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The Saving Graces
Meet The Saving Graces, Four Of The Best Friends A Woman Can Ever Have.
For ten years, Emma, Rudy, Lee, and Isabel have shared a deep affection that has helped them deal with the ebb and flow of expectations and disappointments common to us all. Calling themselves the Saving Graces, the quartet is united by understanding, honesty, and acceptance -- a connection that has grown stronger as the years go by...
Though these sisters of the heart and soul have seen it all, talked through it all, Emma, Rudy, Lee, and Isabel will not be prepared for a crisis of astounding proportions that will put their love and courage to the ultimate test.
For ten years, Emma, Rudy, Lee, and Isabel have shared a deep affection that has helped them deal with the ebb and flow of expectations and disappointments common to us all. Calling themselves the Saving Graces, the quartet is united by understanding, honesty, and acceptance -- a connection that has grown stronger as the years go by...
Though these sisters of the heart and soul have seen it all, talked through it all, Emma, Rudy, Lee, and Isabel will not be prepared for a crisis of astounding proportions that will put their love and courage to the ultimate test.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
209 people are currently reading
7,593 people want to read
About the author
Patricia Gaffney
37 books305 followersPatricia Gaffney was born in Tampa, Florida, and grew up in Bethesda, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, D.C. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English and philosophy from Marymount College in Tarrytown, New York, and also studied literature at Royal Holloway College of the University of London, at George Washington University, and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
After college, Gaffney taught 12th grade English for a year before becoming a freelance court reporter, a job she pursued in North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C., for the next fifteen years.
Her first book, a historical romance, was published by Dorchester in 1989. Between then and 1997, she wrote 11 more romance novels (Dorchester; Penguin USA), for which she was nominated for or won many awards. Many of these previously out of print classics are available again today as digitally reissued classics, including the author's most recently re-released and much beloved novels in The Wyckerley Trilogy.
In 1999, she went in a new direction with her hardcover fiction debut, The Saving Graces (HarperCollins). A contemporary story about four women friends, the novel explored issues of love, friendship, trust, and commitment among women. The Saving Graces enjoyed bestseller status on the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and other lists.
Circle of Three (2000), Flight Lessons (2002), and The Goodbye Summer (2004) followed, all national bestsellers. Gaffney’s most recent novel was Mad Dash (2007), a humorous but insightful look at a 20-year marriage, told from the viewpoints of both longsuffering spouses.
More recently, Pat's been indulging her purely creative side in a brand new format for her -- novellas. With friends including J. D. Robb, she has contributed stories to three anthologies, all New York Times bestsellers. In "The Dog Days of Laurie Summer" (The Lost, 2009), a woman in a troubled marriage "dies" and comes back as the family dog. "The Dancing Ghost" (The Other Side, 2010) brings together a pretty spinster and a shady ghost buster in 1895 New England. And in "Dear One" (The Unquiet, 2011), a fake phone psychic (or IS she?) meets her match in a stuffy Capitol Hill lobbyist -- who couldn't possibly be that sexy-voiced cowboy from Medicine Bend who keeps calling the psychic line.
Patricia Gaffney lives in southern Pennsylvania with her husband.
After college, Gaffney taught 12th grade English for a year before becoming a freelance court reporter, a job she pursued in North Carolina, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C., for the next fifteen years.
Her first book, a historical romance, was published by Dorchester in 1989. Between then and 1997, she wrote 11 more romance novels (Dorchester; Penguin USA), for which she was nominated for or won many awards. Many of these previously out of print classics are available again today as digitally reissued classics, including the author's most recently re-released and much beloved novels in The Wyckerley Trilogy.
In 1999, she went in a new direction with her hardcover fiction debut, The Saving Graces (HarperCollins). A contemporary story about four women friends, the novel explored issues of love, friendship, trust, and commitment among women. The Saving Graces enjoyed bestseller status on the New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, and other lists.
Circle of Three (2000), Flight Lessons (2002), and The Goodbye Summer (2004) followed, all national bestsellers. Gaffney’s most recent novel was Mad Dash (2007), a humorous but insightful look at a 20-year marriage, told from the viewpoints of both longsuffering spouses.
More recently, Pat's been indulging her purely creative side in a brand new format for her -- novellas. With friends including J. D. Robb, she has contributed stories to three anthologies, all New York Times bestsellers. In "The Dog Days of Laurie Summer" (The Lost, 2009), a woman in a troubled marriage "dies" and comes back as the family dog. "The Dancing Ghost" (The Other Side, 2010) brings together a pretty spinster and a shady ghost buster in 1895 New England. And in "Dear One" (The Unquiet, 2011), a fake phone psychic (or IS she?) meets her match in a stuffy Capitol Hill lobbyist -- who couldn't possibly be that sexy-voiced cowboy from Medicine Bend who keeps calling the psychic line.
