Learning to Fall - by Anne Clermont (Paperback)

About the Book

A behind-the-curtains peek into the glamorous but often heartbreaking world of competitive show jumping, Learning to Fall is a universal story of healing, hope, and what it means to love.

Book Synopsis

Brynn honors her passion for horses by studying at the toughest veterinary program in the country. Months from graduating, tragedy strikes--tragedy for which she can't help but feel responsible. Brynn feels suffocated by the weight of her father's legacy and his dusty hopes for horse show jumping success. When Brynn's frenetic efforts to dig the family business out of debt fail, she's down to one desperate hope. Enter Jason Lander, who understands what it's like to walk away from the ring. The onetime champion agrees to train Brynn, and her horse Jett, for an all-or-nothing run at the prestigious Million Dollar Gold Cup. But going all the way means doing it his way, which has Brynn questioning her decisions, her loyalties, and her growing feelings for Jason--complicating her relationship with her lover. Set in Northern California against a stunning backdrop of coastal hills and valleys, Learning to Fall is about discovering how to let go--and how to hang on with your heart. Fans of Seabiscuit and The Horse Whisperer will love this beautifully written debut; one they're bound to add to their shelf of favorites.

Review Quotes

EQQUS Film & Arts Festival official book selection
"Authentic, captivating, and relatable." --Plaid Horse Magazine
"Learning to Fall is a beautifully-written book, and so real you can almost feel the wind rushing by Brynn and Jett as they go flying over the jumps on the course. They both give their all in a breath-taking conclusion." --Luxury Reading, FIVE STARS
"This stunning debut set in the rolling hills of Northern California promises endless feels, tears and plenty of horses . . . the best equine literary experience since Seabiscuit." --Redbook, "20 Books By Women You Must Read This Fall"
"A stunning literary cocktail of romance, devotion to family and passion for life, Learning to Fall is as heartwarming as it is addictive. You won't be able to put this one down." --Coastal Living
"If you're still crying in a corner because you miss Seabiscuit (raises hand), this book is for you." --Popsugar, "21 Fiction Reads to Add to Your Fall Reading List"
"Clermont's passionate storytelling captures the essence of life as an equestrian. An excellent portrayal of dedication, hard work, and ups and downs that is relatable to all walks of life--be it equestrian or pedestrian." --John Pearce, Canadian Show Jumping Team Olympian
"Behind the beauty and elaborate pageantry of show jumping, there is a lot of grinding machinery. Anne Clermont's Learning to Fall offers an all-access pass to the hard work and financial realities that fuel it. I found myself nodding at the character types I recognized as I turned pages. I couldn't put this one down." --Chris Pratt, Canadian Equestrian Team member, two-time Del Mar Grand Prix winner, and HITS Thermal Finale Grand Prix winner
"Whether or not you grew up reading Black Beauty or The Black Stallion, this insider's view of the competitive world of show jumping captivates, wearing its tender heart on its sleeve. Brynn Seymour will have you cheering for her from the start, as she questions what many of us do: is the path we're following the one we choose? Or the one someone else chooses for us?" --Tracy Guzeman, author of The Gravity of Birds
"In her debut novel, Anne Clermont takes us behind the high-stakes world of Grand Prix show jumping--with spectacular results. Not just the horses, which she paints with a beauty and a tenderness all their own, but the riders and trainers and owners, the haves and the wannabes, all come to vivid life. This is a sport in which the jumps get higher and higher with every round, and Anne Clermont takes every one of them with flamboyant and heart-rending ease. A terrific showing." --Robert Goolrick, #1 New York Times best-selling author of A Reliable Wife, Heading out to Wonderful and The Fall of Princes
"In her debut novel Learning to Fall, Anne Clermont tells a compelling, page-turning story about one young woman's search for success and love in the world of horse show jumping. Clermont writes with great compassion and insight. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel." --Ellen Sussman, New York Times best-selling author of French Lessons and A Wedding in Provence
"Full of heart, Learning to Fall tells the well-paced story of a tenacious young woman's quest to overcome tragedy and reawaken her dreams. Clermont shows us that mastering life's challenging courses requires a leap of faith--sometimes one taken on the back of a beloved horse." --Sonja Yoerg, author of Middle of Somewhere and House Broken
"The spoiled princesses. The egotistical males. The backstabbing barn buddies and those that serve them. If you've been on the show-jumping circuit, you know these types well. Anne Clermont knows them better than most, and in Learning to Fall she pits them all against a young woman who may be short on privilege, but is long on luck and perseverance. As a rider, I wanted to cheer on Brynn Seymour through her struggle with the turn of each page in this emotional, high leap of a debut novel." --Hope Glynn, rider, trainer, and owner of Sonoma Valley Stables, Equus Hall of Fame inductee

About the Author

Anne Clermont is a Canadian living in the U.S., born in Kraków and raised outside of Toronto. She spent fifteen years in California before relocating to the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She holds a BS in animal biology, and an MBA. Her background ranges from studying animal behavior to carrying out pancreatic cancer research at one of the world's largest and most innovative biotech companies. Inspired to write Learning to Fall in part by her own experience of running a show jumping business, she now devotes her time to writing and working as a developmental editor. She lives on an island in the middle of Puget Sound with her husband and two children.