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Finding Grace
At the age of thirteen, Grace Kelly (who has been saddled with the name of a world-renowned beauty, but is far from one herself ) is inspired by an offhand comment from her father to become a saint. But coming of age and falling deeply in love for the first time in the early 1970's-in the wake of the 60's "sexual revolution" and the historic Roe v. Wade decision-presents true challenges for young people who are trying to live chastely. Grace realizes that without the help of God, the Blessed Mother, and all the saints in Heaven, navigating the thorny path to sainthood would be an almost insurmountable task.
332 pages, Paperback
First published July 27, 2012
322 people want to read
About the author
Laura H. Pearl
5 books31 followersI am the author of FINDING GRACE, a 2012 recipient of the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval (available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon) and ERIN'S RING (currently available in paperback). ERIN'S RING was awarded two Book Awards in 2015 from the Catholic Press Association: 2nd place in Books for Teens & Young Adults, and 3rd place in Catholic Novels.
I was born in NJ, grew up in Upstate NY, and studied at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, where I earned a BA in English. I am married to my high school sweetheart, with whom I raised 5 sons, now all grown, in Southern NH. These days, I'm also "Grammy" to 16 darling grandchildren (and counting!). My husband and I recently moved to northern VA to be closer to our kids and grandkids.
As a young girl, I always dreamed of one day writing a novel. After happily spending my entire adult life as a stay-at-home mom, I finally fulfilled that dream in 2012, when my first novel, FINDING GRACE, was published by Bezalel Books. My second Catholic YA novel, ERIN'S RING, was released by Bezalel in 2014.
I write fiction that I hope will give glory to God--while inspiring young readers to fight the good fight, in a world that often seems to have forgotten Him.
I was born in NJ, grew up in Upstate NY, and studied at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, where I earned a BA in English. I am married to my high school sweetheart, with whom I raised 5 sons, now all grown, in Southern NH. These days, I'm also "Grammy" to 16 darling grandchildren (and counting!). My husband and I recently moved to northern VA to be closer to our kids and grandkids.
As a young girl, I always dreamed of one day writing a novel. After happily spending my entire adult life as a stay-at-home mom, I finally fulfilled that dream in 2012, when my first novel, FINDING GRACE, was published by Bezalel Books. My second Catholic YA novel, ERIN'S RING, was released by Bezalel in 2014.
I write fiction that I hope will give glory to God--while inspiring young readers to fight the good fight, in a world that often seems to have forgotten Him.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 10, 2013
I won't lie: this book was long. That said, it was REALLY well-written and the character development was stellar. It's set in the 1970s and early 80s, and the story is Catholic in a way that's both cultural and ingrained. It gave me a sense of what it's like to be raised Catholic and to have it be part of everything you do.
Did that make you feel like it's shoved down your throat? Because it's not: not at ALL. One of the things I appreciated about this book is that it doesn't seem to talk down to its audience, which is the young adult market. It's written like literature and it seems to assume that its reader has a brain. I like that. It's a book I highly recommend and one I'll be sharing.
Did that make you feel like it's shoved down your throat? Because it's not: not at ALL. One of the things I appreciated about this book is that it doesn't seem to talk down to its audience, which is the young adult market. It's written like literature and it seems to assume that its reader has a brain. I like that. It's a book I highly recommend and one I'll be sharing.
February 27, 2013
Laura H. Pearl's first novel, Finding Grace, was a pure delight to read. The story is absorbing on so many levels.
The main character, Grace, is thirteen at the beginning of the book, but her story spans the years of 1972-1980 as she becomes a young woman in a world fraught with challenges. She strives to live as a good Catholic so that she may one day become a saint; but goodness doesn't come easily, and as she struggles to live her faith, she encounters life in all its many facets of good and evil, joy and disappointments. Add to this the pain of falling deeply in love with a young man who sees her only as a friend, and I had to keep turning pages, staying up late, to find out how everything turns out.
The characters are fully developed, easy to relate to, and real. Grace's relationships with her parents, her many brothers, and her friends, are genuine. Readers will become invested in Grace's fate, and yearn for her to win her true love in the end. While this book is a wonderful coming-of-age story for teens, it is also great for adults looking for a romantic story that is deep and meaningful. Not a shallow romance, Finding Grace has all the hallmarks readers could want: romance, conflict, humor, life, love, laughter, and tears.
Parents can feel confident in buying this for their teens. Finding Grace is a moral read, without being bland or boring. The importance of family and faith is highlighted. Yes, there are lessons to be learned, but readers will be highly entertained along the way.
I laughed out loud. I shared in the heartaches as Grace learned who she is, and who she can be, with the grace of God. I really do miss the characters and I'm sad to be done with the novel, even though it has a beautiful ending! This is a book that I will definitely recommend to my own daughter someday.
Reviewed by:
Therese Heckenkamp
Catholic novelist
The main character, Grace, is thirteen at the beginning of the book, but her story spans the years of 1972-1980 as she becomes a young woman in a world fraught with challenges. She strives to live as a good Catholic so that she may one day become a saint; but goodness doesn't come easily, and as she struggles to live her faith, she encounters life in all its many facets of good and evil, joy and disappointments. Add to this the pain of falling deeply in love with a young man who sees her only as a friend, and I had to keep turning pages, staying up late, to find out how everything turns out.
The characters are fully developed, easy to relate to, and real. Grace's relationships with her parents, her many brothers, and her friends, are genuine. Readers will become invested in Grace's fate, and yearn for her to win her true love in the end. While this book is a wonderful coming-of-age story for teens, it is also great for adults looking for a romantic story that is deep and meaningful. Not a shallow romance, Finding Grace has all the hallmarks readers could want: romance, conflict, humor, life, love, laughter, and tears.
Parents can feel confident in buying this for their teens. Finding Grace is a moral read, without being bland or boring. The importance of family and faith is highlighted. Yes, there are lessons to be learned, but readers will be highly entertained along the way.
I laughed out loud. I shared in the heartaches as Grace learned who she is, and who she can be, with the grace of God. I really do miss the characters and I'm sad to be done with the novel, even though it has a beautiful ending! This is a book that I will definitely recommend to my own daughter someday.
Reviewed by:
Therese Heckenkamp
Catholic novelist
January 8, 2014
Finding Grace is a well-told coming-of-age story about a young Catholic girl whose faith surrounds her at home, at school and among friends. It is also an introduction to the lives of quite a few saints--both well-known and more obscure--as it drives home the message that everyone is called to be a saint. The author does a good job describing the interior struggles of an adolescent girl who wants to be a saint AND to have a family AND to fall in love. I particularly enjoyed the main character, Grace, as well as her parents, and her friends Tom and Sully.
February 11, 2014
Finding Grace is a heartwwarming story of a young girl who grows up in small-town, Plattsburgh, New York. I grew up in small-town, Plattsburgh, New York and Laura Pearl brought back such wonderful memories....memories I had long forgotten of the wonderful place Plattsburgh was to grow up! The writing is wonderful and brings you into the story so completely that you don't want to put down the book. I loved Grace Kelly and all of her friends. I wish the book were longer so it didn't have to end. Anyone no matter what age would enjoy this book I believe.
May 21, 2014
It was just a semi-serious conversation with her father one morning before school, but it set 13-year-old Grace Kelly’s course for the rest of young adulthood. Suddenly, the goal of attaining sainthood was her guiding principle, informing all her decisions about behavior, friendship, and love. But as I read deeper into the book and got to know Grace better, her ambition seemed simply an extension of her personality. In short, Grace is a dear, thoughtful girl. She strives constantly to do the right thing, to put the feelings of others ahead of her own, and to find the grace to accept God’s plan for her life. Being an awkward, self-deprecating adolescent, however, she can’t imagine that the plan might actually be a happy one, so she grimly resigns herself to accepting her fate of heartbreak and loneliness.
But Grace is no emo, angsty teen bent on self-destruction. In fact, the opposite is true; her path of self-denial and right living actually keeps her physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthier than the kids around her. This is the 70’s, after all, when all the cool kids are embracing the new culture of intoxication and free love. Even the Catholic Church itself, of which Grace, her family, and friends are all members, is going through changes. I could relate powerfully while Grace struggled to keep her footing as the bedrock of moral certainty itself shifted beneath her feet. But Grace has her head on straight and her heart in the right place, even if she is sometimes deferential to a fault. Luckily, the author does indeed have a plan for her, as well as the other people who populate her world.
Finding Grace is set in upstate New York, in Plattsburg, on the shores of Lake Champlain. Laura Pearl lovingly details the setting, its inhabitants, and its culture. No character is insignificant and every one is thoroughly introduced and developed. If you are in a hurry and looking for an action-packed thrill ride, this isn’t your book. If you want to take the time to immerse yourself in the protagonist’s world and know the story of everyone you meet, you will love Finding Grace; all the more so because (and this is so important to me as a reader) the characters are all good people – human and flawed, of course, but good folk. Personally, if I start reading a book and there isn’t one character I can relate to or care about, or who can make an intelligent choice, I stop reading. Finding Grace is the antidote to such books. Every person is thoroughly introduced and his or her motives made clear so that even someone who seems objectionable on the surface can be understood. As in real life, there is good in everyone. While Grace struggles to find her path toward sainthood, she treats everyone in her life with mercy and love. As it turns out, everyone is deserving of it in his own way – a very Christian and true message.
