Fallen Grace

When we first meet Grace Parks, she is a fifteen-year-old girl living in 1861 London who is just about to deliver her first child out of wedlock. Grace is orphaned, and has had to look after her sister Lily since their mother passed away. They are both poor and living in the slums from hand to mouth, often going without food when they can't manage to sell enough watercress on the streets. Given she hasn't gotten enough money to feed and clothe herself and her sister, let alone a newborn baby, it is possibly an act of mercy when the midwife informs her that the baby was stillborn. Grace is of course devastated, and feeling sorry for her, the midwife tells her about a way in which her baby can find proper burial in a beautiful cemetery show more just outside London, instead of being thrown into a communal pauper's grave. While at the cemetery, Grace will meet two individuals who will play large roles in the Parks sisters' fortunes, in the persons of the kindly James Solent, a law clerk, and Mrs Unwin, the wife of one of London's most successful undertakers, who suggests to her she has the perfect face, solemn and tragic, to be employed as a mute, or a professional mourner, though Grace, quite put off, doesn't intend to take her up on the offer. Directly inspired by Dickens' tales—the great writer plays a small role in the novel—and therefore peopled with wonderfully wicked characters in the shape of the members of the Unwin clan, the novel follows the sisters as they are forced onto the London streets and have no choice but to turn to the villainous Unwins for sustenance, much as Grace dislikes the idea of making a living from the funeral industry. This line of business is about to get an incredible boost upon the death of Prince Consort Albert in December 1861, when Queen Victoria declares the nation to be in a state mourning. Probably written for a YA readership, but who cares? it's a great yarn and worth the detour. show less

Synopsis:

Grace Parkes is able to keep herself and her sister fed and housed--but just barely--by selling watercresses in the streets of London. Grace and her older sister, Lily, a 'simple' girl were orphaned a decade ago when their mother died and have been handed one trouble after another since then. Now, pregnant by less than pleasant circumstances Grace has given birth to a a stillborn baby.

It is what happens next, while Grace is following the midwife's advice to find a rich person's coffin to place her baby's body in (to avoid it being put in a pauper's grave) that will bring more to the girls' lives than they ever dreamed. Good and bad alike.


Review:

Fallen Grace was so much more than I had expected. I wanted to read it because I show more very much enjoy historical fiction and the time period and little bit of the plot I knew appealed to me. I ended up absolutely loving it.

Along with giving you readers a fantastic sense of Victorian London and what the time would have been like for someone who was not a wealthy upper-class woman, Mary Hooper's latest novel is full of quirky little details that readers likely would not know otherwise.

Grace and her sister Lily are both incredibly endearing and, thanks to chapters told from each girl's perspective, the reader feels an almost immediate connection with them--and their connection with each other. It's obvious how much the sisters care for each other and adds another enjoyable layer to the story.

Something I really didn't expect from Fallen Grace was the suspense, the incredible suspense.



Fallen Grace is the absolute best kind of historical fiction: the kind that works in interesting facts (and not just the large ones, but the little ones that actually are fun to know), gives you a marker of an actual historical event (if it's not about a major historical figure), all while involving characters and a plot that really draw readers in and get them hooked right from page one.


I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of not only Mary Hooper's past books, but also her future ones as well!



Author inteview on my blog: here show less

Grace Parkes has just had to do a terrible thing. Having given birth to an illegitimate child, she has travelled to the famed Brookwood Cemetery to place her small infant's body in a rich lady's coffin. Following the advice of a kindly midwife, this is the only way that Grace can think of to give something at least to the little baby who died at birth, and to avoid the ignominy of a pauper's grave. Distraught and weeping, Grace meets two people at the cemetery: Mrs Emmeline Unwin and Mr James Solent. These two characters will have a profound affect upon Grace's life. But Grace doesn't know that yet. For now, she has to suppress her grief and get on with the business of living: scraping together enough pennies selling watercress for rent show more and food; looking after her older sister, who is incapable of caring for herself; thwarting the manipulative and conscience-free Unwin family, who are as capable of running a lucrative funeral business as they are of defrauding a young woman of her fortune. A stunning evocation of life in Victorian London, with vivid and accurate depictions, ranging from the deprivation that the truly poor suffered to the unthinking luxuries enjoyed by the rich: all bound up with a pacy and thrilling plot, as Grace races to unravel the fraud about to be perpetrated against her and her sister. show less

