Inspired by true events. Betrayal and loss, romance and heartbreak, and one woman’s journey in faith. From the day she was born, Grace Clifton has navigated a life of loss and heartbreak, without a mother to guide her and through the ravages of two World Wars. With England in the midst of a Second World War, Grace experiences the excitement of love and romance, but all too soon, it turns to … too soon, it turns to heartbreak. Through it all, Grace is sustained by her unwavering faith in God, but when all she holds dear is ripped away from her, Grace is left devastated and doubting everything she’s ever believed in.
As the world slowly recovers from war, Grace too begins the process of healing from the deep wounds inflicted by life. However, her steadfastness to God is lost and she determines never to pray again. When an unexpected opportunity comes up in Kenya, Grace seizes the chance to escape the memories, hoping to find a purpose and build a new life for herself. In the city of Mombasa, Grace soon begins to realise she can’t ever distance herself from life’s complications, but if she’s prepared to open her heart, maybe her fragmented faith will blossom once more bringing her the hope, love and the healing that she desperately needs.
Grace in Mombasa is a story about a woman whose amazing faith is shattered when her life falls apart, but will God simply let her go? If you like heartfelt dialogue, stories seeped in fact and history, and memorable characters, then you’ll love Tracy Traynor’s moving and inspirational novel.
Read Grace in Mombasa to escape into a story of yesteryear and the evocative dream that is Kenya!
more
A beautiful and touching story about one woman’s belief in God. It shows the ups and downs of her belief.
She was doomed to die as an infant, yet she survives. From this point onward, you know she’s been chosen by God to do something important in her life. Grace begins to lose a little of her childlike innocence in her belief in God when her prayers to end the war and killing go unanswered, but still a feeling inside, a incident where she felt the hand of God, her kept her “glued to her faith.” One loss too many, however, sends her over the edge, and she pushes God away, denying his existence–at least with her mind.
This book shows the struggles Christians make, especially in times of adversity. It demonstrates we don’t have all the answers. For who can truly know the mind of God or what he has in store for us? Faith has to be something that’s in your heart, like knowing wrong from right.
A wonderful tale, and well worth the read.
This book was entered in The Wishing Shelf Book Awards. This is what our readers thought:
Title: Grace in Mombasa
Author: T N Traynor
Star Rating: 5 Stars
Number of Readers: 19
Stats
Editing: 9/10
Writing Style: 8/10
Content: 9/10
Cover: 10/10
Of the 19 readers:
18 would read another book by this author.
19 thought the cover was good or excellent.
19 felt it was easy to follow.
19 would recommend this story to another reader to try.
Of all the readers, 8 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘plotting a story’.
Of all the readers, 11 felt the author’s strongest skill was ‘developing the characters’.
17 felt the pacing was good or excellent.
18 thought the author understood the readership and what they wanted.
Readers’ Comments
‘Grace is a fascinating character; a woman who seems lost when everything is taken from her and must try to find herself in Mombasa. Well-written and filled with complex characters, this is a gem for historical novel lovers.’ Male reader, aged 65
‘Enjoyed this. Possibly a bit slow in parts, but the author’s very talented and knows how to keep the reader turning the page. Strong dialogue and amazing settings.’ Female reader, aged 54
‘A strong, well-structed story of a woman who has lost her faith. This is a character-led saga with plenty of soul-searching. I felt the ending lacked punch, but all in all this is an enthralling read.’ Female reader, aged 39
‘With an underlying Christian theme, this is a powerful saga covering a number of years in the hero’s life. It looks at the problem of ‘losing faith’ and how it can be rediscovered. The author, I feel, knows her readers, offering a cleverly plotted novel that keeps the focus on character and setting. Although it lacks a powerful final chapter, the journey there is wonderful. Solid writing skills and good editing too!’ Male reader, aged 55
To Sum It Up:
‘A moving, superbly written historical saga. A FINALIST and highly recommended.’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards
Beautifully written historical fiction book about an English woman named Grace. The character Grace is based on a real woman who dedicated her life’s work to the betterment of mankind through God’s grace and mercy. The story starts with Grace’s premature birth in 1912 and continues with her ministry through the years into the 1990s, while she interacts with various people and in different countries. When Grace was born, she and her father could be compared to Hannah and Samuel in the Bible; her father dedicated her upbringing to the Lord if only she would survive infancy. Through the sheer grace of God, Grace was blessed with a virtuous upbringing, but not without its hardships. Being born in 1912, Grace had to endure the hardships associated with the two World Wars and how they affected the people and land of England. With the help of her father and fellow Englishmen, Grace was able to coast through these years with relative ease. As we all know, no one can lead a perfectly happy life, and that is what Grace discovered. After disaster and distress, Grace has her faith put to the test and must realize what is truly important in her life.