I will not discuss the whole plot but as for Grace, she struggles between placing others ahead of herself and the desires of her own heart. She spends her high school years in the company of other nice kids like herself. They all attend the same Catholic school, come from similar backgrounds, and wrestle with making the right choices while coming of age in a society that is falling for the progressive siren song of guiltless, libertine pleasures. It’s a story that’s just as relevant today as kids fumble towards adulthood in a world of negative influences. And spun throughout the narrative are multiple tales of love – familial, friendly, and romantic. Finding Grace is a delightful, good, long read. I recommend you join Grace Kelly for her formative years in her richly detailed world as she discovers that God has a very rewarding plan in mind for her after all.
But Grace is no emo, angsty teen bent on self-destruction. In fact, the opposite is true; her path of self-denial and right living actually keeps her physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthier than the kids around her. This is the 70’s, after all, when all the cool kids are embracing the new culture of intoxication and free love. Even the Catholic Church itself, of which Grace, her family, and friends are all members, is going through changes. I could relate powerfully while Grace struggled to keep her footing as the bedrock of moral certainty itself shifted beneath her feet. But Grace has her head on straight and her heart in the right place, even if she is sometimes deferential to a fault. Luckily, the author does indeed have a plan for her, as well as the other people who populate her world.
Finding Grace is set in upstate New York, in Plattsburg, on the shores of Lake Champlain. Laura Pearl lovingly details the setting, its inhabitants, and its culture. No character is insignificant and every one is thoroughly introduced and developed. If you are in a hurry and looking for an action-packed thrill ride, this isn’t your book. If you want to take the time to immerse yourself in the protagonist’s world and know the story of everyone you meet, you will love Finding Grace; all the more so because (and this is so important to me as a reader) the characters are all good people – human and flawed, of course, but good folk. Personally, if I start reading a book and there isn’t one character I can relate to or care about, or who can make an intelligent choice, I stop reading. Finding Grace is the antidote to such books. Every person is thoroughly introduced and his or her motives made clear so that even someone who seems objectionable on the surface can be understood. As in real life, there is good in everyone. While Grace struggles to find her path toward sainthood, she treats everyone in her life with mercy and love. As it turns out, everyone is deserving of it in his own way – a very Christian and true message.
I will not discuss the whole plot but as for Grace, she struggles between placing others ahead of herself and the desires of her own heart. She spends her high school years in the company of other nice kids like herself. They all attend the same Catholic school, come from similar backgrounds, and wrestle with making the right choices while coming of age in a society that is falling for the progressive siren song of guiltless, libertine pleasures. It’s a story that’s just as relevant today as kids fumble towards adulthood in a world of negative influences. And spun throughout the narrative are multiple tales of love – familial, friendly, and romantic. Finding Grace is a delightful, good, long read. I recommend you join Grace Kelly for her formative years in her richly detailed world as she discovers that God has a very rewarding plan in mind for her after all.
July 6, 2015
From the moment I got my hands on Laura Pearl’s novel, Finding Grace it surprised me by being so much more than I expected.
Knowing only that it was the story of a 13 year old girl with a name that was a challenge to live up to, I expected a somewhat simple tale. I was surprised to find that Finding Grace was anything but a short one-dimensional story….
Instead of the quick read of maybe 150 pages or so that I had envisioned, the book boasts well over 300 big pages. This is book is no quick afternoon read.
Instead of just introducing the reader to young Grace Kelly in her early teen years, the book follows her all the way through high school and college.
Instead of a sweet, light-hearted glimpse into the ordinary struggles and innocent awkwardness of adolescence, the book delves deep into difficult and mature themes.
Pearl tackles issues that may have been relatively new and disturbing in the 1970’s but have become commonplace and “normal” in our day and age. She confronts such difficult subjects as pre-marital sex, underage drinking, contraception, the feminist movement, moral relativism, and much more all while staying true to the plotline and never losing sight of the story itself.
There was much I liked about Pearl’s debut novel. First, the book did not come across as overtly preachy yet the main characters never failed to stand up for what they believe in. There are also a great variety of secondary characters with who Grace shares her life and her story. Each of the secondary characters adds to the lessons of the book, some by the wise choices they make, others by their poor choices. Amazingly with such a large cast of characters, Pearl does a wonderful job of developing each of them so thoroughly and making each one so unique and memorable that I had no trouble keeping them all straight in my mind.
