Fall Out: Courage Always Stands its Ground

Gray Girl, Book 4

By: Susan I Spieth

Narrated by: Allison Wilhelm

Length: 7 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

She's in over her head this time....

She wears a saber, a red sash and the infamous "crass mass of brass and glass", the United States Military Academy ring. The Army/Navy Game, the 100th Night celebrations, spring leave, and the highest of all cadet days, graduation, await Jan Wishart's final year at West Point. It should be the best one in her notable cadet experience. But graduation and commissioning as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army may never happen for Jan. Instead, she might be sent to the Consolidated Brig, for female military convicts.

Her friendship with Dimitri Petrov, a diplomat's son and a rising star in the Soviet Army, may derail everything she's fought so hard to achieve. When their relationship takes a dark turn, Jan becomes embroiled in something that will test her stamina, her faith and her friendships, as never before. But like honor, duty and leadership, courage always stands its ground.

Susan I. Spieth is a 1985 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and the author of the awarded Gray Girl Series.

©2019 Susan I Spieth (P)2020 Susan I Spieth

Look inside the world of female West Point cadets.

My first introduction to Jan Wishart and I am eager to read volumes 1-3. Jan is not a caricature of a cadet, but a real person jumping off the page. I so enjoyed learning about what life was like for the trailblazers, the first females accepted to the academy, and how they had to prove that they belonged. This fictional story is utterly realistic, believable & straddles the line to non-fiction without coming across as a textbook. The narrative doesn’t portray Jan as a model cadet with a spotless record up until the Dimitri incident. From her 1st day at WP, she faces hardship & challenge. Wilhelm's narration aids readers in navigating the intricate details of the cadet experience. She deftly assumes accent, dialect, tone, & gender. As Jan’s story jumped from past to present and back again, one appreciates the change in her voice, something the written word might not convey. Wilhelm succeeds in acting as a virtual tour guide of the novel's locations. I recommend Fall Out to my friends, both male and female. Thank you for taking me inside the reality that is West Point, warts and all.

Great story and great narration

I really enjoyed this story and the insights into life at West Point. The narration really brought the story to life - So many accents!!

I was sorry to finish this one.

Being the last of the Gray Girl series, I think that this is the second best book of the series. This is the story of Jan's Firstie or senior year. She hopes for a normal year, but nothing is ever normal for Jan. This book also includes look backs from the author.