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A Peculiar Grace
An unforgettable tale of love, family secrets, and the hold of the past in a family of New England artists, A Peculiar Grace is the latest triumph from the author of In the Fall, hailed by The Christian Science Monitor and The New York Times as one of the best books of the year. Hewitt Pearce lives alone in his family home, producing custom ironwork and safeguarding a small collection of art his late father left behind. When Jessica, a troubled young vagabond, washes up in his backwoods one morning, Hewitt's hermetic existence is challenged. As he gradually uncovers Jessica's secrets and reestablishes contact with a woman he thought he had lost twenty years before, Hewitt must confront his own dark history and rediscover how much he craves human connection. A Peculiar Grace is a remarkable achievement by one of our finest authors, an insightful portrait of family secrets, and a rich tapestry filled with characters who have learned to survive by giving shape to their losses.
416 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
82 people are currently reading
437 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey Lent
13 books147 followersJeffrey Lent was born in Vermont and grew up there and in western New York State, on dairy farms powered mainly by draft horses. He studied Literature and Psychology at Franconia College in New Hampshire and SUNY Purchase. He lived for many years in North Carolina, an enriching and formative experience. Lent currently resides with his wife and two daughters in central Vermont.
His novel In the Fall was a national bestseller reprinted four times in its first month of publication, was a New York Times Book Review Notable Book for 2000, and earned Jeffrey placement in both Barnes & Noble’s and Borders’ new writer programs; his follow-up, Lost Nation, was a summer reading pick of The Washington Post and USA Today. Both novels were BookSense picks, Book of the Month main selections, and have been widely translated. His most recent novel is Before We Sleep.
His novel In the Fall was a national bestseller reprinted four times in its first month of publication, was a New York Times Book Review Notable Book for 2000, and earned Jeffrey placement in both Barnes & Noble’s and Borders’ new writer programs; his follow-up, Lost Nation, was a summer reading pick of The Washington Post and USA Today. Both novels were BookSense picks, Book of the Month main selections, and have been widely translated. His most recent novel is Before We Sleep.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
June 5, 2012
Though there were aspects of this book I didn't care for, it turned out to be one of those stories I wished would just go on and on. I didn't want it to end, but now that I'm done with it and it's back at the library, I believe I'll have to buy it to have on my shelf for all time. It's one of those books that makes me wish I could turn to someone next to me as I'm reading in bed at night and say, "Listen to this passage; it's just beautiful."
What I didn't like about it: multiple places the word "then" was used when "than" was actually the correct word for the context. Picky, I know, but I'm a noodge about these things. If it had been used in the dialogue, I might have thought the author was going for a folksy feel, but it just seemed like something missed in editing. Also, the female characters all seemed far too similar. They all had quick, acerbic tongues, they all used very similar phrasing, vocabulary and had the same sort of cadence (if you can call it that on the page) to their speech. If I were to pull a paragraph of dialogue out and try to assign it to one of the female characters, it would be tough to do. The many rants spewed at the main character, Hewitt Pearce, were practically identical in tone and intent, delivered in much the same way. Maybe that too was a device the author wanted to use to portray how Hewitt was making the same mistakes over and over again, only with different women, but the way it was presented made it seem more that the women were all simply of the very same mold, which to me showed a lack of skill in developing female characters.
That being said, I became engrossed in the story, the description of the Vermont homestead and landscape. Sometimes the description was a bit too detailed, as with the iron work Hewitt produced at his forge, but mostly it was spot on--providing enough imagery to create one's own picture of the surroundings, but not so much as to leave imagination out of the mix completely. You have to grow to love Hewitt, and admire him for his passion, no matter how ill-directed it is. And I suppose I have a thing for outliers, for those just on the edge of the grid, divorcing themselves from the fixations of urban centers and modern conveniences, but I think the isolation, both physical and psychic, that the characters each face on some level, is universal enough to appeal to even those firmly grounded in the material world.
