Rating: 
Summary: A Powerful Tale of a Woman With Too Much Heart
Review: Ms. Allen's books are sometimes considered "women's novels," but I don't see why men shouldn't be interested in these powerful themes and the gripping way she depicts them. Grace Loring is a compelling portrait of a woman who gives so much of herself that she never leaves quite enough for herself. A successful author, she has fled an abusive marriage to live with her sympathetic brother Gus, but she now finds herself nearly overwhelmed as a caretaker as Gus surrenders himself completely to a crippling and financially ruinous rheumatoid arthritis. Grace has little time for her bright 22-year-old daughter Nicky--a convincingly perky depiction--or for the achingly decent man Vinnie who has finally entered her life, or even for her own writing, but the costs and burdens of the disease drive her back to the computer. And into this already stressful mix falls yet another plea for help that Grace, of the tormented heart, simply cannot resist. E-mail arrives from a woman who claims she is the victim of brutal and unremitting abuse. Grace's heart goes out--even as the reader begins to worry more and more that this new correspondent may not be quite what she claims. Grace is almost willfully naïve and trusting and self-denying--which would, of course, be virtues in a better world (a world built by women, perhaps, as opposed to the one built by men where "realistic" souls try to hammer each other into submission.) The tension becomes almost unbearable as all these crises come together at once for Grace--and the e-mail correspondent abruptly shows up in person. Like reporting on any powerful mystery, I cannot reveal any more about the story without spoiling it. But I can say the characters moved me, unnerved me with their flaws (human flaws, not writing flaws), and I desperately wanted to step in and help them out of their predicaments. I will remember them for a long time. And finally, I detect more than a whiff of autobiography making its way into this story, both as abuse survivor and caretaker, and if I were an abused woman, I think I would immediately fly to Ms Allen's door and fall at her feet to worship her for writing so powerfully on a dark subject that deserves much more light thrown on it.
Rating:
Summary: gripping tale
Review: Over two decades have passed since Grace Loring walked out on her abusive husband, taking her infant daughter and moving into her brother's home in Vermont. Grace became a successful writer, creating popular fiction and an autobiography that revealed the horror of spousal abuse. Nicky grows up into a fine and caring young woman but Gus becomes crippled from rheumatoid arthritis, forcing Grace into the role of caregiver and wage earner. After many years of caring for Gus, Grace feels trapped and unable to write. When an abuse victim, Stephanie, contacts her via her website, Grace reaches out to the troubled women, offering audience and sympathy. When Gus learns that Grace is engaged in an intimate correspondence with Stephanie he believes that Grace should stop the relationship because only trouble will come of it. His sister ignores him and continues to write Stephanie encouraging her to leave her husband. Gracie's good intentions lead to a terrible tragedy and the realization that big brother is sometimes is right. The heroine of GRACE NOTES is a warm-hearted woman who wants to save the world but is forced to learn that she has no control over the actions of others. Charlotte Vale Allen makes her protagonist a sympathetic character so that when tragedy strikes, our hearts to go out to her. Ms. Vale Allen has written a gripping tale about spousal abuse and its affects on the survivors. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Another Winner For Charlotte Vale Allen
Review: The arrival of a new Charlotte Vale Allen book is always a treat! One following so close on the heels of Parting Gifts makes it a double treat. One cannot get too many of her books and this is another one that is a joy to read. Grace Notes takes us into the 21st Century with computers,the internet and emails playing the major role in this book.I will not reiterate the story line as doing so would only replicate what has preceded this.I will only add that she deals with both rheumatoid arthritis and spousal abuse with great knowledge. Ms. Allen's talent with character development is unsurpassed and she more than excells in this book. Grace Loring,her protagonist,is so real she almost leaves the book and joins you. Her brother,Gus;her daughter,Nicky;her dear friend,Vinnie; even Dolly and Lucia,her salaried help,are so totally dimensional it is difficult to see them as fictional characters. The only shadowy character is Stephanie Baine,but since she is manifested on email - a cyber person - she remains one dimensional. Only close to the end is she developed fully. Ms. Allen has written another fast-paced book that is highly readable. It builds in suspense to an exciting and unexpected conclusion. It is a great book,a great read, and she has done it again! After reading this book you may never fully trust your emails.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Interesting
Review: This is my 12th of Charlotte's wonderful books and it really made me think of how careful we all should be in corresponding with people on the Net. I have debated over whether to bring this to anyone's attention, especially the Author's who has actually emailed me, wonder of wonders' but I cannot not bring this fact to her attention and I know she will look at this. Medicare is not based on one's assets. You receive Medicare once you are 65 or after you have been disabled for at least two years. Maybe our wonderful author was thinking about Medicaid which is based on one's assets. Likewise, ONe can get Social Security benefits at age 62 or at any age age when one becomes disabled as Gus, obviously was, with the severest arthritis there is. I intend to read all 36 of this author's wonderful books so I hope she won't be mad at me for this entry.
Rating:
Summary: Very Interesting
Review: This is my 12th of Charlotte's wonderful books and it really made me think of how careful we all should be in corresponding with people on the Net. I have debated over whether to bring this to anyone's attention, especially the Author's who has actually emailed me, wonder of wonders' but I cannot not bring this fact to her attention and I know she will look at this. Medicare is not based on one's assets. You receive Medicare once you are 65 or after you have been disabled for at least two years. Maybe our wonderful author was thinking about Medicaid which is based on one's assets. Likewise, ONe can get Social Security benefits at age 62 or at any age age when one becomes disabled as Gus, obviously was, with the severest arthritis there is. I intend to read all 36 of this author's wonderful books so I hope she won't be mad at me for this entry.
Rating:
Summary: Two great kinds of stories in one book!
Review: What I liked most about Grace Notes was the way Ms. Allen managed to fully render Grace's emotionally complicated personal relationships while still maintaining the thriller aspects of the story. From the liner notes, I knew that the emails from Stephanie Baine to Grace Loring weren't at all what they appeared. But once I started reading, I became caught up in Grace's personal relationships, particularly her relationship to her brother Gus which I found touching and tender. It's rare to find a good brother/sister dynamic in a novel.
Ms. Allen managed to bring alive Grace's frustration and guilt over caring for her brother. Yet she never lost the tension of the narrative. I would recommend this book to mystery readers and former "Oprah" readers alike.
Rating:
Summary: Another insightful effort
Review: What is most notable about this author's work is that no two of her books are the same. For that reason alone, I would buy any book of hers without bothering to read the flap copy or the reviews because I know that whatever she has chosen to write about it will have her unique insights and depth of feeling for the characters. Grace Notes is a cautionary tale about the ways in which the internet (email in particular) can be used--sometimes to great disadvantage. It's also a very truthful exploration of the tremendous demands of caregiving and of the long-term effects of domestic abuse. Several clever twists at the end were definitely not foreshadowed. All in all, a gripping and most satisfying reading experience.
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