The World at My Feet By Catherine Isaac

Ceecee

4-5 stars rounded up

This is the story of Ellie, an Instagram influencer and her mother Harriet, a news correspondent. The story goes from 1989 with Harriet and to the present day with mother and daughter and interspersed with Ellie’s Instagram gardening posts.

This is a very compelling story as it covers some emotional topics and mental health issues, doing so with sensitivity and thoughtfulness. We gradually learn what Ellie’s background issues are and how she struggles and manages to survive. Parts of her story pull on your heartstrings and are distressing reminders of actual events which tear you apart as you recall them. The characters are lovely, you root for fragile Ellie, her parents and sister Lucy are wonderful and so supportively caring which is heartwarming. They are all very contrastingly different which makes the story even more interesting and maybe highlights Ellie’s issues more deeply. The storytelling shows that through friendship and love it’s possible to find a way through things that may appear insurmountable. Ellie develops a lovely and unlikely friendship with five year old Oscar who is such a sweetheart and makes you laugh and as for Gertie the dog!!! They are the literary equivalent of ‘never work with children and dogs’!! The support of her new friend Jamie is very important too and he is another lovely character.

Overall, this is a poignant story that is very moving in places and sweet in others. There’s some gentle humour and I just love the ending!! Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the arc in return for an honest review

Polly

Oooof. I'll admit that from the cover – and from the fact that I hadn't read the blurb for a long time before reading – I was expecting a light-hearted, comforting read. This is my first of the author's books so I don't know how naive a thought that was. Anyway I found a far more powerful read than that.

Ellie is an Instagram star. Her feed shows the perfectly curated lifestyle of an English gardening influencer... and completely avoids the fact that due to severe agoraphobia she hasn't left her property for years.

There is some important real-world history from the 1980s-90s touched upon here, which I'm kind of ashamed to say that I knew pretty much nothing of and will be doing some research on.

As Ellie's story unfolds, I realised with the benefit of hindsight that there are some fairly big clues about there being more to her background than we're initially lead to believe, however it was done with an excellent level of subtlety, leaving the story to develop for the reader naturally.

This is a book about trauma, about anxiety, about recovery (and relapse), about family, and about love. I felt so deeply for so many of the characters, and I think they will stay with me for a while.

Brooke - One Woman's Brief Book Reviews

The World at My Feet by Catherine Isaac. (2021).

1990. Harriet is a journalist and her job takes her to dangerous places where she asks questions. But when she is sent to Romania, to the state orphanages the world has just learnt about, she is forced to rethink her most important rule.
2018. Ellie is a gardener whose garden is her sanctuary. Even though she spends her days outdoors, she hasn't gone beyond the gate in years. Now someone enters her life who could finally be the reason she needs to overcome her fears.

Not only did I find this novel quite moving, it was also very informative for me. I learnt about the Romanian state orphanages which I didn't really know anything about to be honest, I saw the ups and downs of Ellie dealing with her agoraphobia and I even learnt some gardening tips from Ellie. The descriptions of the orphanages were horrifying. It's hard to imagine how many children would have suffered at the time as well as the long term psychological effects. The author has very cleverly balanced the darkness of this aspect of the story with the lightness of Ellie slowly healing and some lovely side characters; in particular Ellie's sister and her new friend Jamie. Thankfully the story finishes on a happy and positive ending which I appreciated.
I would happily recommend this novel which is both distressing and heart-warming.

Tracey Allen at Carpe Librum

Don't you love it when a book takes you completely by surprise? Usually when I see a cover design for a book with a butterfly and flowers on the front, it usually indicates the novel isn't going to be for me. I received an unsolicited copy of The World At My Feet by Catherine Isaac from the publisher back in January and it sat on my 'maybe' pile for a few months before I decided to give it a go. Boy was I wrong, I loved this!

Ellie is a social media influencer and avid gardener suffering from agoraphobia. Living in a granny flat behind her parent's home in the English countryside, she makes a living from her sponsored gardening posts on her highly successful Instagram account EnglishCountryGardenista.

I was interested to get to the root cause of Ellie's agoraphobia and when I did, I found I was fascinated by the topic and spent a few nights Googling post-revolution Romania. I remember the shocking footage that emerged in the 1990s showing the terrible living conditions within the orphanages in Romania and it was interesting to explore in this novel what might become of a child raised there.