What I didn't like about it: multiple places the word "then" was used when "than" was actually the correct word for the context. Picky, I know, but I'm a noodge about these things. If it had been used in the dialogue, I might have thought the author was going for a folksy feel, but it just seemed like something missed in editing. Also, the female characters all seemed far too similar. They all had quick, acerbic tongues, they all used very similar phrasing, vocabulary and had the same sort of cadence (if you can call it that on the page) to their speech. If I were to pull a paragraph of dialogue out and try to assign it to one of the female characters, it would be tough to do. The many rants spewed at the main character, Hewitt Pearce, were practically identical in tone and intent, delivered in much the same way. Maybe that too was a device the author wanted to use to portray how Hewitt was making the same mistakes over and over again, only with different women, but the way it was presented made it seem more that the women were all simply of the very same mold, which to me showed a lack of skill in developing female characters.
That being said, I became engrossed in the story, the description of the Vermont homestead and landscape. Sometimes the description was a bit too detailed, as with the iron work Hewitt produced at his forge, but mostly it was spot on--providing enough imagery to create one's own picture of the surroundings, but not so much as to leave imagination out of the mix completely. You have to grow to love Hewitt, and admire him for his passion, no matter how ill-directed it is. And I suppose I have a thing for outliers, for those just on the edge of the grid, divorcing themselves from the fixations of urban centers and modern conveniences, but I think the isolation, both physical and psychic, that the characters each face on some level, is universal enough to appeal to even those firmly grounded in the material world.
December 19, 2007
I read this book in a day.
I deeply loved In the Fall, the only other Lent I've read, for many of the same reasons as this fine piece, though they are, on the surface, very different. What ties them together (besides Lent's... er... I nearly used the word "sparse" there :) but sparse his language does often feel, despite its richnesss, and I am appreciative of his disregard for conventional sentence structure in service to his Yankee cadence) is the sense of spanning time in New England - the cycle of the seasons and the cycle of re-evaluation we hopefully undertake as we age. As a native Vermonter (which Lent, much to my joy, is as well) I was struck with the pitch-perfect depiction of the uncommonly common Woodchuck, living out his days in relative seclusion on a hillside. Non-natives in the process of growing old (and aren't we all) will be moved by the protagonist's grappling with the hold old wounds still have on his life, decades later. Makes one reflect on the choices one makes in deference to such things, and the destructive (and potentially transformative) power the past has in our lives.
Mmm... yes, well ramble ramble ramble. :) It's a fantastic effing book!
I deeply loved In the Fall, the only other Lent I've read, for many of the same reasons as this fine piece, though they are, on the surface, very different. What ties them together (besides Lent's... er... I nearly used the word "sparse" there :) but sparse his language does often feel, despite its richnesss, and I am appreciative of his disregard for conventional sentence structure in service to his Yankee cadence) is the sense of spanning time in New England - the cycle of the seasons and the cycle of re-evaluation we hopefully undertake as we age. As a native Vermonter (which Lent, much to my joy, is as well) I was struck with the pitch-perfect depiction of the uncommonly common Woodchuck, living out his days in relative seclusion on a hillside. Non-natives in the process of growing old (and aren't we all) will be moved by the protagonist's grappling with the hold old wounds still have on his life, decades later. Makes one reflect on the choices one makes in deference to such things, and the destructive (and potentially transformative) power the past has in our lives.
Mmm... yes, well ramble ramble ramble. :) It's a fantastic effing book!
November 23, 2008
This story really had potential. I was attracted to the book by the descriptions of the main character - a morose, solitary, middle-aged loner who lives in the family's Vermont estate house, struggling with past alcoholism and failed relationships, but developing into a masterful wrought iron worker with his rustic home-made forge. Suddenly, women start to appear - a weird hippie-girl in a broken-down VW bug with severe emotional problems; his long-lost love whose unfaithful husband dies in a car accident; another former lover who torments him; and his mother, sister, and niece. Generations of family secrets and tragedies are gradually exposed, layer upon layer.
There were parts of the book that were fascinating and engrossing, and the promise of the unfolding story kept me just enough interested to keep going. At times I really enjoyed the character development and evolving relationships. But the language at times felt clumsy and awkward, and much of it very vulgar - it gets hard to ignore. There are several scenes of graphic intimacy - including the conclusion, where I skipped most of the final chapters only to listen to an ending that was abrupt and unsatisfying.
