Days of Grace: A Novel [Hardcover]

Catherine Hall (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 27, 2010

At the beginning of World War II, twelve-year-old Nora Lynch is one of thousands of London children sent away to the safety of the English countryside. Her surrogate family, Reverend and Mrs. Rivers and their daughter Grace, are like no-one she has ever met, offering shelter, affection, and the sister she never had. But Nora is too young and too naïve to understand the cracks beneath the surface of her idyllic new life at the rectory, or the disappointments of the Riverses' marriage. And as her friendship with Grace grows more intense, she aches to become even closer. What happens next is a secret that she keeps for more than fifty years, a secret that she can begin to reveal only when, elderly and alone, Nora knows that she is close to the end.

A beautiful meditation on love, friendship, and family, Days of Grace is a stunning debut that brings a tumultuous era to life. Nora tells her story in alternating chapters from the past and present, projecting her childhood nostalgia with a cinematic glow.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Nora Lynch is at the end of her life, and she intends to die alone. When she takes in a young, unwed mother, however, her plan is interrupted, and she begins to relive the time she spent with the Rivers family during WWII. Among the many London children evacuated from the city during the Blitz, Nora landed in Kent, where Reverend Rivers, his wife, and daughter, Grace, gave her a life she never dreamed of and, in the end, never wanted. Hall's debut captures the stagnation of the Rivers family, hiding behind the seeming tranquility of their lives to shield themselves from painful memories. Even the war feels far away. Planes flying overhead are muffled by the stifling calm of the English countryside. When Nora falls for Grace, she is tormented by loving someone she can't have, and her descent into isolation and bitterness is intensely evoked. The prose, flitting between the present and wartime Kent, is as crisp, efficient, and quietly moving as Nora herself. Her attempt to find redemption and her struggle to forgive herself will engage readers to the end. --Courtney Jones

About the Author

Catherine Hall was born in the Lake District in 1973. Now based in London, she worked in documentary film production before becoming a freelance writer and editor for a range of organizations specializing in human rights and development. This is her first novel.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; 1 edition (May 27, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670021768
• ISBN-13: 978-0670021765
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,198,822 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Grace, December 1, 2009

By 

Steve Benner "Stonegnome" (Lancaster, UK) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Days of Grace (Paperback)

Catherine Hall's début novel, "Days of Grace" is, quite simply, an amazing achievement. Complex and emotionally charged throughout, it spans some 50 years in two alternating but converging narratives of a single life -- that of Nora, now an old woman, living alone and dying of cancer; consumed by a guilty secret that has haunted her for much of her adult life. The tale tells of love, loss, and abandonment but really, above all, the fatality of impossible relationships, the anguish they create, the guilt they engender and the tragic outcomes that inevitably ensue. And yet, this book follows by no means any standard pattern of tragedy; there is no formulaic element to this book at all. Ms Hall keeps her reader both engrossed from the outset as well as guessing right to the very end, maintaining a high standard of writing throughout. If the book has a flaw it is that some of the pivotal characters are a little thinly developed and their actions do not always sit right upon them. That said, the story remains mostly credible; it strikes me that it would dramatise well and I would not be at all surprised to see this as a two- or three-parter on (British) TV some time. I would urge you to read the book before that happens, as much of its beauty and complexity will inevitably be lost in that process and it would be a shame to miss out on that.

Highly recommended.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unputdownable, April 18, 2009

By 

Margaret Smith (Fairfax, Virginia,USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Days of Grace (Paperback)

Catherine Hall shows a maturity in her writing far beyond her years. Not only does she have insight into the inner most thoughts of two young girls with whom, no doubt, she can relate, but she has an uncanny knack of getting inside the heads of characters far older than herself. Her powers of observation and psycho-analysis are extraordinary. The story takes us winging back, at one moment, to our own precious, innocent childhoods and then, in the next moment, plonks us firmly back in the present - with all the intricate dilemmas created by our own maturation.
On the one hand there is a familiarity about the story and, on the other hand, there is a mystery which keeps one reading, with baited breath, until the very last page. Poignant, sad, inevitable, thought-provoking; call the story what you will. Talented,remarkable, destined for fame - that, in my humble opinion, is Catherine Hall.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Touching and Beautifully Written, June 11, 2010

By 

Whatsername - See all my reviews

This review is from: Days of Grace: A Novel (Hardcover)

This is a touching and beautifully written story of a young girl/old woman telling her past and speculating on the future as she lies dying of cancer. What makes this book so fascinating is that there are two subplots - one about the experiences of her youth and the second with her realizing that she can still do some good before her life slips away. The tales are told in alternating chapters, and both are compelling, holding the reader's attention from the first paragraph to the very last. In fact, the last page of this book is the best and most movingly written ending of any novel I have ever read.

I agree with other reviewers that the secondary characters could use some more development. However, this one minor flaw is not enough to detract from the telling of a painfully exquisite love born in childhood and framed within the horrendous realities of war. Read this book and you will be transported from the war-torn streets of London to the innocence of youth in an English countryside and back again. Very highly recommended.