I didn't think I was ready to read a book set during the pandemic but I could not ignore a new Sarah Moss. Honestly, this book proves again why she is a writer I will jump to read. In less than 200 pages she manages to give us such a complete, vivid peek into the heads of four distinct individuals as they go through one day of November 2020. It is intense and gripping and the kind of magic most authors could not manage with twice as many pages.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In her latest book, Moss writes about how the pandemic has changed our thinking about everyday life and trivialities, and how lockdown affects the human condition. She is not doing it wrong, quite the contrary. Her observations are very accurate. However, I do not know if it is a matter of the fact that the pandemic is still ongoing and therefore there is still no distance to read about it, or maybe that the pandemic has already become obvious in fact, but the thoughts that are in the head of the protagonist of "The Fell" instead of surprising and making me enjoy the feeling of familiarity - they seem to be already discussed, talked about, repeatedly overwhelmed.

Or differently: maybe we just have a distance, because we no longer live in the most difficult, toughest, most intolerable and terrifying lockdown that we remember from the beginnings of the pandemic. And these exhausting stresses have already subsided a bit, closed in the past. As a result, I do not feel so deeply the thoughts of the heroine like "in the past people traveled by airplanes, and now there are only birds in the sky". Or perhaps we have already heard a lot, saw a lot, and experienced a lot ourselves in this pandemic and a) we do not want to read about it; b) fiction cannot outstrip life - because we have experienced a lot ourselves. Anyway - I didn't like the book, but it left some thoughts in me.

I wasn't sure I wanted to read a book set during the pandemic. However. I found it to be well written, and informative of the UK experience in 2020. I'm glad I read it and can now add another Sarah Moss book to my list of read books.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advance digital copy.

The tension and suspense of this novel had me gritting my teeth. The writing style and descriptions of the setting placed me right inside the book. This was a very quick read that has me flipping pages like crazy. This story takes place in a single day and is very character driven with loots of internal dialogue which made me feel closer to the characters. It was a pleasant surprise to see the very human side to COVID. Most of the books I've read come from the political or scientive side of things. It was very refreshing to get inside the head of someone who has to isolate. It seemed very true to like about what that feels like and how others react to those who don't follow the rules.

So many pandemic novels flooding our e-readers! This one is good; Kate has cabin fever and goes for a walk on the fell although of course she is not meant to leave the house. What could possibly go wrong? It is her son who takes the brunt of the worry when she doesn't return, especially as he is afraid to report her missing in case she gets into trouble for breaking the pandemic isolation rules. Excellent character-driven plot and lovely writing. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance digital review copy.

I enjoyed two of the author’s previous novels, Ghost Wall and Summerwater. The Fell has the same foreboding as her earlier books along with a good dose of sharp humor. Set in late 2020, this book clearly captures the angst of the moment.

First things first, this is NOT an ode to the anti-vaxxer/COVID-denier. Rather, this is a perfectly observed novel that explores how hard it is to stick to all the rules during a pandemic. That is not to say that people should break those rules, but merely that being in a pandemic, and particularly being in lockdown is exhausting, spirit crushing and socially isolating. These observations aren't particularly novel (which is why I am so surprised to see reviews being upvoted that say this is anti lockdown, I presume those people loved every minute of lockdown), but they way Sarah Moss writes it crystalizes exactly how I, at least, felt during those long and dark days of being trapped. In so doing Moss respectfully explores the trauma that we have all experienced, which in its own way is quite liberating to read. Funnily enough, the more delusional reviews parallel exactly those people in the book who are so quick to judge others (e.g., wanting to report someone to the police for going on a walk alone to relieve mental health issues), the difference being that Sarah Moss delivers those stories without being divisive, without judgement or acidity. I loved this book, Ghost Wall and Summerwater and I can't wait to see what Moss writes next.

The Fell is set in late 2020. England is in the grips of a Covid-19 pandemic. Kate and her teenage son Matt are in the middle of a two week quarantine after a possible exposure to the virus. Kate is chafing at the bit with being confined to her semi-rural home and one afternoon she slips out for a short walk up into the nearby Peak District National Park. But she has a fall, badly injuring herself.

The book is narrated from four points of view. Kate, on the mountain. Her son Matt, at home and not knowing where she is. Her elderly neighbour Alice who sees Kate heading out. And Rob who volunteers with the local search and rescue operation.

I love the way that Sarah Moss puts you inside different people's heads and how each character has a different view about both the pandemic and the events of that night. I read one review on Good Reads which says that Moss is anti social distancing and masks but I can't imagine what gave them that impression. If anything it reads like a cautionary tale. What I did find is that my own opinions about whether Kate should have done what she did influenced my ability to feel sympathy for her predicament, but I think that was partly Moss's intention: that we should be confronted with our own biases and also have to consider other points of view.

Although I love Moss's books, I've noticed that she tends to wrap them up in a rush, as though the editor has rung her and said "you're out of time, just finish it today". I felt this way with both Ghost Wall and Summerwater: all that tension gets built up and then it's all resolved in a flurry of quick action. Again with The Fell, I wanted a bit more resolution about what happened next but again I think that was Moss's intention, to leave it slightly open for us to think about.

