Grace Williams Says It Loud and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more

Buy Used
Used - Good See details
Price: £2.60
Fulfilled by Amazon

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
   
Trade in Yours
For a £0.30 Gift Card
Trade in
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Colour:
Image not available

 
Share your own customer images
Search inside another edition of this book
Start reading Grace Williams Says It Loud on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Grace Williams Says it Loud [Hardcover]

Emma Henderson (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


Formats

 Amazon Price New from Used from
Kindle Edition £4.99   -- --
Hardcover --   -- --
Paperback £5.46   -- --
Trade In this Item for up to £0.30
Trade in Grace Williams Says it Loud for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.30, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Special Offer until June 30, 2013: Receive an additional £5 promotional Gift Card, when you trade-in at least £10 worth of books. Learn more

Book Description

Publication Date: 10 Jun 2010
This isn't an ordinary love story. But then Grace isn't an ordinary girl.

'Disgusting,' said the nurse.

And when no more could be done, they put her away, aged eleven.

On her first day at the Briar Mental Institute, Grace meets Daniel. He sees a different Grace: someone to share secrets and canoodle with, someone to fight for. Debonair Daniel, who can type with his feet, fills Grace's head with tales from Paris and the world beyond.

This is Grace's story: her life, its betrayals and triumphs, disappointment and loss, the taste of freedom; roses, music and tiny scraps of paper. Most of all, it is about the love of a lifetime.

Customers Who Viewed This Item Also Viewed

Product details

  • Hardcover: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Sceptre (10 Jun 2010)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1444703994
  • ISBN-13: 978-1444703993
  • Product Dimensions: 14.7 x 22.3 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (55 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 660,991 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Review

'Startlingly assured, poetic and engaging - GRACE WILLIAMS SAYS IT LOUD introduces a new voice, one which I have no doubt we will be hearing much more of; I read it in two sittings, and am already looking forward to her next work.'

(Patrick McCabe )

'Mesmerising... an incredible journey through love, loss, bittersweet triumph and disaster'.

(Sunday Herald )

'There is tenderness, joy, romance (not to mention inventive sex) and heartbreak. The language is tricksy, the subject disturbing. But this book is energetic, passionate and not easily forgotten.'

(Sunday Times )

'A quirky and clever debut... this is an honest and witty insight into mental illness.'

(Stylist )

'Grace's story from child to adult, told to stunning effect. Beautifully written, funny, sad and unforgettable, a love story like no other, it could be your book of the year.' (Choice )

'In her protagonist, Grace Williams, debut novelist Emma Henderson has created a complex and compelling character...although Grace can only speak in two-syllable sentences, Henderson's use of first-person narrative reveals her vibrant inner life. The skilfully constructed word-play, repetition and rhythm of Grace's voice are perceptive, poetic and often funny...This dynamic first novel is reassuringly upbeat.'

(Independent )

About the Author

Emma Henderson ran a ski chalet in France for several years. She now lives in London and this is her first novel.
Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Search inside this book:

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

› Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Is just wonderful 6 July 2010
By Jack Bambury
Format:Hardcover
I bought this book after listening to Emma Henderson on the radio. If you want an easy and unchallenging read then this is not for you. The author dazzles you with the experiences of the profoundly disabled Grace with her family at home and then at the Briar, a lumbering institution set in post-war Britain. Her world is one of monotony punctuated with jaw-dropping abuse and neglect, yet at the same time she lives in a blighted paradise of hilarity, of companionship, of tenderness and of love. With beautifully-wrought prose and an almost Asperger's attention to period detail, Emma Henderson grips you and shakes you, like Gunter Gras in The Tin Drum and Edgar Allen Poe in Fall of the House of Usher, and she will not let you go until you have finished, drained and so full of admiration.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
24 of 25 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Grace Williams tells it like it is 8 May 2011
By Tamara L
Format:Paperback
This is an unsentimental account of a child with profound disabilities growing up and coming of age in institutions in the 1950s and 60s, and then finally settling into what is called `supported living'. It also details the impact that her disability has on her family. Grace, the narrator, recounts her story with no holds barred. She doesn't shy from letting us know about the messy practicalities of struggling with bodily functions and physical intimacy. Don't expect some coy or sanitised version of disability.

