This book by Andrey Harris is such a good read. It is beautifully written and tells the tale of a relationship between two people that are from different walks of life but are very drawn to each other, their chemistry is just right.

Although this isn't your usual romance story, it is very heartwarming with instances that are easily relatable to. Without giving the plot away I can safely say that it left me wanting to help Grace and it also left me wondering what she would do next.

I thoroughly recommend this book and hope that there will be a 'follow-on' novel.

Anstey Harris gives us the delightful and moving story of the lonely Grace Atherton whose life revolves around her passion for music, although unable to play music after traumatic events in her past. She has settled into repairing stringed instruments at her violin shop, helped on Saturdays by the 17 year old Nadia, a girl with her own issues but an incredible musical talent, and sustained by clients, such as the elderly, compassionate, and kind Mr Williams. Grace's secrets keeps her distant from other people, but Grace has another passion, her 8 year long distance relationship with David, who lives in France, the love of her life, a man she trusts implicitly. However, David lives in France and is a married man, married to a lawyer, a couple that are only staying together because of their children whilst each pursues sexual relationships with others.

Out of the blue, David is hailed a hero on social media in a story that goes viral when he saves a life on the Paris Metro. However, this pushes a spotlight on David's life, throwing a light into its darkest corners, revealing him to be a liar, a man with other secrets. Grace is shattered at the heartbreak, a broken woman as her love lies bleeding, smashed into pieces. It is barely surprising she go offs the rails when the music within her crashes to a tumultuous halt. But Grace is not as alone as she imagines, as she picks up the vital elements of her life, helped by stalwart friends Mr Williams and Nadia, and music, her joy, once again takes flight within her. Music has not forsaken her as Grace once believed. Harris gives us wonderful characterisation, the need for friends, love, heartbreak overcome, amidst a vibrant backdrop of music and instruments throughout the novel. A lovely emotional read, an immersive read, completely engaging and absorbing. Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for an ARC.

I loved this book. It had a different take and setting on the usual chic lit.
The main character Grace repairs stringed instruments especially cellos. She stopped performing in public after an incident in her student days.
Her love life is a disaster being the mistress of a married man who has a family living in France.
The story is sad,,funny and happy. I wont give away any of the plot but I would thoroughly recommend to readers of Marion Keyes, Paige Toon etc

Grace’s life revolves around David, her married lover of 8 years. Grace lived her life waiting to see David, having brief tones with him, and then pining for him again- waiting for him to leave his wife and children.

In between waiting for David, or his texts, Grace is a luthier, making violins and violas, and now the odd cello. She was once a gifted musician but now can’t play in front of anyone, not even her beloved David. She only plays alone to sooth her soul.

One of their brief encounters sees David and Grace at the station where he saves the life of a lady who faints onto the track, and nearly killing himself in the process. The world wants to know who he is. Cctv pictures pick up David and Grace together and their world begins to unravel.

How will Grace manage? With the help of her teenage shop girl, and extraordinary violinist Nadia, and an 80 something year old customer called Mr Williams who wants a violin repaired.

The unlikely trio band together to show that anything is possible with friends to help you.

Predictable story - the one saving ‘grace’ is that the detail in the descriptions of the cello making and playing add an interesting side theme, and clearly a lot of knowledge and research has been put in. Nice comfortable woman-makes-it-on-her-own-after-man-wrongs-her trope.

Grace is an accomplished cello player who was asked to leave university before the end of her first year. She is now a renowned violin maker with a married long term lover . She feels her life has been torn apart when they part, but it is only the beginning of her journey to rebuild her self esteem. Brilliantly written with an unusual theme of the world of stringed instruments, it is hard to put down.

This is a very well written and researched book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Grace Atherton is a cellist and luthier with her own shop making and repairing violins and other string instruments. She has a complicated love life and some wonderful close friends who rally around when things go wrong. All the characters are well drawn, quirky and lovable and you really care what happens to them. This is a novel that explores the realities of relationships and heartbreak and shows that when it comes to love, there's more than one way to find happiness.

If you are looking for a feel good romance that you won't be able to put down then look no further.

I enjoyed reading The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton but I hope the publisher removes all comparisons to Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. This book, while well written and engrossing has a main character who is nothing like Eleanor Oliphant and readers expecting Grace to be similar will be disappointed and short changed. The author does not deserve this unfair comparison.