Second, the relationships between characters were full of complexity and substance. And amid those sometimes challenging, continually honest interactions in Grace’s life, many of the most important messages in the book are revealed.
And lastly, the story promotes all the things I value as a Catholic. Morality, truth, virtue, faith, it’s all there. The traditional, old fashioned ideals of Grace’s close knit family become the lens through which she views the changing world around her. Her family and her faith are what allow her to navigate the often thorny path of the narrow road. Interwoven into the fabric of the story are compelling reasons for staying true to the precepts of the Catholic faith. As a bonus, through Grace’s always believable life experiences, is revealed beautiful examples of holiness from the lives of the saints.
All in all, Finding Grace was full of unexpected surprises that I found to be both enjoyable and insightful. Grace is a character who sincerely strives to practice the virtues that lead to sainthood, never giving up even when the endeavor proves difficult. I look forward to sharing her story with my own daughters.
Knowing only that it was the story of a 13 year old girl with a name that was a challenge to live up to, I expected a somewhat simple tale. I was surprised to find that Finding Grace was anything but a short one-dimensional story….
Instead of the quick read of maybe 150 pages or so that I had envisioned, the book boasts well over 300 big pages. This is book is no quick afternoon read.
Instead of just introducing the reader to young Grace Kelly in her early teen years, the book follows her all the way through high school and college.
Instead of a sweet, light-hearted glimpse into the ordinary struggles and innocent awkwardness of adolescence, the book delves deep into difficult and mature themes.
Pearl tackles issues that may have been relatively new and disturbing in the 1970’s but have become commonplace and “normal” in our day and age. She confronts such difficult subjects as pre-marital sex, underage drinking, contraception, the feminist movement, moral relativism, and much more all while staying true to the plotline and never losing sight of the story itself.
There was much I liked about Pearl’s debut novel. First, the book did not come across as overtly preachy yet the main characters never failed to stand up for what they believe in. There are also a great variety of secondary characters with who Grace shares her life and her story. Each of the secondary characters adds to the lessons of the book, some by the wise choices they make, others by their poor choices. Amazingly with such a large cast of characters, Pearl does a wonderful job of developing each of them so thoroughly and making each one so unique and memorable that I had no trouble keeping them all straight in my mind.
Second, the relationships between characters were full of complexity and substance. And amid those sometimes challenging, continually honest interactions in Grace’s life, many of the most important messages in the book are revealed.
And lastly, the story promotes all the things I value as a Catholic. Morality, truth, virtue, faith, it’s all there. The traditional, old fashioned ideals of Grace’s close knit family become the lens through which she views the changing world around her. Her family and her faith are what allow her to navigate the often thorny path of the narrow road. Interwoven into the fabric of the story are compelling reasons for staying true to the precepts of the Catholic faith. As a bonus, through Grace’s always believable life experiences, is revealed beautiful examples of holiness from the lives of the saints.
All in all, Finding Grace was full of unexpected surprises that I found to be both enjoyable and insightful. Grace is a character who sincerely strives to practice the virtues that lead to sainthood, never giving up even when the endeavor proves difficult. I look forward to sharing her story with my own daughters.
April 14, 2014
This was one of those novels I didn't want to put down and didn't want to end. I could really relate to the main character, Grace, a teenage girl trying to live a life for God while falling in love and encountering some of the harsher realities of our modern world. I wish I had been able to read this book as a teenager myself, because I think it would have inspired me not be afraid to go against the grain and to strive for sainthood. It certainly has done so for me as an adult.
The book's various characters all very well-developed, and we see the humanity and dignity behind each one, despite any mistakes they make. The Catholic Church, too, is beautifully represented. I've read the book twice now, and on the second time through I was just as eager to see how this well-crafted plot would unfold.
The book's various characters all very well-developed, and we see the humanity and dignity behind each one, despite any mistakes they make. The Catholic Church, too, is beautifully represented. I've read the book twice now, and on the second time through I was just as eager to see how this well-crafted plot would unfold.
March 2, 2015
Hard to get into the story at first. Very choppy story line. Smoothed out in part
2 but still choppy throughout. The actual size of the book (oversized) was a bit unwieldy. Hard to put down at the end though the ending felt like there were still loose ends. More beginnings of relationships happening without the finality of where they will ultimately end up. It's alluded to but no final wedding bells
2 but still choppy throughout. The actual size of the book (oversized) was a bit unwieldy. Hard to put down at the end though the ending felt like there were still loose ends. More beginnings of relationships happening without the finality of where they will ultimately end up. It's alluded to but no final wedding bells
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews