Class Collision: Fall From Grace

by Annette Mackey

When worlds collide ...Born to wealth and privilege, ten-year-old David is arguably the most spoiled, obnoxious kid alive. That is... until he is kidnapped for ransom and left for dead. Thrown into a world he knows nothing about, he spends the next several years in an orphanage where his claims to fame and fortune fuel years of torment. Finally, he escapes hoping to make it back home. Instead, he meets Linda. Having lived among boys for so long, he doesn’t know how to handle his feelings for her. She is both irritating and intoxicating. Not that it matters. With looks like hers, every boy in the county is chasing her, and David, with his scraggly clothes and long hair doesn’t stand a chance. Then, when circumstances push them together, they both find that sometimes people aren’t what they seem. Set during the Great Depression, Class Fall From Grace will transport you to a simpler time, filled with heartache and unexpected love.Praise for "Class "Gold winner - Readers Favorite Book Awards"Not only did it surprise me with how well it held my attention, it was written in such a way that I absolutely could not put it down, no matter how hard I tried!" ~ Avina Readers Views"This is a powerful and compelling read ... "Class Collision" is a beautifully executed character study." ~ Jenny, supernaturalsnark"The author pulled at your heartstring and my heart just ached." ~ Tara, fictionfolio"Jam-packed with things that make a book enjoyable - likable characters, relationships, emotions, conflict, mystery, and romance." ~ Readers Favorite Book Reviews"Annette Mackey has created a rich coming of age story that asks the age-old question - can money buy you happiness? Alive with details and flowing proses ... "Class Collision" lets love drive the plot of the story." ~ Melissa Helmers, iswimforoceans"A fun read with a bit of a fable thrown in." ~ Midwest Book ReviewsLearn to like the boy. Fall in love with the man that he becomes.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Romance

297 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 13, 2010

Reviews

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Class Collision follows the story of David, born into a life of privilege, wealth, and notoriety – that is, until it’s all whisked away in an instant. David is kidnapped, held captive, then left for dead…but he doesn’t die. He survives and learns to live in his new life. It’s tedious, but it works. Then he meets Linda. Linda is gorgeous and precocious, thinks David is penniless, and for some reason, David is completely taken with her. Can the two find love in the uncertain times of the Great Depression, or will their collective secrets tear them apart before they truly connect?

I have a fascination with the time period of the Great Depression, so when I heard the setting of Class Collision, I was extremely excited to give it a go. Author, Annette Mackey has created a rich coming-of-age story that asks the age-old question – can money buy you happiness? Alive with detail and flowing prose, the story is filled to the brim with morals and values without ever feeling preachy or tedious. Rather, Class Collision lets love drive the plot of the story.

I’ll admit I didn’t know a thing about Class Collision when I first picked it up, but that didn’t hinder the story a single bit. David plays the likeable protagonist well, and we watch his transformation from a spoiled and arrogant child into a young man of integrity and grace. Linda’s transformation is slower and more defined, but every bit as poignant as David’s. Their journey to ultimate self-discovery of one another fuels the plot and value of Class Collision, breathing life into the story. There were a few spots that were a bit too descriptive for my taste, but overall, the balance between characters and plot was flawless. I also have to be nit-picky and say that the story far exceeds the cover.

I was definitely pleasantly surprised by just how beautiful Class Collision was. I give it a very strong 4.5 out of 5, and I am definitely going to read the sequel in the Fall From Grace series, called Phoenix Rising. I would recommend this to both a YA and adult audience, especially for those who enjoy coming-of-age stories, contemporary fiction, and historical fiction.

I received this book free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

[TinaB · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading about this book on Melissa's (iswimforoceans) blog and loving the synopsis and her review, I jumped at the chance to read this novel…….

Set in a time right before the early depression, two brothers completely different and born into the life of privilege have it all. Respect, private tutors, servants and a lovely family surround their daily activities. Alex is soft spoken, kind and lives in his younger brothers shadow. David is a rude, arrogant and intolerable boy, he is the apple of his mothers eye, he is sheer perfection and he belittles anyone underneath him…even his older brother cant escape David’s harsh judgment. Everything for both boys change in an instant when they are kidnapped from school and held for ransom. The incident is horrible and the brothers both experience their own separate ordeals. Alex makes it home…..David does not.

