A Disastrous Journey
of Circumstances, Determination and Self-Discovery
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Bernadette, Eleanor Oliphant, Rosie, Ove . . . meet Amazing Grace Adams, the funny, touching, unforgettable story of an invisible everywoman pushed to the brink—who finally pushes back.
Grace Adams gave birth, blinked, and now suddenly she is forty-five, perimenopausal and stalled—the unhappiest age you can be, according to the Guardian. And today she’s really losing it. Stuck in traffic, she finally has had enough. To the astonishment of everyone, Grace gets out of her car and simply walks away.
Grace sets off across London, armed with a £200 cake, to win back her estranged teenage daughter on her sixteenth birthday. Because today is the day she’ll remind her daughter that no matter how far we fall, we can always get back up again. Because Grace Adams used to be amazing. Her husband thought so. Her daughter thought so. Even Grace thought so. But everyone seems to have forgotten. Grace is about to remind them . . . and, most important, remind herself.
- LENGTH: 9 hours and 51 minutes
- AUTHOR: Fran Littlewood
- NARRATOR: Claire Skinner
- RELEASE DATE: September 05, 2023
- PUBLISHER: Macmillan Audio
My Thoughts
If you’re looking for a thought-provoking, unique audiobook, you’re apt to find this fits the bill. Amazing Grace Adams is about a fragile woman who is feeling her age. Her self-image and worth have taken her to the point of feeling completely invisible, yet a streak of determination is soaring through her. No matter the obstacles, she is going to make it to her ex-husband’s. Why? Her daughter is with him and it is her 16th birthdayÂ
But it seems everything, including a traffic jam, is going against her. So how can she make it to where her daughter is if cars are sitting bumper to bumper? Ditch the car and walk away from the gridlock? Why, of course.
The whole story required me to suspend disbelief and just go with the flow. It also left me feeling torn between laughing and crying for Grace. Mostly, I think I listened with a dazed expression plastered on my face. This lady was a very unique individual.
The story goes between the present day and Grace’s reflection on her earlier time with her husband (now ex-husband) and daughter, and her feelings of slowly losing control and self-confidence.
It’s insightful and well-written but, at times it was a struggle to overlook how outrageous Grace’s actions were.
My Concerns
Even though it offered some good thoughts, at times it was hard to follow and too exaggerated.
Final Thoughts
Though Littlewood does an amazing job of illustrating the ups and downs of Grace’s relationships with her husband and daughter, something about the non-linear story presentation felt hard to follow as an audiobook. Would I have had this problem had I been reading? I don’t know.
As the narrator, Claire Skinner does a very good job, but it still isn’t enough for me to recommend the story.
My rating only indicates that some will like this book and some not so much. It was just okay for me.
However, I say, when in doubt give it a try.
Thank you to Net Galley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audio ARC.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Fran Littlewood has an MA in creative writing from Royal Holloway, University of London. Before her MA, she worked as a journalist, including a stint at the Times. She lives in London with her husband and their three daughters. Amazing Grace Adams is her debut novel.
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