Sunday 2 February 2014

Beyond Grace's Rainbow by Carmel Harrington


When Grace is diagnosed with cancer her best chance of survival is to find a bone marrow transplant from a family member. Only Grace is adopted and her one previous attempt to connect with her birth mother resulted in bitter disappointment. But with her young son, Jack, to think about, and the return of her ex Liam, Jack’s father, reminding her of feelings she’d thought she’d buried long ago, Grace refuses to give up hope just yet. With the help of her friends she bravely embarks on a journey of discovery. This search will bring her from her home in vibrant Dublin to the unspoilt beauty of Wexford where she must unravel a web of lies and deceit that has spanned over thirty years.


Now that I have finished sobbing I can give you my opinion on Beyond Grace’s Rainbow by Carmel Harrington.

Grace is our main character, she is a single mum to her adorable son Jack and she has a large group of close friends who are all about to become her support network as she has just received the devastating news that she has cancer. It is as she is preparing to undergo treatment that her ex Liam has returned and wants to be back in her life and to be a father to his son who he has never met.

This book was breath-taking, although I have read many books that have brought a lump to my throat, this book went one step further, the emotion was so raw and unexpected that I had tears streaming down my face ( not a good look on your break at work!) I believe that because I connected so well with all of the characters I felt like I was part of their group so everything that happened to Grace felt like it was happening to a friend so I think this was why I felt so emotional.

The writing style was perfect and flawless, there were no slow points or parts that felt the need to skim read, it flowed at a continual gentle pace that enveloped you in the storyline. At times I felt the storyline was predictable but then all of a sudden there was a shift in the way things looked and so I got a shock of my life.

The characters were a fabulous mix, I particularly loved the quirky, gay friend Gerry! Having a character like him in this book was really needed as he kept the fun and light-hearted side to an emotional and deep storyline. Grace was such a strong, caring and loveable character who I loved from the start.

The friendship between the group is a major part of the storyline and each of the friends have their own little story going on too. As well as the friendship and Grace’s illness there is also a lovely touch of romance but also some past history to uncover.


This book is easily a 5* read and I will be recommending this book for a long time yet. I wouldn’t hesitate to read more books by this author.



Kindle                 Paperback

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