“Grace in Mombasa” is an exciting book that shows how the power of God can get a person through any situation. While people’s thoughts are their own and a mystery to others, one can only hope that they have the faith and relationship with God that Grace displayed in her own life. She suffered such hardships, that it is easy to understand how people can and do question their own faith. After the trials of re-discovering herself, she keeps such a level head and sticks to her guns. The trials and hardships that people in third world countries, as well as established ones, endure are tough to read, but necessary to be told so as to bring awareness to the horridness of sin.
The way that Traynor writes Grace’s story is very realistic – you cry when death is mentioned, and you rejoice when God’s will is being fulfilled. Reading a Christian fiction book is similar to other genres, with love and death being portrayed in a natural, everyday-like way, but it is also different in that the main emphasis of the overall story always goes back to what the truth is for us all – the overwhelming love and mercy from God in our lives, and how we must remember the hardest thing- that God’s timing is not our own. We must trust in his knowledge and that there is a purpose for everything.
In “Grace in Mombasa,” Tracy Traynor not only delivered a story well worth reading, but also helped ingrain in her readers a wonderful Bible verse to be remembered by many.
Grace, born under dire circumstances, is determined to live as a good Christian woman in England, working her way through the war, trying to spread the word of God, until the devastation of the war causes her question everything she believes in. In effort to start anew she travels to Mombasa, only to witness a new level of trauma, but can she reconcile the horrors of this life with her religion?
This is an amazingly written, well researched, Christian novel, that will move you to tears. As a war survivor who too lost their faith in a war to only regain a new relationship with religion with time and healing, it was powerful and validating. Highly recommend this!
I adored Grace in Mombasa! Christian WWII at its best!!!
Even though Grace in Mombasa is set during war torn times, it demonstrates the resilience and faith of Grace’s character. I loved the relationships she developed with the people of her town and the stranger who comes to live with them. This hard topic could be difficult to read about except the author does an amazing job with relating the hard times with things for the characters to look forward to. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, which brought me to tears a couple times. It’s even more special considering it’s based on the real lives of several people. Very touching and heartwarming.
This is one of those books that really makes you think about all the silly things we complain about when the reality is, we are so blessed and have so much, and take far too much for granted. I loved Grace’s bravery and courage and faith – even when it wavered – as she went through more horrible things than any one person should have to endure. The story was all the more touching because it was based on real events, and was very skillfully woven to deliver a novel that held my attention and kept me reading late into the night. I loved the characters, the very believable, real-life feel, and the way the hardships Grace faced molded her into a beautiful woman who truly knew what it is like to love and be loved, a woman that God could use to accomplish great miracles and to bring many people to faith. Highly recommended!
First, the gorgeous cover attracted my attention, then the fact that the story was based on the real events in the life of a real person. The main character, Grace, is very engaging, and I was moved and immersed into her world immediately, enjoying the author’s beautiful, poetic language. Tracy Traynor skillfully entwined the sense of time and place into the narrative, be it in England or Kenya, even the subject of women’s rights is unobtrusively touched on. The story is not without its share the horrific or sad incidences. Given the time period and setting, such was to be expected. But there are so many glorious moments in Grace’s life!
The last part of the book was especially touching. The story itself has the ability to heal heart and soul.
I highly recommend this incredible book.
A book that will capture your heart
Wow.
I will admit this isn’t a book I would typically read, but the fact it was inspired by true events drew me in—and I was not disappointed! I couldn’t put it down! Full of love and loss, with such moments of complete spiritual faith, this story is truly inspirational. There is such accuracy in the writing of wartime, England and such truth in the loss of one’s faith after experiencing so much grief. You can feel the author’s passion and heart as you read this story. What an absolutely lovely read. Highly recommend.
This is one of the most beautiful stories I’ve read in a long time. The story follows a girl named Grace along her life’s journey as the daughter of a Vicar during WWII and beyond to where she finally ends up. I would go into more details about the story but I don’t want to add any spoilers. Once I started reading I was quite captivated and I devoured this in one weekend. I highly recommend this!