senator, is now positioning herself to run for the presidency. Unfortunately, shortly before her long-planned announcement, she is contacted by a blackmailer threatening to reveal compromising photographs that would destroy her carefully crafted public persona of a smart politician, but also -- and primarily -- a person who was both a loyal wife and good mother.
I was a politician, too, in my younger days, though only at the local and state level. (I sensed that trying to move any "higher" would be too much like living in a glass box.) And it certainly was refreshing to read about a candidate (albeit, fictional) who retained some idealistic principles and goals.
There are a couple of things I wish to note about my "reaction" to this novel:
First, it makes it very clear how our current method of choosing and electing persons to higher office is idiotic and counter-productive: the time consumed in raising money, making "appearances," and crafting messages would overwhelm the best among us, and it is little wonder that we have so few truly new and refreshing faces in our current miserable political climate.
Second, as I read Ms. Gat's very realistic portraits of folks immersed in this climate I increasingly felt that there were NONE in this book whom I would have actually liked very much, for all of them -- in one way or another -- were really in it in order to acquire, or influence, POWER.
Back in the day (I was last elected 43 years ago) the people I served with overwhelmingly wanted to make a difference, to do "some good" for the people of their districts and for citizens of the entire state.
Ah, but how things have changed!
All in all, a masterful piece of fiction, all the foregoing notwithstanding.
This is the second novel of Ms. Gat's that I have come across, and I continue to be impressed with her writing skills. She creates complex, but believable, characters, and their interactions seem very real-life to me.
This book follows a beautiful (of course) woman in her 30s who, already a senator, is now positioning herself to run for the presidency. Unfortunately, shortly before her long-planned announcement, she is contacted by a blackmailer threatening to reveal compromising photographs that would destroy her carefully crafted public persona of a smart politician, but also -- and primarily -- a person who was both a loyal wife and good mother.
I was a politician, too, in my younger days, though only at the local and state level. (I sensed that trying to move any "higher" would be too much like living in a glass box.) And it certainly was refreshing to read about a candidate (albeit, fictional) who retained some idealistic principles and goals.
There are a couple of things I wish to note about my "reaction" to this novel:
First, it makes it very clear how our current method of choosing and electing persons to higher office is idiotic and counter-productive: the time consumed in raising money, making "appearances," and crafting messages would overwhelm the best among us, and it is little wonder that we have so few truly new and refreshing faces in our current miserable political climate.
Second, as I read Ms. Gat's very realistic portraits of folks immersed in this climate I increasingly felt that there were NONE in this book whom I would have actually liked very much, for all of them -- in one way or another -- were really in it in order to acquire, or influence, POWER.
Back in the day (I was last elected 43 years ago) the people I served with overwhelmingly wanted to make a difference, to do "some good" for the people of their districts and for citizens of the entire state.
Ah, but how things have changed!
All in all, a masterful piece of fiction, all the foregoing notwithstanding.
May 31, 2021
4.5 Stars
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A fun read with topical themes.
Madeline seems to have it all, a loving husband, two boys and a successful career as a liberal Republican senator from California. But as we know, things aren't always what they seem. Just as Madeline is gearing up for a campaign to retain her seat she receives an envelope in the mail that threatens everything she holds dear. She thought she did everything right in her past so who could be blackmailing her? Will they follow thru and release the pictures that would destroy her chances for a second term and take her marriage with it?
This one is very well written with enough intrigue to keep you turning the pages well into the evening. While touching on the themes of race, injustice and the difference in the standards women are held to compared to men, we're taken for a ride with some twists and turns you might not see coming. I enjoyed the characters and found them to be compelling and believable.
All in all this is another well crafted story by an author whose catalog is as diverse as any I've read.
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Thank you Aviva for gifting me an early copy to read, review and enjoy.
.
A fun read with topical themes.
Madeline seems to have it all, a loving husband, two boys and a successful career as a liberal Republican senator from California. But as we know, things aren't always what they seem. Just as Madeline is gearing up for a campaign to retain her seat she receives an envelope in the mail that threatens everything she holds dear. She thought she did everything right in her past so who could be blackmailing her? Will they follow thru and release the pictures that would destroy her chances for a second term and take her marriage with it?
This one is very well written with enough intrigue to keep you turning the pages well into the evening. While touching on the themes of race, injustice and the difference in the standards women are held to compared to men, we're taken for a ride with some twists and turns you might not see coming. I enjoyed the characters and found them to be compelling and believable.
All in all this is another well crafted story by an author whose catalog is as diverse as any I've read.
.
Thank you Aviva for gifting me an early copy to read, review and enjoy.
May 29, 2021
Gosh, what a dark and twisty novel this was. I devoured this book and it definitely kept me turning the pages. In The Longer the Fall, we follow Madeline Thomas as she makes her way through the political ranks, but it is not easy to reach her goals. She faces many different challenges and many that resonate with issues we read about everyday here IRL. I enjoyed this book - definitely recommend it, however brace yourselves for the political atmosphere that it comes with. The Longer the Fall touches on quite a bit of relevant topics such as race, gender equality, politics in general, parenting, and relationships.
