written in an interesting way
Despite my general lack of interest in the subject (a passionate extramarital affair) I found After the Fall to be a compelling and interesting read. The plot unfolds via first-person accounts from each of the major players, progressively revealing the characters and their perspectives along with the story. How Ladd accomplishes this was the most interesting part of the book for me, though I also enjoyed the details that tie the work distinctly to its Australian setting. Overall I felt as if I had an onstage seat at a too-intimate play about adultery and betrayal.
Rated of 5
by Judith W. (Brooklyn, NY)
Just OK.
While I mostly enjoyed this book, I would not rate it among the best as I don't think it says anything new about adultery or marriage or the human condition in general. The two main protagonists are not particularly likable or sympathetic - I think they both got their just deserts in the end. That said, it did keep one turning the pages to see how it all came out. It also took a while to get used to the hopping from one character to another chapter by chapter.
Rated of 5
by Kathy H. (Eaton, OH)
Couldn't get to the end fast enough.......
I thought this book would never end. I didn't connect with it or the characters from the very beginning. Each chapter jumped from character to character and it was hard to keep them and their storyline separate. There just seemed to be much too much rationalizing about how and why they each did what they did. I don't know if this would be considered a romance novel but it truly left me cold.
Rated of 5
by Andrienne G. (Azusa, CA)
After the fall...it just falls
I enjoy books on infidelity because there is the potential for the whys. Not so much the "what" because, really, a kiss, a night in bed, flirtations etc. it doesn't matter. I like it that this book gets the reader into the minds of each of the characters. How exciting would it be to get all the juicy reasons to the question "why?" Unfortunately, Ladd is not much of a storyteller. Her sentences are short, abrupt, as if she just wants to blurt out the surprise as if the surprise is the thrill. I felt no sympathy for the characters whatsoever, the dialogue is so ordinary that I can't distinguish one voice from another. All the cliches are here, but none of the searing heartbreak of what it truly feels to be betrayed. I still found myself looking from the outside, not the other way around.
Rated of 5
by Gigi K. (Lufkin,, TX)
Entertainment Tonight (Non)
I found this book to be neither well written, entertaining, educational or with adequate character development. I felt like a voyeur in the life of two couples without much of a commitment to their own marriage or respect for the marriage of their friends.
Rated of 5
by Anne M. (Austin, TX)
After the Fall
Like many of the other reviewers, this book left me cold. I couldn't keep the cast of adulterers and their spouses straight (or maybe I just didn't care enough to do so) and I found little passion in Kylie Ladd's writing to draw me in. She writes in a James Patterson-esque manner -- without the talent for keeping the reader's interest -- by keeping her chapters short and rat-a-tat-tat ... but when the narrator changes with every third page, and they all sound much of a muchness, you tend to stop caring. At least I did. I wouldn't recommend this book except as a remedy for insomnia.
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U.S. ebook sales up in 2012, but rate of growth is slowing(May 16 2013) In 2012, trade book sales (i.e. non academic book sales) rose 6.9%, to $15.049 billion, and e-book sales continued to grow, although the rate of growth...
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by Susan B. (Rutledge, MO)
of 5
by Kathy H. (Eaton, OH)
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by Anne M. (Austin, TX)