There were parts of the book that were fascinating and engrossing, and the promise of the unfolding story kept me just enough interested to keep going. At times I really enjoyed the character development and evolving relationships. But the language at times felt clumsy and awkward, and much of it very vulgar - it gets hard to ignore. There are several scenes of graphic intimacy - including the conclusion, where I skipped most of the final chapters only to listen to an ending that was abrupt and unsatisfying.
March 6, 2012
Four and a half stars, really, and there are two reasons this isn't one of my new absolutely favorite books: 1. The author really needs to learn how to use commas in long sentences and 2. The last page. Really?! You're leaving it there?! Auuuuuuuuugh!!!
Other than those two things, this book was fantastic. the prose is really beautiful, though I found myself having to go back to make sure I'd gotten it all, due to the comma issue, a good number of times. It's not a book about plot, but about character and relationships and the slow revelations that happen when someone important first comes into one's life. Really a brilliant read, though I am still kind of reeling from that last page.
Other than those two things, this book was fantastic. the prose is really beautiful, though I found myself having to go back to make sure I'd gotten it all, due to the comma issue, a good number of times. It's not a book about plot, but about character and relationships and the slow revelations that happen when someone important first comes into one's life. Really a brilliant read, though I am still kind of reeling from that last page.
June 22, 2008
Alchemy. sweat and inspiration:
felled tree to cabinet. The shape of a tool.
The shape it makes.
Scrape of a file across a blade--how
it feels in my fingers.
That's what I love in a book about craft like this one.
Recommended by a friend, (maybe she recalled
I used to work beat steel and iron) this book about
an ironworker was very satisfying on a number of counts.
Lent's got a lyrical bent. There are times his writing
about landscape approaches a master like James Lee Burke.
His rendering of rural Vermont was wonderful.
There were times (aah hell, it's a book about love) when Lent approached the sentimental line in his lyrical passages. There weren't too many, not nearly as many as his passages about firing up the furnace,the heating then shaping of iron, tricking out first a 59 Thunderbird, then an equally old Beetle.
I like Lent's cadences, set up by an unusual punctuation for prose:
But she had a baby. A little boy. Not even a year old. And he freaked.
And William, here's a passage for cat lovers. The two characters
are fixing to adopt two cats. I've introduced line breaks, something
I hope Lent would understand:
The frowned at him. “Whatever.
The point is, during the time I
knew her best she had a pair just like this.
Red and black.
The red cat named Rufus and the dark one Tom—
original, I know,
but that's what she called em, her best company.
So, if it's all right with you.”
“Yup. That sounds fine. Are you
taking them over or, are
are we going to share?”
“You don't know much about cats, do you Hewitt?”
“ Always thought I knew all I need to.”
“Well, you don't. We don't
share. They're the ones do the picking.”
felled tree to cabinet. The shape of a tool.
The shape it makes.
Scrape of a file across a blade--how
it feels in my fingers.
That's what I love in a book about craft like this one.
Recommended by a friend, (maybe she recalled
I used to work beat steel and iron) this book about
an ironworker was very satisfying on a number of counts.
Lent's got a lyrical bent. There are times his writing
about landscape approaches a master like James Lee Burke.
His rendering of rural Vermont was wonderful.
There were times (aah hell, it's a book about love) when Lent approached the sentimental line in his lyrical passages. There weren't too many, not nearly as many as his passages about firing up the furnace,the heating then shaping of iron, tricking out first a 59 Thunderbird, then an equally old Beetle.
I like Lent's cadences, set up by an unusual punctuation for prose:
But she had a baby. A little boy. Not even a year old. And he freaked.
And William, here's a passage for cat lovers. The two characters
are fixing to adopt two cats. I've introduced line breaks, something
I hope Lent would understand:
The frowned at him. “Whatever.
The point is, during the time I
knew her best she had a pair just like this.
Red and black.
The red cat named Rufus and the dark one Tom—
original, I know,
but that's what she called em, her best company.
So, if it's all right with you.”
“Yup. That sounds fine. Are you
taking them over or, are
are we going to share?”
“You don't know much about cats, do you Hewitt?”
“ Always thought I knew all I need to.”
“Well, you don't. We don't
share. They're the ones do the picking.”
March 18, 2009
I loved In the Fall and was prepared to love this, too. And, I was OK with it right up till page 387 or so: Interesting characters, check. Adequate story line, check. Passable writing, check. But I totally didn't buy the ending. It felt as though Jeffrey Lent had a dirty-old-man scene in his mind that didn't fit his characters but he forced it on them, anyway. No me gusta! I regret the time spent on three hundred-some pages -- especially while VCU was making the NCAA tournament field. (Go, Rams!) Go away, Jeffrey Lent.
October 27, 2013
It took me forever to finish Jeffrey Lent’s highly praised novel A Peculiar Grace. Forever. Just shy of 400 pages, it felt twice as long because Lent’s prose is just shy of purple and nothing happens. Nothing. Well, okay, that’s not exactly true. Stuff happens.
40-something Hewitt Pearce is leading a solitary life in the Vermont house he inherited from his father. Hewitt’s a blacksmith, a prickly artistic type who “had to sit there a while to see if it was a day for iron or not. This was the essence of what his customers perceived as a great problem – the fact he refused to state a deadline however vague.” A sign near his forge’s door states: “If you want it done your way learn how to do it & make it yourself. Your commission is not my vision.”
Well, okay then.
Into Hewitt’s insular life comes 20-something Jessica. Her VW breaks down on Hewitt’s property and he offers her something to eat and a place to clean up. So she pretty much moves in. Jessica isn’t 100% emotionally secure, and Hewitt is 100% emotionally closed off so anything that’s going to happen between them is going to be a long time coming. (No pun intended.)
There are complications. Hewitt’s still hung up on Emily, a girl he met and loved many years ago. She’d married someone else and Hewitt has worshipped and brooded from afar ever since. There are also some family skeletons including a famous painter father, and an older sister Hewitt’s on the outs with. Then Emily’s husband dies and Hewitt decides it’s time to make his feelings known to her once more, but really – can these two crazy middle-aged kids overcome their past and make it? And what about Jessica?
I kept reading. I don’t know why. When Hewitt’s mother, sister and niece arrived for a visit and these family members started talking to each other it was bizarre. People don’t actually talk to each other like this, do they?
“Jesus mother. Don’t you flush?”
“I certainly do. …And haven’t you heard about conserving water? Speaking of which you need to change the gaskets in the faucets of the tub and sink upstairs. At Broad Oakes they sent around a pamphlet about the unnecessary use of water. And not just because of the drought but because there’s long-term stress on the aquifers all over the U.S. and people still want green lawns in August”
…
“I don’t think so, girlie. Whatever nonsense you’re up to here I want to be able to watch your face when it comes out.”
By the time Hewitt and Jessica (and Emily and Hewitt’s sister) finally work out their messy and strangely overwrought lives, I had reader’s fatigue. Partly it had to so with the stylistic nature of Lent’s prose – weirdly fragmented and dense – and partly it had to do with not really caring very much about any of these people.
40-something Hewitt Pearce is leading a solitary life in the Vermont house he inherited from his father. Hewitt’s a blacksmith, a prickly artistic type who “had to sit there a while to see if it was a day for iron or not. This was the essence of what his customers perceived as a great problem – the fact he refused to state a deadline however vague.” A sign near his forge’s door states: “If you want it done your way learn how to do it & make it yourself. Your commission is not my vision.”
Well, okay then.
Into Hewitt’s insular life comes 20-something Jessica. Her VW breaks down on Hewitt’s property and he offers her something to eat and a place to clean up. So she pretty much moves in. Jessica isn’t 100% emotionally secure, and Hewitt is 100% emotionally closed off so anything that’s going to happen between them is going to be a long time coming. (No pun intended.)
There are complications. Hewitt’s still hung up on Emily, a girl he met and loved many years ago. She’d married someone else and Hewitt has worshipped and brooded from afar ever since. There are also some family skeletons including a famous painter father, and an older sister Hewitt’s on the outs with. Then Emily’s husband dies and Hewitt decides it’s time to make his feelings known to her once more, but really – can these two crazy middle-aged kids overcome their past and make it? And what about Jessica?
I kept reading. I don’t know why. When Hewitt’s mother, sister and niece arrived for a visit and these family members started talking to each other it was bizarre. People don’t actually talk to each other like this, do they?
“Jesus mother. Don’t you flush?”
“I certainly do. …And haven’t you heard about conserving water? Speaking of which you need to change the gaskets in the faucets of the tub and sink upstairs. At Broad Oakes they sent around a pamphlet about the unnecessary use of water. And not just because of the drought but because there’s long-term stress on the aquifers all over the U.S. and people still want green lawns in August”
…
“I don’t think so, girlie. Whatever nonsense you’re up to here I want to be able to watch your face when it comes out.”
By the time Hewitt and Jessica (and Emily and Hewitt’s sister) finally work out their messy and strangely overwrought lives, I had reader’s fatigue. Partly it had to so with the stylistic nature of Lent’s prose – weirdly fragmented and dense – and partly it had to do with not really caring very much about any of these people.
April 30, 2020
The long winded, overly complex sentences with awkward phrasing made the book difficult to read. The random unrelated details and incidents slowed down a slow story about a wrought iron artist living alone in a rural setting. The unexpected arrival of a bipolar? wandering miscreant introduced a possible distraction, but when the 40ish male protagonist reveals he still pines on his love from 20 years ago (a woman who was right to dump him) I had to roll my eyes. When he feels compelled to drop in on her a week or so after her husband dies in a car crash, and when she eventually lets him in to her kitchen and confesses he died after hitting a cow because he was driving drunk after being with her sister, I got bored. What a ridiculous soap opera with excessive drama and emotions. It felt like I had been reading the book for ever and was barely over a third through. I skipped ahead a bit and saw more ridiculous drama and didn't care a wit. Not wanting to waste any more time, I put the book in the donation bin.
June 25, 2015
The book, A Peculiar Grace by Jeffrey Lent has such potential. The story takes place in rural Vermont. Who wouldn’t like a story which takes place in rural Vermont? Having lived in Vermont for a couple of years I was excited to see how the story unfolded. But it only brought disappointment. The story is about Hewitt Pearce, a middle aged man living alone on the family farm. He is a blacksmith. But the story is like some of the back woods roads in rural Vermont. They roads go on and on and on and on and when you get to the end it looks much like the beginning. Sure there are beautiful covered bridges and beautiful small towns along the way. But when you get to the end of the road it looks just like it did when you started. And the book is just the same. I can’t recommend the book because the story meanders around and never really goes any place.
March 28, 2022
Hewitt has finally made peace with himself, when his life is upended by a series of people crashing into it. The story is not as dramatic as that sounds, in fact for large stretches it feels as though nothing happens. It was not really the storyline that drove this book for me, but the telling. Sometimes so convoluted I had to read a sentence several times to make the sense of it, due to a lack of punctuation in many places, I still found it beautiful, lyrical, stunning even at times.
September 22, 2008
Up until the ending, I was going to give this book 4 stars. Lovely writing, great characters, good sense of place. Then he mucked it up with a stupid, unsatisfying ending which I just didn't believe the characters would go to.
I really enjoyed the set up though - enjoyed the side-discussions of art and artists, found the family-story very interesting and sad and real.
I really enjoyed the set up though - enjoyed the side-discussions of art and artists, found the family-story very interesting and sad and real.
November 4, 2007
I gave up on this book. After enjoying the beginning because the combination of girl drifter and misanthrope homebody seemed promising, I found I just didn't care what happened. This is the glory of the library -- I can just return it without guilt.
February 26, 2012
Jeffrey Lent is an incredible author. I always start his books a little slowly, thinking I'm not really in the mood for this. I'm always wrong.
He makes me want to live on a farm or other sort of rustic place. Anyone who knows me knows what incredible praise that is.
He makes me want to live on a farm or other sort of rustic place. Anyone who knows me knows what incredible praise that is.
July 2, 2018
Started but quit after a few pages due to major irritation with the characters and the vulgarity of language and situation.
May 22, 2020
Lent's In the Fall was a brilliant book so I decided to pick up a few more. This one, however was very disappointing, cringy even. The conversations between the characters were vulgar and flat, and there were times when I felt utterly uncomfortable about where the action was going, and how women characters were portrayed and perceived by men, mainly. The story had potential but it was ruined. There was some character development and growth, but most of the time I found myself thinking: ew - the language, the scenes, the somewhat creepy middle-aged man and all of *his* women - I did not care for it one bit. Hewitt could have been a great loner pensive protagonist but Lent did not give him the chance. Two stars because I did read worse.
July 22, 2020
A Peculiar Grace is about a middle-aged blacksmith whose father was a famous artist. Said blacksmith is a recovering alcoholic who still pines for a long-lost love, although the arrival of a troubled young woman with a link to his past complicates things.
If I were mean, I would say that what's peculiar about this book is that it lacks any kind of grace. But, I'm not. The author tends to write in run-on sentences. Also, I just didn't care about the characters that much. And I thought the ending was silly.
If I were mean, I would say that what's peculiar about this book is that it lacks any kind of grace. But, I'm not. The author tends to write in run-on sentences. Also, I just didn't care about the characters that much. And I thought the ending was silly.
June 9, 2017
It took me a long time to read it. Its slow pace and detailed descriptions made it difficult to pick it up again after not having the time to read for a day or two. I still enjoyed the skillful writing very much. Jeffrey Lent is amazing at setting a scene. The details are significant and also poetical.
I really loved his 'In the Fall' and 'Lost Nation' and expected a lot from this book, but it wasn't as good.
I really loved his 'In the Fall' and 'Lost Nation' and expected a lot from this book, but it wasn't as good.
September 4, 2020
I really did enjoy this book but at times I felt like the author tried to describe things too hard. I loved the story line but hated how they always did this weird dialogue thing “hey Jessica”, “hey Hewitt”. Those were just small things I was able to get past. In the end Emily comes back into his life after he falls in love with Jessica for real and then it just ends. I’d like to think he stays with Jessica.
January 1, 2022
I honestly don't remember when I started reading this, but I know it took a long time. It was good, but not good enough to keep me reading past bedtime! Great characters, and a good story. However, the ending felt rushed, and I felt cheated. After slogging through such a long and detailed (and interesting) tale, the ending just didn't work for me. I'm not sorry I read it, but I'm looking forward to something more satisfying.
September 7, 2017
The writing was amazing and I found myself deeply captivated with the characters and their stories. It's a story of forgiveness, redemption and the power of unconditional love. Five stars all the way!
August 15, 2023
A peculiar Grace.
Oh no you don’t!! Terrible ending!! I am so upset. It was a difficult beginning which resolved midway through and was great until the very end. I love the quirky characters. It was a convoluted plot that finally came together. And then…and then….arrghh!
Oh no you don’t!! Terrible ending!! I am so upset. It was a difficult beginning which resolved midway through and was great until the very end. I love the quirky characters. It was a convoluted plot that finally came together. And then…and then….arrghh!
September 21, 2023
It got worse
I was captivated by the title and the promise of a great story. It started ok but gradually descended into sex, drugs, alcohol and swearing.
I couldn't take any more it was just too much.
I was captivated by the title and the promise of a great story. It started ok but gradually descended into sex, drugs, alcohol and swearing.
I couldn't take any more it was just too much.
April 29, 2024
Confusing
It was a compelling read, but there were too many loose ends. The violent murder of the old man. No resolution and I fail to see how it tied in with the storyline. Then the murder of the young man in the woods. Not mentioned again. And the ending? Please!
It was a compelling read, but there were too many loose ends. The violent murder of the old man. No resolution and I fail to see how it tied in with the storyline. Then the murder of the young man in the woods. Not mentioned again. And the ending? Please!
May 13, 2019
This book with the stoy of Hewitt Pearce who lives on a lost love is at time engrossing and captivating and at other times just dragging on. The ending left me .... you will see.
August 10, 2023
well written
A well written book is a joy to read and Jeffrey Lent’s writing style commands the reader’s attention, and invites a search for more of his books.
A well written book is a joy to read and Jeffrey Lent’s writing style commands the reader’s attention, and invites a search for more of his books.
September 8, 2023
I couldn't finish it. Couldn't even get into it. Boooring right from the start, and it doesn't get better (which of course I can only guess as I can not really say on account of not having read it).
October 8, 2023
Magnificent writing, but I wish I had not read the last chapter.
May 12, 2025
The plot is too complicated by an order of magnitude. I got fed up & put it down.
May 21, 2025
Beautifully crafted; the book reads like a poem.
October 11, 2025
A bit slow to get into but a soft, quiet book about life in Vermont and the inner working of family, recovery, and letting go of past regrets.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews