by Cindy Thomson
Grace McCaffery hopes that the bustling streets of New York hold
all the promise that the lush hills of Ireland did not. As her efforts to earn enough money to bring her mother to America fail, she wonders if her new Brownie camera could be the answer. But a casual stroll through a beautiful New York City park turns into a hostile run-in with local gangsters, who are convinced her camera holds the first and only photos of their elusive leader. A policeman with a personal commitment to help those less fortunate finds Grace attractive and longs to help her, but Grace believes such men cannot be trusted. Spread thin between her quest to rescue her mother, do well in a new nanny job, and avoid the gang intent on intimidating her, Grace must put her faith in unlikely sources to learn the true meaning of courage and forgiveness.
{summary taken from Amazon}
My Thoughts
This is a book that I was not sure about when I first started it. The story was something that was right up my alley, since I'm a big history buff, but it didn't draw me in right away. For one thing, I didn't like Grace at the beginning, since for the longest time, she just seemed quite rude to me, though that is completely understandable when you look at the difficult life she had led up unto that point. I also found it difficult to connect with the writing style, since it was much more "easy to read" than I tend to enjoy (I think it's meant to be an adult book, but it read more like a middle-grade or YA book), but I didn't mind it after awhile, and I even grew to like the style and the imagery. Still, I kept reading, and I ended up really getting drawn into the story and very much emotionally invested in the characters. The characters are one of the best parts of this book, besides the intriguing story itself, because they are all so rich and colorful. It was so easy to picture them and to "hear" their voices. Owen was my favorite of all of them, an upper class young man who left his comfortable position in society to become a policeman. He was just a likable, good-hearted hero, with a strong faith. I also loved the little children Grace nannied--they were all so sweet! And even Grace eventually grew on me, though not until about the middle of the book. I also really liked all the history. You get to see a great juxtaposition of the upper and lower classes of New York at the time, and I think the whole historical aspect was just done really well. I also liked the wee bit of mystery, which added a whole air of adventure to the story. Also, the ending was really good. Really, really good. It was the kind of ending that made me reread the last page, sigh happily, and close the book with a sappy smile on my face.
Anyway, I'd give this one 4 out of 5 stars. I think I would definitely recommend it (I'm letting my younger sister borrow it at the moment!) if you like historical fiction and are looking for a quick summer read.
{Disclaimer: This book was a complimentary copy provided by The Tyndale Blog Network in exchange for an honest review.}