Patricia Gaffney lives in southern Pennsylvania with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 783 reviews
May 16, 2011
This is the 4th time I've read this book...I've read it for various groups: with varied friends/groups of friends, book club, and now, for a "book club" with my 3 sisters-in-laws. Each time I've read it, the "star ratings" increase. That is perhaps because I've lived more of life, and appreciate more and more the sharings and discussions between friends (and yes, I consider my sisters-in-laws true friends). I appreciate FRIENDS and the wonder and depth and fun they bring to my life. So, discussing the friendships within this book and relating them to real life is rich and wonderful. The 4 women in The Saving Graces are younger than many of my friends...but I've been their ages, and have gone through each of these women's challenges with friends: cancer, the inability to have a baby, the search for the right mate in life, family dysfunction, etc....as well as the challenges of what it means to be a faithful and good friend. The discussion (was it a 5 hour one, ladies?) with my "family sisters" was very special...and not without tears. Isn't it wonderful that books unite us and make us appreciate one another and life in general?
August 5, 2009
This is simply the story of four best friends.
This is the sort of book I would normally avoid like the plague. I read for escapism, not to experience middle aged women and all their various (real-life) issues. Plus, lately I've been reading exclusively romance and YA, because I figure: Why not just read the books I really WANT to read, instead of reading the books that others think only the "intelligent" people read? I love the guarantee of a happily ever after that romances provide.
However, I've heard a lot about Patricia Gaffney lately, and how she is SUCH a great author. So, I decided to go ahead and read this. And, she was a romance author before she began writing general fiction.
I am glad I did. It WAS rather sad and depressing in places. But it was still very life-affirming and funny. Touching.
The author did an excellent job with balance. I find that a balance between introspection, good character interaction, and dialogue are integral to a well-written novel.
Also, I love reading about really good friends. There's nothing like girlfriends, and this sort of book reminds me of that.
I can't wait to read more by Patricia Gaffney.
This is the sort of book I would normally avoid like the plague. I read for escapism, not to experience middle aged women and all their various (real-life) issues. Plus, lately I've been reading exclusively romance and YA, because I figure: Why not just read the books I really WANT to read, instead of reading the books that others think only the "intelligent" people read? I love the guarantee of a happily ever after that romances provide.
However, I've heard a lot about Patricia Gaffney lately, and how she is SUCH a great author. So, I decided to go ahead and read this. And, she was a romance author before she began writing general fiction.
I am glad I did. It WAS rather sad and depressing in places. But it was still very life-affirming and funny. Touching.
The author did an excellent job with balance. I find that a balance between introspection, good character interaction, and dialogue are integral to a well-written novel.
Also, I love reading about really good friends. There's nothing like girlfriends, and this sort of book reminds me of that.
I can't wait to read more by Patricia Gaffney.
February 6, 2017
It's been a while since it last took me soooooo long to finish a book... I never really warmed to it and, to be honest, the only reason I didn't put it down indefinitely, was because I chose it as a part of my reading challenge for this year from the very start...
It was kind of long, kind of boring, and a lot of aggravation for me.
I completely loathed Emma as she was kind of a mistress for a married man. And the way she thought... Ugh, I had the urge to throw the book a time or two when reading her POV.
I couldn't stand Rudy and her abhorrent husband whom she should have left before they even got married. I could see from the very first chapter from Rudy's POV that her husband Curtis is an a-hole who abuses Rudy emotionally and should be dumped right away. Also, the rest of Rudy's problems... Made me yawn.
I tired really quickly with Lee and her husband's attempts to have a child... I don't know whether it's just me and my weird way of thinking, but if I were 40 years old like Lee here, I would've turned to the doctor a lot sooner and wouldn't have been all that surprised if my attempts without the doctors' help failed.
The only saving grace this book had (pun intended), was Isabel... The sweet woman who discovers that her cancer has returned with vengeance. And really, the only reason I'm not giving this book even less stars, is because of the way Gaffney wrote Isabel's story.
In the end I couldn't really relate to any of these middle-aged women... Maybe when I'm older, but truth be told, I hope I'll never be like these four in my fourties as this is just plain odd.
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It was kind of long, kind of boring, and a lot of aggravation for me.
I completely loathed Emma as she was kind of a mistress for a married man. And the way she thought... Ugh, I had the urge to throw the book a time or two when reading her POV.
I couldn't stand Rudy and her abhorrent husband whom she should have left before they even got married. I could see from the very first chapter from Rudy's POV that her husband Curtis is an a-hole who abuses Rudy emotionally and should be dumped right away. Also, the rest of Rudy's problems... Made me yawn.
I tired really quickly with Lee and her husband's attempts to have a child... I don't know whether it's just me and my weird way of thinking, but if I were 40 years old like Lee here, I would've turned to the doctor a lot sooner and wouldn't have been all that surprised if my attempts without the doctors' help failed.
The only saving grace this book had (pun intended), was Isabel... The sweet woman who discovers that her cancer has returned with vengeance. And really, the only reason I'm not giving this book even less stars, is because of the way Gaffney wrote Isabel's story.
In the end I couldn't really relate to any of these middle-aged women... Maybe when I'm older, but truth be told, I hope I'll never be like these four in my fourties as this is just plain odd.
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March 26, 2012
This was just the thing I needed to read these days. Some sort of sisterhood of the travelling pants with women on their forties.
Lee, Isabel, Rudy and Emma have created a group about 10 years ago which they've called "The Saving Graces". They meet usually twice a month, at each others place, and over dinner they catch up on each their lifes, chat and support each other. Initially on their meetings they had topics to discuss, but that was probably when they were't true friends yet.
They are all different but complement each other. Lee is the bossy one, the organising spirit; Isabel is always kind and caring for the others; Rudy is the beautiful one but also the more troubled one and Emma is the rebel of the group. What do they have in common? According to them, they've all managed to survive their childhood.
Do not expect great literature with this book, but I came across it at the right time and on the right place. It reminded me of some good friends I have!
I'll surely be looking for more books from this author since this was the first one I read from her.
Lee, Isabel, Rudy and Emma have created a group about 10 years ago which they've called "The Saving Graces". They meet usually twice a month, at each others place, and over dinner they catch up on each their lifes, chat and support each other. Initially on their meetings they had topics to discuss, but that was probably when they were't true friends yet.
They are all different but complement each other. Lee is the bossy one, the organising spirit; Isabel is always kind and caring for the others; Rudy is the beautiful one but also the more troubled one and Emma is the rebel of the group. What do they have in common? According to them, they've all managed to survive their childhood.
Do not expect great literature with this book, but I came across it at the right time and on the right place. It reminded me of some good friends I have!
I'll surely be looking for more books from this author since this was the first one I read from her.
February 11, 2011
Told from the perspective of four friends who call themselves The Saving Graces, we get a story of friendship that endures through the ups and downs of life. That seems so trite as I write it but, as we all know, the ups and downs are far from trivial and what they experience touches on some of the hardest things women have to go through. Each chapter is told by one of the graces points of view, so we get a close up look at all of them, but it's what they say when the other one is speaking that tells the most.
The Saving Graces is about friendships all women want. Like Rudy, Lee, Isobel and Emma we have this deep need for friends who understand us, like us just as we are, forgives us when are not likable, wont judge us, be happy when we succeed, and will stand up for us and encourage us when we dont, and in the end, be the ones standing with us when everyone else has left. In other words, know us on a soul level. (Not that we don't long for a very real soul connection with our men- as evidenced by the continued popularity of the too often unrealistic romance novels- we do, but what we long for with women is something different.)
This book was given to me by a friend during a time when as much upheaval was happening in my life, as what was going on in the lives of the characters. She knew I could empathize and knew that it would ultimately be my friendships that saw me through it. Now, as I think on it, I realize what she read in the pages is something she longs for as well- and really, don't we all?
4.5 out of 5.
The Saving Graces is about friendships all women want. Like Rudy, Lee, Isobel and Emma we have this deep need for friends who understand us, like us just as we are, forgives us when are not likable, wont judge us, be happy when we succeed, and will stand up for us and encourage us when we dont, and in the end, be the ones standing with us when everyone else has left. In other words, know us on a soul level. (Not that we don't long for a very real soul connection with our men- as evidenced by the continued popularity of the too often unrealistic romance novels- we do, but what we long for with women is something different.)
This book was given to me by a friend during a time when as much upheaval was happening in my life, as what was going on in the lives of the characters. She knew I could empathize and knew that it would ultimately be my friendships that saw me through it. Now, as I think on it, I realize what she read in the pages is something she longs for as well- and really, don't we all?
4.5 out of 5.
June 15, 2011
I was ordering some books on Barnes & Noble's website, and I was up to about $22. If you order $25 worth of books, then you get free shipping. So, I skipped to the bargain books and added this to my cart on a whim. Some things are just meant to be.
I loved the story lines in this book. I never wanted to put it down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next for each of the women in the book. As a bonus, the book is based in DC. Books based in your own city are always a little more interesting to read because you pick up on some of the extra references.
I read this on the beach and found myself trying not to smile to much, for fear of other beach-goers thinking I was crazy. Then, I would find myself trying to stifle tears for fear of the same thing.
I loved the story lines in this book. I never wanted to put it down because I wanted to know what was going to happen next for each of the women in the book. As a bonus, the book is based in DC. Books based in your own city are always a little more interesting to read because you pick up on some of the extra references.