Offsetting this dark beginning to Ellie's life, her gardening career was a sheer delight to read about and despite not having a green thumb, I really enjoyed following her around the garden and reading her Instagram posts in the book. Those hashtags were a great touch! And the dialogue between Ellie and young Oscar really warmed my heart.

Ellie's struggle to work through her agoraphobia reminded me a little of Amy in Everything Is Beautiful by Eleanor Ray; another case of 'don't judge a book by its cover just because it has flowers on it'. Lesson learned? Maybe not, but these books were definitely two exceptions to my 'rule' this year and both were impressive five star reads.

The World At My Feet by Catherine Isaac was a terrifically enjoyable contemporary novel with moments of character insight and inspiration and I was willing Ellie through as she lost her way and dusted herself off again.

* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *

Lydia Bailey

Full review to follow after a buddy read chat but a really impressive dual-timeline read which manages to incorporate a hard- hitting (heartbreaking) news story from the 80’s with an accurate portrayal of how childhood trauma & anxiety can completely stall an adult life.

Lucy C

With thanks to Simon and Schuster UK for this review copy.

We focus on Ellie Instagram influencer who is a gardener and her mother Harriet Journalist who is sent to the orphanages in Romania.

This is set between Harriet in ths 1990s and Ellie in the present day what a beautiful story.

Heartbreaking and so well researched and written well, worth a read.

I have loved all of Catherine's books and looking forward to more in the future

Linda Hepworth

Posting as ‘EnglishCountryGardenista’, thirty-five-year-old Ellie is a highly successful Instagram influencer. Her 56.6k followers know that, whatever questions they have about growing plants successfully, whatever problems they are experiencing, she will always give them helpful advice. All the beautiful photographs she posts are testament to her skills as a gardener but what they don’t show are the piles of rubbish behind her shed, the plants which fail to thrive or the dirt under her finger nails – after all, visitors to her site “don’t want ugly or messy”, do they? However, what her followers are also unaware of is that she is agoraphobic and hasn’t managed to move beyond her garden gate for more than two years. But then someone comes into her life who may finally force her to confront her fears and change her life.
Harriet is a journalist. Her job has taken her into many dangerous places all over the world. She always remained passionate about wanting to ‘make a difference’, but without making herself part of the story. Following the fall of Ceausescu's communist government, she is sent to Romania to report on conditions in the country’s state orphanages and the horrific sights which she witnesses will change her life. As the story unfolds, the reasons for Ellie’s struggles with her mental health become clearer as the reader learns more about how Harriet’s role as an investigative reporter connects with Ellie’s previous experiences.
The story moves backwards and forwards between 1989 and 2018, with the greater proportion of it being told through the present day, first-person narrative of Ellie and her Instagram posts, with Harriet’s back-story being told in the third-person. Although the link between them isn’t revealed until about a third of the way through the story, I’d guessed what it was much earlier than this. Unfortunately this meant that for a time I found myself being somewhat distracted by wondering whether I’d be proved right! However, once I discovered I was, I felt able to fully engage with this powerful and moving story and, when I turned the final page, knew that its characters and its themes would be likely to remain in my thoughts for some time to come.
I found each of the characters to be exceptionally well-drawn and entirely credible. With just one exception (no spoiler from me!) I both liked and felt able to identify with all of them. I really enjoyed spending time in their company, even though there were times when I agonised for Ellie as I followed her struggles to understand, and overcome, her emotional problems. Each of the other characters (family, friends and therapist) played a part in encouraging and supporting her as she revisited some very dark times in her life; whilst their individual ways of doing this were very different, all their interventions were driven by loving concern.
Although many of the themes explored were disturbing and heart-breaking, there were some wonderful moments of humour and lightness, mostly provided by the delightful five-year-old Oscar, with whom Ellie forms a special, often hilarious friendship, and Ellie’s rescue dog Gertie, described as … 'a half shih-tzu – the other half, according to the woman in the dog’s home, being ‘God knows what!'
I was very impressed by the psychologically credible way in which the author not only described Ellie’s panic attacks, crippling anxiety and agoraphobia, but highlighted the reasons behind the ambivalence she felt about confronting the traumas of her past. I’ve worked with many people experiencing such problems and think that the author’s portrayal of Ellie’s emotional anguish was faultless, as were her portrayals of the reactions of the other characters when they felt their efforts to help were ineffectual. I find it hard to believe that anyone would be able to read this story without feeling considerable empathy for all involved.
For anyone who can recall those truly shocking reports from thirty years ago of the appalling conditions which were uncovered in the Romanian orphanages, who can vividly remember the reports of abuse and starvation and
those harrowing images on our television screens of traumatised children living in grossly overcrowded and filthy conditions, parts of this story will bring all those memories flooding back in a powerful and disturbing way. We all know that childhood trauma, particularly when it is prolonged, has long-term physical and emotional effects which cannot easily be overcome. I think the many ways in which the author captured this so accurately and sensitively indicate that she must have done a considerable amount of research before writing this novel. I also appreciated the fact that she built into her story the fact that, although the treatment of children in the care-system in modern day Romania has in many respects improved, conditions for these vulnerable children remains far from ideal.
Although there is a romantic-love element to this story, I liked the fact that it didn’t become the main theme but was, instead, part of a much more generic exploration of the healing power of loving relationships with family and friends for anyone facing trauma and loss. I also really enjoyed the gardening metaphors: the recognition that when plants are neglected they will wither and possibly die but, given the right care and nurturing, they will grow strong and thrive.
I haven’t read any of Catherine Isaac’s previous novels but very much enjoyed her engaging writing style in this perceptive and poignant story. Its many thought-provoking themes would make it a good choice for book groups. I’ve now discovered that, using the pseudonym Jane Costello, she had written nine very successful ‘rom-coms’ before deciding to take her story-telling in a different direction. Since 2018 she has written two novels (You Me Everything and Messy, Wonderful Us) using her real name and I certainly feel encouraged to read those – although must admit to not being tempted by the rom-coms!
With my thanks to NB and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fabulous Book Fiend

