Saving Grace (Green)

Saving Grace
Jane Green, 2014
St. Martin's Press
352 pp.
ISBN-13: 9781250047335


Summary
Grace and Ted Chapman are widely regarded as the perfect literary power couple. Ted is a successful novelist and Grace, his wife of twenty years, is beautiful, stylish, carefree, and a wonderful homemaker.

But what no one sees, what is churning under the surface, is Ted’s rages. His mood swings. And the precarious house of cards that their lifestyle is built upon. When Ted’s longtime assistant and mainstay leaves, the house of cards begins to crumble and Grace, with dark secrets in her past, is most vulnerable. She finds herself in need of help but with no one to turn to…until the perfect new assistant shows up out of the blue.

To the rescue comes Beth, a competent young woman who can handle Ted and has the calm efficiency to weather the storms that threaten to engulf the Chapman household. Soon, though, it’s clear to Grace that Beth might be too good to be true. This new interloper might be the biggest threat of all, one that could cost Grace her marriage, her reputation, and even her sanity.  With everything at stake and no one to confide in, Grace must find a way to save herself before it is too late.

Powerful and riveting, Jane Green's Saving Grace will have you on the edge of your seat as you follow Grace on her harrowing journey to rock bottom and back. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—May 31, 1968
• Where—London, England, UK
• Education—University of Wales
• Currently—lives in Westport, Connecticut, USA


Jane Green is the pen name of Jane Green Warburg, an English author of women's novels. Together with Helen Fielding she is considered a founder of the genre known as chick lit.

Green was born in London, England. She attended the University of Wales, Aberystwyth and worked as a journalist throughout her twenties, writing women's features for the Daily Express, Daily Mail, Cosmopolitan and others. At 27 she published her first book, Straight Talking, which went straight on to the Bestseller lists, and launched her career as "the queen of chick lit".

Frequent themes in her most recent books, include cooking, class wars, children, infidelity, and female friendships. She says she does not write about her life, but is inspired by the themes of her life.

She is the author of more than 15 novels, several (The Beach House, Second Chance, and Dune Road) having been listed on the New York Times bestseller list. Her other novels Another Piece of My Heart (2012), Family Pictures (2013), and Tempting Fate (2014) received wide acclaim.

In addition to novels, she has taught at writers conferences, and writes for various publications including the Sunday Times, Parade magazine, Wowowow.com, and Huffington Post.

Green now lives in Connecticut with her second husband, Ian Warburg, six children, two dogs and three cats. Actively philanthropic, her foremost charities are The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp (Paul Newman's camp for children with life-threatening illnesses), Bethel Recovery Center, and various breast cancer charities. She is also a supporter of the Westport Public Library, and the Westport Country Playhouse. (Adapted from Wikipedia. Retrieved 4/20/2014.)

Book Reviews
(Starred review.) [A] memorable novel probing the flimsy facade of one woman's seemingly perfect life.... Green has imbued her story with realistic, imperfect characters. The lure of the novel lies in Green's ability to create a consistently evolving story that entices from the very first page.
Publishers Weekly


Grace Chapman knows better than most how a perfect-looking life can be anything but.... Fans of Green get everything they have come to expect and love in this psychological domestic drama: it's fast paced and emotionally satisfying if a little rushed and downbeat in the conclusion. —Amy Brozio-Andrews, Albany P.L., NY
Library Journal


The perfect personal assistant can make even the most accomplished wife dispensable.... Grace must devise a plan to save herself and snare the culprit. A rather uncertain resolution suggests a sequel may be in the works. Green spins a dark romance, recalling All About Eve, where intimacy masks betrayal.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
1. Grace’s complex relationship with her mother has a profound influence on the relationships she goes on to cultivate throughout her life. How is Grace’s relationship with and reaction to Ted influenced by that which she had with her mother? In what was are her relationships with Ted and her mother similar? In addition, how has Grace’s guilt over the circumstances of her mother’s death influenced her relationships, including those she has with Beth as well as the women at Harmont House?

2. Did you find anything about Beth to be suspicious at first? If you were Grace, at what point would you begin to suspect that something was not quite right about Beth and/or her motives?

3. Grace has lived her life propelled by the belief that, "If she just keeps running and running, keeps being the perfect wife, mother, cook, the past will surely disappear." Why does this ultimately not work? What does Grace come to realize about her goal of perfecting the illusion so that "her secrets will recede"?

4. Where in the story do we see examples of how cooking has served as a sort of sanctuary for Grace throughout her life? Do you have something in your own life that plays a similar role?

5. What manipulative tactics does Beth use to reel in Ted and Grace? How does she take advantage of their weaknesses?

6. Women are known for our intuition, that little voice that tells you when something is wrong, and we like to think that as we grow older, we learn to listen to it. Do you think intuition increases or decreases as we get older? Do you find that you are relying on your intuition more or less? In what circumstances have you let your head overrule those feelings, and then been proven right?

7. Grace repeatedly has a feeling or an instinct that things are off—for example with Beth and later with Dr. Ellery’s diagnosis. Where do we see examples of this? What factors in both Grace’s present and past have caused her to mistrust, question, or ignore her instincts?

8. As it relates to heath, should you trust your intuition or the facts as presented by doctors? Should you research your own health issues and inform yourself as much as possible or is too much information a dangerous thing?

9. Grace notes the differences in the treatment and view of medicine by society in the United States versus in England. How does the position of power and authority associated with a medical degree affect Grace’s experience with Dr. Frank Ellery?

10. When Lydia asks Grace what it is that she wants, Grace tells her that she wants her life back the way it was before, including Ted. What was your reaction to this? If you were in Grace’s shoes would you have said the same thing? If not, how would you have responded?

11. How did you react to the scene at Ted’s reading when Grace first encounters Beth after returning from England? What would you have said to Beth?

12. How did you react to the ending of the novel? What do you imagine the future holds for Beth? What about for Grace and also for Ted?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)

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