Learning to Swim

By: Sara J. Henry

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

"If I'd blinked, I would have missed it. But I didn't, and I saw something fall from the rear deck of the opposite ferry: a small, wide-eyed human face, in one tiny frozen moment, as it plummeted toward the water."

When she witnesses a small child tumbling from a ferry into Lake Champlain, Troy Chance dives in without thinking. Harrowing moments later, she bobs to the surface, pulling a terrified little boy with her. As the ferry disappears into the distance, she begins a bone-chilling swim nearly a mile to shore towing a tiny passenger. Surprisingly, he speaks only French. He'll acknowledge that his name is Paul; otherwise, he's resolutely mute.

Troy assumes that Paul's frantic parents will be in touch with the police or the press. But what follows is a shocking and deafening silence. And Troy, a freelance writer, finds herself as fiercely determined to protect Paul as she is to find out what happened to him. She'll need skill and courage to survive and protect her charge and herself.

Sara J. Henry's powerful and compelling Learning to Swim will move and disturb listeners right up to its shattering conclusion.

©2011 Sara J. Henry (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Sara J. Henry opens her first novel like a pro.... the throbbing heart of the story is right out of Jane Eyre." ( The New York Times Book Review)

"In her debut, the first in a projected series, Henry proves herself to be a smooth and compelling storyteller. And her lead is highly appealing: An athletic, fiercely independent young woman who, like crime-fiction author Gillian Flynn’s feisty females, is capable of making delightfully acerbic observations." ( Booklist)

"A compelling plot, a pervading sense of foreboding, well-constructed characters." ( Kirkus Reviews)

Looking For More

I did enjoy this book. There were problems, it was not perfect, but it was definitely enjoyable. First of all, the recording had some annoying skips. I was shocked by this and have never experienced it before from Audible. It should be fixed.

The author begins with a sure-fire event to draw the reader in quickly. Troy Chance rescues a child thrown off a ferry. It was a gutsy move. To not involve the authorities right away was strange. It helped make the story but I never got a good enough reason for that action (or lack thereof). Then Troy begins to investigate what started the whole process herself. This also was gutsy, but mostly foolish and risky. She has a brother who works in law enforcement who comes into the story periodically but not enough to be real. Or maye he shouldn't have been part of the story to begin with.

There are many loose ends (two big love interests that are not acted upon, for starters) that are obvious potential jumping off points for the next book in a series. Troy frequently voices her perceived lack of sex appeal but them immediately is placed in a situation where the author portrays her as a knock-out. The conclusion of the story was not satisfying to me. It kind of came out of nowhere. Or maybe it just wasn't consistent enough with the breadcrumbs being left as the story is being told.

Narration was well done, like the story itself it was not perfect but enjoyable.

I will try the next book by this author, but I won't hold my breath waiting for it.

Just a hair

Fabulous story. Interesting characters. Characters develop. Story twists. The one star short is due to the plot being just too contrived. Too unbelievable at the denouement.

Great beginning and then....nothing.

Sara Henry had a great idea, with a memorable opening line. But she didn't have any additional good ideas after that, and the ideas she did have strain credulity way beyond an author's creative prerogative to make a story flow. If at every turn of the plot the reader thinks, "Pfffft, no one would ever make that choice, no one would ever do that, no one would ever react that way," then it's not well-plotted. It's a non-story, with minimal action, and a somewhat "out of nowhere" culprit at the end. More needed to happen to make this a decent story. Many attempts at character development in this book seem more like building a word count than crafting a memorable protagonist.

As a first time author, she probably is a pretty good writer, and I did listen all the way to the end, rather than give up on it. I wanted to know the outcome, even if I had to listen to the retelling of so much mundane activity.

Suzanne Toren gives a good performance, but her voice seemed to me to be a little too old and experienced to be right for this character.

Wanting more...

After reviewing the information about this book, I was intrigued, and decided to purchase. One reviewer called it a "romantic suspense". I love romantic suspense and this book is not in that category. The write up led me to believe that it was a suspenseful read, but it really was not that either. The narrator was very good and the story kept you listening because the characters were likeable. I really liked the independent, head on straight, main character. I would read more of her stories. Overall, I was not disappointed with my purchase, but it did not meet my expectations

Swimming then sinking

Would you try another book from Sara J. Henry and/or Suzanne Toren?

Probably not.

Would you ever listen to anything by Sara J. Henry again?

Probably not.

Do you think Learning to Swim needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. The end of the book just grabbed Mission Impossible facts and forced them together.

Any additional comments?

Way way too much foreshadowing and teasing the story, combined with red herrings dragged across the path. It had an intriguing first 1/3 to 1/2, but it almost appeared the author had run out of time and had to wrap it up.

Great storyline...

I really enjoyed this story, though I wished I had read it instead. I am unsure why this particular narrator was chosen for this story. The voice sounded like that of an older woman with an odd accent, like a forced British or Southern accent. I had a really hard time envisioning the character as the voice didn't even remotely match. I would highly recommend this book, but in print.

Enjoyed it very much

This story has elements of suspense, mystery, and romance - in that order. I liked that the story was unique. The female protagonist was likable, not predictable, quite human - and not a stereotypical romance heroine. A little suspension of belief was required, but not really an issue for me. I would read another of this author’s books.

held my interest

narration was not my favorite, but they did do well with the accents. story held my interest, but the ending was not my favorite.

The story was very suspenseful, the writing was excellently done, and it kept me guessing right until the end.

I loved everything about it. It brought out sadness, tears, and joy at the end.

Surprise, surprise

Great mystery. I kept trying to guess whodunit as I was reading. I didn't expect that the culprit was who it was. It held my attention. The investigation was a bit unbelievele when done by an individual instead of the authorities but regardless, it was a good book.