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Tender Graces (2009)

by Kathryn Magendie(Favorite Author)

3.77 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0982175620 (ISBN13: 9780982175620)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Bell Bridge Books

review 1: Virginia Kate's coming-to-terms journey of wrestling with her past could resonate with many of us. As an adult looking in the rear view mirror, she is able to see more clearly the choices her grandmother, father, and even her mother, made that shaped the woman she has become. She finds a path to acceptance and forgiveness that I found to be endearing and hopeful.I found myself frequently chuckling at Virginia Kate's childhood perceptions of many things including an embarrassing grandma, brothers, and cute boys in school.This was a delightful and heartwarming read!
review 2: I am not looking forward to trying to express how I feel about this book. To me, it was two books within the same cover. Two for the price of one. One side of the book was a description ... moreof three children growing up in two homes. One home was one where the sense of feeling loved was in short supply; the other was one where a substitute mother gave unconditioned love and the three kids were given a chance to experience abundant living. The other side of the book was a study of personalities and the circumstances that can either distort or strengthen the people involved. If you are left wondering how the title of the book applies to what you have read, I think the truth is you missed the second side of the book. On the final page, the main character (Virginia Kate) lets the readers know that she has been released and set free. If the study of personalities has been unseen until then, that phrase awakens the realization that there is much more to the book than just that the simple tale. Thus, after you finish the book you will want moments to go back and explore what you think has been imprisoning her so that she needed to be set free. The truth is there – but you may have missed it. I enjoyed the book as much for making me think afterwards as for providing an interesting story as I actually turned the pages. Wow! I did not know I was capable of such a deep reaction.I think the author did a great job of flushing out the characters and made them very realistic. Her writing style made the flow of the book very enjoyable, even though this is not a happy book. I am glad Virginia Kate felt set free in the end but I wonder if the rest of her life actually was more fulfilling. As a native West Virginian who grew up in the same era as Virginia Kate’s mother, I must add a personal opinion that this dysfunctional family could easily have lived in another place and another time – the setting of the book did not create the problems they faced. Virginia Kate’s mother and father were mismatched and both sought escape in alcohol while their children paid the price. less

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