Rating: 
Summary: A worthwhile read
Review: In the tradition of books about friendship, the author Patrica Gaffney explores the relationship between four women in The Saving Graces. And we as readers watch as four women bond together and face life at its best and worst.The group, which is named for an injured dog they find on the side of a road, finds themselves first meeting at a book club and shortly afterwards becoming social friends. Sevevral times a month they meet to discuss their previous and ongoing experiences and relationships. Married, divorced and single, they share details of their everyday lives, their romances, their memories, their goals and even the books they read. As the days turn into years, the women find themsleves growing and changing in many ways due in part to the strength they gain from the support of one another. Then when one of the members faces a potential tragedy, the true strength and love of their friendhips are not only tested but threatened. Gaffney, known primarily as a romance writer, offers her readers the opportunity to be enveloped by these frienships. It is a worthwhile read and one which I enjoyed.
Rating: 
Summary: WOMEN'S FICTION AT ITS' BEST!!!!
Review: A story of friendship, commitment, loyalty, support, trust....all these key elements and more........This is what FRIENDSHIP is all about, no matter how diverse we are in our backgrounds or personalities!!! Emma, Isabel, Lee and Rudy, known as The Saving Graces (I won't give it away as to why they are called that...you'll just have to read the book yourself to find out).....meet twice a month for dinner and talk.........they each have their own problems and each one is quite the individual.......yet they are the closest of friends, who support each other, show honesty whether or not asked to, give strength to each other.......This book is a "Keeper"............one that will stay in your hearts forever...... Every one of my emotions was felt while reading this.....happiness, laughter, hope, sadness.............yes I cried, I screamed, I wanted to slap them silly sometimes!! But I also wanted them to be MY friends!!! Each character takes turns telling their story yet we never mix them up.........each one is told in a precise manner.... Pat Gaffney knows how to tug on our heartstrings........I promise you, it will be in your top 10 most favorite reads!!!
Rating:
Summary: Subtle but moving
Review: The general review is correct: there is nothing particularly surprising in the plot of this book. It will not drag you along in suspense waiting for the next unforseen plot twist. But if you are anything like me, you will get completely swept up because you care for these flawed but wonderful, completely relate-able characters. I laughed myself stupid, I got mushy and wrote grateful letter to my friends, I cried a little too. It was just a great read. I am giving all my female friends a copy of this book for christmas.
Rating:
Summary: a book made for summer
Review: Okay, "the saving graces" certainly doesn't qualify as outstanding literature. And yes, the story of 4 friends & each one's joys & sorrows is not the most original concept in the world: But the strength of this particular novel is that it's extremely well written & so much fun: it's a story that could really be about any of us, the themes are so familiar. "The saving graces" underline what most of us already know, that friends are the relatives we chose, the family we form for ourselves, whereas when it comes to our actual families, we don't have a choice. Patricia Gaffney, from what I've heard (because this is the first book of hers that I've read) usually writes different kind of novels, historical romances etc. But I don't know why- she seems to be a natural in telling a contemporary, real, easy-to-read story. This book is about the friendship of 4 women, around 40 years old: Rudy, Isabel, Emma & Lee. They meet twice a month for dinner & share secrets, talk about their lives, laugh a lot and sometimes cry. What women-friends do in real life, actually: and this is this novel's strength: although it's not the most substantial or inspired book in the world, it's one of the best books in the "light reading" category, since it's as if the story is taken out of real life. It's one of those novels that the reader gets totally engrossed in, so it's a very good selection for a weekend away or for a long airplane ride. You'll have a great time reading it...
Rating: 
Summary: Great fast read book about the depth of women's friendships.
Review: Definitely a "woman's book," The Saving Graces is about the lives and friendships of Lee, Rudy, Emma and Isabel. The four women share intimate weekly dinners and occasional trips to North Carolina's Outter Banks, where we are privy to their thoughts and conversations. Few subjects are off limits to the women, and as readers we are involved in their interactions with men, careers, families, and the individual dilemma each character faces. Lee is the stable one, except that she wants a child and can't conceive. Neurotic Rudy struggles to find herself beneath the smothering domination of a charming but self-centered husband. Emma bemoans her status as a single woman who finds true love with a married man. Isabel, as the book's wise crone, has a life-threatening illness, is recovering from a shattering divorce, and finds an unexpected new love in her life. While every character's story has a singular theme, they are nicely woven together by author Gaffney's clever and clear ability to change voice, becoming first one character followed by the others. She keeps the collective story-line moving forward and at the same time explores the individual feelings of her characters. The book's strength lies in it's readability and accurate revelation of how close women friends interact. This includes the fact that, as in real life, one or two of the characters talk about the others when the others aren't present. The weakness of The Saving Graces lies in the neatly tied up package each woman's life becomes by the book's conclusion. Overall, it's a pleasing, fast read for women of any age. The Graces capture much of what is wonderful about the constancy of women friends in our lives.