Although left for dead with a serious head injury, David survives. Unbeknown to his family who think he’s dead, David tries to go back home but is met with adversity after adversity. His life goes from extreme wealth and luxury to homeless, poverty stricken orphan overnight and not one person will help him. After leaving a home for boys at 14, David winds up working as a ranch hand during the Great Depression. During this time he meets Linda, the beautiful and mysterious daughter of his boss. Soon tension and chemistry begin to build between them, first creating a deep friendship which turns into a passionate love. The odds are stacked against them, he being a poor, uneducated teen and she having a father who is known to fly into drunken rages and has arranged her entire life including marriage. The situation forces the couple to do the unthinkable........

I highly enjoyed reading Class Collision and loved growing with David during his development. In the beginning I couldn’t stand him, due to his extreme arrogant personality, however even with his attitude I hated that no one would help him. The way adults treated him was ghastly and I kept forgetting that this was set in the Depression and how desperate and different society was back then. I loved how Mackey showcased all sides of class in her novel. The goodness and love of a rich family and the greed and arrogance of that same family. The goodness of the middle class, yet the anger and hostility of that class, the characters who were angry at the rich and had an entitlement attitude along with the true criminals. The caretakers who treated the orphans and poor awful and the working class who did what they could to make ends meet. The book had me so on edge because I was waiting for the bomb to drop, waiting for the family’s discovery of David, waiting for all these people to finally realize who David was……..the story certainly weaves a tale to not make things that easy, there is no fast resolve. Reading the last fifty pages I knew David and Linda’s journey was just beginning and I cannot wait to see where the sequel takes these characters.

[Micah Bull · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story!

This was a great story. Definitely kept me on my toes. I could hardly put it down when I needed to! I recommend to people that are looking to get emotionally involved in a book ;) Can’t wait to read the second one!

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally posted at: http://supernaturalsnark.blogspot.com...

MY THOUGHTS
Don't let your first visual impression of Class Collision deter you from picking it up. Though outwardly this book appears a bit bland and uninteresting–its cover ultimately reminiscent of a collegiate textbook–what awaits us in between the pages is far more intriguing and engrossing than first glance might suggest. This is a powerful and compelling read, one that illustrates for us the many types of abuse, our eyes forced brutally open as we bear witness to characters who both dispense and endure punishment with either a sharp tongue or a closed fist. Class Collision is a beautifully executed character study, showing us just how truly complex human nature is by putting both the protagonists and the secondary characters in difficult situations that leave us feeling a little like scientists on the other side of the glass, studiously watching enthralled as their reactions to their circumstances shock, anger, please, and confuse us simultaneously.

Both David and Linda are individuals who incite warring emotions in us, at times infuriating us to a degree where we're not sure we'll ever connect to them personally, and then slowly revealing new facets of their personalities that allow us to better understand their thoughts and actions as they begin to earn our respect. Many times in young adult fiction, characters meet another person who makes them want to change, but their progression into this new state of being is seemingly instant as they shed the old persona with ease and pull the new one on with no lingering remnants of the previous personality left in tact. Primarily with David, but certainly with Linda as well, the mental and emotional progression is believably gradual–the old habits and bothersome flaws never fade completely but instead rear up now and again even as they both attempt to remedy past mistakes, making the two of them individuals whom we see honestly and clearly without being blinded by the beauty of their fictional perfection.

Along with two perfectly imperfect main characters, we are also given a monstrous villain, for lack of a better term, in Linda's father Gordon. While venom spews from his mouth regarding his "rights" as a father and vicarious pain radiates from the places his fists make contact, an intense loathing begins to stir in our guts and travels to our lips to curl them in disgust as our only form of protest against his actions. For those who love to read stories where the characters inspire intense emotional reactions and exist in shades of gray that make it impossible to reduce them to a one-word label other than to say they are not-so-simply human, then this is the perfect read. We are left with the wide open expanse of possibility laid out before David and Linda, and I'm certainly looking forward to seeing where their drive and determination takes them next.

Rating: 4/5

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Class Collision: Fall from Grace was an impulsive buy from Amazon.com recently. Between liking the cover, and the award it had recieved for Reader's Favorite in 2011, I figured I'd give it a shot. $.99 is not a huge risk, you know?

What really drew me to the book was the story of rich man falling into the normal class - or in this case, below. I don't know why, but something about being humbled like that seemed like it would make a good story. Heartwrenching is more like it. David goes through so much in just this one book, it's hard to imagine another full book after this one. At the open of this book you really, really want to hate David. He is arrogant to a fault, and he's just a boy. But as he and his brothers are kidnapped and the events there after, it becomes harder and harder to read. It feels like no matter what, David cannot catch a break.