I read this on the beach and found myself trying not to smile to much, for fear of other beach-goers thinking I was crazy. Then, I would find myself trying to stifle tears for fear of the same thing.
August 4, 2011
The Saving Graces is a beautiful story about friendship, love & loss, trial & error, hardships, & success, fears & conquests, and the bond between four women who were lucky enough to have each other in their lives.
This story was so well written that it would be hard for the reader not see a part of themselves in each of these women, to find a characteristic or two of one of your own friends mirrored in the Graces and you will long to be one of them. Lee, Emma, Ruby, & Isabel will get into your brain & fill your heart.
This story was so well written that it would be hard for the reader not see a part of themselves in each of these women, to find a characteristic or two of one of your own friends mirrored in the Graces and you will long to be one of them. Lee, Emma, Ruby, & Isabel will get into your brain & fill your heart.
September 25, 2012
I just can't get into this book. I find it very difficult to follow and I can't get close to the characters. Sadly, putting it down for now.
November 29, 2012
Well, okay, it was formulaic. You have your obligatory women's group with one of each personality type. You have your uptight organized one, your wild insecure one, your wise spiritual one and your neurotic damaged one. And you have your usual women's group themes. There's someone struggling with infertility, someone trying to get over a damaged childhood, someone with cancer and someone fighting the urge to commit adultery. Still, Gaffney is a good storyteller. The chemotherapy scenes are so vivid and scary. I wanted the couple to get their kid and I was rooting for the one to leave her crazy husband. And for once the men aren't all painted as clueless clods. Well, one is, but he is actually fun to hate. Overall, it was an easy, entertaining read that made me want to call up my girlfriends for a glass of chardonnay. Good beach book.
December 2, 2024
Like Chicken Soup for the Soul, sometimes you need a book that makes you feel warm on the inside. A nice story about women friendships, support through harder times, and keeping a positive outlook on life.
September 27, 2011
Page 256
... he’s one of those rare men who don’t feel bound to have an opinion on everything. Or worse, a solution.
Page 260
Yesterday’s revelations continue. Ultimately, in the very grand scheme of things, it’s irrelevant whether my life lasts fifty more years, or five. Or two. The point is to live it, not wait through it. And I’m alive now – I can pick flowers, pet the dog, eat cinnamon toast. How foolish I would be to let my mortality, which has been there all along, since he second of by birth, spoil my love of these things. So I won’t. I’ll have to remind myself constantly, but starting now, I intend to live until I die.
... he’s one of those rare men who don’t feel bound to have an opinion on everything. Or worse, a solution.
Page 260
Yesterday’s revelations continue. Ultimately, in the very grand scheme of things, it’s irrelevant whether my life lasts fifty more years, or five. Or two. The point is to live it, not wait through it. And I’m alive now – I can pick flowers, pet the dog, eat cinnamon toast. How foolish I would be to let my mortality, which has been there all along, since he second of by birth, spoil my love of these things. So I won’t. I’ll have to remind myself constantly, but starting now, I intend to live until I die.
March 1, 2010
I have a circle of friends, whom I have known since elementary school. Though we are at different ends of the world, we are connected by a strong bond that has spanned more than 20 years. In choosing and reading this book, I imagined that some of the sentiments could/would be recreated. I was disappointed in the book, not for the reasons that set me reading this book, but others.
First of all, how can one connive a situation to form and forge friendships?
Secondly, it was a bit too sugary for my liking.
First of all, how can one connive a situation to form and forge friendships?
Secondly, it was a bit too sugary for my liking.
January 26, 2009
Wonderful story of four best friends--sort of like the Traveling Pants books for adults. It deals with some heavy life issues--affairs, divorce, health, infertility--in short, real life stuff. I loved reading how these women supported and loved each other through everything life throws at them. Again, with the language disclaimer though--not lots, but ocassionally BAD. All in all though, a wonderful book about women.
May 17, 2011
I found this tedious, as it is told in the first person by FOUR first people. Took me a while to sort them out, and mercy, what a mess their lives are! Middle-age angst all over the place. Issues many
deal with - infertility, immaturity, insecurity, unfaithfulness, even cancer - but while their first resort seems to be their friendship, alcohol is definitely always on the menu.
This just plodded along for me. Way too wordy. I do not recommend it at all.
deal with - infertility, immaturity, insecurity, unfaithfulness, even cancer - but while their first resort seems to be their friendship, alcohol is definitely always on the menu.
This just plodded along for me. Way too wordy. I do not recommend it at all.
April 25, 2017
This was a delightful book. I really liked it a lot, and I only cried a wee bit at the end. I have my own "graces" in my life, and this book made me really appreciate those special women that I love so much. BNIASW.
June 19, 2020
There is nothing better than lasting friendships...
I’m not crying, you’re crying! The end was what I expected it to be, but it was so sweet at the same time. I loved the dynamics of the friendships in The Saving Graces. I feel like this book did a good job showing different personalities and how they balance each other out. It felt reminiscent to the book In Twenty Years, which I thoroughly enjoyed as well.
I’m not crying, you’re crying! The end was what I expected it to be, but it was so sweet at the same time. I loved the dynamics of the friendships in The Saving Graces. I feel like this book did a good job showing different personalities and how they balance each other out. It felt reminiscent to the book In Twenty Years, which I thoroughly enjoyed as well.
May 1, 2024
Touching with confirmation of the power of dear friends.
October 5, 2018
For the past decade, four friends - Emma, Rudy, Lee, and Isabel - have shared an abidingly deep affection for each other that has kept them strong. Their friendship has helped them all deal with the ebb and flow of various expectations and disappointments commonly experienced by so many women. Calling themselves the 'Saving Graces', this quartet is united by understanding, honesty, and acceptance - interweaving bonds of familiarity that have only strengthened as the years go by...
Emma, a sharp-tongued, soft-hearted skeptic, doesn't believe in love - until she meets the one man she can never have. For her, the Saving Graces have become the fall-breakers extraordinaire. She firmly believes that, "bad news doesn't hurt as much if you hear it in good company."
A stunning beauty with an extraordinary capacity for love and a shaky, dysfunctional past, Rudy is desperately trying to hold on to her deeply troubled marriage. She has always viewed her friendship with the Saving Graces as truly life-affirming. She honestly has no idea where she would be without them all, although she freely acknowledges, "I don't know why my friends bother with me, I'm so high-maintenance. I would run if I saw me coming."
Lee, whom everyone else is certain is "the normal one", longs to have a child of her own. Yet her overwhelming desire for motherhood threatens to destroy an otherwise idyllic marriage. The Saving Graces are the sounding board on which she unburdens all her hopes and fears. She fears that her inability to have children will eventually become an obsession for her, "I know I'm consumed by our infertility, and that's not fair to Henry...He says I blame everything that's wrong with us, everything that's wrong with my whole life, on the fact that we can't have children."
Isabel, as the oldest member of the quartet, is a true survivor. Someone whose wisdom and strength were forged by her experiences of some of the worst trials life can possibly offer. Hers is the guidance and practical insight that propels and grounds the Saving Graces. Hers is the quiet, yet equally sustaining 'voice of reason' to which everyone listens.
Her view of the Saving Graces is profoundly simple: "We're all productive, tolerably sane, functioning adults, we Graces, with no more emotional baggage - well, except for Rudy - than you would expect in a random sampling of aging yuppie women. And yet our childhoods were disasters. Occasionally, we four play the intriguing 'What keeps us together?' game, and the fact that we all survived our childhoods is mentioned early and often."
Although these four sisters of the heart and soul have seen it all, as well as talked through it all; nothing can possibly prepare them for what comes next. Emma, Rudy, Lee, and Isabel will each face a crisis of such astounding proportions that the strength of the bonds of love, loyalty, courage, and friendship that these remarkable women share, will ultimately be tested like never before. Captivating from first page to last, this mesmerizing story illuminates the emotional links that define and join us together as women.
The Saving Graces: A Novel by Patricia Gaffney poignantly illustrates just how friendship sustains and enriches women's lives in unique ways - ways no romantic or family relationship ever can. Seen by many as a source of solace, support, and spiritual nourishment, friendship is a tie that powerfully connects women to each other in unforgettable, joyous, sometimes painful ways. While men, jobs, and crises may come and go, nothing lasts like true friendship.
This is actually the second time that I have read this book - the first time that I read it was approximately ten to fifteen years ago. I must say that I enjoyed it just as much the second time as I did when I first read the book. I have always found Ms. Gaffney's writing style to be highly evocative and tremendously sensitive to her audience. Her characterizations are always deeply grounded in reality; they are sympathetic, yet also very relatable in their respective reactions to certain situations.
I was completely immersed in the story in a relatively short period of time, and quite willingly lost myself in the story of these four remarkable women. I found the book hard to put down and was rooting for the Graces all the way through. I would certainly give this book an A+! and will happily keep it to read again some time soon.
Emma, a sharp-tongued, soft-hearted skeptic, doesn't believe in love - until she meets the one man she can never have. For her, the Saving Graces have become the fall-breakers extraordinaire. She firmly believes that, "bad news doesn't hurt as much if you hear it in good company."
A stunning beauty with an extraordinary capacity for love and a shaky, dysfunctional past, Rudy is desperately trying to hold on to her deeply troubled marriage. She has always viewed her friendship with the Saving Graces as truly life-affirming. She honestly has no idea where she would be without them all, although she freely acknowledges, "I don't know why my friends bother with me, I'm so high-maintenance. I would run if I saw me coming."
