Tender Grace

Tender Grace by Jackina Stark is a poignant story about a woman's quest to reclaim her voice and her life after the death of her husband. Audrey Eaton has isolated herself after the sudden death of her husband Tom just a few months into their early retirement. She stopped substitute teaching, seeing friends, and doing any reading, including her Bible. Her life revolves around watching lots of television to numb her pain; she's even stopped speaking except when absolutely necessary to keep up the illusion of normalcy. After two years of mourning, Audrey decides to take a road trip in hopes that it will reawaken her love for life. Road trip stories are one of my favorite genres. I love stories that involves a physical journey that mimics a spiritual one as well, and Stark's is a wonderful example of just how it should be. Her writing is lyrical and moving. In the opening chapters, Audrey's journal entries are terse and unemotional, but as she meets new people and sees the world around her, they start to flow with feelings and depth. Her writing sings on every page: I'm not brain dead, but I'm sure my heart in precariously close to a kind of death, because anything I do is such a chore. My life is one long sigh. I love that not every encounter Audrey has is full of meaning, but she chooses to learn from each one. I was reluctant to turn the final page on this book, and I look forward to reading more from the author.

Loved this--highly recommended! Tender Grace is beautifully written, with well-developed characters, believable dialogue, biblical truths and even humor throughout. After only a few chapters, I felt as though I were in Audrey's heart. And when I finished reading, well, I didn't want to be done. Looking forward to reading more from Jackina Stark!

Tender Grace touched my heart,ministered to my soul,and tickled me to the point of laughing out loud . I devoured it in two days (I had to make myself slow down, so it would last longer!!).I truly loved the story and characters, and I would love to read more about Audrey!!!

Tender Grace is a new novel that deals with a widow's grief, her growth, and her transformation to a new state of awareness. In the story, Audrey, a widow of 18 months, leaves for a trip to visit the places she and her husband never visited but wanted to visit. The book is about her journey. Her journey isn't easy. She feels that it is about the trip, but it is also about her hopes, dreams, memories, and soul. This is a Christian book, but not one that preaches at you. It is a quiet, loving type of affirmation of faith. In this book you meet new friends, see new places, and feel as if you were on the trip with Audrey. It was a story that I started in the afternoon and could not put down until I finished it, hours later. It was time well spent. This will be a book that I read over and over again. I will recommend it to my friends, and I will also recommend it to those who have difficulty with grief issues and moving foreward with life. It is the type of book you give for a gift; the type you give to your mom and her friends; your daughter and her friends. This book transcends age groups and moves into the realm of ageless treasure. I want these friends for my own. I want to go on Audry's journey, but not for the same reasons. This is Jackina Stark's first novel. I hope that it will not be her last.

Just couldn't put this book down and finished it way too quickly! While it is a novel about the loss of a spouse, it is so much more than that. Jackina has beautifully used the Gospel of John to help anyone who finds herself losing the joy she once knew, regardless of the circumstance that may have brought about that loss. Jackina's sense of humor, as well as her love for art, music, literature and grammar do shine through in little unexpected moments...really delightful! And, for those of us in the Tulsa and Oklahoma area, lots of references to familiar places make it especially fun! We'll be reading much more from Jackina Stark!