Amazing Grace Adams: The New York Times Bestseller and Read With Jenna Book Club Pick

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An exacting and brilliantly structured novel about love, grief, hope lost and then found again. I rooted for Grace from the first sentence Mary Beth Keane, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes Then there was a long lead time from Grace being acquired in April 2021 to publication in January 2023 - although I’m not entirely sure where that time went because it feels more like a handful of months.

For me this book was ok. I didn't love or hate it, it seemed a little chaotic at times with too much going on. The first half of the book could be confusing but by the end I did understand what has gone on. I had high expectations for this one because it was being compared to Elinor Oliphant which I adored but it just didn't live up to it. Buuuuuuut that didn’t happen and as a woman of a certain age who always feels like she might be on the cusp of a quality Menty B I found a new best friend in Grace. I canvassed my kids for this one - of all the wise advice I’ve bestowed on you etc… and my middle daughter came up with this instantly. It’s a story from my early teenage years. I can't remember the last time I read a novel with such unbridled enthusiasm. Amazing Grace Adams is a raw, uproariously hilarious portrait of parenthood, love, and family; it's also a profound examination of the way language can both save us and fail us when we need it the most. I'd walk across London on the hottest day of the year with Fran Littlewood-hell, I'd walk anywhere with her. I'm begging you: read this book Grant Ginder, author of The People We Hate at the WeddingA book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism. The author mentions in her parting note that this plot is inspired by the movie ‘Falling Down’, so perhaps fans of that movie might like to give this a try. I haven’t watched that movie so I cannot make a comparison. The book takes place in a single day, but is the story of Grace’s adult life. It starts on a hot summers day, when Grace snaps - she’s simply had enough. I was hopeful for a strong newly found confident woman that would find her own solutions to her current life. Amazing Grace Adams tore me up, touched my heart, and resonated with me like no other book has in a long time. It's sad, edgy, heartbreaking, and yes, there's a little bit going on in this story. But who doesn't have a lot of stuff to deal with at some point in their life when one more thing may put them over-the-edge?

An exacting and brilliantly structured novel about love, grief, hope lost and then found again' MARY BETH KEANE, New York Times bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes The situations are (mostly) totally relatable, the raw pain and loss palpable and, at one point, I found myself stifling a sob! Grace, the main character, voices the feelings of many women, with humour and irony in the writing. The ‘out-of-control’ may feel exaggerated, but is it really? How many of us have felt out of our depth, dealing with teenagers who live in such a different world?

For a podcast, The Shift with Sam Baker. Journalist, author, and broadcaster, Sam Baker is blazing the trail in rewriting everything we think we know about what it is to be a woman post-40. She’s smashing taboos all over the place. Her wide-ranging interviews with incredible, interesting women—from Isabel Allende to Minnie Driver, Ruby Wax to Ruth Ozeki—are thoughtful, smart, honest, and full of insight, humor, and wisdom. Tags The p

I laughed, I cried ugly tears, I rooted for Grace Adams. It broke my heart then reassembled it - as only a fabulous novel can Emily Koch, author of Keep Him Close All in all, I had expected to love this book for it promised a strong middle-aged woman protagonist who had finally had enough of everyone taking her for granted. But the potential isn’t truly realised and the book ends up as an average read for me. The writer does have a lot of promise – it is no mean task to keep three timelines blending seamlessly. But perhaps a bit of editing and finetuning would have helped, especially in the over-the-top second half. Grace Adams is a genius. Really. She's an award winning Polyglot who's fluent in five languages. With all the great things she's achieved in her forty-five-year-old life, all she thinks she is now is perimenopausal. She feels like it defines her. She doesn't scream or break something or cry or curl into a ball. She simply abandons her car in traffic and walks away. I found this book really easy to read and even though the author moved around in time she used this to good effect and it linked to the story. I liked the way the author was able to use Grace’s walking journey to connect through the layers of her life. The language is beautiful and some comparisons are on point and unique.Hugely enjoyable. Compelling, funny and poignant. I devoured it." —Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl On The Train For an audiobook, Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin, narrated by Aoife Hinds, Ioanna Kimbook, and Ainsleigh Barber. It’s a story about family and identity, belonging, resilience and love. A fictional narrative that springs from the author’s mother’s experience as a Vietnamese boat person, it’s impossible to describe without diminishing it. So I’ll only say, the book manages to be both intimate and epic, personal and political, and I’m in awe of it.