Summary: Grace is only fifteen, but already her life is in shambles. She’s been raped, her subsequent baby perished, and she must look after her older sister who isn’t quite right in the head. To make things worse, Grace and her sister have just been forced out of their home, and being orphans, have nowhere to go. They find themselves working at a morgue to make ends meet, and quickly wind up in the midst of a swindling bigger than they could ever imagine.

My thoughts: Fallen Grace is a beautifully written historical novel. It is rich, well developed, and completely immersing. I haven’t read any of Mary Hooper’s other books, but if they are as well-researched and gorgeous as Fallen Grace, I’ll have to give them a read.

Mary show more Hooper expertly captures the late 1800’s woman in both Grace and Lily, her sister. They have delicate sensibilities, but are firm in their beliefs and strong for their time. I enjoyed how Grace was so responsible for a fifteen year old—I never would have been able to survive in her shoes. Lily, despite being “simple” is not too easily taken advantage of, and holds her own as an interesting sub-character.

Fallen Grace’s story reminded me a bit of Oliver Twist, what with Grace and Lily being poor orphans who end up working at a morgue and are eventually taken advantage of without their knowledge. However, I felt that Fallen Grace focused more on a girl’s perspective and journey, so it was unique enough to hold my interest. The sad situation Grace and Lily came from was quite shocking, and I couldn't help rooting for them to overcome their obstacles.

I’d recommend Fallen Grace to any fan of historical fiction; it takes a good look at the gritty side of the late 1800’s, and really puts things in perspective. I definitely enjoyed reading about the trials and triumphs of Grace and her sister. show less

Grace and her sister Lily are orphans, trying to survive in the slums of Victorian London. Though Lily is older than Grace, Lily is (as they say) simple-minded, and Grace must take care of her. Through a series of pretty much unfortunate events, Grace finds herself working in the funeral trade as a mute, a professional mourner, while Lily has a position as a maid in her employers' home. Little do the girls know, their unscrupulous employers have their own reasons for taking them in.

This was a fairly good read. The author had done a lot of research about Victorian life, particularly Victorian mourning customs, and managed to incorporate it into the story without a lot of information dumps. I did find the conclusion of the story a little show more too fantastical, and a little too neatly tied up. I also thought Grace was not as well-developed a character as she could have been, and all of the secondary characters were pretty flat. Still, it was interesting enough to keep me reading, and it was a fast read -- if you are intrigued by the premise (as I was, after reading a review of it elsewhere), I'd say give it a try! show less

A well written story with great characters. The historical setting was interesting and added unique details of the Victorian era that were well-woven and advanced the plot instead of distracting. The story eluded to Charles Dickens and indeed, he makes a cameo appearance. The feel of the plot was very Dickensonian, but without the ramblings of Dickens. The mc, Grace, is strong and works hard and things come right for her in the end, though she has to make a tough decision and makes the one that is right for the good of others rather than what might be her own selfish desires. It is a great story with a very satisfying resolution. Haven't read too many of those lately!

A well written story with great characters. The historical setting was interesting and added unique details of the Victorian era that were well-woven and advanced the plot instead of distracting. The story eluded to Charles Dickens and indeed, he makes a cameo appearance. The feel of the plot was very Dickensonian, but without the ramblings of Dickens. The mc, Grace, is strong and works hard and things come right for her in the end, though she has to make a tough decision and makes the one that is right for the good of others rather than what might be her own selfish desires. It is a great story with a very satisfying resolution. Haven't read too many of those lately!