This book is so hard to review without giving away any spoilers but I really want you to be able to discover it without knowing anything about it just like I did because it really is a beautiful journey with highs, lows and everything in between.

I really loved meeting Ellie. I warmed to her straight away and I love the fact that she is an influencer as well. Massive well done to Catherine Isaac for not being afraid to tackle a job that someone can feasibly do in today's climate without needing to leave their own garden. This also meant that we got some mixed media text in the book with Instagram posts and also a little insight into Ellie checking how well her posts were doing. We also get to explore some little talked of mental health issues through Ellie. I love the fact that these issues were shown not to be as cut as dry as they are often portrayed in many forms of media and the fact that they are shown through Ellie's story make them all the more relatable.

This novel does jump about a little time wise and so it must have been carefully and intricately constructed. Although Harriet's story doesn't get as much coverage as Ellie's does throughout the book hers is great to read about too and I feel like hers would have been one that couldn't been overlooked by many writers or readers. It was great to hear of someone balancing career and family and also someone taking a stand when she saw injustice taking place. I would love to revisit her story again in the future because I feel like there is more to tell.

For all that this book has many emotional moments, there are also some really funny and heart warming moments too as well as some romantic explorations. This writer has balanced the romance with the other much more delicate topics of the book so well. I feel wrung out having read this book in the best possible way because I feel like I have gone through this journey with Ellie, felt every feeling she has felt and then some. Oscar, Lucy and Jamie definitely prove to be excellent side characters and I loved the fact that they also had their own fully formed lives and stories as well as being there for Ellie and adding depth to her story too.

This is a book that has to be experienced, I think everyone reading this will find something personal to take from it. Catherine Isaac has done it again, this really is another beautiful novel!

Kelly Lacey

The World at My Feet

I was delighted to be asked to be a part of the book tour for Catherine Issac’s latest release. I adored Messy Wonderful Us. So I said yes without knowing what the book was about. I didn’t realise quite the journey I would go on with it. My post is late but my review will explain why and hopefully the lateness forgiven.

Ellie Heathcote is an Instagram influencer. Her account features stories and grid posts from her garden. A little haven of delight and tranquillity. In reality, it is a safe bubble for Ellie who has agoraphobia. Ellie lives in a little annexe of her parent’s house. Ellie’s agoraphobia stems from her childhood.

I was blown away as I started to read the book. I have never read one with a character that has my illness. I have traumatic agoraphobia and it has consumed my life. I have to try and separate my life experiences from Ellie’s. However, the book made me have a blip. Reading about Elle’s anxiety and panic attack experiences opened up old boxes of emotion in my head. It made me reflect on old noise and the parallel between my life and Ellie’s was intense.

