Blessing in Disguise

I listened to the audio version of blessing in disguise (all 16 hours!), and found myself strangely compelled by the lives of Grace, Cordelia, Jack etc. The story is the tale of Grace Trescott, the daughter of renowned civil rights leader. She is writing a controversial novel about her father. She is also involved in an interfaith relationship with an older man with older children. As if this weren't problematic enough, Grace discovers the truth about her father and his relationship with his secretary and this strains the relationship between her and the rest of her family.While I liked "Blessing in Disguise" it was not without flaws. Number 1. I got really really tired of Jack, Grace's boyfriend. He was whiny, "I'm too old for her....." Yep, agree with him there. He was also too immature, and too focused on his own children. I thought the age difference was icky and did not work for me. The problems with an interfaith marriage weren't even touched upon. Overall, I was really sick of Jack by the end. Grace was better off with the veterinarian.2. Ben. Hated the character. He is an abusive user and gets away with it. I don't buy the 'therapy cure-all' excuse at the end of the book. Ben needed more than just therapy, he needed to be locked up. His "Feel sorry for me, I'm a poor little rich kid" just wore thin... Get over yourself Ben!3. Cordelia: liked her. Liked her relationship with her gardener boyfriend. But what is with Goudge and writing characters who are in relationships with much older people? Seriously, two romances in one book between two people with a large age difference began to skeeve me out...4. Also, while I appreciated hearing about Hannah, Ben and the other minor characters, there was WAY too much time spent on the children. I would've preferred more character development between the main romantic couples and less time spent with the two teenage malcontents. (The scene where Chris ran away had me rolling my eyes in pain.Overall, despite my criticism of this novel, I felt it was extremely well-written. Goudge made you feel for the characters, and is an extremely talented author, making even the most trite stereotypes seem fresh. While I didn't care for some of the subject matter: older man/younger woman, younger woman/older man, rape, adultery etc. I felt she handled the topic well.

This was one of the most interesting books I have read, and my first I've read of Eileen Goudge. I wasn't disappointed. The story is really very sad as the father had had an affair long ago that he had never talked about; and in that affair, he'd had a child, unbeknownst to his wife until after he died. The beginning of the book captures your attention right away with a tragic event, and moves forward from that point on. A lot of family difficulties and situations arise in this book that make it great to read and hard to put down.

Although I wasn't totally taken in by this book, it was still a good read. I think it had some good points in it about society, and made me think a lot . . .If you want to read a book that goes straight to your heart, read Stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. . .It is a beautiful story of unrequited love. . .for certain the love story of the nineties. I intended to give the book a quick read, but I got so caught up in the story that I couldn't put the book down. From the very beginning, I was fully caught up in the heart-wrenching account of Julie Hunter's battle with lupus and her growing love for Don Lipton. This love, in the face of Julie's impending death, makes for a story that covers the range of human emotions. The touches of humor are great, too, they add some nice contrast and lighten things a bit when emotions are running high. I've never read a book more deserving of being published. It has rare depth. Julie's story will remind your readers that life and love are precious and not to be taken for granted. It has had an impact on me, and for that I'm grateful. Stolen Moments is written with so much sensitivity that it made me want to cry. It is a spellbinder. What terrific writing. Barbara does have an exceptional gift! This book was edited by Lupus specialist Dr. Matt Morrow too, and has the latest information on that disease. ..A perfect gift for someone who started college late in life, fell in love too late in life, is living with any illness, or trying to understand a loved one who is. . .A gift to be cherished forever.

I could really relate to this book. It is hard to find good interracial books to read with such honest feelings. And the difficulty people go through because of society.