Thursday, June 6, 2013

Grace's Pictures

by Cindy Thompson

Tyndale House Publishers

Grace McCaffery has all her eggs in one basket - America. Torn away from her mother  at a young age, then forced to labor at a workhouse, Grace has had everything but an easy life in Ireland. Her mother married an Irish peeler, (also known as a policeman), and S.P. Feeny sponsors Grace to America. Excited to have an opportunity to begin an independent life and make enough money to bring her mother over from Ireland, Grace sees the future as an adventure waiting to happen. 

But of course, nothing ever works out the way she plans. Even after she gets a job as a nanny for a middle-class family, Grace buys a brownie camera to take snapshots and earn extra money. But it seems that no matter where she aims her lens, she is always capturing images that endanger her life and those of her charges. When her camera inadvertently takes a picture of a gang boss and she is being pursued for the portrait, will she be able to trust a policeman to keep her out of harms's way? Will she learn the courage and forgiveness in the faith her mother has tried to pass down to her? 

While I love Christian fiction, I was a little unsure of this novel at first. The setting was the all too familiar Ellis island, with an Irish immigrant as the main character of the story. But Thompson quickly won me over with the introduction to "The Hawk", and the many quirky saying of her deceased husband, Mr. Hawkins. Then, the children came along, and I was instantly in love. Between the struggling rich boy turned cop, Officer McNulty, the historically accurate gang called the "Dusters" and the day-to-day struggles and fears faced by a young woman alone in a new country, this book will appeal to not only history buffs but Christian fiction readers alike. A wonderful read, and one I hope turns into a series. 

This book was provided for free by Tyndale House Publishers in exchange for an honest review. 




1 comment:

  1. Thanks so much for reviewing Grace's Pictures. I'm happy you enjoyed it. Right now I'm building a street team to help launch the next book, Annie's Stories. If this is something you'd like to know more about, please contact me: cindyswriting @ gmail.com. But in any case, thanks for reading!

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