Lee, whom everyone else is certain is "the normal one", longs to have a child of her own. Yet her overwhelming desire for motherhood threatens to destroy an otherwise idyllic marriage. The Saving Graces are the sounding board on which she unburdens all her hopes and fears. She fears that her inability to have children will eventually become an obsession for her, "I know I'm consumed by our infertility, and that's not fair to Henry...He says I blame everything that's wrong with us, everything that's wrong with my whole life, on the fact that we can't have children."
Isabel, as the oldest member of the quartet, is a true survivor. Someone whose wisdom and strength were forged by her experiences of some of the worst trials life can possibly offer. Hers is the guidance and practical insight that propels and grounds the Saving Graces. Hers is the quiet, yet equally sustaining 'voice of reason' to which everyone listens.
Her view of the Saving Graces is profoundly simple: "We're all productive, tolerably sane, functioning adults, we Graces, with no more emotional baggage - well, except for Rudy - than you would expect in a random sampling of aging yuppie women. And yet our childhoods were disasters. Occasionally, we four play the intriguing 'What keeps us together?' game, and the fact that we all survived our childhoods is mentioned early and often."
Although these four sisters of the heart and soul have seen it all, as well as talked through it all; nothing can possibly prepare them for what comes next. Emma, Rudy, Lee, and Isabel will each face a crisis of such astounding proportions that the strength of the bonds of love, loyalty, courage, and friendship that these remarkable women share, will ultimately be tested like never before. Captivating from first page to last, this mesmerizing story illuminates the emotional links that define and join us together as women.
The Saving Graces: A Novel by Patricia Gaffney poignantly illustrates just how friendship sustains and enriches women's lives in unique ways - ways no romantic or family relationship ever can. Seen by many as a source of solace, support, and spiritual nourishment, friendship is a tie that powerfully connects women to each other in unforgettable, joyous, sometimes painful ways. While men, jobs, and crises may come and go, nothing lasts like true friendship.
This is actually the second time that I have read this book - the first time that I read it was approximately ten to fifteen years ago. I must say that I enjoyed it just as much the second time as I did when I first read the book. I have always found Ms. Gaffney's writing style to be highly evocative and tremendously sensitive to her audience. Her characterizations are always deeply grounded in reality; they are sympathetic, yet also very relatable in their respective reactions to certain situations.
I was completely immersed in the story in a relatively short period of time, and quite willingly lost myself in the story of these four remarkable women. I found the book hard to put down and was rooting for the Graces all the way through. I would certainly give this book an A+! and will happily keep it to read again some time soon.
December 8, 2014
Patricia Gaffney est américaine. Elle est l’auteur à succès de 17 romans dont Les quatre Grâces, un best-seller du New York Times, de Publishers Weekly et de USA Today. Ses livres sont publiés dans le monde entier. Les quatre Grâces, considéré comme un classique aux Etats-Unis, s’est vendu à plus de 1,5 million d’exemplaires.
Contrairement aux Trois Grâces de la mythologie, les héroïnes de ce feel-good book sont quatre. Pendant 10 ans, Emma, Rudy, Lee et Isabel se réunissent une fois par semaine, dans un groupe de discussion, qu'elles ont baptisé le Club des Grâces. À elles quatre, elles s’épaulent, se conseillent, se cachent des secrets aussi parfois… Jusqu’au jour où un événement auquel elles n’étaient pas préparées survient…
Si l'on aime l'esprit de solidarité féminine façon Desperate Housewives, c'est sûr, on ne pourra que se laisser se embarquer par l'intrigue de ce roman à quatre voix qui touche par la bonté de ses personnages. Les quatre Grâces ont su inspirer Patricia Gaffney. Rédigée dans l'esprit de ces séries télé qui nous rendent accro, cette saga populaire pleine d'émotion et d'humour est une véritable leçon de vie !
Patricia Gaffney, dont il s'agit ici du premier roman publié en France, signe un roman revigorant et plein de tonus qui célèbre d'une très jolie façon l'amitié l'amitié et la solidarité féminine.
Un très bon roman de vacances, parfait pour se détendre et s'émouvoir !
Contrairement aux Trois Grâces de la mythologie, les héroïnes de ce feel-good book sont quatre. Pendant 10 ans, Emma, Rudy, Lee et Isabel se réunissent une fois par semaine, dans un groupe de discussion, qu'elles ont baptisé le Club des Grâces. À elles quatre, elles s’épaulent, se conseillent, se cachent des secrets aussi parfois… Jusqu’au jour où un événement auquel elles n’étaient pas préparées survient…
Si l'on aime l'esprit de solidarité féminine façon Desperate Housewives, c'est sûr, on ne pourra que se laisser se embarquer par l'intrigue de ce roman à quatre voix qui touche par la bonté de ses personnages. Les quatre Grâces ont su inspirer Patricia Gaffney. Rédigée dans l'esprit de ces séries télé qui nous rendent accro, cette saga populaire pleine d'émotion et d'humour est une véritable leçon de vie !
