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kbranfield's review
4.0
4.5 stars.
Laura Drake’s Amazing Gracie tugs on the heartstrings from the novel’s touching beginning to its emotional ending.
CJ Maxwell might be home from war, but it continues to loom largely as she tries to honor those close to her who did not make it home. Her first stateside stop is to see her beloved nine-year-old sister Amazing Gracie aka Mazey. CJ’s plans take an unexpected turn as she brings Mazey with her aafter discovering their mom Patsy refuses to put her sister’s needs about her own
Mazey and CJ may have been raised under the same conditions but they are as different as night and day. Mazey is very intelligent, a bit naïve and relentlessly positive. CJ’s outlook on life is somewhat grim as she wrestles with a heart-rending tragedy from war. Together, they set out on a cross-country journey that is life-alterin
Amazing Gracie is a thoughtful and sensitive portrayal of the aftermath of war. CJ and Mazey are vibrant three-dimensional characters with realistic issues to resolve. The motorcycle trip’s various settings are well-drawn and easily capture the imagination. Mazey’s story arc resolution and CJ’s character development and subsequent realizations will bring readers to tears as Laura Drake skillfully guides this heartfelt novel a triumphant conclusion.
Laura Drake’s Amazing Gracie tugs on the heartstrings from the novel’s touching beginning to its emotional ending.
CJ Maxwell might be home from war, but it continues to loom largely as she tries to honor those close to her who did not make it home. Her first stateside stop is to see her beloved nine-year-old sister Amazing Gracie aka Mazey. CJ’s plans take an unexpected turn as she brings Mazey with her aafter discovering their mom Patsy refuses to put her sister’s needs about her own
Mazey and CJ may have been raised under the same conditions but they are as different as night and day. Mazey is very intelligent, a bit naïve and relentlessly positive. CJ’s outlook on life is somewhat grim as she wrestles with a heart-rending tragedy from war. Together, they set out on a cross-country journey that is life-alterin
Amazing Gracie is a thoughtful and sensitive portrayal of the aftermath of war. CJ and Mazey are vibrant three-dimensional characters with realistic issues to resolve. The motorcycle trip’s various settings are well-drawn and easily capture the imagination. Mazey’s story arc resolution and CJ’s character development and subsequent realizations will bring readers to tears as Laura Drake skillfully guides this heartfelt novel a triumphant conclusion.
bookanonjeff's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Beautiful, Emotional Tale Of Survival. This is a road trip tale, and thus you go in expecting both some bumps and some growth, but *how* Drake manages to execute on both is quite remarkable. Drawing on the entire American soldier experience from the Forgotten War in Korea to the modern War on Terror in Afghanistan - America's longest war - and also incorporating the realities of being poor in America, this is one of those fiction tales that may in fact hit a little too close to home for many - but read it anyway. The one group of people that I may say stay away from this book, perhaps, is those who struggle with cutting, as it is in fact a significant part of this story and is shown extensively enough to be uncomfortable - and yet still all too real - for anyone. Beyond that though, the grit, realism, and ultimately hope shown here are quite cathartic even to those who have never been in these exact scenarios, and there are several points late in the book where you'll swear whatever environment you're in while reading them has become quite dusty indeed. Truly an excellent tale, well told, and with particular care to all of the subjects it brings forth. Very much recommended.
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