Standing Still: A Novel

by Kelly Simmons (Goodreads author)

book data

101 ratings, 3.65 average rating, 38 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		19%
4		40%
3		25%
2		12%
1		0%

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published

February 5th 2008 by Atria

binding

Hardcover, 272 pages

isbn

0743289722 (isbn13: 9780743289726)

description

Journalist and suburban mom Claire Cooper suffers from panic disorder. Most of her anxieties seem irrational, nothing that can't be fixed with the hel...more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 239)

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05/27/08

Stephy rated it:

Debut book. Pretty amazing for a newbie. Thought provoking, aggrevating, and moving.

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02/21/08

Mary rated it:

Read in February, 2008

Monterey, California "Our book group chose "Standing Still" for our February selection. We want more Kelly Simmons! Simmons had us from the first sentence and her skillful use of pace kept us engaged all the way through to the uncompromising ending. The plot was unpredictible and intricately woven. We couldn't put it down and savored each well crafted - but not over written - chapter. Our consensus is that it will make a great movie that we'd each love to see."

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05/04/09

Jennifer rated it:

Read in May, 2009

This was a very quick-paced, yet very very good book. I have actually met Kelly as a bookshop event coordinator, and just picked up the book while visiting and she was doing a signing. I remember when she first came in with the book in hardcover going "I have to read this someday." Well, now I have and I'm glad I did.

The reason why I decided to read the book was because of the main character, Claire, suffers from panic disorder, a term I myself am quite familiar with. T...more

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1 comment

01/04/09

Cynthia rated it:

Read in October, 2008

Take a deep breath before starting this book....you're going to need it.

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02/08/08

Kelly rated it:

okay--I wrote it. But it's still a damn fine book if I do say so myself!

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4 comments

05/13/09

Kelly rated it:

bookshelves: read-in-2009

Read in June, 2009

Whew! I should start by saying that I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this one in the beginning. It felt too predictable, too formulaic. But as the novel moved forward, I began liking it more and more, enough to forgive any of the minor/picky criticisms I might have. The reason for my liking was the dynamic between kidnapper and kidnapee. It made my stomach flutter, and by the end of the book, I believe I just might have fallen in love with the guy. (lol) He was the perfect combination...more

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04/30/09

Jason Pettus rated it:

Read in June, 2009

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)

As I've mentioned before, there's actually a host of different reasons why I might do only a mini-review of a book here instead of a full write-up, besides that the book in question might be of subpar quality (which frankly usually is the reason, which is why people make the mistaken assu...more (Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)

As I've mentioned before, there's actually a host of different reasons why I might do only a mini-review of a book here instead of a full write-up, besides that the book in question might be of subpar quality (which frankly usually is the reason, which is why people make the mistaken assumption to begin with); take for a good example Kelly Simmons' debut novel Standing Still, which when all is said and done is not a bad book whatsoever, well-written and concerning an interesting subject, with not only a decent sense of pace but a compelling personal style too. But it just so happens that I myself am not a particularly big fan of this type of story, which if pressed for an easy explanation I would say is destined to most appeal to the kind of female audience member also into The Bachelorette, Alice Sebold and the Lifetime Channel; not that I mention any of these references specifically to belittle them, but merely to point out that these too are projects and artists of decent quality that I'm not necessarily into but that others are. As you can guess, the novel is centered around a middle-aged suburban housewife named Claire Cooper, and has a dark premise I was instantly intrigued by, which is why I requested a copy in the first place from this highly active Goodreads.com member; namely, after being kidnapped from her sleepy McMansion near the beginning of the book, over the course of a week she comes to slowly realize that her abductor is actually a better man (ethically, emotionally) than her cold, corporate-embracing white-male-dick husband, with Simmons using a semi-surprising plot to reveal a much more nefarious situation with the husband's day job than Claire had ever been told about.