Patricia Gaffney, dont il s'agit ici du premier roman publié en France, signe un roman revigorant et plein de tonus qui célèbre d'une très jolie façon l'amitié l'amitié et la solidarité féminine.
Un très bon roman de vacances, parfait pour se détendre et s'émouvoir !
October 14, 2014
I have always been a fan of Anne of Green Gables and was particularly taken with her idea of kindred spirits. My hope has always been that I would find one and at times in my life have found myself close including being part of a woman's group that lasted for some years, but moves among other things, health issues and being a caregiver for many years (which tends to isolate one) mean that although I have friends I don't feel that I have a female kindred spirit.
This book is about 4 women who became kindred spirits to each other although the depth of the sharing varied between the four. They were,however, there for each other through the highs and the lows. I wish that I was a member of a group like that.I was enthralled by the story which was told from their four viewpoints and quickly got used to who was who and the dynamics of the group. Through their years together they dealt with mental illness, divorce, infidelity,bullying, death and more and throughout they loved each other even when they didn't always agree.
I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to others who like books about friendships.
This book is about 4 women who became kindred spirits to each other although the depth of the sharing varied between the four. They were,however, there for each other through the highs and the lows. I wish that I was a member of a group like that.I was enthralled by the story which was told from their four viewpoints and quickly got used to who was who and the dynamics of the group. Through their years together they dealt with mental illness, divorce, infidelity,bullying, death and more and throughout they loved each other even when they didn't always agree.
I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to others who like books about friendships.
April 20, 2022
My Original Thoughts (1999):
Wonderful! I love it. I tried to read it earlier this summer but couldn't get interested. I gave it another try and I'm so glad I did. I loved all four women. Each had strengths and weaknesses, but they were so good to each other. I love books about women's friendships. I could see myself in each of them. I'd like to read more by Gaffney.
My Original Thoughts (2001):
My second reading. Just as wonderful as the first time I read it. Wonderful story about four friends. Reminiscent of Talk Before Sleep (Elizabeth Berg).
My Current Thoughts (2020):
I still have a copy of this book, so maybe I'll give it another read. I wonder if I'll find it too fluffy at this point in my life. I sure was reading a lot of books about women's friendships back in the late 90s.
Update (2022):
I tried to read this again (didn't realize it would be for the 3rd time), but I was bored after just a few pages and called it quits. It must have spoken to my younger self in 1999 & 2001.
Wonderful! I love it. I tried to read it earlier this summer but couldn't get interested. I gave it another try and I'm so glad I did. I loved all four women. Each had strengths and weaknesses, but they were so good to each other. I love books about women's friendships. I could see myself in each of them. I'd like to read more by Gaffney.
My Original Thoughts (2001):
My second reading. Just as wonderful as the first time I read it. Wonderful story about four friends. Reminiscent of Talk Before Sleep (Elizabeth Berg).
My Current Thoughts (2020):
I still have a copy of this book, so maybe I'll give it another read. I wonder if I'll find it too fluffy at this point in my life. I sure was reading a lot of books about women's friendships back in the late 90s.
Update (2022):
I tried to read this again (didn't realize it would be for the 3rd time), but I was bored after just a few pages and called it quits. It must have spoken to my younger self in 1999 & 2001.
March 3, 2016
A truly heart-warming tale of friendship and relationships. Four friends - Emma, Ruby, Lee and Isabel have been friends for ten years and have created a group that they call 'The Saving Graces'. Each woman has a different personality, adding interest to the group yet it seems that the one trait each person is lacking is found in abundance among the other members and they play off this system of helping each other through the rough spots in their lives. When a tragedy brings all four women together to support each another, the true depth of their friendship and individual strengths is tested.
I enjoyed this a lot better than I expected. While I don't have an abundance of friends, I found the bound between the woman and their individual stories believable. I would definitely recommend this for anyone wanting a good bonding story.
I enjoyed this a lot better than I expected. While I don't have an abundance of friends, I found the bound between the woman and their individual stories believable. I would definitely recommend this for anyone wanting a good bonding story.
May 26, 2008
I had a hard time getting into this book. i am not crazy about the chapters, each person is a chapter and it jumps back and forth. but once i got into the story i loved it. what a great portrayal of these women, who could be anyone we actually have as friends. some people, especially women i know, say that only two can have a friendship. but i disagree with that. these women were not perfect, they had their fights, but they still remained friends, and that is what friendship it. through the bad and the good. this will make you laugh and cry at the same time. truly a wonderful read for every woman in a friendship with other women. this book made me stop and think about my friendships with my women friends. great book, greatly written.
