~Book Review - Grace by Richard Paul Evans~

From the back cover:
She was my first kiss. My first love. She was a little match girl who could see the future in the flame of a candle. She was a runaway who taught me more about life than anyone has before or since. And when she was gone my innocence left with her.

Eric and his family recently relocated to Utah from California; his mother and disabled father, his little 10 year old brother Joel, and himself. The year is 1962. He is a typical 14 year old. He rides his bike, goes to school and has an after school job at the McBurger Queen. He and Joel build a clubhouse in their backyard. They fix it up as their place to go to get away from life....their fun place to play board games and checkers. Little did they know that their clubhouse would become something much more than a playhouse.
One evening while Eric is at work, he finds a girl digging through the dumpster, looking for food. He offers her food and a place to stay temporarily - his clubhouse. Unbeknownst to Eric, meeting Grace will have a strong impact on the rest of his life.
Grace has run away from home, and Eric offers his hospitality and friendship. While Grace is staying in the clubhouse, she and Eric form a tight bond... They fall in love.

My Thoughts:


I chose this book for my Christmas Reading Challenge, and I am glad that I did. It reads like a autobiography. It is a heartwarming coming-of-age tale of a fourteen year old boy, falling in love for the first time. He rescues Grace, who has run away from home and her abusive step-father. Grace and Eric fall helplessly in love with each other. Grace lives in Eric's clubhouse behind his home. He keeps this a secret from his parents. Only his little brother Joel knows that Grace is there.
When the word gets around that Grace has gone missing, Eric must continue hiding Grace for her own safety.
The story is considered a Christmas story partly because it takes place close to Christmas, and because Grace can see the future in the flame of a candle, similar to the Christmas story of The Little Match Girl.
This is the first novel that I have read by Richard Paul Evans. I loved it, and definitely want to read his others.




VERY GOOD!

# Hardcover: 336 pages
# Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1 edition (October 7, 2008)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 1416550038
# ISBN-13: 978-1416550037