In her debut novel, Grace of the Empire State, Gemma Tizzard constructs an inspiring story of an Irish-American family working to support each other in challenging times. Like the titular landmark, Tizzard's story is built on a strong foundation: family loyalty and the determination to succeed, along with romance, a touch of danger, and more than a few seemingly impossible dreams.
Since their father died, twins Patrick and Grace O'Connell have been working hard to keep their family financially afloat: Grace as a nightclub dancer, Patrick as a steelworker helping to raise the new Empire State Building. When Patrick breaks his arm during a shift, he begs Grace to impersonate him for a few weeks so the three other men on his team won't lose their jobs. Grace, newly unemployed, reluctantly agrees. To her surprise, she comes to enjoy certain parts of the work and forms a deep bond with her teammates. All of them have serious motivation to keep going, even with the risk of Grace getting caught.
Tizzard vividly depicts the glamor and the heartache of Depression-era New York, and she slips in glimpses of iconic Manhattan landmarks like the New York Public Library. She immerses readers in the hot, dusty, dangerous details of working at the Empire State Building through Grace's eyes, honoring the effort and sacrifice of the workers (many of them immigrants) who built the skyline that epitomizes New York City today.
With engaging characters and a vibrant depiction of Manhattan--its glittering possibility and its stark heartbreak--Tizzard's novel soars like its namesake building, and moves along as elegantly as its nimble, determined heroine. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams