These precious grace stories are very encouraging and refreshing! I enjoyed them so much I purchased 12 of them and gave them as gifts to friends and family. Thank you Angela!

This is one book I've read about five times and have found every reading a pleasure. It is a book which looks at the elements of the Christian faith from a different perspective, the seasons of the year. It is a book of power and beauty. I have purchased several copies to give as gifts to friends and enemies alike.

This book will teach and challenge you and your family to live covenantally, based on the Old and New Testaments. Filled with Scripture and examples of men and women serving God and each other, you will be encouraged to live a life holy and
acceptable to the Lord.

I found it an easy way to understand psychology through this book. Since I am not native speaker, to read English is complicated for me. However, the way the author tried to explain pshchlolgy is systematic; using simple words; good case and explanation. It;s fun to read this book. I am looking for the new edition for this book. Mine is already bitten by termite.

The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe is an adventure and mysterious book of four kids, and an unknown world beyond. Lucy, Edmund, Peter, and Susan get sent to live with a professor because of a war back in London. While the four explore the mysterious mansion and play games, Lucy finds a secret wardrobe with a country just beyond.
C.S. Lewis's story of, The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe is one of the greatest books and definitely one I loved to read!
Lucy was the first to go to the magical land beyond of snow, a place called Narnia. As soon as she finds her way out, tales are told to the others about all the different creatures and things inside of the wardrobe. But all they seem to think of her is that she is a crazy liar. But soon to find out Lucy wasn't lying at all, it was a magical place they saw for themselves. With an evil spell the White Witch made it always winter but never Christmas. Trouble begins when Edmund betrays the others (not knowing anything about her) and takes side with the Witch. Because of Edmund'Lucy, Peter, and Susan need to get Aslan (a lion) to change everything and defeat the White Witch himself to break the spell and get Edmund back with them.
This book's theme can let you learn that you should always think and know before you except upon others. Well at least that's what I learned.
I loved how C.S. Lewis made parts of the book where you thought one thing was going to happen, but then after you read on, you find out you were totally wrong. That was the best thing about this book!
I would let people of all ages read this adventures novel, no matter how old you are. It's a book that you wont be able to stop reading once you start! But what will happen to Edmund, and will Aslan make the Narnia change? Your going to have to read it to find out!

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is, of course, loved by millions as a classic, and it truly deserves its distinction. Rarely will any reader of any genre find a story so moving and entertaining and so enlightening. I can't recommend anything more highly than this little volume.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the story of Lucy, Edmund, Susan, and Peter who wander through an old wardrobe into the magical world of Narnia. What follows is their adventure as they team with a nation of talking animals and other magical creatures versus the evil powers in the kingdom. The novel climaxes with one extraordinary act of love which tears through the kingdom and changes everything and everyone after.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is such a successful novel. It does serve as a wonderfully powerful read. The book also enlightens the reader with its commentary Christian symbolism on the nature of love. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is a classic, and I really think that it is just now coming into what may be its most popular period. The world is pleading for some type of meaning, and here, Lewis is willing to offer it.

This novel is a great book to read, especially for children who love fairy tales. Every once in a while I love to glance back at this book and read it for fun. This is my opinion about this book.
The book is about four children from England who are going to a wise grown-up's house to spend the summer at. During the time, they discover a magical wardrobe in the house that leads to a huge country called Narnia, in which they become Kings and Queens. The names of the children are Peter (the oldest), Susan (the 2nd oldest), Edmund (the third oldest), and Lucy (the youngest). One day it is raining outside and they decide to go explore through the house since they can't go outside. When they're exploring they decide to play hide-and-go-seek since the house is huge. Lucy, hides in a wardrobe and discovers there are fur coats that lead to the country Narnia. As she goes in, she discovers there is a center lightpost, where she meets a faun and goes off with him to eat. She was there for hours, then finally, (I don't want to give the secret of the fuan) she decides to go back to the house. When she gets back, she told the others about it and they did not believe her. She was in the country for hours, but then she found out that it had only been a few seconds. Narnia time is different from real time.
Next game, Edmund goes into the center lightpost and a witch on a sledge comes by. She offers him food and to tell the others to come (This witch is evil for real but lies to Edmund to get him to bring the others. I don't think I should tell why though, ruins story). When Edmund comes back, he lies to the others about the country and Lucy gets upset.
Later in the story, they all go in and find it. They find out that they have to save Narnia from the witch's evil spell (It's always Winter), so they meet a great lion named Aslan. Aslan helps him to kill the witch and the spell breaks. Then they become Kings and Queens of Narnia.
That is a brief description about this novel. I would love to write more but the maximum words are 1,000. I highly recommend this book for anyone, even adults. If you ever get the chance, go ahead and read.

To C.S. Lewis:
You are the greatest author I have ever known of. Thank you for making this book. I wish I could meet you someday.

Kellen Kornegay

I was first introduced to Julie Garwood after skimming through an excerpt of MERCY in the Cosmopolitan magazine. After reading that book, I read HEARTBREAKER. Then, I embarked upon reading her historical titles.

As always, Garwood writes a tale about love, passion, and intrigue. SG takes place in the Highlands of medieval Scotland. The novel is truly captivating - for its memorable story, well-depicted characters, and excellent writing. Out of all the handsome, powerful, arrogant, and gallant heroes that grace the historical romance world, Scottish Laird Gabriel McBain is by far my most favorite warrior. He is a tender and passionate lover. Unlike many heroes, he does not torment himself, or struggle with the fact that he actually loves his wife! He accepts Johanna for who she is; he welcomes her love with open arms; and he protects her with all his might. Lady Johanna is wonderfully crafted as the golden-haired English beauty. Of course, she's clever, strong-willed, loyal, and absolutely devoted to McBain. Together, they make one of Garwood's most beloved couples.

I have read all of Ms. Garwood's books, except PRINCE CHARMING, COME THE SPRING, THE ROSE TRILOGY, KILLJOY, and A GIRL NAMED SUMMER. Her ability to entertain readers with her wonderful prose style is invaluable to the literary world. She's a masterful storyteller. After reading this book, I highly recommend that you read HONOR'S SPLENDOR, THE LION'S LADY, THE BRIDE, THE SECRET, and RANSOM. All of her books are great and very entertaining, but these 4 represent her best works.

I cherish SG, because it's the first historical romance novel that I ever read. It is a definite must-have for all romance readers alike.

I was first introduced to Julie Garwood after skimming through an excerpt of MERCY in the Cosmopolitan magazine. After reading that book, I read HEARTBREAKER. Then, I embarked upon reading her historical titles.

As always, Garwood writes a tale about love, passion, and intrigue. SG takes place in the Highlands of medieval Scotland. The novel is truly captivating - for its memorable story, well-depicted characters, and excellent writing. Out of all the handsome, powerful, arrogant, and gallant heroes that grace the historical romance world, Scottish Laird Gabriel MacBain is by far my most favorite warrior. He is a tender and passionate lover. Unlike many heroes, he does not torment himself, or struggle with the fact that he actually loves his wife! He accepts Johanna for who she is; he welcomes her love with open arms; and he protects her with all his might. Lady Johanna is wonderfully crafted as the golden-haired English beauty. Of course, she's clever, strong-willed, loyal, and absolutely devoted to MacBain. Together, they make one of Garwood's most beloved couples. I cherish SG, because it's the first historical romance novel that I ever read. I believe it's a definite must-have for all romance readers alike.

I have read all of Ms. Garwood's books, except PRINCE CHARMING, COME THE SPRING, THE ROSE TRILOGY, KILLJOY, and A GIRL NAMED SUMMER. Her ability to entertain readers with her wonderful prose style is invaluable to the literary world. She's a masterful storyteller. After reading this book, I highly recommend that you read HONOR'S SPLENDOR, THE LION'S LADY, THE BRIDE, THE SECRET, and RANSOM. All of her books are great and very entertaining, but these 4 represent her best works.

My favorite Julie Garwood novel, Saving Grace focuses on the theme of spousal abuse in a Medieval historical setting. Johanna, who suffered at the hands of her dead husband Baron Raulf was a physically and psychologically abused child bride. She learns what marriage and love are really meant to be and discovers passion when she remarries Highland Laird Gabriel Macbain in order to escape the threat of imprisonment or worse at the hands of the king of England. Macbain, a former outcast and illegitimate son of a Scottish Laird, has formed his own clan of other outcasts and has taken on the task of uniting his clan with another. He marries Johanna, primarily in order to gain control of the land that she has inherited, but he quickly falls in love with her and vows never to let anyone mistreat her again. With the love of her archangel Gabriel, Johanna begins to overcome her fear and takes back her life. This JG novel has it all, Brilliant leading characters who stay in your thoughts, passion that makes you burn, mystery/plot that keeps moving, tenderness and sensitivity which lift your spirit, healing that touches your soul, wit and humour which will make you laugh out loud. Ms.Garwood has gone far beyond the norm with SG, it makes you think twice about "romance" writing.

