Grace and Mary by Melvyn Bragg
| Grace and Mary by Melvyn Bragg | |
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| Category: General Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Louise Jones
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| Summary: John pieces together his ageing mother's childhood memories to form a picture of his spirited grandmother, Grace. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 256 | Date: May 2013 |
| Publisher: Sceptre | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1444762341 | |
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Grace and Mary is a tender and moving account spanning three generations of the same family. In the first chapter, we are introduced to ninety-two year old Mary and her doting son, John. Mary is in a nursing home and has dementia, hovering in a limbo-world, precariously balanced between the present and the past. John delights when he catches the occasional glimpse of the real Mary, and they find a meeting place, of sorts in their shared world of memories and songs.
John is keen to learn what he can about his mother’s history, before it is too late. By encouraging her to tell stories of her childhood, he hopes to piece together the story of Mary’s mother, Grace, who gave her up to be raised by another family. John uses the information he gleans to reconstruct Grace’s life story and enable Grace and Mary to meet and make their peace before the window of opportunity closes forever.
The narrative weaves between time periods, sometimes focusing on John and Mary in the present and sometimes in their shared past. We also learn about Grace and the tragic circumstances that cause her to eventually give up her daughter. Both stories eventually knit together at the end of the book, in a cleverly written concluding chapter. Despite the heavy subject matter, the book is surprisingly uplifting and positive, with many light and humorous moments. The story is a testimony to the power of memory and how shared experiences can connect generations.
With the majority of the story set in the small Cumbrian town of Wigton, Bragg expertly transports the reader to another time and place with his evocative and warm descriptions of the town and surrounding areas. The characters are wonderfully well rounded and as a reader, I was easily able to empathise with John, as his emotions swayed from elation to utter hopelessness and back again.
Grace and Mary is a powerful tale on a number of levels. It is a story that stayed with me for some time after finishing the book, as it tackles subjects that all of us will have to face at some point in our lives. Bragg has drawn on his own life experiences to give the book an added depth and poignancy. Beautiful, sad, fascinating and honest, Grace and Mary is quite a remarkable read.
The Adoption by Anne Berry uses a similar narrative style to tell the story of three very different women.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Grace and Mary by Melvyn Bragg at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Grace and Mary by Melvyn Bragg at Amazon.com.
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