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Just Give Me a Soft Place to Land
When three strangers, Beth, Caroline and Sarah discover they share a passion for knitting, they decide to meet on Wednesday nights in the loft of Caroline’s home to enjoy a lady’s night out. None expects to confront the choices each had made in her life and their repercussions.
Beth is experiencing unexplained haunting panic attacks. Night after night, she is awakened by a recurring dream she attributes to a life-altering decision made twenty-five years earlier. Caroline is afraid to share what is happening in her marriage to a man who, after a terrifying night, is diagnosed as an alcoholic, but whom she believes has more deep-seated psychological problems. Sarah’s tremendous sense of guilt from two decisions made years ago, leave her fearful to make another and remain dependent on her husband.
Over the years, the group grows to seven, as each shares her journey; no two alike. They laugh and cry together, offer support, compassion and understanding, as each comes face to face with questions common to many women about relationships. Each woman is empowered as she faces her past; their group provides a soft place to land.
Beth is experiencing unexplained haunting panic attacks. Night after night, she is awakened by a recurring dream she attributes to a life-altering decision made twenty-five years earlier. Caroline is afraid to share what is happening in her marriage to a man who, after a terrifying night, is diagnosed as an alcoholic, but whom she believes has more deep-seated psychological problems. Sarah’s tremendous sense of guilt from two decisions made years ago, leave her fearful to make another and remain dependent on her husband.
Over the years, the group grows to seven, as each shares her journey; no two alike. They laugh and cry together, offer support, compassion and understanding, as each comes face to face with questions common to many women about relationships. Each woman is empowered as she faces her past; their group provides a soft place to land.
- GenresFiction
153 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 21, 2020
9 people are currently reading
2852 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 6, 2022
MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS
Sad to see that this has already been published, that the book I won in a giveaway (thanks, #Goodreads) wasn't an ARC, because it is definitely NOT ready for publication. I received an advance copy of this book with a request that I publish my thoughts in a review after finishing.
Having belonged to a knit/crochet circle prior to COVID, I can see such a group as being "a safe place to land". The premise is wonderful, great potential, but sadly lacked an editor's keen eye. At times, I couldn't tell which character was speaking, I had to back up and re-read a paragraph or two to figure it out. At least one time, a character made a comment and in the next moment, it wasn't the other two ladies replying, it was the speaker and one of the others. An editor should have caught that.
Inconsistencies and "issues":
There is a dog mentioned. But he(?) only appears when it is convenient to the story line, and we don't know where he is when his owner is running in fear or moving in with another of the ladies.
At the beginning of the book, we are told that the group is meeting in a loft in Carolyn's home. But mid-way through, her husband kicks her out. There is no venue change for the meetings.
Real people don't speak like narrators when describing things. They use slang and verbal pauses. Dialogue was very stilted in places.
In a caring, comforting group, when one person is telling a heart-wrenching tale, another does not just abruptly change the subject to talk about an unrelated story from her own past.
Comments from a professional typesetter on the formatting of the book:
#1. The printed book has a prologue, two chapters (Beth 1959 ad Beth 1960) and an epilogue. It needed many more divisions, perhaps at the beginning of each Wednesday's meeting? At the bottom of page 188, there is a one-word paragraph; "1998" (same with "1999" on page 194). These should have been new chapters. Definitely when the flashbacks end and "real-time" resumes there should have been a chapter change.
#2. Multiple punctuation errors, especially at the end of quotes. You don't need a question mark, closing quote and then a period. Very jarring to anyone who has done any editing or proofreading.
I also think that the title is too wordy. Delete "Just Give Me" and call it "A Soft Place to Land", since that was the point of the whole book. I also wonder if this wouldn't have been better as a trilogy (or multi-volume series) which each woman being the central character in her own novel with much more detail given to her story. (Much like the Debbie Macomber "Blossom Street" series)
Sad to see that this has already been published, that the book I won in a giveaway (thanks, #Goodreads) wasn't an ARC, because it is definitely NOT ready for publication. I received an advance copy of this book with a request that I publish my thoughts in a review after finishing.
