Fifty-three-year-old Grace Winthrop Hobbes is newly divorced with two college-age kids, an eccentric octogenarian mother, a stalled novel-in-progress, and a sex drive that is coming out of hibernation with a vengeance. Refusing to go gently into the dark night of abstinence and retreat, and tired of sexual double standards, Grace makes a vow to seize life’s bull by the horns. Her adventures begin with Fuzz, who likes to take notes after sex; with Dylan, a soulful computer genius in search of an “era”; Otis, a one-armed jogger raising a seven-year-old daughter with OCD; and a banker in Vermont who offers a new twist. However, Grace’s year of re-liberation doesnt go quite as planned. As her empty house slowly fills with quirky, unexpected “guests,” she gains new insights into friendship, intimacy, happiness, and the notion of home. There but for Grace is a funny, earnest look at the modern “family,” nuclear and extended — sometimes way overextended.

Praise for There but for Grace

“Who wouldn’t want to go on a Grace Winthrop Hobbes adventure? I loved following her through the streets of Cambridge, as she figures out sex, motherhood, friendship and family, never knowing what will befall her next. There but for Grace is a lovely, witty, deeply absorbing novel.”

—Margot Livesey, author of The Road from Belhaven and The Boy in the Field

“When Anne Whitney Pierce skillfully lures us into the life of Grace, newly divorced and open to experiences she’s not dared dream of before, we are hooked. Grace’s narrative is authentic, adventurous and sympathetic, laced with the truth about all that she endures. This includes errant men, grown children, and a difficult mother. We are with her all the way.”

—Susannah Marren, author of Maribelle’s Shadow