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Grace

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Grace

By: Paul Lynch
Narrated by: Gerry O'Brien
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About this listen

Early one October morning, Grace’s mother snatches her from sleep and brutally cuts off her hair, declaring, 'You are the strong one now.' With winter close at hand and Ireland already suffering, Grace is no longer safe at home. And so her mother outfits her in men’s clothing and casts her out. When her younger brother Colly follows after her, the two set off on a remarkable odyssey in the looming shadow of their country’s darkest hour.

The broken land they pass through reveals untold suffering as well as unexpected beauty. To survive, Grace must become a boy, a bandit, a penitent and finally, a woman – all the while afflicted by inner voices that arise out of what she has seen and what she has lost.

©2017 Paul Lynch (P)2024 Bolinda Publishing Coming of Age Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction World Literature

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Critic reviews

'Haunting and poetic… Lynch has given us poignant glimpses of the human body’s limits, that peculiar messiness of identity, and what happens when parts of a society fail to help, or even acknowledge, those in need.' (The Irish Times)

'Grace is a moving work of lyrical and at times hallucinatory beauty.' (The Washington Post)
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Well written. Interesting topic. I just think the author struggled for plot content in parts and the “road trip” element of the story got a bit drawn out.

Suffering and famine road trip

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A brilliant novel but with moments of horror - written like poetry at times. Performed beautifully - mesmerising and powerful. Not easy listening but wonderful - thank you!

Haunting

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‘People say that God is everywhere at once, but so is the devil.
And everybody knows the devil is fire so God is the devil and thats the case proven…Perhaps Colly is right, perhaps fire doesn’t die because fire is both God and the devil, always waiting behind the air in some other chamber of existence waiting to rush in and turn everything black with its hunger’


‘Slow travel, no point rushing away along the roads because a man who is in haste misses his own life ‘

'Hope does not leave until you are dead, hope is the dog waiting at your door’

Heart wrenching story

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Fall in love with this heroine and her struggle to survive through the evils of the Irish Famine. Heartbreakingly poetic, heart wrenchingly traumatic, a tale of a time that should never have happened.

Tour de force

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Very long story. Very good but does ramble on . Great words used . Follows beautifully . This is the second book of Paul lynch I’ve read .

The narration excellent. The poetry of words

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A vivid description of a tragic time in our history, the characters and story structure kept me engaged from the start. The narration generally added to the developing plot, with the curious exception for me of people from donegal speaking in midland accents. Overall a wonderful listening experience.

beautiful prose painting terrible pictures

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