“The Gift of Gracie” by Amy Heyman

The Gift of Gracie

Amy Heyman
Little Creek Press (2022)
ISBN: 978-1955656276
Reviewed by Diana Coyle for Reader Views (11/2022)

“The Gift of Gracie,” by Amy Heyman is the story of Gracie Hubbard, who, at three years old, fell off the swing playing with her brother in the backyard. Unfortunately, Gracie landed on her head, sustaining a serious head injury that left her mentally altered thereafter. Her family often referred to her as simple-minded and they were extremely protective of her. Even to the point of stifling her at times, but nothing was going to stop Gracie from wanting to experience new things while she was growing up.

My first impression of this novel was the innocence of how Ms. Heyman’s character, Gracie, told her story. Since it was being told from Gracie’s standpoint, it was refreshing to read how pure and simplistic Gracie’s thoughts were. Plus, the story unfolded nicely before my eyes. The author’s characters were so realistic that I lost sight of the fact that I was reading fiction. I felt as if I was another character seeing everything playing out before me.

One thing I found endearing about Gracie was her love of the people that were important to her and how she had such a strong faith in her daily life. She tried overcoming any obstacle she encountered the best way she knew how and no matter the outcome, she kept her chin up ready to tackle the next obstacle she might face.

One thing that I found challenging was how the author wrote in a southern type writing style such as on Page 37, second paragraph, “… Preacher gave me an’ Missus Addie spelling’ tests alla time, an’ I get better ever’ day.” Though it brought authenticity to the narrative, it made for a challenging read and the distraction slowed my reading tremendously.

Overall, I found “The Gift of Gracie” to be a good book with an inspirational message of strength and faith, and I enjoyed getting to know Ms. Heyman’s characters. I feel this would be a great fit for Christian readers and anyone who enjoys an uplifting story.