Published: June 05, 2010
Words: 26467 (approximate)
Language: English

Ebook short description

Emily is restless. She is itching to get more out of life. Then, as the school elevator plummets to earth out of control, she gets a whole armful more than she was bargaining for. She and the surly but handsome Jamie are so glad to be alive after their ordeal, they exchange a passionate kiss, and now Emily's job as a teacher is on the line, and Jamie is in her bed. Now what?

Extended description

Emily is restless. She is itching to get more out of life.

Then, as the school elevator plummets to earth out of control, she gets a whole armful more than she was bargaining for. She and the surly but handsome Jamie are so glad to be alive after their ordeal, they exchange a passionate kiss, and now Emily's job as a teacher is on the line, and Jamie is in her bed.

Now what?

One thing is for sure, it will get worse before it gets better and Emily doesn't seem to mind a bit ....

Adult-content rating:

This book contains content considered unsuitable for young readers 17 and under, and which may be offensive to some readers of all ages. For more information, see the Support FAQ.

Tags

sex, college, social rules, forbidden relationship, moral dilemma

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Reviews

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Review by: GraceKrispy on Nov. 14, 2010 :
Emily works two part-time jobs to make ends meet in her lonely life. She has just two friends, and her one love relationship has long since ended. She's frustrated with where her life is headed, and things just don't seem to be getting any better. One fateful afternoon, she finds herself trapped in a rapidly descending elevator with one of her students. The brush with death, the exciting and rogue personality of this student, and Emily's own mixed-up feelings of frustration and loneliness make for a fateful combination as she finds herself embarking on a course she cannot escape. She loses herself in this relationship, and her life is irrevocably changed as a result.

The concept behind this novella is provocative and intense in nature. It makes you question your own sense of right and wrong as you struggle to understand what is going on in Emily's head. The book is pretty well-edited (always a plus), and the writing style is simplistically clear and concise. While I think there is a place for such a clean writing style, a book laden with intense emotional conflict isn't it. As a result of the simplicity of the writing, the characters lacked depth and the events lacked emotion. The relationship that developed was described in such a detached way, it became unbelievable and less engaging. What attracted Emily to this boy? What was truly going on in her head? I didn't get a real feel for what Emily was experiencing. The combination of the simple way things were described and the lack of emotional depth left me with the impression that Emily was actually a 30-year-old, slow-witted girl. I really wanted to connect with Emily, but just couldn't.

I think the events in the elevator as they were trapped and descending against their will could have been a powerful mirror for the events of the rest of the story, as they were trapped in a relationship that was quickly spiraling out of control. Although I suspect that connection was intentional, the lack of emotional depth didn't support the idea that it was meant to be a recurring theme. There were a few flashbacks in the story, but I had difficulty understanding why they were there. It seemed there should have been more of a clear purpose to include them. One, in particular, about Emily's father had the real potential to be woven into a motivation for Emily's actions. Instead, it just seemed to hang there, unattached to the events of the story. Although the start to the story does draw you in, the ending felt unsatisfying. I didn't feel closure on why the events transpired as they had, and where the story would have gone from there. A stronger more abrupt ending, or even a more detailed extended ending, would have been preferable to the mediocre "in-between" ending I read.

I do think this story has great potential, but I think it needs some more voice and emotional expression to become the story it could be. In a plot with such (potentially) intense and powerful events, I was left wanting much more than what I was given.

2.5 /5 stars- rounded up to 3
(review of free book)

Review by: S.P. Jensen on Oct. 10, 2010 :
Truly fine writing. Descending has something for every reader, I feel, as it's both poignant and humorous. Emily's travails in particular are portrayed in a highly accomplished manner. One of the finest books I've read in the past five years.
(review of free book)

Review by: Stacey Danson on Sep. 02, 2010 :
Forbidden relationships are the stuff of good fiction, when written well and thought through carefully. This book is both.

Author Catherine Chisnall didn't in my opinion set out to make this a comfortable or light reading experience.

She provides us with Characterizations that provoke a reaction.

Emily, in her need to feel needed can be irritatingly real...how marvelous to find an author that presents her main character; her narrator in fact, as a refreshingly non comfortable and somewhat challenging persona. This reader wanted to slap and hug Emily all in the space of one paragraph.
Emily has always been an observer in her own life. One of those non-descript yet necessary individuals who people the majority of our lives..we all have conversations in our lives that include the sentence "Oh, you know who I mean! He/she was that quite girl/guy...you know...the one whose name nobody could ever remember."

Into Emily's restricted little world comes a sudden adrenaline rush...a lift plummeting downward, and a young student of her aquaintance on hand to share that survivor high. A kiss was what began it. A simple unprovoked reaction to a potentionaly lethal situation.

