If you’ve ever seen the movie “Falling Down” with Michael Douglas, you’ll get a feel for this book which describes the absolute worst and longest day that a person could possibly experience.
There are actually two covers for this book – I am using this one which I think accurately reflects Grace’s personality. This isn’t a whimsical or lighthearted story, although there are some funny moments. It’s the deeply felt, poignant and emotional story of a woman who has lost her way – both personally and professionally. I literally felt at one with Grace, as she reflects back on her younger, brilliant self, and how she got to this terrible, awful day.
Grace is trying to salvage her relationship with her teenage daughter Lotte and is determined to bring an expensive Love Island- themed birthday cake to Lotte’s 16th birthday. But Lotte doesn’t want to see Grace, and Grace is also going though a very painful separation from her husband.
The book takes place over the course of just one day, but is told in alternating, non-linear timelines which works perfectly to establish a connection with the main protagonists. I loved reading how Grace and Ben, both geeky language specialists met and fell in love.
This debut novel shines a light on the inner life of women as well as the joy and pain of parenthood and the dangers of social media today. I loved it! Well done, Fran Littlewood!
Thank you to the publisher for my copy!
About the Book:
Bernadette , Eleanor Oliphant, Rosie, Ove . . . meet Amazing Grace Adams , the funny, touching, unforgettable story of an invisible everywoman pushed to the brink―who finally pushes back.
Grace Adams gave birth, blinked, and now suddenly she is forty-five, perimenopausal and stalled―the unhappiest age you can be, according to the Guardian . And today she’s really losing it. Stuck in traffic, she finally has had enough. To the astonishment of everyone, Grace gets out of her car and simply walks away.
Grace sets off across London, armed with a £200 cake, to win back her estranged teenage daughter on her sixteenth birthday. Because today is the day she’ll remind her daughter that no matter how far we fall, we can always get back up again. Because Grace Adams used to be amazing. Her husband thought so. Her daughter thought so. Even Grace thought so. But everyone seems to have forgotten. Grace is about to remind them . . . and, most important, remind herself.