Book of the Year winner, this is the best book, outside of the Bible, that I have ever read. Period. Here Yancey presents a radical picture of what Grace, the last good word, really is. As usual, his writing style is very down to earth, real, empathetic, and insightful. How do we deal with the idea of Grace combined with things like Nazi Germany, the KKK, and Columbine high school? Can we reconcile the two in our minds? We must, if we are to view Grace as it is truely presented in the Bible. Grace is scandelous. But scandelous Grace is what God demands of His church. Real Grace forgives the unforgiveable, loves the unloveable, and reaches even to the undesirable. And when true Grace is emparted, the world sees Christ, for Christ's Grace given to us is just as amazing. Yancey's words here are sometimes shocking, as it is difficult for the rational human mind to empart Grace when we automatically demand justice. But none the less, his words are Biblically true and so the challenge is for the church to apply these lessons. Read this book. Open your heart. Accept the Grace that God emparts to you and then empart Grace to those in your life. Learning to empart Grace, and in the process destroying the cycle of un-grace, will utterly change your world. There is no other book that I can recommend more to a Christian searching to be and love like Jesus. Five stars.

This could be one of the best "faith" books I have ever read. In a day and age where platitudes reign in sermons, Yancey is able to drill down into the core purpose of Christianity. His perspective on grace is refreshing, eye opening, and portrayed in way that entices you to want to learn more. One of my favorite excerpts which is the real premise of the book: Mark Twain used to talk about people who were "good in the worst sense of the word," a phrase that, for many, captures the reputation of Christians today. Recently, I have been asking a qustion of strangers when I strike up a conversation. "When I say the words 'evangelical Christian' what comes to mind?" In reply, mostly I hear political descriptions: of strident pro-life activists, or gay-rights opponents, or proposals for censoring the Internet. Not once - not once - have I heard a description redolent of grace. Apparently this is not the aroma Christians give off in the world.

...Yet somehow throughout history the church has managed to gain a reputation for its ungrace. As a little English girl prayer, "O God, make the bad people good and the good people nice."

Great book and a must read.

Philip Yancey is one of my favorite authors, and this book is definitely one of his best. We live in a sick world that is desperately searching for hope and meaning. God's grace is the answer to all of life's problems, and those who follow Christ have the answer to all the questions; yet grace like God's is so unfathomable from our earthly perspective. Yancey does an admirable job in putting "flesh" on the concept of biblical grace - - showing us what it is, by giving us examples of grace and "ungrace," as Yancey calls it, in the lives of real people. Not a boring theological treatise, but an immensely encouraging book that offers a glimpse of the depth and expansiveness of God's amazing grace. Chapter Two, in which Yancey summarizes the plot of the movie "Babette's Feast" as a beautiful parable of what grace looks like is worth the price of the book alone! But Yancey is also honest enough to admit that the church mostly does a very poor job of extending God's grace to others -- a much needed wake-up call for Christians. All this to say - - read this book!

This interesting, but badly flawed, book provides an in-depth look at one "civil action"; a lawsuit by citizens of Woburn, MA against W.R. Grace and Beatrice Foods, which alleged that TCE (trichloroethylene) dumping at sites owned by the companies contaminated two town wells and caused leukemia in local children.

The entire nation has spent the past decade gripped by one blockbuster case after another (OJ, the Nanny, Monicagate) and having read hundreds of cases in Law School & dozens of legal thrillers & watched numerous trials on Court TV, I can confidently state that the legal system is a unique generator of human drama. There are always good guys and bad guys, victims & perpetrators, oddball lawyers, brilliant jurists, arcane legal machinations, big bucks prizes or maybe a death sentence, and so on. So what A Civil Action cried out for was something to separate it from the pack. Why should this one case interest us? What lessons can it teach?

Sadly, Jonathan Harr does not step up to the plate & accept this challenge. He has provided an excellent narrative of the events in a complex case, filled with human drama, but he conspicuously fails to put it all in context. Here are some of the issues he should have analyzed:

1) The Big Enchilada: should the case ever have been allowed to go forward in the first place?

Let me just start by saying that the behavior of the corporations in Woburn was reprehensible & they should be subject to criminal & civil prosecution for dumping & for attempting to cover up their dumping. However, the case that Schlichtmann & Co. brought alleged that the dumping had specifically caused leukemia.

As Dan Kennedy, a journalist who has written extensively about the case & been quite sympathetic to the plaintiffs, said in a 1998 story for the Boston Phoenix: "The scientific state of the art was (and still is) probably too primitive to allow him to prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that Beatrice and Grace were at least partly responsible for contaminating Wells G and H, and that the contaminants, in turn, caused leukemia and other illnesses."

Or, as renowned quack-science debunker Michael Fumento stated in Forbes: "In 1982, when Schlichtmann sued Grace, information on the solvent TCE was relatively sketchy. Now we have the results of numerous rodent studies in which the animals were dosed with thousands of times the amount of chemical that humans might receive in their drinking water. Of the 35 rodent studies in the Carcinogenic Potency Database developed by U.C. Berkeley biologist Lois Swirsky Gold, none has found a TCE-leukemia connection."

In light of the impossibility of establishing a link between TCE and the leukemia cases, it seems obvious that Judge Skinner should have granted the Rule 11 motion that Beatrice Foods brought & should have sanctioned Schlichtmann for bringing a frivolous suit.

This case was simply not the appropriate vehicle for punishing Grace & Beatrice & vindicating justice.

2) Is a jury capable of dealing with the technical issues raised in such a case & is it appropriate to have a jury deal with the emotional issues raised?

The section of the book on the jury deliberations was especially troubling. The level of confusion displayed throughout the trial by even expert witnesses raises the question whether anyone actually understood what was going on, but the jury clearly had no idea what they were supposed to be doing & ended up rendering a thoroughly confusing verdict in the first stage of the trial. If civil cases this complex are to be brought to trial, which they surely will be, it seems that it would make more sense to have them be bench trials or to appoint Special Masters with the technical background to decide the fact issues.

Luckily we were spared the spectacle of the second portion of the trial, where Schlichtmann would have paraded "victims" before the jury in an attempt to win a big money judgment. Of course, it is a horrible thing when any child develops leukemia. And if there's a local polluter, it's tempting to want to make them pay, but it may not, & in this case would not, be in the best interests of justice to do so.

3) How can we tolerate a legal system which allows the contemptible behavior of virtually every character involved in this trial?

To give just a few examples, & assuming Harr's portrayals are accurate:

Beyond the issue of their continual time-wasting objections and unwarranted motions, it seems clear that the defense parties & attorneys hid evidence from Schlichtmann during discovery.

Schlichtmann appears to have been completely irresponsible in ending pre-trial settlement negotiations with Beatrice Foods.

The judge appears to have allowed his personal feelings about the genuinely annoying Schlichtmann to influence how he handled motions and objections.

Anne Anderson, and a couple other plaintiffs, appear to have been petty, greedy & ungrateful in challenging Schlichtmann's billing after the settlement.

Then there's the attorney who sought a referral fee & Trial Lawyers for Public Justice which sought 800k after bailing from the case.

& people ask me why I don't choose to practice law?

Finally, I have one major problem with the manner in which Harr produced his story. At the end of the book he reveals to the reader that he had virtually continual access to Schlichtmann & company during the trial & only afterward assembled the defense's side. As an initial matter, it seems to me that he should have told us this at the outset. And the reason for this brings up the larger issue; in a case that was as emotionally compelling as this one was, dead kids, bankrupt plaintiff's lawyers, etc.., is it even reasonable to believe that Harr's account is impartial. Shouldn't we assume that someone who was that close to the plaintiff's side throughout would develop some emotional investment in their case?

Ultimately, while I enjoyed the book, I found it's lack of analysis a major flaw and I think that it's greatest value lies in it's exposure of the pathologies that plague the American legal system.

GRADE: C+

This is a very well-written account of a lawsuit filed by eight families in Woburn, MA against two large corporations that they believed contaminated their drinking water with carcinogens, leading to the deaths of several children from leukemia.

The characters are at least as vivid as any in fiction, and the story is detailed in its coverage of the legal maneuvering and the law itself. (Some people may find this boring, but it is integral to the plot, and to me it was interesting.) At the outset of the book, I had trouble believing that I would be sympathetic to an extravagant personal injury lawyer operating in the go-go eighties, but the author does such a good job of portraying Jan Schlichtmann, the counsel for the plaintiffs, that you share his exhaustion by the end of the book.

"A Civil Action" is a vivid example of the differences between justice and law, and it may well leave you outraged. It is, in any case, a very solid read.

I don't know why this book isn't on the New York Times bestseller list. There can be only one reason it's not there; the word isn't out YET. If you're a John Grisham fan, you'll treasure this read AND it's a true story! The author spent eight years following this case that began with a cluster of leukemia cases that popped up in Woburn, Massachusetts in the late seventies. The plaintiffs think the illnesses came from a contamination of the drinking water with TCE, trichloroethylene. Not much more can be said without giving away the resolution, but along the way you'll be amazed (and furious) at the personalities; the federal judge, the young, cocky, self-assured plaintiffs' attorney, Joel Schlichtmann, and his powerful adversaries, the attorneys for the big-monied corporate defendants. The author effectively draws you into the story with his perceptive prose and his clear understanding of the legal subtleties involved. He knows just where to pick you up and drop you off, chapter by chapter. Don't miss this one, but beware, once you start reading, you'll be hooked

Okay, "the saving graces" certainly doesn't qualify as outstanding literature. And yes, the story of 4 friends & each one's joys & sorrows is not the most original concept in the world: But the strength of this particular novel is that it's extremely well written & so much fun: it's a story that could really be about any of us, the themes are so familiar. "The saving graces" underline what most of us already know, that friends are the relatives we chose, the family we form for ourselves, whereas when it comes to our actual families, we don't have a choice.

Patricia Gaffney, from what I've heard (because this is the first book of hers that I've read) usually writes different kind of novels, historical romances etc. But I don't know why- she seems to be a natural in telling a contemporary, real, easy-to-read story.

This book is about the friendship of 4 women, around 40 years old: Rudy, Isabel, Emma & Lee. They meet twice a month for dinner & share secrets, talk about their lives, laugh a lot and sometimes cry. What women-friends do in real life, actually: and this is this novel's strength: although it's not the most substantial or inspired book in the world, it's one of the best books in the "light reading" category, since it's as if the story is taken out of real life. It's one of those novels that the reader gets totally engrossed in, so it's a very good selection for a weekend away or for a long airplane ride. You'll have a great time reading it...

After reading almost all of Patricia Gaffney's books, I have to say, her first contemporary is truly a work of art.

The Saving Graces is a novel of friendship. Calling themselves the Saving Graces, Emma, Rudy, Lee and Isabel meet twice a month for dinner to talk about life, love, marriage, careers, achievements and disappointments.

Emma, wanting to publish her first book and in love with a married man. Beautiful Rudy, unsure of herself and afraid to upset her manipulative husband. Lee, the "normal" one who is desperatly trying to have a baby. And Isabel, divorced and battling the battle of her life. Cancer.

This story pulled me in from the beginning and made me wish I were part of The Saving Graces. I laughed, I cried (hid from my husband because I didn't want him to see me!) and most of all I fell in love with the four of them. I truly didn't want the story to end. Don't wait for the paperback. This book is one that you will truly enjoy and read over and over again. Loan it to your best friend. Maybe you'll start up a "Saving Graces" of your own.

After reading almost all of Patricia Gaffney's books, I have to say, her first contemporary is truly a work of art.

The Saving Graces is a novel of friendship. Calling themselves the Saving Graces, Emma, Rudy, Lee and Isabel meet twice a month for dinner to talk about life, love, marriage, careers, achievements and disappointments.

Emma, wanting to publish her first book and in love with a married man. Beautiful Rudy, unsure of herself and afraid to upset her manipulative husband. Lee, the 'normal' one who is desperatly trying to have a baby. And Isabel, divorced and battling the battle of her life. Cancer.

This story pulled me in from the beginning and made me wish I were part of The Saving Graces. I laughed, I cried (hid from my husband because I didn't want him to see me!) and most of all I fell in love with the four of them. I truly didn't want the story to end. Don't wait for the paperback. This book is one that you will truly enjoy and read over and over again. Loan it to your best friend. Maybe you'll start up a 'Saving Graces' of your own.

'Alias Grace' has long been recommended to me but I only just read it because the story, a piece of historical fiction of a 1840s Canadian murderess, didn't sound particularly appealing. Well my only regret is not having read the book sooner.

The story itself, on face value, is rather ordinary. Teenage girl and apparent boyfriend both kill their employers. However the girl ('Grace') is enigmatic and, as such, her actual guilt is brought into question. All this is explained very early in the novel. But then Atwood does a wonderful job of going into the mind and soul of our poor Grace; we are intrigued, disgusted, and feel compassion for this strange creature. The author then deftly reveals, in minute stages, what the real Grace is all about. The results are unexpected.

Oh, and Ms Atwood is a brilliant writer. Her prose is superb, to the point where you wonder if she can write a bad sentence.

Bottom line: among Atwood's best. A must read.

