Saying Grace

Set in the close-knit world of a country day school on California's gold coast, Saying Grace captures the clash of values and cultures that profoundly shakes the entire community, especially the life of a woman who heads the school. Gutcheon, author of Still Missing creates a world in microcosm and captures the grace in the rhythms of everyday life.

Rue Shaw has everything--a much loved child, a solid marriage, and a job she loves. Saying Grace takes place in Rue's mid-life, when her daughter is leaving home, her parents are failing, her husband is restless and the school she has built is being buffeted by changes in society that affect us all. Funny, rich in detail and finally stunning, this novel presents a portrait of a tight-knit community in jeopardy, and of a charming woman whose most human failing is that she wants things to stay the same.

Saying Grace is about the fragility of human happiness and the strength of convictions, about keeping faith as a couple whether it keeps one safe or not. Beth Gutcheon has a gift for creating a world in microcosm and capturing the grace in the rhythms of everyday life.