What I Loved: David finds humility. While it is found in the worst, most horrible ways in some cases, it's still nice for him to be knocked off of his pedistool. Unfortunately, he ends up surrounded by really bad people for many years, but this experience does not make him a worse person. He ends up growing into an honorable, hard working, young adult. He despises violence, and stands up for wrongs if he can. No matter how many blows he takes, he seems to get back up and carry on with life. In the end, the reader really loves David. So when he starts falling for Linda, the sweetness, and innocense of his emotions is very appealing.

Not So Much: The first half of the book was kind of long. There were moments, mostly the orphanage, that seemed like could have been shortened a chapter or two. I had a point where I almost felt done with the book.

In the end, this book was very clean, and honorable. While the book is written for the New Adult era, this book would be just fine to read as a teenager, though I'm not sure the characters would be quite as appealing as something that was written for that age group.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Class Collision is centered mostly around a boy named David who comes from a very wealthy family and is considered the "golden child" even though he has a terrible attitude and treats people as if they were worthless. One day, David and his brother, Alex, are kidnapped and held for ransom and their worlds are turned upside down. Not only were the boys kidnapped, they were berated, ridiculed, and mentally/physically/emotionally abused. The author pulled at your heartstrings and my heart just ached for these two boys. You felt their humiliation, their sadness, and every other emotion they felt while they were being held captive.

Alex manages to escape, while David is held for a little while longer and then eventually left for dead. David does survive, and the rest of the book focuses on him rebuilding a new life for himself and learning how to survive in a world he is not familiar with – one that is not full of wealth and privilege. This journey is what really sucked me into the story. You see David as a man, even though he is still a teenager because he has had to grow up at an alarmingly fast rate. He has never experienced a real relationship with someone other than family, so when Linda comes along, he has no idea what to do. I loved watching him grow and explore his emotions, even though he royally messed up at times due to his lack of experience. These mess-ups were endearing and made me like David even more.

Linda played such a key role in David's development and taught him more than he had ever learned in his previous sheltered life. She hurt him, disappointed him, cared for him, and eventually fell in love with him. Even though most of these emotions are not exactly fun to experience, they were imperative to David's growth as a man.

Needless to say, I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, Phoenix Rising, to see where the story heads next. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in coming-of-age stories mixed with historical fiction.

[Tom Elder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Annette Mackey. Gripping
Class Collision (fall from grace)
This book is the first in the class collision series, it is set in the 1930s and during the Great Depression . It follows the early life and times of David Bastien who has an Oder brother Alex. David loved to tease and annoy the servants but all this changed when he and Alex were kidnapped and held to ransom. After a bit they make an escape bid but only Alex manages to get free, David is recaptured and faces an even harder time now. Alex's parents though happy Alex is free are distraught that David is not, Elizabeth his mother even blames Alex for not aiding David's escape.
When the two men are caught and confess to the kidnappings and the murder of David things seem to have gotten worse. The body of daid was never found due to the fact that both the captors were so well drunk that they could not remember much at all.
For the next few years he spent in various institutions until being thrown out at the age of 16. He then eventually gets work on a ranch which he has no experience but learns quickly, he gets food, lodgings and 10 dollars a month as salary. During his time there his relationship with the owner of the ranches daughter (Linda) begins to blossom. Linda knows nothing of his life as David Bastien , and he helps her with her math.things turn for the worse when Linda's father discovers her and David have gotten closer. This is a very well written novel and will leave you wanting to read the follow up.
5 stars. 10 September 2013.

[Rosemary Cantrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like historical fiction, but some stories are definitely better than others. This is a good one. It is set in the time of the depression. At the beginning, we see the life of a wealthy family, with two boys who are very different. The family dynamics right there is worth a good long discussion.

Then the boys are kidnapped and everything changes. The rest of the story focuses mostly on David and the struggles he endures in the years following the kidnapping, when his family thinks he is dead. There was a little too much violence for my taste, but it certainly did make the point that David had fallen to as low a point as possible. As he begins his climb back, he works at a ranch, falls in love with the daughter, struggles with his own emotional turmoil, deals with more violence, and finally the two of them run off.

There is too much to describe, but the book pulled me in from the beginning and never let me go. The down side is that this is the first of a two part story and now I am anxious to get the second part. There are more questions than answers and I want to find them. I hope that part two reveals a little more about his family, especially the brother who escaped, and the struggles that they have gone through.

This is a good book and I would recommend it. I received a free copy of the book in exchange for writing a review. Fortunately, the book was good enough on its own that I could offer an honest opinion.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

The electronic copy I downloaded a week or so before, happened to have *someones* notes about potential edits still included in the book. Oopsie!