So I stopped reading for a few days and pulled myself together and started it again. I too live in a bubble. I moved home to get better and I have been here for over 11 years. For an intense five years, my foot never went outside. So I feel I am in good shoes to be able to understand Ellie.

I loved Ellie so very much. It was nice to see she found a way to have a life without having an outside life through Instagram. I’ve read comments online about her being unrealistic and people saying she was hard to connect with. I 100% do not agree all I saw was a vulnerable loving soul. It makes me sad that different equals weird to some people.

I cried at a certain bit that included music, trying hard not to give too much away. That was my favourite bit. I was worried that love was going to swoop in and make everything better. I have to be honest and say I strongly disliked Colette. I have had many therapist’s who have said you have to come to the office. I never called them again and in my opinion, they did more harm than good. So fictitious Colette can go and boil her head. She made me so mad! I know that she was trying to help Ellie by pushing her to go but it does more harm than good. I know myself being made to go in such a way put me in bed for weeks.

I can’t help but look at the book through my life’s journey. There were some situations where I was like Ellie wouldn’t be able to do that and it really frustrated me. But I had to remind myself too that this was fiction.

The book is perfect for fans of Rachael Hore and Liz Trenow.

Jennifer Bibby

This book absolutely blew me away

Lisa Whittaker

Our book group’s contemporary read for June. Review to follow. Fab book though!

Craig / Phil

A very touching heartfelt tale of strength, hope, love, laughter and self discovery and sometimes the darkness can fade and life blossoms.
Ellie, is an Instagram influencer gardener who spends her days attending to her garden and taking photos for social media.
She loves the outdoors and feels safe in her sanctuary but Ellie has not ventured past her front gate for two years.
She fears the world beyond and her anxiety gets the better of her when tasked to travel outside her safe place.
When the reasons arise behind her situation, Ellie must confront many issues and some of them are rather painful.
Catherine has once again charmed readers with an touching story of how a persons past can mould their future.
So many wonderful characters, important to Ellie’s journey, each one has their own agenda and important to her growth in the plot.
I really felt Ellie’s struggles, all thanks to Catherine’s empathetic engaging writing style.
While some of the subject matter is dark and hard to read, the author touches on the issue without forcing us to read the bleak page after page and letting us know how it has shaped the characters.
There’s also the romantic element and while this isn’t the main focus for the storyline, it’s essential for the lead protagonist’s growth and healing.
Lots of gardening tips and terminology, humour in its many forms and a side cast of loveable and realistic people, this beautifully told and steady paced book is one that comes with a recommendation.

Yorkshire Born and Bookish

Another great read from Catherine Isaac. Not at all what I was expecting, but in a good way.

Ellie is an Instagram influencer who hasn’t left her home in years. Harriet, Ellie’s mother is a news reporter who we follows as she travels to Romania for work in the late 80’s/90’s.

This emotional book is told from dual Timelines and POV’s. A beautifully woven story of family, friendship and self discovery.

There are some emotional topics covered in this book, which may be triggering for some, so worth bearing in mind.

Overall an emotional, beautiful read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for a copy of this book.

Sarah

Having recently read and loved another of the authors books, I was very keen to read more by her and her latest novel seemed the obvious choice.

There is a little bit of everything within these pages. It is such a lovely and sweet read. There are a few characters who I absolutely adored, Ellie of course as well as Jamie the delivery man and little Oscar. Through these characters, more so Oscar and Jamie, there are some wonderful light hearted moments that had me chuckling away.

Ellie is quite a complex character, in some ways I envied her gardening skills and how she delivers her garden and herself on social media. It goes to show though that not everything is as it appears on the internet. Ellie’s early childhood has a big hold on who she is today and she struggles to move on from it. As much as I am a home bird, the thought of not going anywhere or doing everyday things that we take for granted, it made me feel quite claustrophobic. There is a vulnerability about her character that pulls on your heart strings and by the end she felt closer than a friend, almost like family.

The World at my Feet was an eye opening read. Through Ellie and Harriet, we learn more about what orphanages were like in Romania and the quality of life for children in them. Ellie’s own story was both endearing and heart-breaking. Whilst it was emotional in parts, it was also uplifting. With how the story ends, I would love for there to be another book following on from this as there is a character who is in the background in this one whose own story I would love to hear in more detail. Catherine Isaac is without a doubt an author whose books I will be on a constant lookout for. Her novels are such gentle and wonderful reads that get under the readers skin and the characters make their way into your heart.

