BOOK REVIEW: Fields of Grace
by Wendy Waters

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ABOUT THE BOOK (from Amazon):

From the author of Catch The Moon, Mary comes this epic drama spanning seven decades. Set against a backdrop of war in 1930s’ Europe, Grace Fieldergill, a starry-eyed young actress from Devon, moves to London to pursue her dream of becoming a star. The lovable boarders of Wyncote House, a ladies-only establishment, take her under their collective wing and share her triumph when she is accepted into the brilliant young John Gielgud’s company as Peggy Ashcroft’s understudy. When Peggy misses a show one night, Grace gets her chance. Watching her performance that evening are two people who will change her life forever, London’s most famous actress, Mrs. Patrick Campbell, and a man whose love she never thought she could win.

MY REVIEW:

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I’ll receive a small commission if you purchase using those links.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Here it is…

I would actually give this book 4.5/5 stars, but since half ratings aren’t a thing I rounded up. While I’m not typically a fan of historical fiction, it would be impossible not to see the beauty in this story.

The book starts out with Grace Fieldergill as an old woman who’s ready to leave this earth. As she prepares to reconnect with her “feu sacré” (sacred fire) love who’s going to take her away, she begins telling her beloved granddaughter a story that she had kept hidden all her life in order to protect her son with whom she has a strained relationship.

We find out early on that her husband wasn’t the father of her son and that she never loved him. And then we go back in time about 60 years when Grace was a young actress starting out as an understudy. She gets a chance to prove herself on stage and her acting career takes off. As her relationships with her fellow actors develop, she discovers (surprisingly) that one of them is her feu sacré.

Grace finds herself with child in a time when society puts people in boxes (i.e. “illegitimate”). She must decide what’s best for her child, even if it means living a lie.

Again, I am not a historical fiction fan and this book is very long; however, I enjoyed it and highly recommend it if you do tend to enjoy this genre.