Searching For Grace

Rating:
Summary: A compelling story of loss and new vision
Review: Cynthia Kear has written a debut novel that will capture your imagination and leave you revisiting her characters in your mind. Her story ranges from the cold ambitious penthouses of NY to the dust and dispair of the ghettos of Nairobi. Take one sister who battles the world through intellect and science, and another who suffers and transforms life through her painting and you have a stage set for the masterful and unforgettable drama of Searching for Grace. Who needs grace? And why? What, finally, IS grace?

Rating:
Summary: A highly literate examination of complex family dynamics.
Review: Searching for Grace is a highly literate examination of complex family dynamics. There are no cheap thrills in this challenging, three-dimensional novel. Author Kear captures the delicate search to restore emotional equilibrium after the loss of a loved one, the innate desire of every child to establish close bonds with its parents, and siblings' reclamation of one another. All of this emotional drama takes place in either the vibrant art world of New York City or desperately poor and AIDS-stricken Africa. Searching for Grace is a highly intelligent read, not for everyone.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful story of family relationships
Review: This is a wonderfully told story of family relationships, expectations of parents of their children and children of their parents, and family communications. It's a very well written story about the disappointments of parents and children who do not meet each others expectations, but, are unable to talk about it. This is set against the backdrop of a poignant love story about the loss of a love from breast cancer, and beginning recovery from that loss. One of my criteria for liking a book is that I care about what happens to at least some of the characters. This book is about the evolution of three strong women of varied ages who I came to care about very much. I highly recommend this book.