Jenni

This was a very positive surprise! The cover doesn't even begin to display the depths this book has and thus is pretty misleading. However, there is a lot to unpack in this story and somehow the author manages with it all. There's Ellie, an Instagram influencer, who has some secrets she keeps from her followers. There's also her mother, who plays a crucial role in the story. And there's late 80s/early 90s Romania and what children had to live through back then. The beginning is very deceiving, it all seems very picturesque and predictable with a couple of guys entering the scene and trying to get Ellie's attention. That part is predictable, but I forgive it because I picked up this knowing that much. How everything unfolds is interesting though, touching heavily upon mental health issues and dealing with them rather well. I also liked the historical part, it's foreshadowed but somehow took me by surprise. It's a grim part of this book, but explains extremely well why the characters are the way they are. If you're looking for some romance with a side of history and don't shy away from social issues, this is a great read.

Bridget

Ellie Heathcote is a successful Instagram influencer with followers hungry for her daily tips on gardening and perfect images of her garden. From the outside in Ellie looks like she has a fulfilled life but Ellie hasn’t stepped outside her garden gate in years. Told with great sensitivity, mostly from Ellie's point of view, the reader also hears from Harriet who is a journalist back in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Covering a plethora of topics, such as mental health, fear and confronting the past The World at My Feet will pull at your heartstrings as it did mine. A beautiful story written by Catherine Isaac with compassion and care.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Simon & Schuster via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Novelle Novels

This is such a great book and for me it’s high end 4 stars. This has so much packed in and tackles agrophobia and trauma so well. Ellie shows she much on Instagram about gardening but to leave her garden is such a battle. The romance element for me let it down as Ellie seems quite naive. Loved Ellie’s family so much and their bond gives the harder hitting stuff a softer edge.

Tracy (Bridgewater & Books)

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.
This book wasn’t what I expected at all! Although I have read another one of Catherine Isaac’s and that left me in tears so maybe I should have known!
This book covers some really sensitive subjects but Catherine does it beautifully, I loved the relationships between the characters, in particular with 5 year old Oscar, he helped to give Ellie a focus and teaching him has the same therapeutic benefits as when her Grandma taught her. I enjoyed following Ellie’s journey whilst also learning about her history and her Mums history and how it all links.
A powerful read with a beautiful ending.

Natalie Ellison

Stunning. Beautifully written and heart warming. An absolute joy to read!

Janine

A well written book with some heavy themes.

Gary

Wow! Utterly stunning and the most incredibly powerful story. Thank you so much for taking me through this journey.

Julia

I was a young child in the 1980s and remember very clearly the images of the Romanian orphanages which were all over the news. The main character of this book was a Romanian orphan bought to England, who has a lovely life as a gardener now, or so it seems. The book covers some very sensitive topics but I think they’re done with care and attention, that said there were a few humorous moments too which were needed.

StrictlySue

From the minute I started reading The World at My Feet, I was hooked. I loved Ellie and was carried along by her story, so beautifully written by Catherine Issac. Ellie’s difficulties were so heartbreakingly real - I really felt the her panic attacks, anxiety and struggles with agoraphobia - written with such empathy. The chapters about Romanian orphanages in the 1990s brought back those haunting television images of the 1980’s and 90’s - you could feel as if you were really there. I loved Harriet, whose characters reminded me of Kate Adie, the fantastic BBC war reporter and I was delighted to read in the acknowledgements that the author had got inspiration for Harriet from reading Kate Adie’s books.
A wonderful, emotional and beautiful book. It will stay with me for a long time. I can highly recommend it.

Agi

Harriet is a journalist who has travelled to many dangerous places all over the world. She has covered many war – related stories but the one that has changed her life was in Romania. Following the fall of Ceausescu’s communist government, she travels there to report on the country’s orphanages, filled with thousands of children, victims of the dictator’s politics of having as many children as possible in a family. What she sees there is a shock but it’s also going to bring the biggest change in her life.
Ellie is an instagram influencer, posting about her garden and plants, sharing tips how to keep them growing and blossoming. Ellie hasn’t left the confines of her beloved garden in two years now. She suffers from agoraphobia, and just the thought of leaving the safety of her house and garden brings her close to panic attacs. Because those places are her sanctuary, her safe place. It wasn’t always like this, Ellie used to go to University in London, so what has changed? And is there something that could help? Something different than therapy which necessitates digging in the past, exposing Ellie to things that still terrify her so much, that she doesn’t want to think about?

