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Almost Grace
For the first time in my life I feel like there is a chink of light, another way. Spook's world is raw, cut down to what matters. He is the first person I've met who seems free.
Grace and her Cape Town friends are renting a house on the coast - after exams it's their rite of passage into adulthood. Yet 'maturity' means different things to each of them. Brett and Louisa have plans - university, travelling - but Grace is uncertain of her future. Anxiety drives her to take control of whatever she can, starting with her own body, and it is starting to worry those around her.
When Grace meets Spook - an older, nomadic surfer - their attraction is instant and his relaxed familiarity and assured confidence catch her off-guard. Can she allow herself to lose control, and fall in love?
An evocative, beautifully-told story of identity, relationships and freedom, set in contemporary South Africa.
Grace and her Cape Town friends are renting a house on the coast - after exams it's their rite of passage into adulthood. Yet 'maturity' means different things to each of them. Brett and Louisa have plans - university, travelling - but Grace is uncertain of her future. Anxiety drives her to take control of whatever she can, starting with her own body, and it is starting to worry those around her.
When Grace meets Spook - an older, nomadic surfer - their attraction is instant and his relaxed familiarity and assured confidence catch her off-guard. Can she allow herself to lose control, and fall in love?
An evocative, beautifully-told story of identity, relationships and freedom, set in contemporary South Africa.
- GenresYoung AdultFiction
224 pages, Paperback
First published June 4, 2015
177 people want to read
About the author
Rosie Rowell
4 books1 followerRosie Rowell was born and grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. After completing a BA degree in English and Economics at the University of Cape Town, Rosie arrived in the UK on a short working holiday and never quite managed to leave. She now lives in in the wilds of West Sussex with her husband and three children, but returns to South Africa as often as the bank balance will allow. She has recently completed a MA in Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths University of London. Her first novel, Leopold Blue, was published by Hot Key Books in 2014. Almost Grace will be published in June 2015
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 1, 2016
YA Shot Buddy Read 2016
5 Words: Growing-up, holiday, friendship, lust, family.
I read the synopsis, so I thought I knew what I was getting myself into. But I was completely surprised.
I loved the kinda Peter-Pan qualities to the characters, how they resisted growing up.
5 Words: Growing-up, holiday, friendship, lust, family.
I read the synopsis, so I thought I knew what I was getting myself into. But I was completely surprised.
I loved the kinda Peter-Pan qualities to the characters, how they resisted growing up.
October 31, 2015
Ok. Didn't hook me like I hoped it would
August 17, 2015
I received an eARC from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Read this review and other reviews like it on my blog Little Miss Reader
WARNING: I'm a bit harsh in this review. Sorry.
I have to admit that I mainly requested this because it's set in South Africa. I mean, a YA contemporary taking place in South Africa sounds darn interesting, right? It's not, I was actually quite disappointed.
Our main character is Grace, she's 18 and away from home for the first time. Grace and two friends, Brett and Louisa, go to Baboon Point for a week and it's far from boring. Grace, apparently, has sex with an older guy, well 35 to be exact, and he stays with them for a couple of days and then things go wrong.
Already 20 pages in I had a feeling that this would end badly for me, I hate reading books which disappoint me. When I found out about the age different between Grace and Spook it got worse. I hate big age differences, I mean 20 and 25 are not bad, neither are 18 and 24 but 18 and 35 - that's awful.
Grace's 'feelings' towards Spook is so fake it awful, yes he kissed her, yes they had sex, yes they had that great moment on the beach but her 'falling in love with him' is not a big part of the story and when you come to the ending you realize how incredibly fake this whole romance was.
I feel like I'm a bit harsh, and I probably am, but this book just took all the things I normally enjoy in books and ruined them. The main character is so incredibly annoying and depressing, her friends are well, better than her, but still not that great when it comes down to it.
Spook is probably one of the worst characters I've ever come across. In the beginning he was interesting and probably my favorite character of them all and then... Well, he's definitely not my favorite anymore.
So, when it comes to the actual story I really didn't care for it. Nothing exciting happens, or rather, when something exciting, dangerous or just funny happens, or is about to, Grace walks away. So all the bits that I would probably have enjoyed in this book isn't there because Grace keeps to herself.
I settled on a 2 star rating, the good part of the ending and the fact that I actually finished the book resulted in me not giving it a single star.
I'm sorry but I really do not recommend this book..
Read this review and other reviews like it on my blog Little Miss Reader
WARNING: I'm a bit harsh in this review. Sorry.
I have to admit that I mainly requested this because it's set in South Africa. I mean, a YA contemporary taking place in South Africa sounds darn interesting, right? It's not, I was actually quite disappointed.
Our main character is Grace, she's 18 and away from home for the first time. Grace and two friends, Brett and Louisa, go to Baboon Point for a week and it's far from boring. Grace, apparently, has sex with an older guy, well 35 to be exact, and he stays with them for a couple of days and then things go wrong.
Already 20 pages in I had a feeling that this would end badly for me, I hate reading books which disappoint me. When I found out about the age different between Grace and Spook it got worse. I hate big age differences, I mean 20 and 25 are not bad, neither are 18 and 24 but 18 and 35 - that's awful.
Grace's 'feelings' towards Spook is so fake it awful, yes he kissed her, yes they had sex, yes they had that great moment on the beach but her 'falling in love with him' is not a big part of the story and when you come to the ending you realize how incredibly fake this whole romance was.
I feel like I'm a bit harsh, and I probably am, but this book just took all the things I normally enjoy in books and ruined them. The main character is so incredibly annoying and depressing, her friends are well, better than her, but still not that great when it comes down to it.
Spook is probably one of the worst characters I've ever come across. In the beginning he was interesting and probably my favorite character of them all and then... Well, he's definitely not my favorite anymore.
So, when it comes to the actual story I really didn't care for it. Nothing exciting happens, or rather, when something exciting, dangerous or just funny happens, or is about to, Grace walks away. So all the bits that I would probably have enjoyed in this book isn't there because Grace keeps to herself.
I settled on a 2 star rating, the good part of the ending and the fact that I actually finished the book resulted in me not giving it a single star.
I'm sorry but I really do not recommend this book..
October 31, 2024
i was hooked in the beginning then was very disappointed at the end
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews