Customer Reviews

Blessing in Disguise

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This was my first Eileen Goudge book, and I think the general premise and story is pretty good. I also liked most of the main characters, but I also got frustrated with the repetition and indecisiveness of those characters. I believe this could have been an equally good, or better, book and been two-thirds as long. (I do hestitate to say something like that because I have great respect for writers' autonomy and integrity.)

Eileen Goudge is particularly good at descriptions--her house and garden descriptions here are wonderful. Her character development of Cordelia Truscott is also excellent. Cordelia is ultimately the strongest and bravest character in this book, and it is fitting that it ends with her.

I have read other Eileen Goudge books and this was not her best work. The story was good but it read too much like a Danielle Steele novel It kept reitterating the same things over and over again...I had to struggle to finish it because I was like "alright already, somebody do something!" Oh well

Blessing in Disguise is more like a blessing to an over worked mind that needs a bit of mind candy. The character of Grace Truscott, the intelligent and privileged daughter of a former senator, undertakes the task of writing her idolized father's biography. However, after only the first draft, a myriad of difficulties surface. To start, after crossing each of the many bridges on her journey, she finds she is writing a biography about a man she hardly knows. A man that lived a life very different than the one his daughter had imagined. Although these many complexities initially draw the reader in, they become an annoyance after a while, especially the complexities that take place in Grace Truscott's personal life. For one, I find it hard to believe the author, who at first introduced Grace as a strong and determined woman would bring her to points of desperation with the man she loves. The passion is not what I am knocking, but I could do without her insatiable desire to marry her lover Jack. I should add however, that while this bothered me, it in no way bothered me as much as many of the other characters, namely Jack's son Ben, and Grace's selfish and social conscious sister, Sissy. It should be said however, that one of the truths Grace finds when researching the bio leads her to the discovery of Nola, her half sister. The story itself was heartwarming, but little else. At times it is a wonder that Grace's biography ever gets finished and her personal problems ever get resolved. Nevertheless, Blessing in Disguise has a typically "happy ending".

I listened to the audio version of blessing in disguise (all 16 hours!), and found myself strangely compelled by the lives of Grace, Cordelia, Jack etc. The story is the tale of Grace Trescott, the daughter of renowned civil rights leader. She is writing a controversial novel about her father. She is also involved in an interfaith relationship with an older man with older children. As if this weren't problematic enough, Grace discovers the truth about her father and his relationship with his secretary and this strains the relationship between her and the rest of her family.

While I liked "Blessing in Disguise" it was not without flaws. Number 1. I got really really tired of Jack, Grace's boyfriend. He was whiny, "I'm too old for her....." Yep, agree with him there. He was also too immature, and too focused on his own children. I thought the age difference was icky and did not work for me. The problems with an interfaith marriage weren't even touched upon. Overall, I was really sick of Jack by the end. Grace was better off with the veterinarian.

2. Ben. Hated the character. He is an abusive user and gets away with it. I don't buy the 'therapy cure-all' excuse at the end of the book. Ben needed more than just therapy, he needed to be locked up. His "Feel sorry for me, I'm a poor little rich kid" just wore thin... Get over yourself Ben!

3. Cordelia: liked her. Liked her relationship with her gardener boyfriend. But what is with Goudge and writing characters who are in relationships with much older people? Seriously, two romances in one book between two people with a large age difference began to skeeve me out...

4. Also, while I appreciated hearing about Hannah, Ben and the other minor characters, there was WAY too much time spent on the children. I would've preferred more character development between the main romantic couples and less time spent with the two teenage malcontents. (The scene where Chris ran away had me rolling my eyes in pain.

Overall, despite my criticism of this novel, I felt it was extremely well-written. Goudge made you feel for the characters, and is an extremely talented author, making even the most trite stereotypes seem fresh. While I didn't care for some of the subject matter: older man/younger woman, younger woman/older man, rape, adultery etc. I felt she handled the topic well.

I purchased this book as light-hearted airplane fare. Yet even confined in a cabin at 10,000 feet, I couldn't stay interested in the story. Maybe it's because I think I already read this; it was called "Such Devoted Sisters." Or was it "Garden of Lies?" Fair, but nothing memorable.

After reading, Eileen Goudge's Trail of Secrets, I became hooked on her intense writing style. After reading Blessing in Disguise, I quickly became unhooked. This book is good in parts - such as the love story that evolves between Grace's widowed mother and her lonely gardener, and the up and down relationship between Grace and her publisher Jack that hinges on the manipulations of their three children. However, the way this book is structured, leaves you wondering - what is going on? and why am I wasting my time on this! I came away from this book feeling very cheated. As of this point, I am going to pretend I never read this book. I will however recommend Trails of Secrets to anyone.

This was one of the most interesting books I have read, and my first I've read of Eileen Goudge. I wasn't disappointed.
The story is really very sad as the father had had an affair long ago that he had never talked about; and in that affair, he'd had a child, unbeknownst to his wife until after he died. The beginning of the book captures your attention right away with a tragic event, and moves forward from that point on. A lot of family difficulties and situations arise in this book that make it great to read and hard to put down.

I could really relate to this book. It is hard to find good interracial books to read with such honest feelings. And the difficulty people go through because of society.

I loved the story line, but it was too drawn-out. If it had of been written on half as many pages, I probably would have given it 5 stars. The story was great, and I don't want to say much so I don't mess it up for those who haven't read it yet. But I will say that there is one particular coincidence that I really liked. (Eileen is known for her coincidences, but I love that about her.) On a lighter note, I am glad the senator's widow found a new husband - she deserved it.

Although I wasn't totally taken in by this book, it was still a good read. I think it had some good points in it about society, and made me think a lot . . .If you want to read a book that goes straight to your heart, read Stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. . .It is a beautiful story of unrequited love. . .for certain the love story of the nineties. I intended to give the book a quick read, but I got so caught up in the story that I couldn't put the book down. From the very beginning, I was fully caught up in the heart-wrenching account of Julie Hunter's battle with lupus and her growing love for Don Lipton. This love, in the face of Julie's impending death, makes for a story that covers the range of human emotions. The touches of humor are great, too, they add some nice contrast and lighten things a bit when emotions are running high. I've never read a book more deserving of being published. It has rare depth. Julie's story will remind your readers that life and love are precious and not to be taken for granted. It has had an impact on me, and for that I'm grateful. Stolen Moments is written with so much sensitivity that it made me want to cry. It is a spellbinder. What terrific writing. Barbara does have an exceptional gift! This book was edited by Lupus specialist Dr. Matt Morrow too, and has the latest information on that disease. ..A perfect gift for someone who started college late in life, fell in love too late in life, is living with any illness, or trying to understand a loved one who is. . .A gift to be cherished forever.