This is Catherine Isaac’s best book yet. I was incredibly immersed in this story and read it over two days, what with life getting in the way – I’d read it in one sitting when possible! It was not easy to write this review and I’m sure I haven’t done the book justice, but let’s be honest, what can you tell about a book that is perfect instead of saying that it’s simply perfect and that you loved everything about it? I’ll be honest, I haven’t expected it to be so good, really, it truly exceeded my expectations. This book was simply so close to life and so human, it didn’t feel like reading a book, it felt like watching someone’s life, someone who quickly grew on you and became your friend, someone you fell for and kept everything crossed for them, no matter how annoying they sometimes were – and I loved this feeling! It doesn’t happen often that you feel like this about a book and I’ll be cherish this feeling – and this novel – for a long time.

I think this story was brilliantly researched. The descriptions of the orphanages and the condition of the children have broken my heart – you know such things really happened, not so long time ago, but there are things that you’d rather won’t know about. Catherine Isaac has written about it in a beautiful yet realistic and brutally honest way and hats off to her for doing it – because some things must be told as they really are/were. But also her covering the topic of mental health was brilliant and so very credible. Also the explanations why Ellie was getting panic attacks that resulted in agoraphobia was credible and realistic and you could actually feel Ellie’s fear and her emotions. It is amazing how well Catherine Isaac was able to also highlight the reasons why Ellie didn’t want to confront the past, so easily getting into her character’s head and making it crystal clear for the readers as well. But it isn’t only Ellie that was portrayed so well, because the characters surrounding her came across as living and breathing and real and I absolutely adored them all, with their own ways of supporting Ellie – with such a network you don’t have to be afraid of anything, really. Her parents and sister Lucy are absolutely brilliant and you really could see that this family feel good in each other’s company, there their bonds are strong and nothing will shake them. Ellie’s friendship with the little Oscar was heart – warming and brought some sunshine and funny moments and Gertie the dog is one and only. How they say, never work with children and animals, right? Ha! But the new friendship between Ellie and Jamie must have been the best ever, I loved seeing them together, especially after their cocktail – making session, and it was breaking my heart when they were arguing – Jamie was soooo great, so well drawn, just like the other ones.

The story is mostly set in the present, in 2018, though there are also flashbacks to 1989, telling us the background of Ellie’s tale through Harriet’s perspective. I must admit, at the beginning I thought this story is going to take in totally different direction, what with Harriet being a war – reporter, and I was puzlling over the fact what is the link to those two subplots, this of Ellie and this of Harriet. I mean, I knew they are a family, but what has happened, so significant, that both the stories are being told? I must admit, later on I started to guess what has happened, nevertheless the way leading us to this moment was thrillingly captivating, full of unexpected information and so compelling.

The book ended perfectly, and I don’t only mean the actual end but the fact that all the subplots and threads were beautifully wrapped up. It was a heart – wrenching, poignant story that made me cry at the end – and it doesn’t happen often those times. The writing style is gorgeous and it suits the story in every way. Catherine Isaac writes beautifully but in a modern way.

„The World at My Feet“ covers, in a very compelling way, with thoughtfulness and sensitivity, some emotional and controversial topics, the above mentioned orphanages in Romania, but also mental health issues. Those themes may sound disturbing and heavy, but the author overcame them with some truly wonderful moments, gentle humour and lightheartedness. Overall, it’s a powerful story about unconditional love, friendship, family and new beginnings. Poignant, realistic, brutally honest, witty and clever. Moving in places, humorous in others, I can’t recommend it highly enough!

Copy provided by the publisher in return for an honest review/PB copy purchased

Katie

2.5

My least favourite book by this author. I liked the whole concept of the story and I found the back story interesting however, my main two gripes were
gardening featured heavily in this story and yes I like pretty flowers but no I don’t really want to read about them in depth and two the main character was an irritating whinge bag. Yes she’d been through a lot as a child but the fact that her agoraphobia and bad days seemed to feature heavily around men and whether things were good with them really got my goat. Also a first outing in a long time of London isn’t at all realistic or believable to anyone who suffers from anxiety of any form.

I loved the character of the little boy and his nut allergy and I enjoyed the ending even if it was a little predictable.

