Grace

This was not a comfortable read, but I'm so glad that I read it. I hadn't really heard anything about this book, even though I am a huge RPE fan, but I decided to give it a go after seeing it in my local library and being starved for a book to keep me occupied at work. Note: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK AT WORK. I was a blubbering mess at my desk by the end and I was so thankful to have some time alone to gather myself because I looked like a hot mess in front of all of my coworkers.

If you're looking for a feel good Christmas book, this is NOT for you. However, it did leave me feeling rather grateful for my upbringing and for the joyous Christmases I've had through the years.

At Christmastime, Eric looks back on a defining moment in his life when he was a young teenage boy growing up in the sixties. His father temporarily paralyzed, Eric and his family move to Utah where he lives in a poor neighborhood, goes to a rough school, and has to work to help out. While at work, he finds a classmate, Grace, dumpster hopping. She's run away from home. Taking pity on her, he brings her home to live in a clubhouse way back in the woods behind his house, giving her food, being a friend, protecting her. But she has a secret he can't guess, and the results of the fall and winter dramatically affect him.

If you've read any Richard Paul Evans, then you know his trademark is tearjerkers, and this was no different in that show more department. I liked the characters, and wanted to hug Grace so badly. Though often sad, there's hope in the story, too. show less

I love all of Richard Paul Evans' books and wait for the new one every year. This one actually made me cry at work. I could not put down this touching story. Eric meets and falls in love with Grace by chance saving her from a terrible home life. However, being that they are only children, he can't save her forever and she is eventually forced to return. This heart-renching story shows how one experience can change and shape the rest of our lives and how just one person can make all the difference in the world.

A touching and sad story about a jr. high school relationship that set the course for the narrator's future vocation. In some ways, it is a story of a simpler time. But it is also sad to realize that there was a time when abuse was not recognized and that children who were victims of it had no place to turn for help.

I have read almost all of Richard Paul Evans' books. Even though I have loved all the books I have read, Grace stands out as my favorite. Unlike his love stories, Grace is a young girl who will absolutely overwhelm you. The story will stay with you much longer and much deeper than any other book Evans has written. Please don't miss this one.

Eric is having a tough time after a recent move, his father not being able to work due to an injury, and just the normal teenage stuff. He works part-time at a burger joint to help out and this is where he meets Grace, while she is digging in a dumpster for food. He is kind and invites her into the restaurant to eat. They talk and Grace tells Eric that she is a runaway. He tells her she can stay in the clubhouse on his parents' property and she accepts. Grace and Eric's lives will never be the same after this Christmas...

I truly love books by Richard Paul Evans and this one is no exception. It is a tender story that brought out all my emotions. I felt for Eric and for Grace, both had tough choices to make. The only problem I had with show more the book was how come neither Eric or Grace told the authorities what had really happened with her step-dad? That part was unbelievable to me, but otherwise a very touching Christmas story. show less

Richard Paul Evans is a good guy. The story... pretty good, actually. Only, I found some parts (the most important parts) cliche and too predictable. And yet I don't think he writes these books to accomplish literary genius as much as to send a message, so I gave it some forgiveness there. Still, it was a cute story. Didn't move me to emotion as much as it was meant to, I think, though... probably because of the things I already mentioned. I just felt I was being told a story of invention; it never became real for me.