Book review: Falling

MOVING to the suburbs and falling in love with a hunky man is a fantasy for many women, but author Jane Green is proof of a success story. 

Jane Green

Macmillan, €17.70;

ebook, €8.95

It’s been 20 years since the former feature writer left journalism — and London — for America to work on her debut novel Bookends, and she has never looked back.

Like many of her earlier works such as The Beach House, Summer Secrets and Girl Friday, Green’s 18th book has been inspired by her own life.

It touches on the familiar themes of class wars, love and family: the protagonist Emma Montague swaps her upper-crust English life and dull boyfriend Rufus for a financial career in New York, before switching to a beach cottage in Westport, Connecticut like the author herself.

Emma falls in love with her landlord (just as Jane did), who is also a father to six-year-old son Jesse.

The couple have to learn to deal with the curve balls life throws at them. Falling, also billed as A Love Story, is a great escapist read.