I received a copy for review via Net Galley.

I have been a fan of Sarah Moss since reading her book on her year living in Iceland.
This short novel takes place during a stringent Covid lockdown in the U.K. Kate is restless, being used to hiking in the hills. She feels there is no harm hiking on her own as she would not be in contact with anyone. She neglects to tell her teenage son she is going out and does not take a cellphone. All does not go as planned.
I do not believe any reasonable person would take this as anti mask or anti social distancing text. In fact it shows the interdependency of human life. To my understanding,,Regulations in the U.K. were stricter than any anywhere in the US.
I found this book suspenseful and moving and a comment on our times while events are still ongoing and thoughtful people are trying to get an understanding of our situation.

Thank you to NetGalley and FSG for this e-arc.

This was a quick read and I’m glad. The extremely dissatisfied and morbid internal monologues of the 4 main characters overpowered the action/plot….which came to an abrupt end. This left me depressed and wishing I had devoted my time elsewhere.

Highly recommend this book! This was my first book to read by this author and I can't wait to read more! The characters and the story stay with you long after you finish the book. One of the best books I have read in a long time.

There's now a spate of Covid-pandemic fiction making its way into the book world. The Fell is written by an author I've read before and enjoyed quite a bit, Sarah Moss. She's probably most well-known for her books Ghost Wall and Summerwater, although there are a few other things she's written out there. I chose to read this because of the topic and the author. Many thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for making it available to me.

As I mentioned before, this is set during the earlier days of the Covid pandemic, in the UK. It all occurs over the span of one day, much like Moss's previous novel Summerwater. Kate, a single mother who works as a waitress, is supposed to be in self-isolation with her son, Matt, for two weeks. It's been around a week, and she is going completely stir-crazy and finally sneaks off to take a walk, even at the risk of the large fine for breaking quarantine. She's middle-aged at most and still in fairly good health and shape. Yet, the unthinkable happens, and she has an extremely traumatic fall while she's out walking. Since she snuck off, leaving her phone, no one knows for certain where she is. Now what?

There are four distinct narrators, who are experiencing the pandemic in their own unique ways. We've Kate, Matt, Alice (Kate and Matt's neighbor), and Rob (one of the mountain rescue crew). The book is written in a stream-of-thought style, which I'll admit isn't always a style that wows me, but this author does a nice job of it. There is a stream of thoughts, but they occasional pause before continuing on, giving the reader a chance to take a mental breath. The setting and tone of the story are utterly evocative, taking me back to when we were all self-distancing again. The reader will vividly recall many of the feelings they themselves may have had. There's nostalgia for the pre-Covid days, loneliness, a desire for fresh air, boredom, pondering almost existential-size issues. The author does seem to be somewhat anti-social distancing, with the clear enough message that Death will find one when it will, regardless of anything else. Is social distancing for the greater good of physical health and healthcare systems worth it at the risk of damaging one's mental health, or for those people who go to work or school and are actually safer away from home? What are we supposed to do when our worlds and lifestyles just stop?

I always find it refreshing to read about different viewpoints on many subjects, and I thought that this novel brought to light some of the issues people against social distancing might have in mind. I honestly thought the author did this in a tactful way. One may or may not agree with what our governments chose to do in response to the pandemic, but it doesn't hurt to try and understand what others are thinking.

This was a quick, very easy read, even with it bringing up some more serious recent issues. I would recommend it to those who enjoy contemporary fiction with a realistic feel.

Not quite as gripping as Sarah Moss' last book but still a dark, relatable tale with finely drawn characters.

The Fell is a story about a couple of neighbors during the pandemic, some of them stuck at home because of quarantine, some because they are deemed “extremely vulnerable”. One of those people, a single mother named Kate, decides to take a walk in the dark and falls badly, which triggers a mountain rescue operation.

Despite the main plot point of the book being someone suffering bad consequences after acting against Covid restrictions, the book, especially at first, had a lot of anti-restrictions undertones (with one of the characters saying that there should be a way to waive the right to medical help in order to be allowed to meet whoever you want), which was a bit surprising to me. I know it must be horrible not being able to go for a walk in the mountains, but it’s not as horrible as dying because there aren’t enough hospital beds available.

It was my first book by Sarah Moss and I must say, the style, with its long paragraphs and no speech marks, made it difficult to read. I feel like the book seemed longer than it actually was and reading the stream of consciousness-like thoughts of the main characters didn’t really give me that much insight into who they are. Especially Kate and Alice seemed like very similar people, and it felt like the author was giving them too many of her own character traits and worldviews.

All in all, I’m not impressed.

I liked the book. It touches the theme of how reclusion affects some people and the consequences of our acts . Kate, in quarantine period, decides to go for a walk to the moors thinking nobody will know of her transgression, but she fells and her delay to go home worries her son, who goes for help to their neighbour Alice, an elderly woman who saw Kate walking to the woods but couldn´t stop her. The story has 4 points of view: Kate, her son, Alice, the neighbour, and Rob a rescuer who had to go out his house to go for Kate.

