Any mother who has a 16-year-old daughter in today’s day and age will probably identify with Grace. Their relationship is a minefield of mishaps, miscommunications and misunderstandings – enough to bewilder anyone attempting parenting in these challenging times. (Review by Fiona De Goede)
This is the debut novel of a new writer on the scene – Fran Littlewood, who has managed to transition from journalist to author in a seemingly painless manner - if one is to judge her first literary offering.
The story of Grace Adams takes place on a hot summer day in London. She is stuck in gridlocked traffic, surrounded by irate drivers leaning on their hooters, imprisoned in her sweltering car, feeling trapped. And then she snaps. She cannot take it anymore – not just the heat or the traffic but the frustrations of her life just become too much for her. She gets out of her vehicle and walks away.
If only it was that easy to leave the sorrow, the helplessness, the futility of life behind and just turn her back on it.
The author intertwines three time periods in Grace’s life – her attendance at the Polyglot of the Year 2002 convention where her relationship with one of the contestants, Ben Kerr starts; her subsequent marriage and family life with Ben, and then the day of her daughter, Lotte’s 16th birthday - the fateful day where she decides to abandon her car and walk to the Patisserie to collect the birthday cake for Lotte.
Despite the rather reckless action of a desperate woman who feels her life is no longer amazing, Grace is in charge of her decisions and her actions. The madcap dash through the hot, humid streets of London and her mission to collect the birthday cake is a fitting backdrop to the inner turmoil of her emotional state. Because, the thing is, Grace once was an amazing woman. Her current life does not reflect this – a job that she finds frustrating, her husband is in the process of divorcing her and her daughter won’t live with her anymore.
The situations she finds herself in whilst rushing to be on time for Lotte’s birthday party eloquently portray the chaos of her life. But nothing can deter her – she is steadfast in her efforts to deliver the cake to Lotte; this becomes a driving force and the single goal that keeps pushing her forward. I felt that her desperate attempt to bring the cake to Lotte becomes more than just the actual cake – it becomes symbolic of her desire to fix things with her daughter.
Any mother who has a 16-year-old daughter in today’s day and age will probably identify with Grace. Their relationship is a minefield of mishaps, miscommunications and misunderstandings – enough to bewilder anyone attempting parenting in these challenging times. I felt the author dealt with the topics that came up in a sensible manner and this is portrayed throughout the story.
Although I took away certain positive aspects of the book, I do not consider this as one of my favourite books recently read. However, having said that, I’m sure that the topic and the writing style will appeal to a large pool of readers out there. - Fiona de Goede
Amazing Grace Adams is published by Penguin. ISBN 978-0-241-54852-3
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