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