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Product Description
Quill & Quire
Admirers of urban-fantasy novelist Charles de Lint might be surprised to find that the Ottawa writer’s new novel, his first full-length work in three years, is a marked and decisive shift away from the Newford mythos and milieu that has infused his fiction for more than a decade. Surprised, but not disappointed: The Mystery of Grace is as strong a novel as de Lint has yet written, full of mystery, magic, and genuine freshness. Altagracia “Grace” Quintero is young, attractive, heavily tattooed, and a hot-rod devotee. She holds down a job at Sanchez Motor Works and rebuilds classic Fords in her spare time. She has grease under her nails and a limited romantic history. When she meets John Burns at a club on Halloween night, the chemistry is immediate. They spend the night together, but as the sun rises, Grace disappears. John is an artist and a bit of a loner. His single night with Grace, and her unexplained disappearance, affect him deeply, and he begins to search the city of Santo del Vado Viejo, de Lint’s imagined Southwestern setting, for the mysterious woman. What he finds, though, cuts him to the core: Grace Quintero was killed by a gunman during a convenience store robbery – two weeks before the night she and John met. The Mystery of Grace is a love story that crosses the line between life and death, a mystery with philosophical and spiritual implications, a thriller based on faith and courage, rather than incident, and an extended meditation on memory and the value we place on the stuff of a life. Rooted in strong characters and ideas, it’s a compelling read, genuinely exciting and unsettling, with a powerful sense that anything might happen. No one is safe and nothing is sacred here, which makes for a thrilling experience.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
“De Lint is a romantic; he believes in the great things, faith, hope, and charity (especially if love is included in that last), but he also believes in the power of magic--or at least the magic of fiction--to open our eyes to a larger world.”--Edmonton Journal
“Charles de Lint is the modern master of urban fantasy. Folktale, myth, fairy tale, dreams, urban legend—all of it adds up to pure magic in de Lint’s vivid, original world. No one does it better.” -- Alice Hoffman
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another great read from CDL!,
By Morgan (Chatham, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Mystery of Grace (Paperback)
Chalk this one up to another hit by Charles de Lint!This story was a bit of a departure from many of the other CDL tales that I love so much, since it's not set in the imaginary city of Newford. Instead, it's somewhere in the SouthWest, best that I can tell... probably New Mexico or something like that. The story really soaks you in, and the characters are warm and engaging- you'll find yourself unable to put this down! (and possibly inspired to get a little new ink done in the meantime!) Enjoy!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.8 out of 5 stars (28 customer reviews) 31 of 33 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not his strongest, but a good read anyway.,
By Sammey's Mom "Suzanne" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Mystery of Grace (Hardcover)
De Lint writes some of the finest urban fantasy around -- character driven, mystical, and with a deep faith in humanity's goodness. This foray into the Southwest lacks the depth of his Newford stories. Grace, his main character, has interesting quirks, but never attains the depth of some of his earlier heroines. Having found three unusual characteristics -- tattoos, hot rods and rockabilly -- De Lint seems to never quite get beyond them and, in fact, repeats these characteristics over and over again. The mystical qualities of life after death and the essences of faith, family and friendship are, as usual, fascinating and the ending remains a mystery (as it should). All the wonderful ambiguities of our humanity are here, but Grace lacks the strength to carry them on her own.I recommend it to his fans, but it's not the best first novel for a newcomer to DeLint's work. 18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet and hopeful story,
By dSavannah George-Jones - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Mystery of Grace (Hardcover)
Charles de Lint is one of my favorite authors. I have been anxiously anticipating this newest novel, and I was not disappointed. I enjoyed that CdL explored a different world than he usually does, but he stayed true to the urban fantasy genre. He also wrote about many of the themes he has tackled in the past - mystery, spirit, grace, hope, and one of the big questions - what happens when we die?I somewhat agree with the other reviewer who said that Grace is somewhat one (three) -dimensional. You feel for her situation, and you feel for John, but you don't LOVE either of them, like you do with Jilly or some of CdL's other characters. I gave "Grace" four stars instead of five because it's not as powerful as some of his other work, but it's a great book. 13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
~ another must read ~,
By Kathleen Wagner - Published on Amazon.com
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This review is from: The Mystery of Grace (Hardcover)
There is a blurb on this book by Alice Hoffman. She said "Nobody does it better".I don't usually put much stock in these author blurbs, but I have to say that I agree with this one. I don't remember how I found Charles De Lint, but I am grateful that I did, because as Ms Hoffman says, nobody does it better. This is the story of Grace. It is a story of live and love and faith, or the loss of it. It is a story of friendship and commitment and death. Most of all, it is a story that reminds us, as do all of De Lint's books of the magic within us all. Grace with her tattoos and her grease and her family, the good and the bad,, is each one of us. Grace is more aptly named than you might think at first look. Grace learns to open her heart wider than she ever believed that she could, and see truth. This is yet another must read in a long line of must reads by this magical author. |
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