Rating:
Summary: Gaffney just gets better and better
Review: After a week of reading complex, "deep" books, sinking into this one was a special pleasure, like meeting an old friend after spending several years apart and being able to relax, not work at the relationship. I've always enjoyed reading Gaffney's books but this one is her best yet..full of quirky, yet endearing women, each faced with a unique challenge - illness, infertility, marital troubles,etc. Luckily, there is plenty of humor and charm as well.
I don't want to give too much away here but female readers will definitely relate to the women here, root for them and be touched by their struggles. If you think the plot is going to be predictable, you might even be in for some surprises. Yes, this is "women's fiction" but that doesn't mean it is fluffy or trivial. A delight!
Rating:
Summary: Nominate Me, Graces!
Review: Ah, to be a part of their group would be profoundly sweet.... The power of friendship over time, the beauty of loving support and individuality within the bounds of differences, disagreements, breakdowns, break ups and come togethers is the heart of "The Saving Graces". It is rare for me to appreciate each character of a book like I do in this one. I have to admit a tendency to like Emma the best only because, like me, she is a writer. Gaffney captures the essence of long-term friendship between women. The text is easy and enjoyable to read. It made me think without being heavy, brought me emotionally into the story without exhausting me. Perfect read for someone on hiatus from "deep thinking" forms of writing without being too schmaltzy or completely predictable.
Rating:
Summary: Great Novel About Friendship & Sisterhood
Review: The Saving Graces--partly named for the dog they save, which is later called Grace--have been a quartet of middle-aged friends in Washington, D.C. for the past ten years. Together they share their troubles with men (i.e., Emma is emotionally involved with a married man), careers/jobs, family (two of the women are trying for children, with no luck), and just life-in-general problems. At times, I got a few of the characters mixed up and had to write their names down to keep them straight, like so: Emma DeWitt, the sarcastic journalist who wants to be a novelist; Rudy Surratt-Lloyd, the dysfunctional pillhead; Lee Pavlik-Patterson, the sensible one; and Isabel Thorlefsen-Kurtz, the "mother" of the group. Isabel stood out the most for me, mainly because she was kind of the matriarch of the group. Plus, she had the most life-altering issues with cancer and an unfaithful husband (though Rudy's, by far, is worse). But out of all of them, I could relate to Emma the most, probably because of her sarcasm. I bought "The Saving Graces" mainly because the front cover and synopsis reminded me a little of Judy Blume's "Summer Sisters" (another book I'd recommend). I especially liked how the chapters alternated between each woman's first person point of view, which gave great depth to this book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it anyone interested in contemporary novels about sisterhood/friendship.
Rating:
Summary: 4 and 3/4 stars
Review: Heroines: Varied True friendship is a priceless commodity, one which can not be purchased, only given freely. Ethereal Isabel struggles to be a survivor of cancer not once but twice. Lee is a motherly daycare director who ironically craves but cannot have a child of her very own. Rudy is the beauty whose life is so painfully ugly. And Emma is the journalist whose longing to write the next great American novel is eclipsed only by her desire for a man she loves but cannot have. Together these four loving, giving girlfriends see each other through some of the most difficult times of their lives with humor, strength, and of course . . grace. What worked for me: This story was so warm and touching and the characters' circumstances were so very real that I cried and laughed along with them. I was so sorry to come to the end of this book, and my first thought upon closing its covers was, "I want my very own 'Graces'!" What didn't work for me: This novel is written in first person point-of-view, a tricky thing since we hear alternately from each of the four main characters. I found it helpful to mentally assign each woman her own "voice" so that I could better keep them separated in my mind as I was first getting to know them. I did wish for a bit more detail about scenery and character development seen through my own eyes instead having it explained to me by the key players. Essentially, the book reads like a 5-way phone-call between you and the Graces so you may not quite feel you are there with them physically. Overall: "The Saving Graces" is a wonderful read for those who savor bittersweet stories about true friendship, and the dash of romance ought to satisfy fans of eros as well. (I'm definitely going to make more of an effort in searching out "women's fiction" titles of this kind to read!) Warning: there is some coarse language in this book. If you liked "The Saving Graces" you might also enjoy other stories about friendship such as: "Circle of Friends", "Tara Road", "Princess Charming", "Fast Women", and "The Red Tent".
Rating:
Summary: touching
Review: This book has a very touching and friendly tale to tell. I recommend it to all women who appreciate their friends or wish they had some friends to appriciate.
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