Full of Grace: A Novel | Dorothea Benton Frank

Full of Grace: A Novel | Dorothea Benton Frank | A wonderful story for the beach

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Full of Grace: A N...

	Full of Grace: A Novel Dorothea Benton Frank William Morrow, 2006 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 56 reviews view larger image
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Great Book

This book was recommended to me by a friend and I am so glad I read it. I found myself actually laughing outloud at the main character and her family. It's about a single Italian woman who meets the love of her life who just happens to be Irish and a non believer. According to her family, who are strict Catholics, it couldn't get much worse! You will fall in love with her and her family and witness a "miracle" at the conclusion. It's light, entertaining and a good read.

A wonderful story for the beach

Sullivans Island was one of my favorite books by Ms. Frank and even though I didn't think this book was as good, it was still a wonderful story. In her typical style this was a fast read, with humor (I had to laugh at the wedding scene) well developed characters and a story that contains romance and a bit of drama.

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Enjoyable, but lost me at the end...

I have enjoyed all of Dorothea Benton Frank's books. I love her low country locales, and her characters are a good combination of funny and realistic. But Frank really lost me with the ending of Full of Grace.

Grace Russo is a New Jersey native from a high-drama, Italian-Catholic family. She moved as an adult to Charleston, South Carolina when her parents relocated to Hilton Head. She is living with the man of her dreams--a handsome and brilliant medical researcher. Unfortunately, Grace's family refuses to meet Michael Higgins. Not only is he Irish and living in sin with their daughter, but he's also an agnostic involved in stem-cell research. Grace loves her family, but it will take a crisis between Grace and Michael to finally make them thaw.

I could relate to the Russo family in Full of Grace and enjoyed the characters, from melodramatic Nonna (grandmom) to the obnoxious sister-in-law, Marianne. Frank is also an ace writing witty dialogue and observations. When discussing marriage, the author writes "The M word. Like cheap chocolate--it looked good, but ultimately it made your teeth hurt." Unfortunately, the author lost me at the end. The plot just defied belief as the book morphed into something with way too much of a religious/spiritual theme. I still liked the book, but this (to me) was the difference between 4 stars and 3.

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A departure from Frank's other novels...

I am a big fan of Dorthea Benton Frank...as a GRIT (girl raised in the south!) myself, I love Southern fiction and especially those about the SC Lowcountry as most of Frank's books are set.

"Grace" however was quite a different read for me....I enjoyed most of the story but by the end, she lost me with too much religious coincidence and general hokiness. I did really enjoy the story of the Italian family transplated to Hilton Head Island (where I've vacationed quite a bit) and their interactions. Frank seemed to nail the Italian family pretty well, although some of the characters were a bit stereotypical, but some of her descriptions literally had me laughing out loud.

But the parallel plot of the main character's boyfriend's severe illness and how he is miraculously cured was just too hokey and unbelievable for me. It wrapped up a bit too easily and tidily and was just not realistic. I get what Frank was trying to accomplish by this but for me, it was just a bit of overkill.

But overall, I enjoyed the book as I have most of her other books but it was not a favorite. It was an easy read and entertaining but again, a little too much focus on hokey spiritual/religious images.

If you really want a good Frank read, try "Sullivan's Island" or "Isle of Palms," two of my favorites that better depict the true flavor of the SC Lowcountry culture.

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