It is Canada in 1843 - Queen Victoria reigns; her insurrection prone North American colonists are diverted and then transfixed by a shocking murder trial.

Against this backdrop Margaret Atwood, who gave us The Robber Bride and The Handmaid's Tale, presents her ninth novel. Atwood's virtuosity is at its peak as she traces her feminist thesis in Alias Grace, which is based on the true story of a 16-year-old servant girl accused of double murder. With few facts known, the author has drawn a haunting portrait of what might have been, a profoundly mesmerizing combination of actuality and invention.

Grace Marks and her fellow worker, James McDermott, were tried and convicted for the brutal killing of their employer Thomas Kinnear and his housekeeper Nancy Montgomery. McDermott was hanged at the new gaol in Toronto, November 21, 1843. While Grace, due to her youth and "feminine weakness of mind," was sentenced to life in prison. She was also committed to a lunatic asylum following an emotional breakdown. Throughout both incarcerations Grace maintained that she had no memory of the murders or the victims.

Referring to the scandalous trial in her afterword Atwood writes: "The details were sensational: Grace Marks was uncommonly pretty and also extremely young; Kinnear's housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery, had previously given birth to an illegitimate child and was Thomas Kinnear's mistress; at her autopsy she was found to be pregnant. Grace and her fellow-servant James McDermott had run away to the United States together and were assumed by the press to be lovers. The combination of sex, violence, and the deplorable insubordination of the lower classes was most attractive to the journalists of the day."

Grace's story is revealed through letters, verse, news accounts, but primarily through her voice and that of Dr. Simon Jordan.

An ambitious young doctor with an interest in the field of repressed memory, Jordan is retained by those who believe Grace innocent to help her remember. As Grace's memory is prodded, she weaves her tale. Is Jordan trying to exploit her for professional gain. Or, is it possible that she is manipulating him?

Was Grace a naive pawn or a venomous Circe who bewitched then goaded McDermott into committing this appalling crime? The climax is a stunner!

In the adroit hands of Margaret Atwood, shades of guilt, innocence and complicity as well as the complexities of the human mind continue to fascinate. Alias Grace, a laudatory fictionalization of actual events, is a shivery Victorian tale of obsession and murder.

A sizable part of _Alias Grace_ is based on Susana Moodie's mid-19th century book about Grace Marks, who was convicted along with fellow servant, James McDermott, for the murders of Thomas Kinnear, and his housekeeper and mistress, Nancy Montgomery. Moodie met Grace Marks while the former was visiting the insane asylum and then the penitentary where Marks was later incarcerated. McDermott was hanged for his part in the murders; Marks was also condemned to die in the same manner, but her sentence was commuted to life in prison through the efforts of her attorney and of private citizens' groups who believed in her innocence. Much of Grace Marks' story is told by her, through a series of post-conviction interviews with Dr. Simon Jordan, a medical doctor who was a pioneer in the enlightened treatment of the mentally ill. Dr. Jordan is sponsored by a Reverend Verringer, who heads one of these groups.

What makes Margaret Atwood's novel so compelling is that much of what happens in _Alias Grace_ is based on true accounts of Grace Marks' life, which is seamlessly and expertly adapted by Ms. Atwood. She readily admits in her afterword "where hints and outright gaps exist in the record, I felt free to invent." Ms. Atwood is a master storyteller. Her Grace Marks is very much a three-dimensional, flesh and blood 19th century woman. The public's beliefs about her parallel many of the widely held views of females of her time. While many imagined Marks to be weak and easily led astray by a stronger and more wiley older man (Marks was only 16 at the time of the murders), others saw Marks as an evil and jealous temptress who entrapped a gullible man into the killings. Atwood also sensitively reveals the plight of many young girls of the period who suddenly become motherless and due to their changed cicumstances take positions as servants to the wealthy, or worse yet, are forced into prostitution. The alternative was pennilessness and ultimate starvation. Then there are those young women who fell prey to a "gentleman's" amorous demands, some of whom promised marriage, only to later abandon them. A truly heartbreaking episode in the book concerns Mary Whitney, a co-worker and close friend of Grace Marks, who dies as a result of a shoddily performed abortion.

By the end of the book the reader is given no definitive answer as to whether Marks was directly involved in either of the two murders. Her complexity is further revealed in the section of the book where a doctor (of the jack-of-all-trades type) puts her under hypnosis and another aspect of her personality is revealed. Grace Marks is confirmed as a woman of many sides, capable of acts of goodness, compassion--but murder? Read the very highly recommended book and then decide for yourself.