FULL OF GRACE by Dorothea Benton Frank
Dorothea Benton Frank is renowned for writing books such as PAWLEY'S ISLAND and SULLIVAN'S ISLAND. These stories about the South propelled her to the top of the best seller lists. Her new novel is also about the South and is titled FULL OF GRACE. It proves the previous novels only scratched the surface of Frank's talent. This one lets it all hang out.
FULL OF GRACE tackles the topic of religion, a scary subject for any author to attempt. In these days of derision a story about the power of God would seem to be a sure mark of self-destruction for a storyteller. Frank tackles it head on and uses her power of words to make the story irresistible to even the most solid doubting Thomas.
Grace Russo is the focus of the story. She is a transplanted Yankee living in Charleston, South Carolina. Her family left the North first and took up roots in Hilton Head, South Carolina. There Big Al and Connie fashioned a life that is all about faith, hope and love; faith of the Italian Catholic kind, hope that all of their children will marry and multiply, and love for their church and their children in that order.
Immediately upon moving to Charleston, Grace meets and falls in love with Michael Higgins. Michael has three strikes against him right out of the box. He is Irish, a doctor who does stem cell research, and isn't interested in marriage - just cohabitation. These things immediately put him on Mom and Pop Russo's "do not invite" list. So Grace has to attend all family functions alone.
This is the status quo until a tragedy ensues and suddenly Grace and her family need each other more than ever. More to the point, they need God more than ever. The family wants Grace to share their faith but Grace is full of doubt. It would take a miracle to make her full of faith once more, and to change Michael from an agnostic to a believer.
As you can tell this is a story that has the potential to be too heavy for Frank's legion of fans and followers, but it is her talent that wins the day. She sprinkles this story with so much emotion that the reader finds himself/herself laughing, crying and chilling. Yes, there are passages in this book that go straight to the romantic heart, bounce off the funny bone, or chill the back of the neck with excitement.
The most common denominator of the story is Grace's wry sense of humor. This girl can find the funny side of just about everything and when the words spill out of her mouth nine times out of ten they are funny. Readers will be laughing out loud when Grace puts her future sister in law, the over the top tacky Marianne, in her place. Her encounters with other characters are just as delightful.
Grace Russo is the kind of character who will stay with you long after you have finished her story, but this can also be said of her parents and of Michael. The book is fully populated with unforgettable characters, and the wonderful thing is their story is just as fascinating as they are.
You will probably read FULL OF GRACE in one sitting. Once you get past a non-intriguing introduction by Michael the book kicks into high gear and never lets up. FULL OF GRACE is a story of faith, hope and love - but the greatest of these is love.
FULL OF GRACE is published by William Morrow. It contains 317 pages and sells for $24.95.