Bree T

Ellie is an instagram influencer who hasn’t left the confines of her garden in two years. She’s built a career out of her garden, sharing photos and knowledge. She’s grown her followers up to almost 60k and has been doing sponsored posts for a while now. It’s all she needs – the thought of stepping out the front gate sends her into a panic and although her life is very confined, she’s happy. Right?

Ellie suffers from agoraphobia, not particularly the open spaces that you might think of, but the idea of being away from the safety of her home. Her home is her sanctuary. She lives in an annexe previously occupied by her grandmother on the property of her parents and she tends a quite luxurious garden. Ellie hasn’t always been like this, although it’s something she has struggled with on and off for large portions of her life. But a few years ago she was managing to live and work in London until the most recent flare up of her phobia. She’s undertaken therapy at various points in her life but she turned her back on that when her therapist suggested a sort of immersion therapy: exposing herself to the things that terrify her in order to help her deal with them. Ellie doesn’t want that – she’s well aware of where the trauma started and that’s something she buries so far down she wants to never examine it.

I loved this. I’ve read a Catherine Isaac book before and really enjoyed it and so I had been looking forward to reading this. I really liked Ellie from the first page, her creating of a life for herself, that worked with her mental illness, even if it wasn’t the sort of life that others might want for her. Her parents are wonderfully supportive, although they do want Ellie to not be hurting or frightened of the thought of leaving the confines of the property and her sister Lucy is amazing too. Ellie knows that it’s difficult for her to maintain friendships – few people are understanding of her inability to meet for drinks, go out for dinner, even visit them in their homes. Most of her interaction is online, answering comments on her instagram posts and engaging with the community to continue to drive up her followers. Her income depends on the success of her sponsored posts and it’s also a way to interact with people and have conversations without having to leave her property. At the same time, delivery driver Jamie enters her life as does yoga instructor Guy. Ellie wants a relationship, but like with friendships, the amount of people who are understanding of her limitations are quite few and far between.

I had a bit of trouble figuring out some of the timeline, briefly in the book but then I realised why things didn’t add up. I have actually watched a documentary on Romania post-Communist fall, in particular around the orphanages and state care facilities and it is harrowing stuff. The deeper this book got into exploring the background of Ellie’s trauma, the more things made sense – where it had come from, how deep and ingrained it was and how it was something so buried for her own self-preservation. But in burying it, Ellie had also made difficulties for herself and I understand her reluctance to confront it head on. To not want that sort of closure from that time in her life because of how truly painful and damaging it was. Ellie got terribly lucky in a situation where many did not and I think there’s also a deep-seated guilt about that as well.

I really enjoyed the way this book explored methods of therapy, Ellie’s journey with her illness and also social media – the pressure for every post to be perfect, to not show the messiness behind the posts, the things that went in to creating the ‘look’. Ellie often takes hundreds of photos to just get that one shot to post and there’s a portion in the book where she also has a run in with a troll, which is always the danger whenever you put anything out there on social media. Ellie has a battle about authentic vs created and ends up making a decision about what she posts which I really liked. I felt it came at a time when she was making quite a lot of decisions about her future and how her life was going to work going forward.

I thought this was really wonderful and enjoyed every page of it.

Linda Hill

Gardener Ellie has a problem.

Reading a new book by a favourite author is always a terrifying concept. What if I don’t like it? I didn’t like The World At My Feet. I loved it!

Whilst The World At My Feet had all the beautiful, descriptive and humane writing I have come to expect from a Catherine Isaac novel, this time there was an added extra. It’s somewhat difficult to articulate, but I felt as if the author had somehow invested more of herself in the narrative and as a result I felt even more personally affected. There’s not only Ellie’s agoraphobia that is so well researched and realistically conveyed, but the Romanian historical details are rich, deep and authoritative, making for a story that penetrates the reader’s mind and leaves them thinking about the narrative long after the book is closed. Indeed, after I’d finished reading the story and being entertained, I found The World At My Feet kept creeping back into my mind.

There’s a wonderful depth to the writing in The World At My Feet. Catherine Isaac’s ability to appeal to all the senses is glorious. The descriptions of Ellie’s garden lifted my spirits and it is no exaggeration to say that I was compelled to go out into my own garden as a result of my reading, so that it had a positive effect on my own emotional well-being, because I experienced the same lift from nature as does Ellie.

