Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Living Dangerously: "Lessons in Gravity" by Megan Westfield

The Recommender is a big fan of Megan Westfield's Leaving Everest, and couldn't wait to read her first book, Lessons in Gravity, which I have now finished. Ms. Westfield really captures the life of people who live on the edge and engage in sports that most people can only read about.
April Stephens is a film school student who needed an internship and thanks to a student film she'd made she was able to snag a place with Walkabout Films an outdoor documentary film company who are currently stationed in Yosemite National Park to film a well known rock climber, Josh Knox, who is about to free climb, that is, without ropes,  one of the most treacherous mountains in the park, the Sorcerer.
April, though, is dealing with some issues that might get in the way of her dream to become a film maker and the amazing opportunity she has accepted. She suffers from anxiety due to witnessing her father die in a horrible accident. He was a stunt pilot whose plane crashed at an airshow in front of hundreds of people.
The film crew, however, know nothing of April's past and encourage her to join in the filming by interviewing Josh, the "talent" or star of the film, on camera.
The handsome rock climber seems to find April and her questions annoying, and she has trouble dealing with the surly star. Plus, her boss wants her to learn to climb so she can be more a part of the process.
Will April be able to put her fears aside and fit in with the crew. Can She and Josh get past their mutual personality problems and work together? You will have to read this beautifully written, breathtakingly romantic story for yourself to find out!