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Falling Into the World
Six years after leaving graduate school to care for her father, paralyzed in the same accident that had claimed her mother's life, and her rebellious younger sister, Saphi, Augustina Fletcher gets a chance to reassess her life and come to terms with the responsibilities that have been weighing her down. By the author of The Girl She Left Behind. Original. 30,000 first printing.
- GenresFiction
272 pages, Paperback
First published November 7, 2006
42 people want to read
About the author
Karen Brichoux
5 books13 followersThe daughter of American missionaries, I was born and raised in Southeast Asia. Most of my childhood was spent reading or forcing the long-suffering family pets to act out the plots of books I'd recently read.
In college, everything interested me, and I could never answer the question “What do you want to be?” without a measure of sarcasm over the idea that “being” something was somehow equated with “doing” something. Still, guidance tests had revealed a natural predilection for verbal and mechanical skills, which had caused my high school counselor to suggest English literature or, if that didn’t interest me, perhaps becoming a car mechanic. Oddly, no one suggested mechanical engineering, probably because I had managed to fail Algebra I the first time I took it.
After stints as a secondary education major, a theater major, and a humanities major, I graduated with a degree in English literature. Still interested in everything, I went on to graduate school for an MA in European history, where I focused on the social, political, and religious history of twelfth- and thirteenth-century France.
While working toward a PhD in European history with a concentration in nineteenth-century social/political history combined with political, labor, and feminist theory, I began the painful process of re-examining what really interested me (beyond the label “everything”). I had been writing stories all my life, but I’d always pictured authors as reclusive, frightened, bitter people. Realizing that the description also applied to PhD students, I abandoned my prejudice against being an author and wrote my first book. I naively assumed that awards and editor requests meant I was going to be published by tomorrow or, at worst, the day after. I left graduate school and began writing full time, even when it became obvious I was not going to be a published author tomorrow or even next week. Three years later, Coffee & Kung Fu was published by Penguin Press.
Writing is, in many ways, a reversion to childhood. I still spend most of my time reading and living in the world of my imagination, but the family pets are happy to report that I no longer enlist their services in acting out plots.
In college, everything interested me, and I could never answer the question “What do you want to be?” without a measure of sarcasm over the idea that “being” something was somehow equated with “doing” something. Still, guidance tests had revealed a natural predilection for verbal and mechanical skills, which had caused my high school counselor to suggest English literature or, if that didn’t interest me, perhaps becoming a car mechanic. Oddly, no one suggested mechanical engineering, probably because I had managed to fail Algebra I the first time I took it.
After stints as a secondary education major, a theater major, and a humanities major, I graduated with a degree in English literature. Still interested in everything, I went on to graduate school for an MA in European history, where I focused on the social, political, and religious history of twelfth- and thirteenth-century France.
While working toward a PhD in European history with a concentration in nineteenth-century social/political history combined with political, labor, and feminist theory, I began the painful process of re-examining what really interested me (beyond the label “everything”). I had been writing stories all my life, but I’d always pictured authors as reclusive, frightened, bitter people. Realizing that the description also applied to PhD students, I abandoned my prejudice against being an author and wrote my first book. I naively assumed that awards and editor requests meant I was going to be published by tomorrow or, at worst, the day after. I left graduate school and began writing full time, even when it became obvious I was not going to be a published author tomorrow or even next week. Three years later, Coffee & Kung Fu was published by Penguin Press.
Writing is, in many ways, a reversion to childhood. I still spend most of my time reading and living in the world of my imagination, but the family pets are happy to report that I no longer enlist their services in acting out plots.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 2, 2022
Slow paced. Nothing exciting. Just a book about family relationships
August 27, 2018
I’ll say 3.5 stars. Liked it more than I expected. Read that people found the narrator unlikable but I would disagree.
March 7, 2008
This book is beautifully written and a good read for any woman. Whether or not you can relate to the tragedy that the main character experiences (most of us can not), you can most certainly relate to the emotional struggles that she suffers. It's so easy to fall in line with this book and, though it lacks physical or emotional drama, it engages you with every page. The language is metaphorically mesmerizing and hands creativity to even the most lack luster mind. This is a great read!
August 15, 2010
I read this a few years ago. I don't know that I'd recommend it. It's not a bad book just not a favorite! I was in a book store with Enid waiting for one of her girls and they had this on sale for like $2 so how can you go wrong. It was easy to read!
January 16, 2009
preacher's daughter in Mo, trying to figure out life. very well written. not overly moving, but could recommend.
May 8, 2011
Good, easy, uncomplicated read about life and all that we do and don't do for love and for ourselves.
September 28, 2012
A very enjoyable read.
June 2, 2009
excellent
August 18, 2014
Good little read, now I just wonder what happened to the characters!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews