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Gray
Maggie Whitaker decides to forego college to work in her family-run jewelry shop. Ready to embrace her adult life, she becomes entangled with a mysterious John Doe. Through discovering him, she ultimately discovers herself.
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First published April 7, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 10, 2011
This is my debut novel. It is a Young Adult book, but many of my adult friends have really enjoyed it. Please take a look, and tell me what you think!
Rachel
Rachel
August 14, 2011
Maggie is a young woman who is coming into herself. She is learning to make decisions about herself and life. One major decision is to work in her family’s jewelry business rather than attend college. Her parents are away on an extended trip, leaving Maggie to manage things at home.
While Maggie is establishing her role in the business, she is drawn to a newspaper story about a “John Doe”. It seems the man has no known identity and is comatose. She follows the news stories, feeling a strong draw to his complicated story and to him.
However, following John Doe’s story leads Maggie to telling a lie that she cannot take back. This changes everything for Maggie. Not only does she learn things about John Doe, but also about herself and life.
Ms. Karns writes of the beauty and history of the Northwestern United Sates, including the important yet controversial reintroduction of the Gray Wolf. These aspects make this book more than just a novel, but rather an interesting and pleasurable read.
While Maggie is establishing her role in the business, she is drawn to a newspaper story about a “John Doe”. It seems the man has no known identity and is comatose. She follows the news stories, feeling a strong draw to his complicated story and to him.
However, following John Doe’s story leads Maggie to telling a lie that she cannot take back. This changes everything for Maggie. Not only does she learn things about John Doe, but also about herself and life.
Ms. Karns writes of the beauty and history of the Northwestern United Sates, including the important yet controversial reintroduction of the Gray Wolf. These aspects make this book more than just a novel, but rather an interesting and pleasurable read.
October 2, 2011
This book just arrived! I ran upstairs to my apartment and opened the package and it came with a note from the author!! The book was signed and it is so beautiful! I opened it up and I couldn't stop reading... I have errands to run, but I am so excited about this book!! Thanks again Goodreads and Rachel Karns!
Just Finished, **Review Pending**
Just Finished, **Review Pending**
April 12, 2011
The Preface captured me. I was transported back to the angst and intensity I felt as a 19 year old facing an adult world. Enjoyed the entire book especially the surprise ending..
July 2, 2011
Remember being a teenager, just out of high school, and thinking you pretty much had it all figured out? I do. I was 19 when I got married the first time. I did it partially because everyone told me not to. I had something to prove, and no amount of good advice was going to stop that. The marriage lasted maybe two years tops, and most of that time we weren’t even together because of the military. I learned a lot though, that year that I was 19. In Gray, by Rachel Karns, Maggie Whitaker also learns a lot. Like Maggie, I joked that 19 was such a nothing year. At 18, you’re legally an adult. At 20, you’re officially out of your teens. At 21, you can legally drink. But 19 doesn’t seem all that special.
As I found out, and as Maggie discovers, 19 really is something special, it’s a time of self-discovery, of finding out who we really are deep down, of exploring our options, and maybe finding out what we really want to do with our lives. At the beginning of the story, Maggie, who has decided to skip college and run her family jewelry shop instead, is on her own for pretty much the first time in her life. She’s moved into the loft above the jewelry store and is getting her first experience in running the store without her parents, who are off on a romantic European cruise. Maggie has just settled into her daily routine when she feels drawn to a mysterious John Doe. She reads about him every day in the paper- this poor, comatose man who has no friends, no family, not even his identity. The strong pull to somehow help him culminates on Maggie’s 19th birthday, when she tells one little, well-intentioned lie that changes her entire life.
Gray is a coming-of-age story about growing up, falling in love, and discovering things about yourself that you never knew existed. Maggie lived her whole life as a good girl who pretty much never lied, yet suddenly in one impulsive moment, her whole life becomes a lie. It’s also about opportunities lost, new opportunities gained, first loves, missed loves, and all the other wonderfully dreadful turmoil that being barely an adult and barely a teenager brings. Maggie is mostly a likable character, although sometimes she is just so naive you kind of want to shake her and say “wake up and grow up!” But the naivety and occasional selfish behavior makes Maggie seem more realistic as a 19 year old. A flawless character would have ruined the story.
Karns interweaves bits of knowledge about the process that goes into designing and creating expensive jewelry, as well as a nice chunk of info about the hunting behavior of wolves. I always enjoy when an author adds something educational into the story in a manner that doesn’t make it feel like I’m reading a text book. Gray is a well-written fast read (it took me about three hours) with just the right amount of drama to hold your attention, but nothing so heart-racing that it keeps you up afterward.
Originally published on Pretty Opinionated
As I found out, and as Maggie discovers, 19 really is something special, it’s a time of self-discovery, of finding out who we really are deep down, of exploring our options, and maybe finding out what we really want to do with our lives. At the beginning of the story, Maggie, who has decided to skip college and run her family jewelry shop instead, is on her own for pretty much the first time in her life. She’s moved into the loft above the jewelry store and is getting her first experience in running the store without her parents, who are off on a romantic European cruise. Maggie has just settled into her daily routine when she feels drawn to a mysterious John Doe. She reads about him every day in the paper- this poor, comatose man who has no friends, no family, not even his identity. The strong pull to somehow help him culminates on Maggie’s 19th birthday, when she tells one little, well-intentioned lie that changes her entire life.
Gray is a coming-of-age story about growing up, falling in love, and discovering things about yourself that you never knew existed. Maggie lived her whole life as a good girl who pretty much never lied, yet suddenly in one impulsive moment, her whole life becomes a lie. It’s also about opportunities lost, new opportunities gained, first loves, missed loves, and all the other wonderfully dreadful turmoil that being barely an adult and barely a teenager brings. Maggie is mostly a likable character, although sometimes she is just so naive you kind of want to shake her and say “wake up and grow up!” But the naivety and occasional selfish behavior makes Maggie seem more realistic as a 19 year old. A flawless character would have ruined the story.
Karns interweaves bits of knowledge about the process that goes into designing and creating expensive jewelry, as well as a nice chunk of info about the hunting behavior of wolves. I always enjoy when an author adds something educational into the story in a manner that doesn’t make it feel like I’m reading a text book. Gray is a well-written fast read (it took me about three hours) with just the right amount of drama to hold your attention, but nothing so heart-racing that it keeps you up afterward.
Originally published on Pretty Opinionated
January 17, 2012
Gray by Rachel Karns tell the story of Maggie. Maggie is a young woman, she turns 19 very early in the book, who thinks she has her life pretty well planned out. While her parents are on vacation she is in charge of the family jewelry store which she is due to inherit in a couple of years. Her supporting characters are her cousin Donny, a drug using troublemaker, her best friend Julie, who has gone off to college leaving her behind, her parents, and a John Doe at the local hospital. When a man is hit by a car in a local town and ends up in the hospital with no I.D. and no one claiming to know him, his story makes the local papers to hopefully find someone to claim him. Maggie begins to have a bit of an infatuation with him and follows his story daily.
On the day of her nineteenth birthday she goes to dinner alone and suddenly feels the urge to visit John Doe so he is not alone. When she arrives at the hospital she is told only family is allowed to see him. For a reason that she doesn't understand she immediately says that she is his fiance in order to gain admittance. The story that follows is filled with Maggie having to deal with the consequences of her lies and her first real experience with strong emotions towards a man.
Overall I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. A coming of age story about a teenage girl had some potential to be rather dreadful to me. Rachel made sure that this wasn't the case in Gray however. The story moves along at a decent pace without long scenes of needless romantic pining. The characters, Maggie especially, are well done, but there were a few times that I didn't really understand her. I'm not sure that that counts as a negative however as I didn't understand 19 year old girls when I was that age and I don't expect much has changed with that. This is a nice novel for ages highschool and up with the target being more towards women, but not a terrible read for guys either.
Review copy provided by author.
On the day of her nineteenth birthday she goes to dinner alone and suddenly feels the urge to visit John Doe so he is not alone. When she arrives at the hospital she is told only family is allowed to see him. For a reason that she doesn't understand she immediately says that she is his fiance in order to gain admittance. The story that follows is filled with Maggie having to deal with the consequences of her lies and her first real experience with strong emotions towards a man.
Overall I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. A coming of age story about a teenage girl had some potential to be rather dreadful to me. Rachel made sure that this wasn't the case in Gray however. The story moves along at a decent pace without long scenes of needless romantic pining. The characters, Maggie especially, are well done, but there were a few times that I didn't really understand her. I'm not sure that that counts as a negative however as I didn't understand 19 year old girls when I was that age and I don't expect much has changed with that. This is a nice novel for ages highschool and up with the target being more towards women, but not a terrible read for guys either.
Review copy provided by author.
September 13, 2011
Gray, by Rachel Karns, is an interesting story about a girl trying to find her place in the world. She makes a lot of mistakes, but keeps going. The novel is aptly named, not just because of the wolves in the book, but also because of the gray areas in Maggie Whitaker's life that she is struggling with.
I must admit, when I first started reading, I was immediately reminded of While You Were Sleeping with Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman. I cringed a bit, but it didn't turn out to be a rehash of the movie. Some of the things that happen seem a bit implausible, but if you suspend belief, the story is enjoyable.
The characters are believable. I liked Maggie, even though she seemed foolish at times. It was obvious she was a young woman learning about life and growing from her mistakes.
It was interesting learning a little about jewelry making and gray wolves. I like it when an author sneaks some learnin' in on my pleasure reading without me realizing it!
All in all, this was an enjoyable story for young adults. Give it a try!
I must admit, when I first started reading, I was immediately reminded of While You Were Sleeping with Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman. I cringed a bit, but it didn't turn out to be a rehash of the movie. Some of the things that happen seem a bit implausible, but if you suspend belief, the story is enjoyable.
The characters are believable. I liked Maggie, even though she seemed foolish at times. It was obvious she was a young woman learning about life and growing from her mistakes.
It was interesting learning a little about jewelry making and gray wolves. I like it when an author sneaks some learnin' in on my pleasure reading without me realizing it!
All in all, this was an enjoyable story for young adults. Give it a try!
July 30, 2011
The story was overall good. I liked it. It felt like it was missing something though. The Awe factor wasn't there. There just wasn't enough raw emotion. This was for sure a reality love story and not a prince charming one. I enjoyed the realism of this book. The characters were great and the author was great with her descriptions of them. Wyn's character was my favorite. It jumped around a little leaving me a little confused it would go from minute by minute then all of a sudden a few weeks ahead. Also it changed chapters in the middle of a scene. Not a bad thing just something I am not used to. So it was a good story and I would recommend the read for 14 and up. I will be purchasing some copies for the libraries.
June 7, 2011
My neice has just self-published her first novel.
I am so proud of you Rachel - good first job! I can
only see you getting better and better. Looking forward
to your next publication.
I am so proud of you Rachel - good first job! I can
only see you getting better and better. Looking forward
to your next publication.
June 12, 2015
Loved this book. Author self-published, turned out great! A little warning though-there is drinking and cursing that I was not all to happy with.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews