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Graces #2
Secret Graces
In this second book of Kathryn Magendie's much-praised series about the journey of a woman dealing with the ghosts of a dysfunctional family, Virginia Kate Carey seeks the loving commitment that eluded her in TENDER GRACES. "Vee" is idealistic and naïve despite the witness she has served to the fractured heritage of her parents' and grandmother's dreams. Vee continues her journey toward wisdom, building small bridges over the chasms of hurt and longing. The inspiration of hope lingers in her. TENDER GRACES and now, SECRET GRACES, explores three women's lives: Daughter, Mother, Grandmother, and passes through the fulcrum of Virginia Kate's emerging life as a lover and mother and storyteller, chronicling the heart ache and hope of her family and herself.
- GenresFiction
292 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
7 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Magendie
12 books62 followersKathryn Magendie is an Amazon Best-selling Author of five novels and a novella—TENDER GRACES, her first novel, was an Amazon Kindle Number 1 best-seller, SWEETIE and THE LIGHTNING CHARMER were Amazon best-sellers.
As well as her novelist life, she’s a freelance editor, personal trainer, and former Publishing Editor of The Rose & Thorn.
Her short stories, essays, poetry, and photography have been published in print and online publications. Her novels are available in print and ebook.
She lives in the Smoky Mountains in a little log house in the Cove at Killian Knob in Maggie Valley, Western North Carolina.
I appreciate and adore all my readers! *muwah!*
As well as her novelist life, she’s a freelance editor, personal trainer, and former Publishing Editor of The Rose & Thorn.
Her short stories, essays, poetry, and photography have been published in print and online publications. Her novels are available in print and ebook.
She lives in the Smoky Mountains in a little log house in the Cove at Killian Knob in Maggie Valley, Western North Carolina.
I appreciate and adore all my readers! *muwah!*
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
September 15, 2011
It is a most wonderful gift when we discover an author whose books we not only enjoy, but one who instills in us the confident assurance that they are highly unlikely to disappoint. Kathryn Magendie is precisely that variety of author. I first fell in love with Kathryn's writing while reading "Tender Graces", the book that first introduces us to Virginia Kate and which so thoroughly carries us into her world. So deeply in fact, that arriving at the end pages of Tender Graces would have left me altogether brokenhearted had I not already known that a sequel awaited in 'Secret Graces."
I find it somewhat difficult to define Ms.Magendie's writing style and the unique flavor of her stories, except to say that her talents are exceptional. She has such a gift for seamlessly weaving between scenes rich with lyrical, tender, humorous, and when called for--thunderous moments. All of which prove an assurance that she will not let us down or leave the reader floundering. Her stories as much a joy to read as they are unforgettable.
Picking up VK's story after we leave her childhood behind in "Tender Graces", this next book in the series moves us away from the dangling threads of hopeful optimism (VK's optimism? Or is it really the yearning of readers? We so want VK and this intriguing family of hers to be at peace with themselves and each other...), and into the subsequent seasons of loss, learning, and growth. The author's use of imagery and the multidimensional tones of her characters hold tight and solid through the story, and it nearly impossible not to crumble when VK's life begins the slow slide into disillusionment and unsatisfied yearnings. And yet, in the final pages, we see it there -- that light at the end of the tunnel-- bright enough that it leaves us anxious and ready for book number 3.
I find it somewhat difficult to define Ms.Magendie's writing style and the unique flavor of her stories, except to say that her talents are exceptional. She has such a gift for seamlessly weaving between scenes rich with lyrical, tender, humorous, and when called for--thunderous moments. All of which prove an assurance that she will not let us down or leave the reader floundering. Her stories as much a joy to read as they are unforgettable.
Picking up VK's story after we leave her childhood behind in "Tender Graces", this next book in the series moves us away from the dangling threads of hopeful optimism (VK's optimism? Or is it really the yearning of readers? We so want VK and this intriguing family of hers to be at peace with themselves and each other...), and into the subsequent seasons of loss, learning, and growth. The author's use of imagery and the multidimensional tones of her characters hold tight and solid through the story, and it nearly impossible not to crumble when VK's life begins the slow slide into disillusionment and unsatisfied yearnings. And yet, in the final pages, we see it there -- that light at the end of the tunnel-- bright enough that it leaves us anxious and ready for book number 3.
May 4, 2022
so loved this book.
I have read & reread Kathryn Magendie books so many times. Virginia Kate brings me home to my Pennsylvania mountains. She is by far my favorite Author. Her stories stir my heart & I am there with her & her Sister mountain. Kathryn is a brilliant story teller. I enter their world, feel their joy, grief, longing, & it brings all your emotions together & you feel it in the marrow of you bones & every heart beat. If I could only read her stories I would be satisfied. I have read Sweetie, my favorite, 6 times. Her stories make you feel a longing you can’t reach. Please keep writing these beautiful stories. Everyone is a wonder fulfilled.
I have read & reread Kathryn Magendie books so many times. Virginia Kate brings me home to my Pennsylvania mountains. She is by far my favorite Author. Her stories stir my heart & I am there with her & her Sister mountain. Kathryn is a brilliant story teller. I enter their world, feel their joy, grief, longing, & it brings all your emotions together & you feel it in the marrow of you bones & every heart beat. If I could only read her stories I would be satisfied. I have read Sweetie, my favorite, 6 times. Her stories make you feel a longing you can’t reach. Please keep writing these beautiful stories. Everyone is a wonder fulfilled.
May 26, 2012
Secret Graces is the second book in a trilogy by Kathryn Magendie that features the unforgettable voice of Virginia Kate Carey. As in the first book, Tender Graces, the story alternates between the present, when Virginia Kate returns to the West Virginia mountains upon the death of her mother, and her turbulent journey from adolescence to womanhood in her new home on Louisiana.
When “Tender Graces,” ended, Virginia Kate was an adolescent struggling with the need to bond with her biological mother, who sent her away, and the warmth of her second family, anchored by saintly step-mother, Rebekha. As Secret Graces begins, Virginia Kate is a university student pursued by Dylan, who is smitten and courts her with dogged determination. Virginia Kate is hopelessly conflicted about Dylan and Magendie deftly describes her state of mind, drawing on setting and other elements to underscore her emotions.
She stood under an oak tree when Dylan spotted her for the first time. As she looked back from the perspective of a middle aged woman, she reflects, “I remember that girl. That girl had been afraid all her life. That girl had tried to pretend she wasn’t afraid. And she gained and she lost and she knew she never had what she thought was hers, because she never fully gave of herself.”
Later, young Virginia Kate senses her step-mother wants to know about Dylan. “I knew Rebekha wanted me to talk to her about Dylan, but those feelings were easier to keep stuffed down where they were safe. If I talked about him, words would be released into the air, faster and faster until I’d be sucked asunder by a tornado, mad-whirled, scattering feelings and actions willy nilly.” And so Virginia Kate remained ambivalent, frustrating Dylan as his longing for her becomes more intense.
Despite serious misgivings, Virginia Kate convinced herself she and Dylan could have a happy life together. “He would make me love him back and I would be a part of someone, a half to a whole. I would make my own home with my own children…I’d never again be see-through or worry about lonely again.” But her fears proved well-founded.
The story ends on a hopeful note, setting the stage for the final act of this trilogy.
As with the first book, Virginia Kate’s authentic voice engages the reader right away. She is at times funny, vulnerable, perceptive, and unsure of her instincts. In other words, she embodies the imperfections and hope in each of us.
When “Tender Graces,” ended, Virginia Kate was an adolescent struggling with the need to bond with her biological mother, who sent her away, and the warmth of her second family, anchored by saintly step-mother, Rebekha. As Secret Graces begins, Virginia Kate is a university student pursued by Dylan, who is smitten and courts her with dogged determination. Virginia Kate is hopelessly conflicted about Dylan and Magendie deftly describes her state of mind, drawing on setting and other elements to underscore her emotions.
She stood under an oak tree when Dylan spotted her for the first time. As she looked back from the perspective of a middle aged woman, she reflects, “I remember that girl. That girl had been afraid all her life. That girl had tried to pretend she wasn’t afraid. And she gained and she lost and she knew she never had what she thought was hers, because she never fully gave of herself.”
Later, young Virginia Kate senses her step-mother wants to know about Dylan. “I knew Rebekha wanted me to talk to her about Dylan, but those feelings were easier to keep stuffed down where they were safe. If I talked about him, words would be released into the air, faster and faster until I’d be sucked asunder by a tornado, mad-whirled, scattering feelings and actions willy nilly.” And so Virginia Kate remained ambivalent, frustrating Dylan as his longing for her becomes more intense.
Despite serious misgivings, Virginia Kate convinced herself she and Dylan could have a happy life together. “He would make me love him back and I would be a part of someone, a half to a whole. I would make my own home with my own children…I’d never again be see-through or worry about lonely again.” But her fears proved well-founded.
The story ends on a hopeful note, setting the stage for the final act of this trilogy.
As with the first book, Virginia Kate’s authentic voice engages the reader right away. She is at times funny, vulnerable, perceptive, and unsure of her instincts. In other words, she embodies the imperfections and hope in each of us.
June 5, 2012
Kathryn Magendie has a way of taking the most quiet, unassuming story, and driving it home, bit by bit, until I feel like sobbing and hugging Virginia Kate to pieces. One of my favorite things about "southern" writing is how down-to-earth it is, and nothing is more down-to-earth than Virginia Kate and her brothers.
Then there's Rebekha - a woman who embodies everything that is a mother. She's warm, welcoming, thoughtful, insightful, supportive, loving, and selfless. With this character, Kathryn Magendie has created something that reminds me so very much of my own grandmother who passed away so many years ago now. I connected with Virginia Kate as she washed and dried dishes with Rebekha, as she woke quietly to make breakfast, to make things easier, and as she sought for the wisdom of her stepmother, a woman I wanted her to so very much dislike in the first book of this trilogy.
It's funny how characters win you over like that - in spite of everything against them they just creep inside, somewhat like this quiet story, and dig deep, finding all those old emotions and rekindling them and reminding their readers of memories long forgotten.
So when I think about southern books, I feel a warm glow and I open them with anticipation and hope and nostalgia, and I know when I open a book by Kathryn Magendie I won't be reading something that will preach at me or talk over me in an attempt to tell a story that I may or may not get. Instead, I'll be introduced to characters that I feel like I've known my whole life, and instead of losing myself in a strange world, I'll feel like I just came home.
Then there's Rebekha - a woman who embodies everything that is a mother. She's warm, welcoming, thoughtful, insightful, supportive, loving, and selfless. With this character, Kathryn Magendie has created something that reminds me so very much of my own grandmother who passed away so many years ago now. I connected with Virginia Kate as she washed and dried dishes with Rebekha, as she woke quietly to make breakfast, to make things easier, and as she sought for the wisdom of her stepmother, a woman I wanted her to so very much dislike in the first book of this trilogy.
It's funny how characters win you over like that - in spite of everything against them they just creep inside, somewhat like this quiet story, and dig deep, finding all those old emotions and rekindling them and reminding their readers of memories long forgotten.
So when I think about southern books, I feel a warm glow and I open them with anticipation and hope and nostalgia, and I know when I open a book by Kathryn Magendie I won't be reading something that will preach at me or talk over me in an attempt to tell a story that I may or may not get. Instead, I'll be introduced to characters that I feel like I've known my whole life, and instead of losing myself in a strange world, I'll feel like I just came home.
July 6, 2010
Oh, how I love this book. I love the various types of frogs that reside within Virginia Kate, I love the descriptive phrasing, I love the spirits of the past.
As much as I enjoyed Tender Graces, Secret Graces has that special extra "thing" for those of us who are mothers; mothers with a history, with failures, with love. It also has something for those of us who have been conflicted adult daughters.
For good friends with spiky hair, home grown tomatoes, and the mists of the holler - all of which will stay with me a long, long time - thank you, Kathryn Magendie.
As much as I enjoyed Tender Graces, Secret Graces has that special extra "thing" for those of us who are mothers; mothers with a history, with failures, with love. It also has something for those of us who have been conflicted adult daughters.
For good friends with spiky hair, home grown tomatoes, and the mists of the holler - all of which will stay with me a long, long time - thank you, Kathryn Magendie.
May 12, 2011
This sequel to Tender Graces follows Virginia Kate as she grows to adulthood, through her fears, her ghosts and her marriage. Kathryn Magendie writes through it all with her remarkable lyricism. I liked this one a little better than the first; I think because Virginia Kate remains so true to her character, tries so hard to overcome her fears, and eventually ends up accepting the call of her mountain. I'm looking forward to the last of the trilogy, which the author's website says should be out sometime in 2011.
October 17, 2014
A family saga of more truth than fiction
I struggled with the first book, "Tender Graces," but like Virginia Kate's sweet sister mountain, it kept calling me back. it turned out to be a delightful read and I WANT to know more about this family. there are truths in these books we can all relate to.
I struggled with the first book, "Tender Graces," but like Virginia Kate's sweet sister mountain, it kept calling me back. it turned out to be a delightful read and I WANT to know more about this family. there are truths in these books we can all relate to.
May 26, 2010
Absolutely wonderful! Virginia Kate Carey's story continues, and Magendie's lyrical writing takes you through Virginia Kate's love and darkness with the skill of a master storyteller. Magendie is a southern writer to watch.
September 16, 2010
This sequel to Tender Graces works well as a continuation in the series as well as a stand-alone book. As with Tender Graces, I was hooked on this one immediately.
Kat Magendie is a brilliant writer ... love her work!
Kat Magendie is a brilliant writer ... love her work!
April 9, 2020
I did not like the use of God's name in vain in the story to show the character's self. Otherwise, I love reading the book. This is my second time reading it. Kathryn Magendie
May 23, 2014
The second in the Graces trilogy, Secret Graces kept me up once again. I'm enthralled with Kathryn Magendie's writing style and her beloved Smoky Mountains. Virginia Kate and her family have become favorites and I wish this series could go on forever.
June 5, 2010
I'm wondering if a third book in this series will come out. I felt the first one was better and this one actually left more unfinished storytelling.
August 28, 2010
LOVED this sequel to the Virginia Kate world. Kat Magendie has a talent for finding the real.
February 12, 2011
I love following Virginia Kate though her life...she is a great character and you can't help get wrapped up in the story.
May 20, 2011
This is Magendie's second book. It's fun and easy to read but be sure to read Tender Graces first or you could get lost in the sequel of events.
May 15, 2014
I didn't love it as much as the first book in the series, now on to the final third. I still think she is a wonderful writer and I will finish this review in a few days.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews