Restoring Grace

by Katie Fforde

Book Overview

Love makes the world go round. A wonderfully romantic novel from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of A Wedding in the Country and A Springtime Affair.

'Thank goodness for Katie Fforde, the perfect author to bring comfort in difficult times. She really is the queen of uplifting, feel good romance.' AJ PEARCE
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Ellie Summers' life is unravelling. Finding herself pregnant...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0099446634
• ISBN13: 9780099446637
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: Arrow
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.06 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

I haven't read it yet. I will review it after I have read the book

A friend recommended the author to me and so I ordered a book. I have not read the book yet, so will write a review after I have done so. It sounds very interesting.

Lovely

Reading Katie Fforde is always a treat, and this latest in her collection of divinely written Brit Lit fluff is no exception. Restoring Grace tells the story of two young women who meet by chance. Grace, recently divorced from her much older somewhat Svengali-like husband Charles, is barely surviving in the gorgeous but rundown historic mansion he left her. Artist Ellie, a much more resourceful person, NEEDS all those resources, as she has found herself pregnant and her drop-dead gorgeous but completely useless boyfriend does not want the baby. Ellie, determined to keep the child no matter what the cost, leaves the boyfriend, and then the story really begins: Through a series of improbable but delightful happenings, Ellie winds up living with Grace, whom she's only just met. Throw into the mix a gorgeous Irishman who bothers Grace in a beguiling way, a no-nonsense and rather uppity male art restorer, a desperate college girl who begs to live with Grace and Ellie (having been Grace's one-time step-daughter) and the discovery of two panels of art that may be worth millions, and you have a fun, lively story well worth reading. Another hit from Fforde!

Review by Tammy for Fallen Angel Reviews

Grace Soudley loves the old house she inherited from her aunt and godmother, even if it is crumbling down around her and without furniture. She is recently divorced and in desperate need of funds to repair her old home. Grace is nervously awaiting her first wine tasting since her divorce, when Ellie Summers knocks on her door to sell her a painting. Thinking that the young woman's paintings are beautiful, and to forget her nervousness, Grace invites Ellie in for a tour of her house and some tea. Grace soon learns that Ellie is pregnant, and her boyfriend is not happy about it. Grace and Ellie soon become friends, and when Grace learns the Ellie needs a place to stay, the two decide the best action would be for Ellie to rent out a room from Grace. These two friends get along great together and are trying to find a way to earn enough money for Grace to repair her home, when Grace stumbles over some old paintings that Ellie thinks might be valuable enough to pay for any repairs Grace's old home may need. Restoring Grace is a charming tale of love, laughter, and friendships. This book has an easy flow to it with its lighthearted storyline and lenient characters. I loved watching the transformation and growth of each of these characters throughout the story. Restoring Grace will ease its way into your heart with its humor, honesty, and charm, while also displaying the complexity of relationships. Katie Fforde has created a fascinating story that will enchant everyone who reads it. Reviewed by: Tammy For Fallen Angel Reviews

Sweet

I had only read Paradise Fields by the author when I found this title at the library. I enjoyed PF so much that I knew I was going to get lucky with this one and I certainly did. I loved the way Ellie and Grace became fast friends, and I loved how honorable Grace was without coming across as pious. Certainly the plot was fairly predictable, but I had such a good time reading it that it didn't matter. For "chick lit", Fforde's characters were fleshed-out just enough for me to feel like I "knew" them. The secondary characters were a little two-dimensional (Allegra and Hermia), but everything else about the book was so charming that again, it didn't make a difference. I've got two more of Fforde's titles to read next and I am really looking forward to it. I know they will be a pleasant diversion.

Well done Katie!

Much of life is unreliable and disappointing - but Katie Fforde books don't fall into this category. Katie does have somewhat of a regular format - protagonists that seem ill-suited, but turn out to be perfect. And there's never any London glamour and glitz. But another always-present element of the Fforde formula is sold writing, great plot lines, witty (yet believable) dialog. Restoring Grace is no exception - in fact, its one of the best of her books, certainly the best one of recent years. That's not to say that Paradise Fields or Highland Fling weren't good, they were - but Restoring Grace is fabulous. So, what's it about? Grace has been left at odds - her ex-husband has left her with a nice bed, great linens, and a historical house that's rotting away, requiring repairs far beyond her marriage settlement or her meager earnings as a wine writer. Ellie is an artist with a handsome, charismatic boyfriend - who has no interest in becoming a father. Which is problematic, since Ellie is pregnant and determined to have the baby. Ellie and Grace fall together and discover some potentially valuable paintings in Grace's rotting home. Along the way, they also discover a surly-on-the-outside, solid-gold-at-heart local land developer and a prickly-on-the-outside but (yes, here it comes) solid-gold-at-heart art restoration expert - and you know where this is going, but the fun is all in getting there. Add in Grace's horrid siblings, very weird ex-husband (what DID she see in him), ex-husband's first wife, ex-step-daughter - well, a cast of characters that goes on and adds to the humor of the story. And as the extra icing on the cake - Flynn (surly land developer) is really the best "leading man" Fforde's written in years. His character (and attractiveness) just leap off the page. A must read, whether you're a long-time Fforde fan or just discovering her for the first time.