Having belonged to a knit/crochet circle prior to COVID, I can see such a group as being "a safe place to land". The premise is wonderful, great potential, but sadly lacked an editor's keen eye. At times, I couldn't tell which character was speaking, I had to back up and re-read a paragraph or two to figure it out. At least one time, a character made a comment and in the next moment, it wasn't the other two ladies replying, it was the speaker and one of the others. An editor should have caught that.
Inconsistencies and "issues":
There is a dog mentioned. But he(?) only appears when it is convenient to the story line, and we don't know where he is when his owner is running in fear or moving in with another of the ladies.
At the beginning of the book, we are told that the group is meeting in a loft in Carolyn's home. But mid-way through, her husband kicks her out. There is no venue change for the meetings.
Real people don't speak like narrators when describing things. They use slang and verbal pauses. Dialogue was very stilted in places.
In a caring, comforting group, when one person is telling a heart-wrenching tale, another does not just abruptly change the subject to talk about an unrelated story from her own past.
Comments from a professional typesetter on the formatting of the book:
#1. The printed book has a prologue, two chapters (Beth 1959 ad Beth 1960) and an epilogue. It needed many more divisions, perhaps at the beginning of each Wednesday's meeting? At the bottom of page 188, there is a one-word paragraph; "1998" (same with "1999" on page 194). These should have been new chapters. Definitely when the flashbacks end and "real-time" resumes there should have been a chapter change.
#2. Multiple punctuation errors, especially at the end of quotes. You don't need a question mark, closing quote and then a period. Very jarring to anyone who has done any editing or proofreading.
I also think that the title is too wordy. Delete "Just Give Me" and call it "A Soft Place to Land", since that was the point of the whole book. I also wonder if this wouldn't have been better as a trilogy (or multi-volume series) which each woman being the central character in her own novel with much more detail given to her story. (Much like the Debbie Macomber "Blossom Street" series)
April 4, 2022
3.5 / 5 stars
This story covers a group of three women as they struggle with their pasts and their connections to their present. One gave up a child, another has an alcoholic and abusive husband, and the third had a religious and abusive childhood home. They share their stories over their knitting, and they eventually expand their circle to seven in the last few pages.
So I actually really liked this. I thought the friendship was sweet, their trauma and pleasant times were interesting, and it was all well developed. Each character's narration is distinct, and with their stories, there’s no room to tell instead of show, which – first thank goodness, second – only furthered my captivation into their lives and drama.
I, at the core of my being, am nosy. Unashamedly, if someone tells me about their drama and trauma, I will make myself an open space not only so I can be supportive, but also because I am invested in living vicariously. As long as this really not so great and emotional stuff doesn’t happen to me, I will get my hands on it.
It also had a therapy positive message, which is very important.
So why didn’t I like it? Because along with being a nosy person, I am a constant thorn in the side of those around me.
Also because the transitions were uncomfortable and the constant addresses (i.e. every time the speaker changed they would answer each other with either starting or ending the quote with the name of the person they’re talking to) completely took me away from the story. It’s a pet peeve of mine when people constantly say each other’s names during conversation. Nothing wrong with the writing or the writer, just something wrong with me. Oopsies.
Also since its self published there were a lot of typos, and for the review I did for Online Book Club, I had to keep track of them. So. Oopsies take two?
But regardless, it quenched my thirst for drama and I appreciate that. Women’s lit is the best.
This story covers a group of three women as they struggle with their pasts and their connections to their present. One gave up a child, another has an alcoholic and abusive husband, and the third had a religious and abusive childhood home. They share their stories over their knitting, and they eventually expand their circle to seven in the last few pages.
So I actually really liked this. I thought the friendship was sweet, their trauma and pleasant times were interesting, and it was all well developed. Each character's narration is distinct, and with their stories, there’s no room to tell instead of show, which – first thank goodness, second – only furthered my captivation into their lives and drama.
I, at the core of my being, am nosy. Unashamedly, if someone tells me about their drama and trauma, I will make myself an open space not only so I can be supportive, but also because I am invested in living vicariously. As long as this really not so great and emotional stuff doesn’t happen to me, I will get my hands on it.
It also had a therapy positive message, which is very important.
So why didn’t I like it? Because along with being a nosy person, I am a constant thorn in the side of those around me.
Also because the transitions were uncomfortable and the constant addresses (i.e. every time the speaker changed they would answer each other with either starting or ending the quote with the name of the person they’re talking to) completely took me away from the story. It’s a pet peeve of mine when people constantly say each other’s names during conversation. Nothing wrong with the writing or the writer, just something wrong with me. Oopsies.
Also since its self published there were a lot of typos, and for the review I did for Online Book Club, I had to keep track of them. So. Oopsies take two?
But regardless, it quenched my thirst for drama and I appreciate that. Women’s lit is the best.
February 24, 2021
May contain spoilers.
I won a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway. It has a really good story to it, but I didn't like the way it was organized. It really needs to be professionally edited and broken down into more chapters. The three sections, as is, were just too long and I felt it made the story drag. I found inconsistencies in the timeline and circumstances of some of the characters that distracted me from the story (siblings/half-siblings/adopted siblings referred to as steps; a dog that appeared in one story but was never discussed before or after. Even the meeting place of the knitting group became uncertain, since the character who hosted the group in the beginning ended up getting a divorce and moving out of the house. But there was never any mention of the group meeting anywhere else other than the original location.)
What really caught my eye was how straight-forward all of the dialogue is. It reads more like a clinical transcript that a novel. I don't know how else to describe it, except to say that it was too clean. It just didn't sound like real people having real conversations.
I won a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway. It has a really good story to it, but I didn't like the way it was organized. It really needs to be professionally edited and broken down into more chapters. The three sections, as is, were just too long and I felt it made the story drag. I found inconsistencies in the timeline and circumstances of some of the characters that distracted me from the story (siblings/half-siblings/adopted siblings referred to as steps; a dog that appeared in one story but was never discussed before or after. Even the meeting place of the knitting group became uncertain, since the character who hosted the group in the beginning ended up getting a divorce and moving out of the house. But there was never any mention of the group meeting anywhere else other than the original location.)
What really caught my eye was how straight-forward all of the dialogue is. It reads more like a clinical transcript that a novel. I don't know how else to describe it, except to say that it was too clean. It just didn't sound like real people having real conversations.
June 27, 2023
Just Give Me a Soft Place to Land by Judy Condon follows three women as they wrestle with various issues in their personal lives. Beth, Caroline, and Sarah meet every Wednesday evening to knit and discuss both their hardships and triumphs. The concept is cute, but it was executed poorly.
The prologue can be omitted completely as it is essentially a summary of the entirety of the novel. And this isn’t the only redundancy. One paragraph was repeated verbatim, with the original being on page 154 and its copy only five pages later on page 159. It is also made abundantly clear to the reader that this knitting club is the “soft place to land” referenced in the title. In fact, this phrase appears nine times throughout the course of the novel. After the second or third instance, the phrase “soft place to land” begins to feel overused and cliché, and by the fourth or fifth instance, it begins to grate on the nerves of the reader. It seems like the author wants the use of this phrase embedded within the very last sentence of her novel to strike the heart of the reader and bring with it a sense of bittersweet finality. This would be better accomplished had the phrase not been shoved down the reader’s throat for 184 pages.
This story also contains several spelling errors. On page 55, Condon uses the phrase “peaked interest” when the correct phrase should be “piqued interest”. On page 64, she uses the word “ingenuous” in a context that leads one to believe that she probably meant “ingenious”. On page 157, she references a “Manilla folder” when she likely meant “Manila folder”.
In addition to spelling errors, the story is a little bit hard to follow sometimes due to grammatical errors, specifically the odd placement of commas. While there are the occasional missing quotation marks or lack of paragraph breaks when a new character begins speaking, the location of the commas prove to be the most distracting. They seem to have been tossed in somewhat randomly and often interrupt the flow of the story.
Finally, I find the characters bland. They all feel as though they are practically the same person. There are no defining traits among the three women to differentiate one from the other. Additionally, the introduction of new characters within the last 20 or so pages feels rushed and slightly unnecessary.
Overall, this isn’t a horrible book. Just Give Me a Soft Place to Land does a fine job of exploring the bond women have with each other as well as the hardships they face, often alone. I would give it two out of five stars due to its redundancy, its spelling and grammatical errors, and its bland characters, and would not recommend this book to a friend. However, I definitely appreciate many of the messages expressed by Condon through the actions of Beth, Caroline, and Sarah.
