The Grace That Keeps This World

I just finished listening to the unabridged audio book version read by the author. Stunning! What a writer! One of the best novels I have listened to. This is an intricately woven, moving story of family, friendship, love, and respect. Tom Bailey's unique style, telling the story from the perspective of so many characters is captivating and adds a richness to the story that one voice never could. Read by the author, this story comes alive. You can't walk away from it, Tom Bailey reaches out and grabs you, pulling you into the story, tugging at your heart in the end (have some tissue close by). ENCORE!

There is no pandering or flashiness here. This is a book about people who tend to keep their feelings to themselves as a way of being and a way of being with each other. Yet in each piece of the narrative, I could feel what they felt quite completely. The author captures much of what it means to be from rural parts of America: something I feel is not done well in many American novels. And I was struck by how beautifully he shows us how people who live in a world surrounded by nature develop their values for it.

This book was a great pleasure to read. In a time when materialism has gotten in our way, this clearly written, thoughtful look at a world that is simpler, more difficult and more "honest" was a great pleasure to read. As someone who is often disappointed with what's out there in the way of fiction, this novel did not disappoint -- not from the beginning. I hope Tom Bailey will write many more books in the future. This book is a treasure.

Loved this novel. Understanding the "grace that keeps this world" makes the whole read important and worthwhile. This is a novel I have given away to a friend, insisting that she read it. When she is finished with it, I plan on reading it again.

I first heard Tom Bailey read the short story, upon which this novel is based, to the parents of his writing students at Susquehanna University. Five years have passed since that day - the day when I began waiting for him to turn the story into a novel. Tonight I finished reading the novel. It cannot be put down until you have read it in its entirety. The Grace That Keeps This World was definitely worth the wait!