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Grace Of The Empire State
By Gemma Tizzard
Published by Hachette Australia
ISBN
9781035412174
Grace of the Empire State is a thoroughly enjoyable book. Originally formed as an idea ten years ago,Grace of the Empire State it was written with what appears authentic knowledge about the men who built the incredible structure known thought the world, The Empire State building, but with a twist.
The twist is what makes this story with a strong, determined and caring young woman in the guise of one of the skilled and intrepid men on the steel.
Although the first few chapters were reasonably interesting as we meet Grace O'Connell, the young woman who loves to dance for a living. Her close friends, Edie and Betty, with whom she dances at, what appears to be, a second rate club in New York, run by a somewhat sleazy manager, and the dancers' highs and lows sets the scene revealing Grace's extraordinary skills. While she is a talented dancer, she also has some surprising skills that become useful later in the story.
Set over the summer in 1930 as the Depression takes hold and work is scarce, life for most is a constant struggle, especially as Grace, her mother Mary, twin brother Patrick and sickly young sister Connie, live in a small apartment which they can just afford. Still, they are better off than the O'Donoghue family of twelve who live above them.
I can't say these initial chapters were particularly interesting, but as the story progresses to her twin brother and his Italian workmates, the Galgiardis who work together as a gang of four on the steel it soon becomes a book that falls into the unputdownable category.
It is a revealing story of courage, overcoming fears and sacrifice and just when things are under control another challenge appears. This major challenge becomes the crux of the story and what a story. It almost succeeds with just a few more days to go. Can Grace O'Connell pull this off? Of course, I know, but I am not going to include any spoilers here.
An awful accident occurs and someone slips to his death right past Grace. She says she will never forget the look in his eyes as he plummeted past her on the 40th floor. When another shocking accident occurs and most of the workers are standing around, horrified by what they see, one person has the solution and puts their own safety at risk to save a life. I was waiting for the appreciation from the foreman, a Mr Gilligan, but sadly no, just a gruff, get back to work, once it was all over.
The foreman's daughter has closely guarded secrets, the first is that she is seeing Grace's twin brother Patrick and she struggles with the decision of loyalty to her father or love for Patrick and keeping his family and the other members of the gang's jobs safe.
There are also many times of triumph and joy, especially overcoming the bully, a brusque steelworker, Bergman. For one so young, Grace has extraordinary insights into human behaviour as well as her other strengths.
The author's story telling and writing is a pleasure to read, skilfully combining history with a twist, tragedy and romance while tackling taboos of the era. Tizzard puts these into perspective revealing the strong women and what they achieved in the 1930s for their families without a husband, through tragic loss. However, I was disappointed to see sentences ending in prepositions. If you enjoy a good historical romance with nail-biting excitement this is a must read.
The Author
Gemma Tizzard has a degree in American Studies, with a particular interest in twentieth century American history and untold women's stories. From Berkshire, she now lives in Southampton, where she works as a marketing manager. She also writes romantic comedies and was longlisted for the 2021 and 2022 Comedy Women in Print (CWIP) Unpublished Novel Prize. Grace of the Empire State is her first historical novel.
This is an independent review, I am not paid by the book publishers, so.If you Liked this review - please Buy me a coffee