The prologue can be omitted completely as it is essentially a summary of the entirety of the novel. And this isn’t the only redundancy. One paragraph was repeated verbatim, with the original being on page 154 and its copy only five pages later on page 159. It is also made abundantly clear to the reader that this knitting club is the “soft place to land” referenced in the title. In fact, this phrase appears nine times throughout the course of the novel. After the second or third instance, the phrase “soft place to land” begins to feel overused and cliché, and by the fourth or fifth instance, it begins to grate on the nerves of the reader. It seems like the author wants the use of this phrase embedded within the very last sentence of her novel to strike the heart of the reader and bring with it a sense of bittersweet finality. This would be better accomplished had the phrase not been shoved down the reader’s throat for 184 pages.
This story also contains several spelling errors. On page 55, Condon uses the phrase “peaked interest” when the correct phrase should be “piqued interest”. On page 64, she uses the word “ingenuous” in a context that leads one to believe that she probably meant “ingenious”. On page 157, she references a “Manilla folder” when she likely meant “Manila folder”.
In addition to spelling errors, the story is a little bit hard to follow sometimes due to grammatical errors, specifically the odd placement of commas. While there are the occasional missing quotation marks or lack of paragraph breaks when a new character begins speaking, the location of the commas prove to be the most distracting. They seem to have been tossed in somewhat randomly and often interrupt the flow of the story.
Finally, I find the characters bland. They all feel as though they are practically the same person. There are no defining traits among the three women to differentiate one from the other. Additionally, the introduction of new characters within the last 20 or so pages feels rushed and slightly unnecessary.
Overall, this isn’t a horrible book. Just Give Me a Soft Place to Land does a fine job of exploring the bond women have with each other as well as the hardships they face, often alone. I would give it two out of five stars due to its redundancy, its spelling and grammatical errors, and its bland characters, and would not recommend this book to a friend. However, I definitely appreciate many of the messages expressed by Condon through the actions of Beth, Caroline, and Sarah.
July 9, 2023
This book is a wonderful read. I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars. The main reason for the 5 stars is because the issues in the book are ones that real people can identify with. It is not your typical women getting together and starting a knitting club. These women get together and discuss traumatic issues from the past and present. The women also respected each other. They did not gossip to the world what each one said, they were always there for each other no matter what time of day or night it was. They also made sure everyone was agreeable before they added a new member to the group. You feel like you are in the room with these women listening to their stories and in some ways identifying with some of the things they deal with. It puts in perspective of how others in the world have issues and problems in their homes, work through them, and move on. This book may be fiction, but it discusses real issues. One thing that I would have changed would have been for there to be chapters or a new section start on a new page and not in the middle of the page. This made it a bit harder to come back and find my place as I could not just go the page or chapter, I had to reread to find my place. I realize I am getting older, but it was nice to read a book that did not have slang in it that I had to stop and look up all the time. This book was fast moving and heartfelt. Very good read. I could not put it down. I have recommended this book to my friends. It has been a very long time since I finished a book in 1 day.
Read
February 9, 2021I won a copy of Just Give Me a Soft Place to Land by Judy Condon from Goodreads.
Just Give Me a Soft Place to Land by Judy Condon offers readers three narratives, each delivered by one of three main characters to the others as they come together to knit. Each of the three tales is poignant, whether it is from the character's present or past, and readers do want to read to the end of the book to find out what happens to each character. However, despite how likeable these characters are and how interesting is each individual tale, the mechanics and, at times, the logic of the book needs editing. The 231 page novel is laid out in three very long chapters with no breaks, plus a prologue and an epilogue. The division of the story in this manner and the titles of the chapters do nothing to help readers navigate the various tales being told. Other problems make reading this book difficult, but each of these can be addressed in a way to make the story even more impactful. For example, some real-time drama could be added by fixing the issue of abrupt narrative changes found throughout the book. Since the three women gather at Caroline's house, which is also the home of a violent alcoholic, the abrupt interruptions to the women's tales could be because of the arrival of the alcoholic. With some thoughtful editing, Just Give Me a Soft Place to Land could become a five star novel.
