“There is nothing like looking, if you want to find something. You certainly usually find something, if you look, but it is not always quite the something you were after.”
~J.R.R. Tolkien

I became a fan of The Lord of the Rings in December 2001 after seeing The Fellowship of the Ring. From there I became a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, the man. Over the course of the last few years I have received numerous volumes written by or about J.R.R. Tolkien as gifts from family and friends and in addition I have collected a number of items related to the films. When it comes to shopping for me, it is safe to say that anything related to the films or books is a sure fire hit! What makes it even more surprising is when I receive something that was not on my radar, was not on any wish list…was something I did not even know I was looking for. Such was the case with the J.R.R. Tolkien Audio Collection.

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The Mystery of Grace ~Charles de Lint

2009, Tor Books
272 pages

REVIEW SUMMARY:

Charles de Lint’s latest offering treats the readers to a small cast of characters that will grab hold of your heart from the very beginning. It is all the more disappointing when the later third of the story takes some disappointing turns that do the characters, and the reader, no favors.

MY RATING: 3.25/5 stars

BRIEF SUMMARY:

Charles de Lint returns to the world of adult fiction after a brief hiatus with this stand alone novel set outside of his fictional town of Newford. In this novel Charles de Lint introduces the reader to the world of classic car restoration and rockabilly music and combines it with his masterful knowledge of Native American folklore to tell the story of Altagracia “Grace” Quintero and the events that occur after her untimely death. On two nights a year the dead are allowed to return to the land of the living and on her first sojourn back, Grace meets artist John Burns and forms an instant bond. The knowledge that this may be her true soul mate is complicated by the fact that she is not only absent from the real world for all but 2 nights a year, but also because the afterlife in which she is trapped does not seem to be the place where the majority of those who pass on go. As Grace attempts to discover the mystery behind her afterlife locale, John Burns must come to grips with the fact that this new relationship of his is anything but normal.

MY REVIEW:

PROS:

-de Lint’s craftsmanship with the written word is as strong as ever. The man is a true artist in his medium.
-Strong characterization, even of minor characters. Charles de Lint has the ability to quickly paint a picture of people that allows the reader to form a connection with them without an enormous page count.
-The romance between the characters, up until the two-thirds mark, is some of the most wonderful storytelling about love and connection that I have ever read.
-At a little over 270 pages this book is just the right length.
-Amazing John Jude Palencar cover. Art director Irene Gallo and John Jude Palencar have really topped themselves with this beautiful book cover.

CONS:

-Book takes a turn in direction during the last third that I was ultimately unhappy with.
-Readers may find themselves with the feeling that both they and the character of John are cheated based on directions that the story went in.
-While Charles de Lint does not endorse any one religion, there is a brief but heavy focus on Catholicism and faith that may turn off non-believers because of its emphasis on religious ceremony and believers because of the overall message that believing, and not what one believes, is what really matters.

BOTTOM LINE:

If you are a Charles de Lint completist then you may feel compelled to pick this one up regardless of my own personal qualms with recommending it. There is some top-notch characterization and storytelling going on here and the de Lint magic is certainly present in his skill with the written word. The latter third of the book, which felt like a drastic departure from the direction the book had been proceeding in, ultimately marred the experience for me to such an extent that I won’t be encouraging others to pick this one up. If you like esoteric examinations of what might be on the other side of this life, de Lint provides ample food for thought and can stand toe-to-toe with the best of them. If, like me, you feel that the first 2/3 of the book was leading you down a different path than Charles de Lint takes you down, you may want to look to his long list of sure-fire winners before choosing to discover the mystery of Grace.

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