The physical, sexual and emotional abuse that Grace suffers is described graphically but in a way that is a million miles from the misery memoirs that utilise these things as their stock-in trade. Of course it isn't a genuine memoir though Emma Henderson makes a convincing stab at recreating one in what is, apparently, a creative rendering of the life of her own disabled sister.

The novel's matter-of fact tone renders it all the more powerful. Grace becomes almost inured to the casual cruelty she endures on a daily basis with little expectation of being treated any better, or of others recognising her intelligence or humanity. Fortunately she encounters a small number of people sensitive enough to see beyond her disability and these relationships help sustain her. Movingly, she discovers what it is to love and be loved.

Institutional life inevitably takes its toll on Grace and at times her behaviour appears to others to be challenging and bizarre, but mostly it is borne out of sheer frustration and pain.

In terms of awareness-raising it's a very worthy and worthwhile novel, but is it any good? Yes, thankfully, it is. It is wonderfully descriptive and honest. The language fizzes with originality.... Read more ›
2 Comments | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Left me feeling distinctly underwhelmed 22 Aug 2011
By Nicola F (Nic) TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I wanted to adore this book, really I did- but I couldn't. I found it such a struggle to get into and nearly gave up on it several times. This book had the potential to be really fantastic, but for me it's distinctly average. After seeing other five star reviews on here, I do have to wonder if maybe I've read a different book from everyone else- but this book just really wasn't my cup of tea at all.

I liked the premise of the novel and in places it is well written- it's just for me the `good' bits are few and far between and don't compensate for the rest of the story. I do however think the author should be praised for tackling such a subject, and one which was clearly very personal to her.

I suppose my main problem with this book was that for me, the protagonists `voice' just didn't work; particularly as the plot jumps all over the place from present day to Grace as a child and then back again she recaps her memories so there's a *lot* for her to say. I found it very jarring and a bit disorientating if I'm honest, though I think even if the book had been a bit more linear it still would have made me feel this, as aspects of the prose used were clunky and disjointed. I felt the author was trying too hard to be poetic- she uses five words when one or two would have done instead. Sometimes Grace was also very loquacious, yet at other times lapsed into a more childish way of thinking, which didn't always make sense.

The book contains aspects of sexual and physical abuse from the medical professionals at the institution which was hard to read, as well as rather graphic descriptions of toilet habits, which the author certainly doesn't shy away from, so this book is certainly not for the faint hearted.... Read more ›
3 Comments | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Not for the faint-hearted 24 July 2011
By Leicsliz
Format:Paperback
This is the first book I have read which depicts a child with cerebral palsey as having intelligence and it 'says it LOUD'! Just because Grace can barely speak, does not mean that she is without intellect. This is an amazing book, which depicts Grace's life at a period of time when children with such disabilities were deemed ineducable and the word 'spastic' was in common useage. In early childhood after being diagnosed with cerebral palsey, Grace then contracted polio, thus compounding her disability.

Grace's life at the 'Briars' - a mental institution - is described in graphic detail - the mental and physical abuse, the descriptions of other disabled young people, the horrendous medical treatments Grace endured with stoicism and acceptance. Prior to this Grace lived at home with her brother and sister, but when her mother became pregnant again, Grace was put into institutional care -'The Briars'.

I loved the characterisation of Daniel, a physically disabled boy with bags of charm and personality. He can manipulate anything with his toes, as he has no arms. He and Grace form an enduring, loving relationship. It is a beautiful, tender love that flourishes between them.

As Grace remembers her life before entry into the 'Briars' the reader learns much more about Grace's early childhood at home with her parents. The wonderful warm, tenderness of her mother's feelings, her father's music. Other dark family secrets and tensions are revealed. Despite the fact that there is no real plot to this book, it kept my attention throughout.

I found this a wonderful book - realistic, poignant, tender and funny at times; it is beautifully written with superb detailed descriptions. I look forward to Emma Henderson's next novel.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Yes
No
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?   Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars A heartrending story
Very well written, but difficult to read! The graphic description of incontinence etc didn't distress me, I think they help to portray Grace 's perspective and demonstrate her lack... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Beckyspam
5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth reading
Well written and thought provoking. Some parts that I would rather not remember - as they were so awful (for the characters) but sadly entirely credible. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ms. R. J. Stone
3.0 out of 5 stars Didn't meet its potential
Grace is born in the 1950s significantly disabled and is then unfortunate enough to be further incapacitated by Polio. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Nicola Wilson
5.0 out of 5 stars Semi-autobiographical
What lifted this book above a four star read was the knowledge that the author's older sister had been consigned to an asylum at a similar age and the experiences described for... Read more
Published 6 months ago by DubaiReader
5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary, difficult novel - everyone should read it
What a wonderful, difficult book to read. If you want an easy read that won't challenge and disturb you, look elsewhere. I am glad I didn't. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Gabrielle O
5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic
This author deserves many awards for this brillant novel. I would of gave this book far more than five stars if i could have. Read more
Published 17 months ago by bookmoviefanatic
5.0 out of 5 stars Grace Williams Says it Loud by Emma Henderson
Born in 1947 to a loving family, Grace Williams has cerebral palsy. Her parents care for her and raise her with love but, with Grace left more helpless following a bout of polio... Read more
Published 18 months ago by iandliz
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing!
I really did want to love this novel, but I was really disappointed by it. My main issue is that it didn't upset me in the way that I felt it should - I was largely unmoved by it,... Read more
Published 18 months ago by MrsN
5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfully moving story
The eponymous Grace Williams is born in 1947, severely handicapped by cerebral palsy, further compounded by a bout of polio when she is still a child, which results in an even... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Malteser
4.0 out of 5 stars Moving, touching and funny
I thought this was an excellent portrayal of institutionalised disability in Britain in the 50's and 60's. Although a challenging topic it was not an uncomfortable read. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Mrs. L. Hammond
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

There's a problem loading this menu at the moment.

Learn more about Amazon Prime.

    Your Shopping Basket is empty.

    Give it purpose -- fill it with books, DVDs, clothes, electronics and more.

    If you already have an account, sign in.

    There's a problem previewing your shopping basket at the moment.

    Check your Internet connection and go to your cart, or try again.

    View Shopping Basket (0 items)

      Customer Discussions

      This product's forum
      Discussion Replies Latest Post
      No discussions yet

      Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
      Start a new discussion
      Topic:
      First post:
      Prompts for sign-in
       


      Active discussions in related forums
      Discussion Replies Latest Post
      fiction discussion forum
      Nobody reads on the loo do they ? not really - and yet so many people have books in the loo !       		16 1 hour ago
      fiction discussion forum
      Novels set in or about pubs?       		11 1 hour ago
      fiction discussion forum
      Spend an erotic night of BDSM, Domination/submission, and exhibition with Jim and Kay this weekend..       		41 2 hours ago
      fiction discussion forum
      Self-published books: pain or gain?       		6122 3 hours ago
      fiction discussion forum
      Fed up with all the books not having an Ending?       		34 9 hours ago
      fiction discussion forum
      Ideas for gentle reads for more mature people       		66 11 hours ago
      fiction discussion forum
      Come on - why don't we write our own book right here in the fiction forum ? I'll do the first sentence, and then jump in....hold on, here we go...       		7206 17 hours ago
      fiction discussion forum
      Can anyone recommend a good book       		94 18 hours ago
      Search Customer Discussions
      Search all Amazon discussions
         
      Related forums

      Listmania!

      Create a Listmania! list

      Look for similar items by category

      Feedback