Some of the prose is excellent, but I found the very rambling stream-of-consciousness style difficult. But my overwhelming feeling during this was fury with Kate.

Kate loves the outdoors and is desperate to get out for a walk, but can't, because she's been identified as a close contact of a covid-19 case and is therefore required to self-isolate for two weeks. Not always easy, I get it - but frankly, Kate has a pretty sweet deal. She's sharing a house (and garden) with one other person (her teenage son). She's not living on her own with no human contact available. She's not stuck in a small city flat with a couple of energetic young children who desperately need to burn off steam. She's not living with an abusive partner. She's not struggling to care for elderly parents or family members with special needs. She's not having to manage working from home, or supervising children doing online school, never mind both at the same time.

In other words, she's in a better situation than millions of others who were also in lockdown and/or required to self-isolate. But hey, she's got a touch of cabin-fever and wants to go for a walk. Now Kate *knows* that the moors can be dangerous. Her backpack (which always waits, ready by the door) contains a torch, a foil blanket, painkillers and various other bits of equipment for use in emergencies. She *knows* that things can and do go wrong and she knows that when they do, the mountain rescue teams have to abandon their families and their homes and put themselves at risk (even when there isn't a pandemic and a lockdown). She knows all of this, but does she tell anyone she's going? No. Does she take her mobile phone? No. She doesn't even go early in the day - she goes in late afternoon, and doesn't turn back even when dusk falls.

I wanted this to address Kate's selfishness and the consequences of that selfishness - for her and for others, including the mountain rescue teams and her own son - but it never did that. Instead, it felt like a justification of her (unjustifiable, in my view) actions.

Short version: one day, three families in COVID epidemic. Kate and her son are in forced lockdown. Alice is a widow and recovering from cancer. Rob is a mountain rescuer with his daughter at the weekend.

I didn't read Sarah Moss before, really did like to read this book. About the first 30 pages, I was going to drop it off. The writing style was encouraging so, I thought it's a short book let's finish it. I'm happy did that and I'm going to read more from this author.
Yes at first, there were so many grump and fuss about limitations. I know it's hard and has a serious of consequences, but really? So bad you compare with world wars?! The only thing we have to do is stay at home, Okay it's our home, is it so awful? I'm not going to judge but this was too much.

As the story goes on, every character could be better known. Alice became my favorite character. She was eating all cookies while she had cancer, bad choice and very gave me stress. But then I began to realize. This was the magic of this book, of this story I really don't like the contents, you really can understand characters. It's true right, you can not always take the sane logical right decisions, can you?
"Self-isolating, one of those horrible new nonsensical phrases. Social distancing, Medical distance, they should call it, or why not just safe distance, and when did ‘distance‘ become a verb?"

Kate, an unhappy one, who couldn't stay in a place, if see her from the good side, an outdoor person. She is a single mum and really cares about her teenage son. In the beginning, she was just looking irresponsible. You see, with some patience, characters reveal themselves and this was beautiful.
"She doesn’t even want to remember singing in pubs, how can that ever happen again, the singing or the pubs let alone both.
... Though at least there were dances in the war, weren’t there, and concerts, and sex, lots of sex, at least people were allowed to see each other."

This is a book about three families in the pandemic. How life changes forever, how almost everybody struggles to keep their incomes, try to deal with children, worried about prices, and all that. A 4-star book, a little sad and dark for me.

Many thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read The Fell by Sarah Moss, I have given my honest review.

I'm fascinating by the books that are coming out dealing with the pandemic. It would seem that a monumental event and collective trauma will fuel stories for years. While I didn't enjoy this as much as Picoults rendition I did like it and am looking forward to reading more by Fell who seems to be writer with a. Devoted fanbase in love with her prose (even if they don't agree with her stance) which is the Hallmark of a writer that belongs in my shelves!

The Fell – Sarah Moss

I recently read and discovered Sarah Moss’ writing and have loved it. The Fell is written in her signature style, loads to love about it, the breathless stream of consciousness and the singular insights into her characters. Having said that I think the first time’s the charm as the first book I read by her summerwater is still my favourite.

The Fell takes place during the second Covid lockdown in the UK. The story is from the perspective of 4 characters one of whom, Kate, the mother of Matt, a teenager, breaks quarantine and decides to go for a walk on the Fells, falls and has to be rescued.

While I haven’t broken quarantine as such we have all had our moments of desperation when home feels like prison and not being able to leave it can drive you nuts. I know older people who just have not been able to cope and have begun an unstoppable downward spiral. Alice an elderly lady and Kate’s neighbor is one of the main characters and her reflections are quite endearing. The whole state vs us as individuals can really be suffocating specially for a generation that has enjoyed quite a bit of freedom and has not had to compromise much as compared to our predecessors.

The urgency of Sarah Moss’ writing coupled with the topic makes it quite a compelling read. Having said that I don’t think it’s the best by her compared to the two I read before this but loved it all the same.

Thank you @netgalley for the e arc

A wonderful prose filled description of life during lockdown with the illness never bei g named. There is Matt the son and Kate, the mother who goes missing on the fell. An emotional must read.