But be warned that what could've been a fast-paced thriller in another's hands is instead a deliberately slow psychological meditation here under Simmons' treatment, with much of the "action" actually the inner-brain thoughts of Claire as she spends the majority of the book tied immovably to a hotel bed; and also be warned that Simmons sometimes wields her metaphors with all the grace of a drunk hillbilly swinging a two-by-four, such as Claire's regular habit of referring to her unnamed abductor as "Him" and "He" with a capital 'H' (and with all the resulting Freudian daddy/Christ issues such a thing implies). This is why I say that the book is perfect for fans of the Lifetime Channel, for example, because the shows and movies produced by that cable network are known precisely for this, for using patriarchal acts of violence as a way to symbolically explore therapist-worthy issues of how middle-aged women are defined in our society, not only as wives and mothers but also sexually and intellectually; and that's why Standing Still gets today just a little bit higher of a score than I would maybe give it otherwise, because I know for a fact that there are all kinds of people out there who will adore such a book, and wanted to give it a general score that more reflected that. If you're one of those people (and you know who you are), it comes much recommended.

Out of 10: 8.2 (less)

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05/23/09

Jessie rated it:

Read in June, 2009

I won this book off of the Goodreads giveaway and I am so glad that I did! It was a very satisfying read. The characters were interesting and complex and the storyline kept my interest to the point where I didn't want to put it down. I will say that the climax was not as explosive or exciting as I was hoping, but it fit the pace of the story. The relationship between Claire and her "captor" was very intiguing and there was a lot of dialogue between the two of them that I really enj...more

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12/17/08

Jen rated it:

bookshelves: drama

Read in December, 2008

Claire is married to a "public relations" executive and has 3 small girls. One night Claire is kidnapped in her beautiful home.

Through a series of flashbacks, we learn about Claires life as a reporter and all of her romantic flings before she was married.

Does her past have something to do with her kidnappiing, or is it because of her husband's shady job.

The book was ok... but the flashbacks were frustrating and sometimes very confusing. I couldn't ...more

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03/11/09

Marie rated it:

Someone breaks into your house, is standing over your child's bed...you can see where this story goes, right? But in Simmons' STANDING STILL, you must prepare for the unexpected, always. This novel immediately grabs you with its fresh perspectives on life, and its sparkling prose. I am in awe of this author's talent, and can't wait for her next book to come out.

Simply do not miss this one!

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05/15/09

Jen rated it:

Read in June, 2009

This book was amazing. I couldn't put it down. Sadly I fell in love with the kidnapper(didn't know that was possible) He was really sweet and did anything he could to make her comfortable and safe.
I felt really bad for her because it seems that she has never felt safe before and the man who took her away from her family was the one person who managed to make her feel safe. I thought after she found out what her husband was doing that she was going to leave him but she didn't she was w...more

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4 comments

05/11/09

Caitlin rated it:

Read in May, 2009

An easy and intriguing read. Claire, a journalist mother of three with panic disorder, begs the kidnapper that breaks into her house in the middle of the night to take her instead of her daughter. The book takes place over a week, mostly in the motel room in which he holds her hostage, with flashbacks to other times in her life. The "action" centers around the building relationship between Claire and her captor - quite interesting. Definitely recommended!

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02/25/09

Julianne rated it:

Read in March, 2009

This was seriously one of the best books I've ever read. The themes of this book are so subtly intertwined. Secrets are subtly released...you have to pay attention to every word because you learn about the protagonist bit by bit. I was sad to finish it because I enjoyed it that much...

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1 comment

08/22/08

Mary rated it:

bookshelves: mystery-crime-fiction

Read in August, 2008

Claire Cooper's life changes the night she begs a kidnapper to take her instead of her young daughter - and he agrees. She spends the next week roped to the bed in a motel room while the kidnapper negotiates a ransom for her release. During this long quiet time, Claire takes the opportunity to examine her life, which isn't quite what she thought it was. Interspersed with the chapters about the kidnapping are brief glimpses into Claire's past which slowly reveal that something terrible happened t...more

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03/12/09

Anita rated it:

bookshelves: fiction

Read in March, 2009

liked how the story was set up. liked the questions the main character asked herself. liked the voice of the main character. will read this author again.

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1 comment

04/11/09

Stephanie rated it:

Read in February, 2009

The story moved a little slow at times, but overall a good story. My favorite line was: "I didn't know I needed a vacation until I'd been kidnapped."

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1 comment

07/28/08

Donna rated it:

Read in October, 2007

As fine literature, okay, it's not. But for a first novel -- by a suburban mom with kids and a dog -- it's a good read. I read it twice, for two different book groups. The first time it was scary and dark. Okay, it was the second time too. The interesting thing was that this author lives in my area and attended both discussions, which shed a lot of light on the characters and their development. The author herself suffered from anxiety disorder so, while she was not the central character, she had...more

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