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About Grace: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.02) - 728 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The first novel by Anthony Doerr, the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning author of Cloud Cuckoo Land, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning #1 New York Times bestseller All the Light We Cannot See, one of the most beautiful, wise, and compelling debuts of recent times.
David Winkler begins life in Anchorage, Alaska, a quiet boy drawn to the volatility of weather and obsessed with snow. Sometimes he sees things before they happen—a man carrying a hatbox will be hit by a bus; Winkler will fall in love with a woman in a supermarket. When David dreams that his infant daughter will drown in a flood as he tries to save her, he comes undone. He travels thousands of miles, fleeing family, home, and the future itself, to deny the dream.
On a Caribbean island, destitute, alone, and unsure if his child has survived or his wife can forgive him, David is sheltered by a couple with a daughter of their own. Ultimately it is she who will pull him back into the world, to search for the people he left behind.
Doerr's characters are full of grief and longing, but also replete with grace. His compassion for human frailty is extraordinarily moving. In luminous prose, he writes about the power and beauty of nature and about the tiny miracles that transform our lives. About Grace is heartbreaking, radiant, and astonishingly accomplished.
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"This book is quietly beautiful and incredibly captivating. The weight of life and love are so completely conveyed by Doerr's words - I never knew it could be conveyed so well. There are many silent pauses and stretches in the story - giving time to soak in the wonder of it all and the struggle."
— Diana (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Gorgeous, transporting, and deeply, deeply satisfying.”
— Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times bestselling author -
“An extended meditation on the tides and eddies of life itself, spun out in sentences that never fail to thrill.”
— Los Angeles Times -
“One of those novels that works its way into your very dreams.”
— Newsday -
“This mesmerizing novel is pitch perfect…utterly unforgettable.”
— Seattle Post-Intelligencer -
“The majesty of nature, the meaning of courage, the redemptive power of love and the pathos of isolation—all are gracefully explored in Doerr’s story of the price paid for a gift.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Winkler devastates his own life to a save another’s—but in the process, he discovers that there is a saving grace in doing just that.”
— Booklist
Awards
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Washington Post Book World Best Book of the Year
About Grace Listener Reviews
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" I wanted to like this book so badly, but I just couldn't get into it. "
— Julia, 2/8/2014 -
" Absolutely loved this book. Couldn't put it down until I found out what happened but then I could barely read through the tears. Top ten favorite of all-time. "
— Wendy, 2/8/2014 -
" Not as good as "shell collector", but a zillion times better than "Four Seasons in Rome". I think that the placement of the main character in a diversity of natural environments made his search seem secondary to the description of the natural world. A pretty good read. I think Doerr's strength is short stories. "
— Karl, 2/1/2014 -
" Not a quick easy read! more meditative and thought provoking...about the small moments in existence. good story, well written. "
— Therese, 1/23/2014 -
" I found this book in a "free" box in my neighborhood. Beautifully written. I loved Doerr's reflections on nature, and the inspiration his characters drew from it. My main complaint was that David, the protagonist, seemed so weak, I was frustrated by his lack of drive and inability to make a better life for himself, and seemingly making too many obviously bad decisions in the process. The writing trumped all though,lovely and haunting. "
— Niccole, 1/4/2014 -
" Came recommended, in an off-handed way, from a friend (after I read excerptss from her blog). It is, thus far, a book to savor, both in prose and in plot. "
— Jessica, 12/27/2013 -
" A quiet book, like its narrator, and also desolate, freezing at times. But powerful and sweet in its portrayal of familial love, loyalty, regret and redemption. "
— Ekcarlile, 12/6/2013 -
" Unforgettable. How regret can haunt you for the rest of your life. "
— heartful, 11/8/2013 -
" There's nothing about this book that I am going to take with me, but the characters were very well developed, and the storytelling was beautiful. "
— Monika, 10/7/2013 -
" I found this book compelling-a little long, and at times I was really frustrated with Winkler, but I had to find out what would become of him. Very much enjoyed the writing style. It was extremely observant and relaxing. Made me think a lot. I will read more by this author. "
— Rachel, 9/6/2013 -
" Amazing prose! Extraordinary detail. Heartbreaking and beautiful! "
— Surya, 8/30/2013 -
" Wrenching and exquisite, Doerr manages to make tremendously varried plot, setting, and characters seem inevitable yet unpredictable. Sentence to sentence the prose shines. An overpowering, understated book. Worth it for the water. "
— Eoin, 7/30/2013 -
" Interesting story, I finished it being a bit confused. "
— Kelda, 8/10/2012 -
" Good fiction, well-researched. I learned and I traveled with the characters of this book. "
— Wendy, 5/3/2012 -
" So glad Laura gave me this this book! I don't think I would have picked it up on my own but a great read, different kind of plot, interesting characters. "
— Elizabeth, 11/15/2011 -
" This was a wonderful, heavy, intense read - it's a book that I'll be thinking about for days and months to come. Gorgeous prose that brought me to tears of joy and tears of sadness on more than one occasion. "
— Suzanne, 10/1/2011 -
" The motives of the main character of this book are difficult to understand so it was hard to generate any sympathy for him, but the ending was satisfying. "
— Angie, 8/3/2011 -
" Not a quick easy read! more meditative and thought provoking...about the small moments in existence. good story, well written. "
— Therese, 4/17/2011 -
" Wrenching and exquisite, Doerr manages to make tremendously varried plot, setting, and characters seem inevitable yet unpredictable. Sentence to sentence the prose shines. An overpowering, understated book. Worth it for the water. "
— Eoin, 3/2/2011 -
" beautifully over written but horribly under plotted. nothing happens beautifully. the plot stays stagnent beautifully. it's a real shame cause man can this fella turn a sentence "
— Sandyboy, 12/10/2010 -
" At first I was intrigued and enjoying the story but it just got worse as time went on. It rambled and rambled until there was no end. I should've quit when I suspected it might be going south. "
— Martha, 12/6/2010 -
" A quiet book, like its narrator, and also desolate, freezing at times. But powerful and sweet in its portrayal of familial love, loyalty, regret and redemption. "
— Ekcarlile, 11/27/2010 -
" Liked this very much. between 3 and 4 stars "
— Margaret, 8/28/2010 -
" How to describe this book! Outwardly the story about a man who dreams the future and manipulates his life to save his daughter. Within, the story of how all things are connected, a study on beauty and science, cycles. I couldn't put it down "
— Sally, 7/30/2010 -
" Amazing prose! Extraordinary detail. Heartbreaking and beautiful! "
— Surya, 4/27/2010
About Anthony Doerr
Anthony Doerr is the author of All the Light We Cannot See, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Carnegie Medal, the Alex Award, and a #1 New York Times bestseller. He is also the author of the story collections Memory Wall and The Shell Collector, the novel About Grace, and the memoir Four Seasons in Rome. He has won five O. Henry Prizes, the Rome Prize, the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Award, the National Magazine Award for fiction, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Story Prize.
About George Newbern
George Newbern is an Earphones Award–winning narrator and a television and film actor best known for his roles as Brian MacKenzie in Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride Part II, as well as Danny in Friends. As a voice actor, he is notable for his role as Superman on the Cartoon Newtork series Static Shock, Justice League, and Justice League Unlimited. He has guest starred on many television series, including Scandal, The Mentalist, Private Practice, CSI: Miami, and Numb3rs. He holds a BA in theater arts from Northwestern University.