September 5, 2014
Critique complète sur mon blog
Vous êtes fatigué des histoires d’amour ? Voici une magnifique histoire d’amitié. C’est l’histoire de quatre copines, Emma, Rudy, Lee et Isabel qui depuis dix ans se retrouvent une fois par semaine dans un groupe de discussion. Elles sont différentes, elles ont chacune leurs difficultés, leur histoire et leur personnalité, mais ensemble, elles affrontent la vie un peu plus facilement.
La fin de la critique sur mon blog
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Vous êtes fatigué des histoires d’amour ? Voici une magnifique histoire d’amitié. C’est l’histoire de quatre copines, Emma, Rudy, Lee et Isabel qui depuis dix ans se retrouvent une fois par semaine dans un groupe de discussion. Elles sont différentes, elles ont chacune leurs difficultés, leur histoire et leur personnalité, mais ensemble, elles affrontent la vie un peu plus facilement.
La fin de la critique sur mon blog
Suivez-moi sur Facebook pour être informés des nouveaux articles
November 14, 2014
At first I thought the book was rather slow, but as I read on it became more involved and interesting. I like stories about people and how they act between each other. I find it fascinating.
This book allow a perspective from each of the specific characters and made it more rounded and less judgmental. The challenges that each of the women dealt with is pretty typical, but I really enjoyed their compassion and kindness toward each other even when they wanted to yell and scream at each other. The men in this story seem to be as involved in their relationship with these women as the women and that I found it comforting and hopeful.
At the end I wanted more of the story, I wanted to know what happen next and to me that is a sign of a good book.
This book allow a perspective from each of the specific characters and made it more rounded and less judgmental. The challenges that each of the women dealt with is pretty typical, but I really enjoyed their compassion and kindness toward each other even when they wanted to yell and scream at each other. The men in this story seem to be as involved in their relationship with these women as the women and that I found it comforting and hopeful.
At the end I wanted more of the story, I wanted to know what happen next and to me that is a sign of a good book.
January 3, 2008
This is my first Patricia Gaffney and (yet another) thing I have tried on Jennifer Crusie's recommendation (yes, I can think for myself, thanks for asking).
The Saving Graces is a book about friendship. Four women have enjoyed more than ten years of shared life and love; helping each other in more ways than can be counted.
To read the rest of this review, please visit
http://www.trashionista.com/2008/01/b...
The Saving Graces is a book about friendship. Four women have enjoyed more than ten years of shared life and love; helping each other in more ways than can be counted.
To read the rest of this review, please visit
http://www.trashionista.com/2008/01/b...
May 17, 2010
This was one of my all time favorite books. I recommended this to my sisters and they recommended it to their friends and within a month (without exaggeration) there were at least a dozen of us who had read the book and were all in love with it. It was witty and full of the substance of life. I didn't want it to end! From the first page I was "part of their lives" and didn't want to "come home." I laughed out loud and cried ... not little tear ... BIG SLOPPY WET TEARS!
Excellent book. Would love to see a movie made of this wonderful story!
Excellent book. Would love to see a movie made of this wonderful story!
August 22, 2017
This was a pretty lame read I'll have to say.
I didn't like the writers style of switching from first to third person on and off again with each different character.
The characters didn't have much tie in with their stories other then their little girl pow wow's they have. I didn't connect with any other the characters other than maybe Isabel at times.
It felt like it was written my a amateur stay at home mother who was bored and writing about her dreams.
Don't read it, it wont be worth your time
I didn't like the writers style of switching from first to third person on and off again with each different character.
The characters didn't have much tie in with their stories other then their little girl pow wow's they have. I didn't connect with any other the characters other than maybe Isabel at times.
It felt like it was written my a amateur stay at home mother who was bored and writing about her dreams.
Don't read it, it wont be worth your time
November 30, 2012
I decided to clean out my books and this was the first I picked up. Figured I had read it but couldn't remember the story (scary isn't it?) So I started reading it and really could relate to it. Kept thinking about my friendships and how we have all gone through stuff and how it has changed us. Woke up this am and finished the book and was really bawling, something I don't usually do as sappy stories are usually too trite. But this one got me...Anyone want my copy or should I recycle it?
February 3, 2014
I give it 3.5 stars. I just wasn't "feeling" this book. While reading a book like this, I usually get involved with the characters and start to care for them, even if I don't relate with them. But that didn't really happen here. I continued to read it since it was for book club and I wanted to find out what happened. It wasn't until almost the end of the book that I liked the book and I did get a teary.
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