I loved meeting Ellie. She is such a complete human being who is battling an awful condition. She illustrates so effectively how we are affected by our past, even when we try to block it out and how metal illness is equally as life changing as physical illness. The World At My Feet conveys through Ellie the importance of love, of nature, family and friends which I think has enormous resonance in recent times. She had my sympathy and my empathy even when her realistic, flawed persona made her behave in ways I wanted her to reconsider, making her feel like a metaphor for life. I cared about her completely and she got right under my skin. It would spoil the story to say how and why her relationships with Guy and Jamie made me feel as they did, but I can say they had a visceral and profound impact on me, causing me to shout at the characters and to weep tears of joy and sadness at some of the outcomes.

Although I always profess that I’m not keen on dual timelines or multiple perspectives in books, I found Harriet’s story equally as engaging as Ellie’s. It might sound ridiculous, but because The World At My Feet is based in real events that I remember, I completely forgot that Harriet and Ellie are fictional characters. I think it’s the authority behind the writing that created such an effect.

Alongside the wonderful characters and perfectly balanced plotting are themes that elevate The World At My Feet beyond a beautifully told love story – a love story not just romantically, but within families too. Catherine Isaac explores identity – of culture, of place, and of our real and social media personas so that reading The World At My Feet gave an insight into how we construct ourselves for others. Loyalty and trust, true friendship and responsibility also underpin the story, adding layers to uncover, but it was the realistic portrayal of Ellie’s situation that held my attention so completely. I think reading The World At My Feet might just be life changing for some, giving them hope at difficult times.

I’m aware that I haven’t really done justice to The World At My Feet. If readers are looking for a light, fluffy diversion they may be disappointed. If, however, they want a book that explores humanity, is romantic, is transporting and is an utterly brilliant multi-layered read then Catherine Isaac’s The World At My Feet is exactly what they are looking for.

Kristin Alyssa

There is a lot I want to say about this book. I do not have agoraphobia. However, I developed OCD in late 2019-early 2020 and those felt like some of the absolute worst days of my life. While I could physically go and insert myself into any type of situation I wanted, the intrusive thoughts did not subside. And sometimes, they made me avoid things, just like Ellie.

I'm not trying to compare agoraphobia and OCD in the sense that they are the same, because they certainly are not. My point in prefacing this is that Ellie is probably the only fictional character I have ever read who I can actually relate to in a more complete sense. Restarting over and over, feeling like it is impossible to do things or think about things—I have been there. I have done the exposure therapy. I have felt like a fraud.

As someone who is not agoraphobic, I cannot attest to how accurate an experience this is for that mental illness. But I can say that it feels real to me, and I can relate to it in more ways than one.

I'm honestly floored by the similarities between myself and Ellie—by mostly, I am grateful a fiction book like this exists. I do not usually see myself represented on the page or the screen in this way. Mental health is often played as a joke, especially the illnesses with more stigma around them, such as OCD, agoraphobia, BPD and more. And even when we do see something more realistic, it is often fleeting and never mentioned again, despite the fact that the problem would never be resolved within a two-episode arc.

This felt real and raw and like something *I* could relate to. Someone finally put into words the strange thoughts I have had running through my head for the past two and a half years. In fiction, no less!

One of the hardest parts for me was after she relapses and spends weeks cooped up in her house. Her sister leaves and she learns more about her past. She loves her family. I felt this more than anything. Unfortunately in many books, familial appreciation is glossed over, despite the fact that it is so important. Yet here, we learn that it's okay to want what's best for your family while feeling a bit lost when they are gone or when they can't comprehend what's going on inside your head.

Is this book perfect? No, of course not. Particularly, I'm curious about London at the end. However, I know that once I learned my coping skills, I just started throwing myself into any situation I wanted because I wasn't supposed to let fear stop me from doing what I valued, so it could be pretty accurate.

But I have to give this book 5 stars purely because I feel represented and I am so grateful for it. It is a spectacular read overall.

I am unsure about the accuracy of the orphanages or the agoraphobia itself, but I know what I felt and I felt moved. I felt seen. And for that, this book deserves a 5 out of 5.

Title	:	The World at My Feet
Author	:	Catherine Isaac
Rating	:
ISBN	:	1471191419
ISBN-10	:	9781471191411
Format Type	:	Audiobook
Number of Pages	:	-
Publication	:	First published January 1, 2021

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