Rating: 
Summary: A simply wonderful book
Review: If you are a women you must read this book. It will touch you because these characters are your friends, they are the women in your life that you count on and run too when your heart is broken or your spirit is low. It is so true that your women friends will always be there for you, and this book is such a wonderful story about a group of such women. The characters are familiar and you believe in there story, in there relationships. It is a book that will draw you in and make you laugh outloud and cry outloud. It is also a book that will remind you that sisterhood is a powerful force that can heal the heart and mend the spirit.
Rating: 
Summary: A perfect blend of friendship
Review: The Saving Graces by Patricia Gaffney has rested on my bookshelf for well over a year while I indulged in my mysteries. Needing a change of pace I picked it up not knowing exactly what to expect but knowing I bought it because the critics of my book clubs gave it excellent reviews at the time of its debut.The style and format were so different from my current reading that it took me awhile to adjust. I immediately loved Emma, Rudy, Lee and Isabel but especially Isabel since many of my friends were and are similarly afflicted. It was so interesting to learn about each character through the eyes of another as well as from themselves and the men involved in their lives. These women of varying ages (me being older than all of them)reacted to and encountered so many daily struggles, triumphs, fears, saddness and hope. Their friendship was tested many times and withstood the test. Love for one another and for others stood out as well as their dislike for anyone harming one of the "graces". Years ago I experienced a similar friendship ring so my emotions were right with them. I would like to believe there are friendships out there today enduring like the "Saving Graces" - it is a special experience everyone should have a chance at. I never read Patricia Gaffney before but I intend to read more. This was a great read and I would recommend it to the thirtysomething crowd and over.
Rating: 
Summary: Only OK
Review: Wow I'm surprised how many people gave this book 5 stars, I only thought it was so-so. It was interesting and an easy read but I didn't think there was much character development. The only character that stood out was Isabel, the other three kind of melded into one. I kept having to remind myself who was who and I also had to look at the chapter to see who was telling the story at that time. Being from the DC area, it really annoyed me how much she referred to the location of the characters at any given time, "driving down Rock Creek Parkway", "her house in Adams-Morgan", "going to the liquor store on Old Georgetown Road", "The doctors offices on K street". It was too much after the 5th Adams-Morgan reference. This book just didn't grab me, but I do have to admit to crying during one point of it which surprised me. Good for reading by the pool.
Rating:
Summary: My "Saving Grace"...Kleenex!
Review: This book made me laugh and cry. As a thirtysomething, I have had the misfortune lose a very close friend. As hard as that was, I learned to cherish and cultivate the friendships that I have. While this book started slow, I soon reached the point of no return and stayed up til 3:00 a.m. to finish. I was totally absorbed in the lives of these four women and their enduring relationship. As soon as I finished, I delivered the book, along with a box of kleenex, to one of my girlfriends. My copy has been through a dozen or more folks and I recommend this to every woman I know. And since our friends are the family we choose, make sure they know that they are truly treasured.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated
Review: It's hard to imagine a book that has all the essentials of a compelling , involving book and yet so persistently misses the mark. The characters are drawn woodenly, so that when joy or sorrow befalls them it's hard to work up even a hearty interest. There is a conspicuous lack of description, development of scene, anything of literary depth. The four main characters are meant to develop, mature and we are suposed to understand the intracacies of their personalitites and minds. There is little other than external events to distinguish them from one another that even toward the end of the book, I found myself looking back to see who was talking. That all said, it's an easy book to read on the beach.
Rating:
Summary: Four Great Women = One Great Story
Review: The four main characters of this novel are all very intriguing and special women. Rudy, one character, is a crazy but loveable woman that sees a physiatrist and endures an overly oppressive marriage. Emma, another character, is a beautiful journalist that falls in love with a married man after a string of unsuccessful relationships. A third character, Lee, is a rich, practical, Jewish woman that marries a plumber. Lastly, there is Isabel who is the motherly, endearing woman that suffers a divorce and more tragedy during the course of this story. The book revolves around them starting a woman's club that originally was designed to talk about issues and discuss certain aspects relevant to women. What it turns out to be is a support group for each other to make it through the ups and downs in a woman's life. Many of the friendships in this book make you long for at least one good woman friend that you can reach out to and share all secrets with. However, also central in this book are the relationships with men, having a family, and surviving life altering events. The ending of this book is a tear jerker as one of the members leaves The Saving Graces, imparting only wisdom that can be seen after such an event. One tip to the reader, it took me awhile to realize that whoever the chapter is titled after, they are the narrator in that current chapter.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down.
Review: I loved it! Gaffney did a great job with the unusual format. If you like relationship stories with 'real' characters you'll love it too. My only complaint was her use of the word "darling" twice.
Rating:
Summary: What a surprise
Review: I got this book because of the good reviews listed at this web site. But, when I started to read it, it was a little slow. I'm glad I got into it. There was alot of background information that had to be revealed before the storylines really started. But when they started, I was hooked. I love how this book is presented: from the points of view of four friends, all in first person, all with their own alternating chapters. A very unique perspective, because they discuss alot of the same situations and you really get to see how differently these women think and percieve these things. I really recommend this book. You really will come away with a whole new attitude.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous!
Review: I loved this book and would recommend it to everybody. The characters are well-drawn and the story is absorbing. I cared about all of the women and loved that they each had such distinctive voices. I always enjoyed Gaffney's romance novels, but she has taken a quantam leap with this book.
Rating:
Summary: Very Real and Heartfelt
Review: This is a sincere, real, and moving portrait of friendship between women. I identified with a little something in each of the characters, and ended up caring a great deal about what happened to them. Gaffney's writing style is straightforward and simple, which allows the characters' emotions to shine. Gaffney does a masterful job of weaving humor, love, and tragedy into a cohesive plot, which is pretty amazing, given the fact that the characters take turns telling the story of their lives and the events that unfold. Indeed, this structure allows the story to be more subtle, revealing the dynamics of the friendship.
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