Every now and again, a special story
reaches out and touches your heart. Known best for
her wonderful historical romances (especially
Wild at Heart and the Wyckerly Trilogy), Pat
Gaffney creates such a story in The Saving
Graces--her hardcover and contemporary debut.
The Saving Graces is a story of four
women--Emma, Rudy, Lee, and Isabel--who despite
being diversed in not only their personalities but
their backgrounds as well--develop a friendship
with one another--one that has last over ten years.
Each character takes turn telling the story; a
juggling act that Pat handles with ease (easy for
me to say). Through this technique, Emma, Rudy,
Lee, and Isabel come alive; their words transcend
from the pages--making this foursome
three-dimensional, real.
You'll laugh with these ladies ... cry with them
... cheer ... dream ... hope ... cringe ... Many
times I wanted to reach through the pages and slap
them silly--or at least shake their shoulders.
The reason is simple. While fictional, this
story could be about you ... about me. In fact, the
friendships described remind me a lot of a group of
friends I've developed online--with women who have
planned gatherings together, traveled long
distances to see, who e-mail and send instant
messages, who get into chat rooms and post on
messageboards. More than that, IRL (in real life),
you probably have an Emma, a Rudy, a Lee, an Isabel
... and like these ladies, they are there for
you--through your ups and your downs.
When I first read The Saving Graces (I
badgered Pat for an ARC months ago--one that I had
to immediately send back so that she could share it
with her mom), I asked Pat why she wrote Saving
Graces (because it is so different from her
previous stories), she told me, "Because I had to."
It is now 7:35 A.M. Not an unGodly hour, right?
For me, it is. I'm usually fast asleep (I start
work in the afternoon), but I just finished reading
The Saving Graces again (I shamelessly
begged Pat for another ARC), and I cannot get Emma,
Rudy, Lee, and Isabel off my brain--they have me
reminiscing my friendships--past and present.
The Saving Graces is a story that
celebrates friendships among women. Read it ... and
if you cherish it like I do, tell another friend
... and another ... and another ... Because as I
told Pat, I'm awfully glad she told us this story.
(For more information, including excerpts, about
The Saving Graces, go to Pat's website @
http://www.patriciagaffney.com)
