Author(s): Claire Nelson

Staff Picks- Read our reviews

'What a story; never heard a story like that before' - Chris Evans

'Uplifting and brave' - Stylist

'A riveting account of loneliness, anxiety and survival' - Cosmopolitan

'A vibrantly physical book' - the Guardian

'Claire Nelson relives a life-changing four days' - The Times

INCLUDES A NEW AFTERWORD

In 2018, Claire Nelson made international headlines.

The relentless pace of work, social activity and striving to do more and better in the big city was frenetic and stressful. Surrounded by people, Claire was increasingly lonely - and beginning to burn out. When the anxiety she felt finally brought her to breaking point, Claire decided to take some time out and travelled half-way around the world to clear her head. What happened next, on a hike in California, was something she could never have anticipated.

Things I Learned from Falling is an incredible story of courage, determination and survival against the odds. Utterly gripping and profoundly moving, this inspirational memoir reminds us all how easily life can go off course, how simply we can lose touch with the truly important and that - even when we are utterly broken - we can be made whole again.

I remember in 2018 reading a news item about a young kiwi woman rescued after falling in Joshua Tree National Park, California. At the time I thought that there was nothing especially unusual about this story, hikers are rescued from trails all the time. The woman was Claire Nelson, on holiday from London and house sitting for her friends who lived on the edge of the park. The desert, a combination of rugged beauty and extreme climates is of course not the kind of place you want to find yourself stranded. It wasn’t until I read Claire’s account of exactly what happened that I came to realise I had completely underestimated what it means to survive. Her survival relied on a series of, what can only be described as, miracles. As the reader discovers, surviving is just the beginning.
Things I Learned from Falling is a vivid account of Claire’s experience in the desert, stuck on her back , a pelvis shattered to smithereens and a dwindling water supply. Fear and a sense of the inevitable began to dominate her thoughts, but her determination won through as well as a resolve to change her life if she survived. A highly relatable read scattered with deeply personal realisations. Even though I knew how the journey ended it did not make the book any less engaging. Claire is a talented and articulate writer. Once finished reading I was left asking what happened next, I wanted the journey to continue and I wanted more from Claire’s life. Gaby