Just Give Me a Soft Place to Land by Judy Condon offers readers three narratives, each delivered by one of three main characters to the others as they come together to knit. Each of the three tales is poignant, whether it is from the character's present or past, and readers do want to read to the end of the book to find out what happens to each character. However, despite how likeable these characters are and how interesting is each individual tale, the mechanics and, at times, the logic of the book needs editing. The 231 page novel is laid out in three very long chapters with no breaks, plus a prologue and an epilogue. The division of the story in this manner and the titles of the chapters do nothing to help readers navigate the various tales being told. Other problems make reading this book difficult, but each of these can be addressed in a way to make the story even more impactful. For example, some real-time drama could be added by fixing the issue of abrupt narrative changes found throughout the book. Since the three women gather at Caroline's house, which is also the home of a violent alcoholic, the abrupt interruptions to the women's tales could be because of the arrival of the alcoholic. With some thoughtful editing, Just Give Me a Soft Place to Land could become a five star novel.
November 25, 2024
Anxiety inducing on so many levels; from characters being mixed up during conversation, missing and extra punctuation, no clear breaks in a story that seemed to randomly go from one situation, time, or storyline to the next, to the subject matter itself at times. I feel like a good proofreader and editor could have smoothed out some of this before the book hit the shelves, and quite likely have made it a much better story. Some of the women's life stories were interesting, and as I was curious about them, I hung in there until the end. It did not get better and if anything the mistakes only managed to get worse as the end drew near. Overall a horrible, anxiety inducing book that I would not recommend.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
March 11, 2023
I won a copy of this fully released book from Goodreads a while back.
I will agree with many of other reviews here wholeheartedly. There were only 3 chapters and an epilogue. I despise chapters that are longer than 50-60 pages, as it makes it hard to segregate the story. I spent too much time trying to understand how the book was laid out and sometimes had a hard time understanding who was talking. The conversations didn’t feel authentic. I also was really bothered with the meeting venue not changing at Caroline’s major life change.
All of that said, the premise was good. I think the author has a good idea, just didn’t get the right help putting it all together.
I will agree with many of other reviews here wholeheartedly. There were only 3 chapters and an epilogue. I despise chapters that are longer than 50-60 pages, as it makes it hard to segregate the story. I spent too much time trying to understand how the book was laid out and sometimes had a hard time understanding who was talking. The conversations didn’t feel authentic. I also was really bothered with the meeting venue not changing at Caroline’s major life change.
All of that said, the premise was good. I think the author has a good idea, just didn’t get the right help putting it all together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2020
From the very beginning you invited in to become part of these women and their stories. Written with such detail that you feel as if you are on this journey with these women. I loved the attention to detail and that I'm sure each one of us can either relate to or know someone who has traveled the same path. A soft place to land is about welcoming, togetherness, friendship, encouragement, trust and lives shared. I look forward to other books that offer another journey with a soft place to land.
March 22, 2021
I won a copy of this book. While the story was very cute, the editing was poor which made the book a bit difficult to get through. The characters added at the end of the book were unnecessary as they added nothing to the story. This is a new author to me and I’d definitely give her another shot with a different story.
January 17, 2022
This was such a fun read with a great cast of strong women characters. The author has a wonderful writing style that is hard to put down. I found that I couldn't read this book in short bursts throughout the days. No, I just wanted to keep on reading and feeling like I was right there. Judy Condon, you have made a very enjoyable book to a constant reader.
February 9, 2021
I won this book on Goodreads. I enjoyed hearing the stories Sarah, Beth, and Caroline
shared at their Wednesday night knitting meetings. This was a very different format for me, but I really liked the book.
shared at their Wednesday night knitting meetings. This was a very different format for me, but I really liked the book.
February 3, 2021
Throughly enjoyed this book. Every well written.
Want to read
February 3, 2021Have not received book yet.
July 22, 2021
This needs serious editing work.
I won a copy on Goodreads.
I won a copy on Goodreads.
April 3, 2022
I wish they would have worked on this book more before releasing it. It had good bones but the execution was not it.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews