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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Lean Fall Stand is a book of three parts, just like it’s title. The first part is set at an Antarctic research station. It felt like the book was going to be a blokey survival story and I was questioning why I had it on my TBR in the first place. While that broad description fits the first part of the novel the other two parts are decidedly different. They follow Doc and his wife Anna. He’s an Antarctic veteran who suffered a stroke during whiteout conditions, only narrowly survived, and is suffering from severe aphasia. I thought the depictions of his struggles to relearn everyday tasks and regain the ability to communicate were handled with compassion. So too the difficulties faced by Anna. She was strongly invested in her career and their relationship was not the strongest. Yet she was expected to become his full-time career with little guidance or practical support. That lack of support was one of my abiding memories of this book. I also enjoyed the final section which focussed on a community support and rehabilitation group. Watching different characters regain some degree of communication and movement, albeit in non-standard ways was very moving.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail and Medical content
Moderate: Death and Ableism
lidewij's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
ruthmoog's review
challenging
slow-paced
2.5
This book starts off as an exciting Antarctic adventure, but rapidly deteriorates into an frustrating account of rehabilitation.
I can imagine there are many people who will take comfort in the characters' journeys. I've not read an account like this before... but it wasn't the adventure I hoped for.
I can imagine there are many people who will take comfort in the characters' journeys. I've not read an account like this before... but it wasn't the adventure I hoped for.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Ableism, Abandonment, Medical content, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Emergency rescue, stroke, legal proceedings, job loss, rehabilitationthequeenofsheba3's review
challenging
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
Minor: Death
amberinbookland's review
adventurous
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Moderate: Abandonment
nordstina's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
In Jon McGregor's Lean Fall Stand three men are surveying Antartica when disaster ensues. Much of what happened on the ice is locked in Robert "Doc" Wright's mind after he experiences what is believed to be a stroke and has difficulty accessing and communicating the memories of the accident on Station K. Doc was a mainstay on the island- he would travel to Antarctica every year as a guide, and thrived in the environment. He now finds himself on a whole different mine field. His relationship with his wife Anna, which thrived in the arrangement they had where he would be gone for many months of the year is changed dramatically after his stroke. Her career which brings her so much passion is sidelined as she takes over the role as Doc's caregiver.
McGregor does a nice job of highlighting the difficult of communication between Doc and Anna, and there is also the mystery of what happened on Station K (which the reader only gets glimpses of early on). Both Anna and Doc are losing their autonomy, and physical (Doc)/metaphorical (Anna) voices, and struggling with that. I haven't seen many novels that highlighted the difficulty individuals with aphasia have, so it was fascinating.
Thank you to NetGalley and Catapult for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.
McGregor does a nice job of highlighting the difficult of communication between Doc and Anna, and there is also the mystery of what happened on Station K (which the reader only gets glimpses of early on). Both Anna and Doc are losing their autonomy, and physical (Doc)/metaphorical (Anna) voices, and struggling with that. I haven't seen many novels that highlighted the difficulty individuals with aphasia have, so it was fascinating.
Thank you to NetGalley and Catapult for the advance reader copy in exchange for honest review.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
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