Nobody in the antebellum South said "been there, done that..." This appears to have bubbled up in the 1970s.

WOW WOW WOW.....as in ***WOW*!!!.... The characters - storytelling - plot - history are all amazing in equal amounts. Naomi’s hovering, recalling the past years of her life, and watching over Josey through all the years of Josey’s life. These memories come to her in flashes, and they are shared with us the same way, as they come to her.Eleven-year-old Grace has been brought up in a very strict religious community where questions and individual thinking are not allowed. This has become a problem for Grace as she is starting to grow up and be curious about life. She is also stubborn and independent and this is absolutely frowned upon by the Elders in her community. Grace is an emotionally gripping novel. Set in the antebellum South through the Civil War and the early days of emancipation, it touches on the woman as captive. Not just in the literal sense but in the figurative sense as well. Though the novel focuses on the narrator Naomi and her daughter, Cynthia, the Jewish madam and Annie, the abandoned wife of a plantation owner also have their own crosses to bear. I've never read anything by Morris Gleitzman before (although Two Weeks With the Queen sounds quite familiar) and his books are ones that I'd probably miss on shelves because I think they are targeted at a younger age than what I am and would read. I'm really thankful to the lovely J at Puffin though, for asking me to review Grace, because it's fantastic. Definitely something I'll be recommending for the younger year groups at my school!

Naomi’s father was a tenant farmer, Hazel’s father was the former Boss, but it never affects their close bond, they have their Momma and each other. Time passes, and soon – too soon – Naomi is fifteen, and Hazel is nineteen and in love.Lynch has accomplished something remarkable in this historical novel, for he not only has created a memorable protagonist and a story of growing up, not only a vivid picture of Ireland during The Great Hunger, but he has given readers a book that raises our awareness of suffering and how, in the past and in the present, every one of means who turns away is responsible. This is a story of the heart complete with all the blood, pain, labor, and mistakes a mother can make. It is a story of the mind and all the conundrums of how to best rear and protect, especially daughters who are bound to become mothers themselves. Of course, ultimately it is an historical story of the suffering of females and slaves. There are also some wonderful male characters to counter-balance the depravity of the typical Southern "gentlemen" of the era. This story is a coming of age told in a harsh and unforgiving light. Some journeys to self discovery are more painful than others, and for Grace, heartache and loss paint her journey.