Jamie, the student on the other end of that kiss, is a teenager, not cliche written. he is typical in many respects yet has depths and needs not at first apparent.

I will not right a synopsis, this is a review, and as such should leave the reader either curious about the book in question...or not.

The situation and the way it affects the lives of both central figures is woven extremely well. Do not read this expecting easy resolutions, there are none. That is a huge part of what makes this a damned fine read.
Expect the unexpected. I have no hesitation in recommending this book. Catherine Chisnall is an author worthy of the title.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Neil Kirby on Sep. 01, 2010 :
My review for this book is here:
http://www.all-review.co.uk/book-reviews
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Katie Leversuch on Aug. 29, 2010 :
Addition: Review e-book

Rating: 2/5

Synopsis:

Emily is a lonely, disillusioned, teaching assistant at a college of Further Education. Jamie is a neglected, unpredictable student. Trapped together in a falling lift, wherever will this lead? Told from Emily's point of view, this story explores the ambiguity of relationships between staff and students, and reflects on who is actually in control.

I saw this book advertised on a blog site and thought I would check it out. I got it as a review book from Smashwords but to be honest I wish I had not wasted my time. The story follows Emily, a teaching assistant who also works at a call centre. Due to having two jobs she has not made friends and feels isolated and alone. She does not even think the students appreciate her. She finds herself in the lift, after having handed in her resignation at the college when it breaks down. The other person in the lift is one of the students she helps, Jamie. Unsure as to his feelings towards her, she is shocked when he kisses her as the lift plunges downwards. This then leads onto a full relationship, and for a time he lives with her as his father has kicked him out. But all is not as good as it seems, and she finds herself manipulated by Jamie, embarrassed by the students and intimidated by Jamie's father. All of which leads to the college finding out what has been going on...

This book had the potential to be really good. Other stories that have involved student-teacher relationships, such as The Ice-Cream Girls by Dorothy Koomson and Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller were readable and gripping. This book wasn't. I found Chisnell's writing to be amateur - almost as if she wasn't used to writing a story. The style reminded me of celebrity autobiographies, where they almost seem to list what has happened. There was also a lot of bad language, which I didn't like.

I wasn't really a fan of any of the characters. Emily irritated me - I thought she was a bit needy, always wondering what people thought of her and whining that she had no friends. I thought she could have resolved her problems in another way. I also didn't think much of Jamie, although he did come across as a stereotypical teenage boy - into alcohol, sex and the like.

The storyline wasn't all that believable - the kiss in the lift was very cliché and so was the relationship, sneaking around and the worry of being caught. I think the college handled the situation well but I did think Chisnell weakened the story by having Emily resign before the affair started. I did finish this book, but I didn't think much of it. Other reviews have rated this book highly, but for me, I just didn't enjoy it at all.
(reviewed long after purchase)

Review by: Cathy B on Aug. 19, 2010 :
Emily is an ordinary but lonely 30 year old teaching assistant at a Further Education College. On January 20th, ending another typical day at work she finds herself in an uncomfortable position when she gets stuck in the school lift with 17 year old, unpredictable rebel Jamie Norton. As things could not get any worse the lift start acting up and risks the lives of Jamie and Emily, as an act of desperation, They Kiss. What was supposed to be a one time act of passion ended to be more than Emily expected. Emily's once ordinary life is now interrupted with unexpected feelings and she is left starring down a road that she never saw coming.

My Thoughts: This is one of those books that are a quick but enjoyable read. Emily is a character a lot of women could probably relate too, Although most women would not resort to the things she did, she was just a woman that wanted to break out of her shell a little bit. The book brought out some anger in me, the way Emily was treated by some of the students were horrible. I couldn't help feeling sorry for Emily and Jamie, they were both in different stages of life but had more in common than either of them thought, they were both at a stand still in life, in a way they needed one another. The book did a great job rising some emotion out of me. I ended up surprising myself, in the end I was rooting for Jamie and Emily, I wanted them to be together. Descending has a little bit of everything, drama, romance and quick witted humour. This is a perfect summertime book. It may be a quick read but it is an edgy one, it will definitely leave you satisfied.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

Review by: Michael Brooks on July 05, 2010 :
A chance encounter in a lift develops into a forbidden romance.This book really succeeds in getting inside the head of its central character, showing her loneliness and the strong attraction she feels for someone she should really be staying away from.The object of her desires comes across as equally lonely and you find yourselves rooting for them even though you know there are good reasons why they shouldn't be involved. There are a large number of supporting characters, although keeping track of them all does require a lot of concentration at times.

The ending may not perhaps be to everyone's taste, being somewhat bittersweet, but I found it appropriate. Recommended.
(reviewed within a month of purchase)

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