THERE BUT FOR GRACE

There but for Grace, a novel described by Margot Livesey as “a lovely, witty deeply absorbing novel,” chronicles one woman’s mission to challenge the stereotypes about “older” women. She does so with grace, wit, and a no-holds-barred feistiness that will engage readers of all ages. Fifty-three-year-old Grace Winthrop Hobbes is newly divorced with two college-age kids, an eccentric octogenarian mother, a stalled novel-in-progress, and a sex drive that is coming out of hibernation with a vengeance. Refusing to go gently into the dark night of abstinence and retreat, and tired of sexual double standards, Grace makes a vow to seize life’s bull by the horns. Her adventures begin with Fuzz, who likes to take notes after sex; with Dylan, a soulful computer genius in search of an “era”; Otis, a one-armed jogger raising a seven-year-old daughter with OCD; and a banker in Vermont who offers a new twist. However, Grace’s year of re-liberation doesnt go quite as planned. As her empty house slowly fills with quirky, unexpected “guests,” she gains new insights into friendship, intimacy, happiness, and the notion of home. There but for Grace is a funny, earnest look at the modern “family,” nuclear and extended — sometimes way overextended.