Grace Atherton is a talented musician and cellist who has been having an affair with David, a married man with a family, for eight years. The affair is conducted in Paris, the descriptions of which are evocative, as are the details about Grace's violin shop and her instruments. When Grace discovers the depth of David's deceit it is her teenage assistant, Nadia, and an elderly customer, Mr Williams, who show her through the power of friendship and music that there is plenty of life without needing a man for support, especially one who is cheating on his wife as well as her.

An entertaining read which readers of The Lido will enjoy as it is gently uplifting in the same way. Please don't market The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton as the new Eleanor Oliphant. The details about music make it an unusual read in its own right but Grace is no Eleanor as the emotional nuances are so different. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review the book.

Loved this book, beautifully written. Loved the characters and how they related to each other.
Author clearly has spent time in Paris and I felt as though I was transported there.
Loved the emotional highs and lows and musicians temperament. Sorry to finish it

Grace Atherton is not only an exceptionally talented musician, she also creates beautiful works of art in her shop. Her dream was to play professionally but was devastated when a professor kicks her out of his class and tells her she has no talent.

Now her world is her violin shop and her boyfriend of eight years, David. David who is married with children. But he and his wife have an arrangement. Keep it quiet. So the day David jumps in to save a woman in the train stations, photos appear and David is keeping a low profile. Finding out that he has lied to her for years and she wasn't the only one leads Grace down a destructive path.

Her saving grace will be an elderly musician and a smart mouth teen, Nadia. They all are broken in some way. Which made me love them so much.

I have to admit I didn't like Grace. I don't like adultery and I don't like women who fall for lies wrapped in pretty packages. I was very happy with the way the book played out, especially all of the beautiful music you could almost hear. But for the most part I didn't feel sorry for her and felt she was rather cold.

Netgalley/January 10th 2019 by Simon & Schuster

A gentle story about relationships and how they can affect your life. I enjoyed the musical theme that was the centre of the story and really felt for Grace and wanted to know if it would all be right in the end. One to be recommended.

Yet another book invariably linked to Eleanor Oliphant. I just don't get what all the fuss about this genre is. I understand there is a new term in respect of these types of books - Up-Lit - uplifting literature. Unfortunately this type of read is not for me. I couldn't warm to Grace (or to any of the other characters) to be honest and just wanted to grab her by the shoulders and say "for goodness sake, do something with your life, get on with living, don't waste it waiting on a man who belongs to someone else". But that would defeat the point of the storyline. I think this book will appeal to many people and is a well written, easy and quick enough read.

This is a lovely book. If you unpick the story it is the age old account of 'the other woman' but it is told in such a delightful way that it appears new and fresh. The context, which is the heart of the book, that of a cellist and cello maker is beautifully portrayed. The writing is good, the reader is drawn to the characters who develop slowly and interestingly throughout the story. I really enjoyed reading this.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Grace Atherton was a promising cellist, owned a shop and seems to have quite a sad life. I quite liked this book

I think that it's a shame that the marketing campaign have linked this book to 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' because I had a level of expectation that wasn't met. There wasn't the emotional investment that I had for Eleanor Oliphant, and I also found that all the obstacles and problems that Grace faced were ridiculously and conveniently resolved. It's a sweet enough story in it's own right, (although perhaps a little heavy on the musical information), and a good book if you are looking for a feel good read.
My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Thanks to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster UK for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Grace is a cellist, though hadn’t played her cello in front of anyone for years. She owns a shop where she repairs and makes string instruments, violins, violas and cellos. Her life is rather complicated, her partner of 8 years is married, there is an incident at the metro as they are leaving Paris which will bring David unwanted attention and change their lives.
Grace is devastated by the truths that have been unveiled, she wrecks her shop, causing great damage to her previous instruments, at her time of need though, her friends Mr Williams and Nadia who assists her in the shop come to her aid and help and encourage her through their love and passion for music to see that all is not lost.
This is a beautiful story, I could feel and hear the rise and fall of the symphony Nadia is composing, could hear the beautiful rich tone of the new cello Grace has created for the competition, and when the three unlikely friends play together the sound is awesome.
Through the music friendships are strengthened, new beginnings are about to unfold and Grace finds the strength to move on.
A lovely heart warming read. 4.5 stars.

Within the opening pages of this book I wasn't sure it was going to be for me. There was a lot of focus on violas, violins, cellos, classical perfomances, classy Parisian apartments and it all felt incredibley far removed from something I would enjoy.

However, after the incident in the Metro happens and the relevation that Grace and David were having a long term affair, my interest was piqued.

The story is full of passion, music, love and friendship and though some parts of the story are predictable (if a man has been stringing you along for the best part of a decade whilst he stays with his wife, your story probably won't end happily...), Anstey Harris' writing is beautiful and the story is weaved in a way that made me want to gulp it all down in one go. I loved Grace and so desperately wanted her to find a happy ending.

A lot of the themes of the book are sad, but the tone of the writing is so empowering that I felt a wonderful sense of wellbeing and peace once I'd finished reading.

Without a doubt the unlikely friendship between elderly customer Mr Williams, teenage shop assistant Nadia and Grace was the highlight of the book. It was a joy to read about their enthusiasm for music and their support of Grace.

I also really liked that once David's true colours were revealed, Grace was fully focused on moving on. I would have found it too frustrating to read about that weasel of a man winning back her affections!

This book is a fantastic, warm read, perfect for a rainy afternoon to lighten your soul and your mood. Oh, and if you give it a chance all of the information about how violins and cellos are built is actually really fascinating.

Grace Atherton’s life is in full tune: in London, she is running a violin shop and in Paris she meets her partner David. She had wanted to become a professional musician but due to lack of talent, she had to leave college and has to be content now with making the string instruments and playing them without any audience. When David rescues a young woman in the Paris metro, their whole life is turned upside down. Even though David’s wife knows about their affair, it has always been a delicate topic with their kids and David’s profession also requires discretion, but now the whole of France is searching for the hero of the underground and his obvious company. Yet, this is only the start of a series of events that will shake Grace’s life deeply.

“The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton” is a novel hard to describe in only a couple of words. It’s a love story, a story of a break-up, about the love of music and about family and especially parents’ role in the life of their children, it’s about friendship and quarrels and first and foremost about forgiving and going on in life. What I really adored is how the author manages to convey the love of music into words, the compassion for the elegant and fragile instruments can be felt throughout the novel.

All characters in the book are very well thought out, they have strengths and weaknesses which make them authentic and lovable, but most of all they are compassionate and kind-hearted and have their hearts in the right place. Even though not all that happens gives them (or you as a reader) pleasure, I’d call it a feel-good novel nevertheless and perfect for those autumns days where you long for something cosy and comfy.

A brief interlude playing violin in junior school confirmed to my parents and ALL of our neighbours that I was not a musical prodigy - unless screechy, jumpy versions of Twinkle Twinkle are a sign of greatness?
Despite that, I have always had a secret hankering to play the ‘cello, which lives on to this day. I can’t explain why, I just do (thankfully, for our current neighbours, we neither have the room nor the money for me to get one).
In her book, The Truths And Triumphs of Grace Atherton, Anstey Harris describes her character playing the cello in such a way I could almost hear the notes floating off the page.
It stirred something within me - and just as Grace loses herself in music, I lost myself in reading this book.
Here’s the thing, though, I avoided it for weeks for one reason; the publishers included the line ‘For fans of Eleanor Oliphant’.
Such comparisons do not do books any favours, in my humble opinion.
However, I kept seeing more and more hype (and I really liked the blurb) and eventually my curiosity got the better of me.
It’s not like Eleanor (I have yet to find a book that matches up) but I did enjoy it.
Anstey has a lovely writing style, bringing places and people to life. Even with some more technical parts about playing and making instruments, I felt the story moved along smoothly, with some surprises along the way to keep it interesting.
If you look at other reviews you will find a mixed bag for this book but it's a solid four from me.

I loved this book. It is a very enjoyable and thought-provoking read, and not the straightforward romantic story I expected it to be.
The relationship between Grace and her man David is complicated, and not just because they live on opposite sides of the English Channel.
Grace is a talented maker of stringed instruments, and also a very talented musician. The intriguing glimpse the reader has into the world of instrument making, and the connection with world-class musicians, is fascinating. This aspect of it encouraged me to revisit and enjoy some music pieces I’d not listened to in a long time
The damage done to Grace’s confidence in her own musical ability, and in her social interaction, has been desperately damaged by the relentless bullying she suffered at the hands of her tutor when she was studying music at university.
The unlikely friendships which develop between Grace, her teenage Saturday girl Nadia, and her 80 year old neighbour, Mr Williams is beautifully described, as the friendships are nurtured and grow in strength. Their Increasing reliance on each other is mostly due to the adversities that they each encounter throughout the story.
This story has several different layers, each one gradually revealed as the book progresses. The writing is seamless, and a joy to read. Grace’s story has a gentle, timeless quality, despite describing occasional use of mobile phones, which is necessary to the storyline.
This was a refreshingly different story, I will seek out more of this author’s work. I highly recommended this book.
My thanks to Netgalley and publisher Simon &Schuster UK Ltd for my advance copy.