Honestly? I can say, without any hesitation: this is the most extraordinary work of literature I have ever read. The prose is breathtaking, the characters are like relatives to me now, and the experiences within the book will be familliar to any Native person who reads it.

How this woman missed out on the Nobel Prize (or the Booker, at *least*) is an utter mystery to me.

If you are an Indigenous person of any stripe, do yourself a favor and buy this book. Patricia Grace is a literary kaumaatua, and I thank her for her words.

Although I read this book some time ago, I will try to make a review for some other readers passing by this page. It is about the different lifes and happenings of the members of a Maori family, mainly three women of the family, and the story spins around in time, in past and present. This is the second book I have read written by Patricia Grace and I'm lokking forward to reading some more of her work. I like her style so much, the way she can express so many feelings; you get into the story and the main caracters as you read the book, and you wish it didn't come to an end.

this is a great book to rea

I am always on the lookout for new authors, and I am pleased to have found Patricia Brooks. I simply could not put this book down. Highly recommended!

Patricia Brooks and her delightful heroine Molly Piper are welcome additions to the mystery fiction genre. Molly is smart, sassy, and 4' 9" tall. She's a former gymnast, a former big-city police officer, and now setting up her own business as a private investigator on rural Grace Island in Puget Sound WA. Molly's idol is Kinsey Milhone (of the Sue Grafton alphabet series) but she's inventive and daring enough to teach Kinsey a thing or two. "Falling From Grace" deals with the appearance of a serial killer on Grace Island. With the island as backdrop, and a carefully wrought cast of characters to assist her, Molly Piper snoops, sleuths, and brings all to a surprising and satisfactory conclusion. Don't be put off by the cover (a speeding tractor trailer). This is fine mystery fiction and I hope we see more of Molly and Grace Island soon!

I read this as a teen and today, I still love the story. It is a timeless and poignant story of "doing the right thing". I cry every time. It is a story that every dream should be. I highly reccommend it for Christians looking for a true romance to read.

I just finished reading "Patricia" and I must say, this is probably the best romance novel I've ever read! (of course, this is also my first Grace Livingston Hill novel...) It is sweet and actually really inspirational. And, I'll admit it--I got quite teary. :)

I HAVE BOUGTH SOME BOOKS ABOUT THIS TOPIC BUT THERE ARE ALOT INFORMATION THAT IS NOT NECESARY TO MY. I WANT TO HAVE A BOOK THAT ONLY GIVE MY A TIPS ABOUT THE TEST

In my search for material to help those dying of lymphoma, I found many books for caregivers, for the bereaved, and for therapists who aid the dying, but only a few books that speak directly to the dying person. Weenolsen's book fills the gap.

The Art of Dying offers much information, including very practical information, for dealing with the end of life--information not present in many other books, most of which focus primarily on the spirituality of dying, and communicating with loved ones before you die. Although these are terribly important issues, practical advice about arranging finances, preparing advance directives to ensure for or against extraordinary resuscitation efforts, and learning what to expect in the last few moments of life are questions that have been addressed in few other books.

In particular, I appreciate Weenolsen's very pragmatic list of things not to say to children. For instance, she recommends you not say you're "just going to sleep," lest they develop a subsequent fear of sleeping.

If you're facing death soon, or if you believe that one ought to prepare to die at any time, this book will serve you well.

At 4'9", Molly Piper stuns people when she insists she is a private investigator. Most individuals do not take Molly seriously even though Washington State has licensed her as a professional sleuth. Molly has an office on Prince Island just off the coast. She has previously solved a homicide (see FALLING FROM GRACE) and is highly regarded by individuals who populate the valuable island real estate.

Posters anonymously appear throughout the community proclaiming that Edmund Bercain, President of the East Island Chamber of Commerce, is guilty of crimes against the people. The aspiring politician is livid. He hires Molly to uncover the identity of the person behind the smear campaign. However, before she can begin, someone kills her client. The spouse of the deceased retains Molly, but her task is to learn who murdered her husband. As she digs into the victim's life, Molly learns he made many enemies due to his ruthless business methods, several of who had the motive to kill him.

If one word is used to describe BUT FOR THE GRACE, grim would be the choice. The island weather is dark and damp. The heroine is alienated from her lover and her best friend. The murder suspects are more pitiful than feared. In spite of all that gloom, the story line contains a cleverly designed who-done-it with a shocking climax that will grab reader empathy. The characters seem like genuine individuals who enjoy being islanders so that they can avoid mainstream American life (whatever that is). Fans who enjoy unabashed realism will fully relish Patricia Brook's dark but compelling drama.

Harriet Klausner

I can't recall when I've ever felt so strongly the musical rhythm of an author's style, or the extent to which it changes to suit the tempo of the action and themes. In the first third of this wonderful book by a very talented writer, conversations between the simple Mary and Granny Tamihana, the guardian of Maori traditions, echo and sound like chants; between Roimata and Hemi, a happily married couple, they resemble duets with complimentary themes. The scene in which Mary gives birth is a grand, complex chorus with the several family members singing over, around, and above each other as they fight for the narrative line. Toko's story of his big fish is a soaring aria which ventures into a mystical realm, for Toko is a seer. And all this music seems totally appropriate to the lives of these Maori characters living in harmony with the land and their ancestors.

The middle third of the book changes, as Hemi, the father of the family, abruptly introduces the harsh notes of reality which occur when "the works" closes down, and he and his friends find themselves unemployed. In mournful tones he comments on the loss of tradition, language, and connection to the land which are coming about as education is imposed on their children by outside authorities, and people such as himself accept outside jobs. Their very existence as a group is also threatened by developers who want to buy their land to put up hotels, build seaside parks where visitors can play with the dolphins and whales, and commercialize the lifestyle these Maori have enjoyed all their lives.

In the final third of the book, as the Maoris fight for their land, the staccato, simple language is like the harsh beat of a war drum, and the songs disappear from the language, not returning until the rebuilding of the sacred house and the funeral of a key character bring about harmony and poetry once again.

It is hard to imagine that Patricia Grace did not deliberately tailor her prose style to her subject matter, yet this seems so completely natural--so totally without artifice--that one wonders if this harmony of words and subject might be the ultimate, triumphant example of the unity of story and life which she so vividly celebrates in this memorable and touching novel.

This was a mandatory book in a Pacific Literature class. Lucky for me. It is filled with complex symbolism that tells not only of a land struggle for a people who are holding on to their traditions, but how they learn, and choose what they take from "Western" ideas in order to fight for what little of their own land that the government has left for them. A lot of other people -including Hawaiians- are going through this now, which makes this book as relevant today as it was when it was written.

The story is told through Toko, a deformed child who has a special knowing. He is central figure in the book, and not only as a story teller. His "second mother", Roimata, is the other story teller. Although, everyone has a story, they are the only two who actually tell the stories. It is an enriching and enlightening book for anyone familiar or not familiar with Moari culture or the struggles between land developers, government, and native peoples of any country or island. It is also much more than that, but I don't want to write an essay just to tell you how great the book is!

By luck, I got this book from my local library on recommendation of a friend. After reading it I still felt the emotions of these Maori people who maintain their ancient traditions and beliefs in a thoroughly modern world. The impact of old/new carvings, the constant sound and smell of the sea conflicting with modern bulldozers and "Dollarmen" trying to outwit the villagers, is only part of the story. You feel you can enter the minds of the family members who tell the story, mostly in English, but some in beautiful Maori poetry. You may not know what the words mean, but try reciting them out loud and you sense the deep meaning of them.

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.

This novel is a very enjoyable read but as an added bonus it also enables your eyes to be opened more about the maori culture through the lovable characters. It takes you into what they as a people hold dear and why, and as a sub-plot there is an attempt to get a piece of swampland returned to a particular tribe and this involves an occupation of a park not too dissimilar to the Wanganui occupation of recent New Zealand history. Especially if you are a New Zealander of european descent this book is valuable because it makes you see the issues from a different perspective then your own and I found that aspect nearly as interesting as the actual story. Overall I found the charm of this story is the ability to take a horrible act of insensitivity and turn it into one of the most original characters ever told.

This is one of those books that you want to re-read after finishing it. I love it.

I just started to read it but I find this book very clear and with many helpful exercises.