I didn't realize this is a multi-book story when I started, so I was a bit confused, like I'm a third into this already, when does the kid get kidnapped already?

Normally, the formula, when it's riches to rags, seemed like the spoiled pampered child doesn't have a lot going for them, but David, is awful and spoiled, but he's also almost a genius. He's athletic, a virtuoso on piano and violin, and highly intelligent.

I guess I thought, with his intellect he would be better at manipulating people, but he seems to always bury himself into worse situations. And even with all those skills, I wondered the whole time, why he didn't try playing with a band, or making his living in other areas. I suppose they wanted to show the difference in where he had been to where he was, but I didn't think it really suited his character.

He had moments where he realized what a tyrant he'd been when he was younger, but I never got the sense that he was "reformed" exactly, just in a humbled situation but the old arrogance still lurked in the recesses.

It also felt like it was written "down" to a younger audience. Which to me, felt like it didn't flow as cohesively at times.

[Peggy Holloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I finished this book, I couldn't wait to get the sequel. The reasons I like this book: I love this author's writing style, she moves the plot right along and what a plot. They characters are so believable that I found myself worrying about them when I wasn't reading the book and I would have to return to it.

I don't know what else to say about this novel without giving away the plot, but it is a must read. The hero grows, which I believe is important in a novel. He starts out as a selfish cruel person and redeems himself as the book progresses. He then becomes someone who you can identify with and have great compassion for. I will be starting the sequel soon and will let you know. I loved the book

[Janelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the story well enough to finish the sequel, and the bones of the story are decent. Unfortunately, the writing isn't as polished as it could be. There is a tendency to be overly descriptive in the oddest of places. Ms. Mackey has a great outline of a story here and I feel a proper editor would have pushed and teased the story into better shape.

To add to my admittedly subjective quibbles with the story: I didn't care for Linda. I was in a hurry to finish the ending simply to get through the inevitable hook-up so I could be free of the character. (Except that she's all over the sequel. Blah.)

[Carey Heywood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I randomly starting following the author of this book on Twitter. After realizing this book was only 99 cents on Nook I thought why not? Even if this book is terrible it did not cost much so I bought it. My one and only compliant is that it has a cliff hanger ending but, no worries there is another book in the series. I am an obsessive reader, if I truly love a story I will read it anywhere....the elevator, the dinner table (I know, how rude!), when my husband is talking to me and I m not listening. I really, really (imagine 10 more really's) enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. Must go now, I'm off to buy book 2.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book because the writer is from Boise and used to live in my ward and on my street. I never knew her personally. The book was a real page-turner for me! I loved the characters…at first I thought they were horrible people, but by the end I was very invested in them and cared what happened to them. They were gritty and real. The writing/editing could use some polishing, but I enjoyed the storyline. I finished this book and immediately started the 2nd in the series. 4.5 stars. I highly recommend this for all the romantics out there.

[Cami · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this book! It is full of history and an intriguing story that is greatly developed with characters and a plot that will make it hard to put down. Ms. Mackey brilliantly plotted this book to be a page turner. After reading it, I felt so much gratitude for my children and for the freedoms I enjoy today! Ms. Mackey is a master story teller. I am so glad the sequel is done so I didn't have to wait until it was done!!

[Malauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has been my friend for the last 10 years. It's her first novel, there are a few grammar errors (which I blame on computerized spell checking). I enjoyed this book, the characters, the era. Looking forward to the sequel. It was hard to read the last 100 pages knowing that it ended in a cliff hanger, wondering where the end would be.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't love the first third of this but ended up really getting into it and enjoyed the sequel as well. I appreciated the time period it was written in- pre-world war 2. I haven't read much from this era and enjoyed it. Super cheap on kindle. Probably PG with a few mature themes.

[Heather Roach · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author's use of description was very well balanced, giving you the sense that you are looking into a moment rather than reading a piece of text. Her characters are complex and intriguing. The plot maintained interest and pulled me along for the ride. Definitely a good read!

[Summer Fernandez Larson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading "Class COllision" because the author is a friend of mine, and finished because I cared about the characters and what happens to them. Can't wait until the sequel, hurry Annette!

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book series..

[Jennifer Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book! I started reading it because the author is a friend of mine, and thoroughly enjoyed the characters and plot!! A truly delightful experience!

[Kami Reeve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read both the first and second books in a weekend. Great storytelling. A bit of history, a bit of romance. Clean. Characters are well developed.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!! Am anxious to read the next one!! The author is a personal friend -- congratulations to her!!