Thank you so much to the author, @aviva_writes for allowing me to read this #gifted copy.
Thank you so much to the author, @aviva_writes for allowing me to read this #gifted copy.
April 14, 2021
This is the story of Madeline Thomas. A young upcoming ambitious liberal republic senator from California, wanting to serve a second term. Presidency of the United States of America being the ultimate goal. She has controversial ideas for a republican. The SAVER bill being one of them. The SAVER bill wants cops to volunteer in the community for an x amount of time. That way cops get to know their community better and people will get to know cops better. That way neither parties will be afraid of each other and hopefully no more stupid cop killing innocent black people will occur.
She has a lot of political opponents. And then she gets blackmailed! She has everything to lose with her re-election campaign coming up. The FBI gets called in, but they are good for nothing. Madeline figures it out all by her self. And by doing so she has some serious decision making to do.
The use of the word minority to describe black people kind of irked me. But then I remembered this was coming from a white privileged republican. They probably still use that word. I know nothing about American politics, nor do I care about it. But I’m definitely not disappointed I picked up this book! It’s an interesting world after all. Who would’ve thought. 🙃
Aviva Gat did it again! Interesting story. Unexpected turns and definitely an unexpected ending! Very current topic. (#DuanteWright) I believe everyone got what they wanted / needed in the end. And even if I didn’t see it coming at all, it totally made sense though. Great read!
She has a lot of political opponents. And then she gets blackmailed! She has everything to lose with her re-election campaign coming up. The FBI gets called in, but they are good for nothing. Madeline figures it out all by her self. And by doing so she has some serious decision making to do.
The use of the word minority to describe black people kind of irked me. But then I remembered this was coming from a white privileged republican. They probably still use that word. I know nothing about American politics, nor do I care about it. But I’m definitely not disappointed I picked up this book! It’s an interesting world after all. Who would’ve thought. 🙃
Aviva Gat did it again! Interesting story. Unexpected turns and definitely an unexpected ending! Very current topic. (#DuanteWright) I believe everyone got what they wanted / needed in the end. And even if I didn’t see it coming at all, it totally made sense though. Great read!
April 25, 2021
I received a free copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review. 'The longer the fall' is the fourth book that I read written by the author. Whenever I get one her emails about a new story coming out soon I'm intrigued and wonder "what is she going to write about now?". All of her books so far were totally different from each other regarding the theme they were dealing with. The only thing they had in common was: once you start reading it, you can't put it down.
'The longer the fall' is the story about Madeline Thomas, congress woman, Republican, mother. Democrats don't like her because she stole their seat, some Republicans don't like her because they think she is too liberal. Besides that, she has it all, or so it seems. She is working on her re-election campaign when her life gets hit by a storm. The scandal will hit all aspects of her life: her career and her marriage, whether the allegations are true or not.
Madeline will do whatever it takes to defend the life she worked so hard to build.
This book puts in evidence how harder it is for a woman to succeed, how harder she has to work to get what she wants and the double standards that are still so pronounced between man and woman in our society. I highly recommend this book, the plot twists along the way will keep you glued to the book until the very end. Whenever you think you got it right, you will get hit again with more surprises and more plot twists!
Of course Aviva had a bonus chapter for this book as well, like she had for her previous books. I'm really intrigued now, do we get to know what happens next? I really do hope for a second book.
'The longer the fall' is the story about Madeline Thomas, congress woman, Republican, mother. Democrats don't like her because she stole their seat, some Republicans don't like her because they think she is too liberal. Besides that, she has it all, or so it seems. She is working on her re-election campaign when her life gets hit by a storm. The scandal will hit all aspects of her life: her career and her marriage, whether the allegations are true or not.
Madeline will do whatever it takes to defend the life she worked so hard to build.
This book puts in evidence how harder it is for a woman to succeed, how harder she has to work to get what she wants and the double standards that are still so pronounced between man and woman in our society. I highly recommend this book, the plot twists along the way will keep you glued to the book until the very end. Whenever you think you got it right, you will get hit again with more surprises and more plot twists!
Of course Aviva had a bonus chapter for this book as well, like she had for her previous books. I'm really intrigued now, do we get to know what happens next? I really do hope for a second book.
May 21, 2021
Normally I wouldn't read books based around politics, especially politics in America because I get very confused. However, this book, being heavily based on politics, was very easy to understand and was easy to read. I loved the authors style of writing and everything was explained perfectly. I found the plot juicy and scandalous. I would have thought blackmail would be very common for someone in politics and I felt this book described the situation in an intriguing way. I couldn't put the book down, I was so eager to find out the truth of the situation.
This book is mainly told in the perspective of Madeline. On the surface, she has the perfect family, perfect husband and perfect career, however, when we delve into her life, we discover everything isn't as it seems. As we read the book, we hear stories of her past as well as her present campaign. This book does focus on white privilege and how that comes across to what Americans call the 'minority'. The theme of race in this book is portrayed in a way which we are seeing today, with the police and the African American community.
The plot of this book was so fast paced and the amount of situations Madeline was in made the book very eventful. I loved trying to figure out who was blackmailing Madeline, and the twist at the end was shocking to say the least. I was not expecting what happened. I found Madeline to be a strong woman despite what was happening to her. Her opponent was doing anything to bring her down but she always rose up and was stronger. This part of the book highlighted the way women are treated in our society. This book focused on some strong and current topics.
May 20, 2021
I really enjoyed this book, and I am so pleased to have been asked to review it by Aviva. It is extremely well written and the authors research and attention to detail when writing about political events is fantastic. This book highlights how women in positions of power are judged in a way that men are not and the guilt that follows when the woman leaves the father looking after the children, while she works. The characters were brilliant in the way that each one wasn’t so straightforward. They all ended up having their flaws and while there were some aspects of their personas that I didn’t like, they were relatable and generally likeable. I also loved the little twist towards the end of the book, that came after I thought the mystery had already been solved. Madeline’s character was one of a strong woman, who would not let anything stand in her way of achieving her goals. While she may have had a couple of hiccups on her way to the top, she was mostly a woman of integrity, who learned from her mistakes and took steps to resolve difficult situations. A Five star read all the way.
This was a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 13, 2021
It is told mainly through Madeline’s POV but farther in you get a perspective from a couple others. I liked the pacing and Madeline as a character. Even though this book follows a politician, I liked how it had a good balance and didn’t just focus on the politics. It showed the double standards between men and women in careers and in parenting. When Madeline starts to get blackmailed right before her re-election campaign, she knew a scandal would cost her more if it ever got out because she is a woman. It also touches on the relationship between the police and African American community that we are seeing today.
I loved the mystery behind the blackmail and the little twist that came along with it. It kept me reading and the twist at the end I did not see coming. Overall I enjoyed this book.
I loved the mystery behind the blackmail and the little twist that came along with it. It kept me reading and the twist at the end I did not see coming. Overall I enjoyed this book.
March 30, 2021
Meet Madeline Thomas.
She is an ambitious politician that really cares. She tries to balance her position , her husband and children. She is running for her second term facing an opponent that will do anything to bring her down.
The story follows her bid for reelection with all ups and downs. It shows the difference between men and women and the standards we hold them to.
I really enjoyed this book. It had a lot to say but was a fast read. I have read several her books and they are all great reads.
She is an ambitious politician that really cares. She tries to balance her position , her husband and children. She is running for her second term facing an opponent that will do anything to bring her down.
The story follows her bid for reelection with all ups and downs. It shows the difference between men and women and the standards we hold them to.
I really enjoyed this book. It had a lot to say but was a fast read. I have read several her books and they are all great reads.
April 30, 2021
Another page turner by Aviva Gat! Just when you thought you'd figured it out there was a new plot twist to keep you on your toes! The Longer The Fall touches on so many important topics without overwhelming the reader. Politics, gender, race, relationship, parenting - all intertwined seamlessly! A must read!
May 18, 2021
The Longer the Fall is a psychological suspense thriller that keeps you on your toes throughout.
I could tell from the beginning that everything wasn’t as it seemed, but I didn’t not envisage the events leading to the ending at all.
I got some Madam Secretary (The Political Drama) vibes from this book, which I really liked.
Madeline is a feisty character and I thought she, along with the other characters, were described and built up well so that you could really imagine them.
This was the first book of Aviva Gat that I have read, her writing style is nice and easy to read and I would definitely recommend it!
I could tell from the beginning that everything wasn’t as it seemed, but I didn’t not envisage the events leading to the ending at all.
I got some Madam Secretary (The Political Drama) vibes from this book, which I really liked.
Madeline is a feisty character and I thought she, along with the other characters, were described and built up well so that you could really imagine them.
This was the first book of Aviva Gat that I have read, her writing style is nice and easy to read and I would definitely recommend it!
May 30, 2021
Great Book
I have read quite a few of aviva books this book was very good I could not put it down I did not expect the ending I highly recommend this book to everyone Dorothy Schaefer
I have read quite a few of aviva books this book was very good I could not put it down I did not expect the ending I highly recommend this book to everyone Dorothy Schaefer
October 16, 2025
Madeline Thomas is the kind of flawed, fascinating character you can’t stop reading about. Politics, secrets, and ambition collide in a story that feels both timely and uncomfortably real. Every chapter raises the stakes until the very last page.
March 30, 2021
Great thriller. The story is really good, led by strong and likeable characters. I recommend.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews