Grace was a fierce and astonishing woman. This was a heartfelt and moving story.
Many thanks to Black Rose Writing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

“True Grace” by Karen E. Osborne is an absolute page turner—I couldn’t stop reading it until I reached the end. Taking place in the Roaring Twenties in Harlem, Grace (a mixed-race immigrant with a British father and an African mother) experiences the worst sort of betrayal imaginable from her husband and becomes forced to make heartbreaking decisions in order to save her family. We see the inequities faced by people of color, women in particular. From the police reports, the childcare services, the banks—Grace holds her head up high and does what it takes—even though her children blame her for the change in their lives. I feel so invested in this character I want to know what happens to her—all the way up to her old age.
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a review copy of this remarkable book. A strong five stars (in fact, if I could give ten, I would).

Karen E. Osborne hops genres this round and proves the best authors refuse to be categorized. True Grace, Osborne’s first dip into historical fiction squeezes the reader's heart in the first pages with a grip that refuses to yield until the last paragraph.

Osborne’s heartbreaking tale of a family in peril is set in Renaissance Harlem with flashes of The Congo, England, and Jamaica. It’s a story of a woman, Grace Herbert, battling against two truths and one misperception—she’s Black, she’s a woman, and she’s the only one who can save her family.

Beautifully written, Osborne immerses the reader in 1920s Harlem in the same fashion as Colson Whitehead did in his novel Harlem Shuffle set in the 1960s. The book’s theme, reminiscent of Yu Hua’s novel-turned-movie To Live, reminds us that the capability to endure suffering with ragged optimism is often portrayed by ordinary people…people who choose to ignore fate and instead plunge forward with instinctive faith in themselves. In Grace’s case, she also finds “grace” in those surrounding her.

I absolutely loved this book!

A Tragic but Captivating Uplifting Story.
True Grace, by Karen E. Osborne is a beautifully written book and is set during the 1920s in New York City. During this period, it is a tumultuous time for women but especially if you are Black. The story is a about Grace and the drive to keep her family intact after the tragic event when Grace discovers her husband in bed with their 13-year-old daughter. Grace reports her husband to the police and eventually he is put in jail.
As a black woman with children, Grace is forced to look for ways to survive as she navigates the racism of the courts, and the child welfare system. Eventually Grace must put the three younger children in temporary care and the two older girls and Grace go into service tending to white rich families.
I loved the time setting, and the friendships Grace can make while dealing with racism and poverty among many other things. The book is a powerful story about love, courage, sacrifice, resilience, and hope, and you will find the book will hold you captive by its tragic and uplifting journey to the very last page. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Another gripping page-turner by Karen E Osborne. I have enjoyed all of Ms. Osborne’s books and this one, True Grace, stands out as the best for me. She has obviously done a great deal of research for this heart-wrenching novel that kept me reading late into the night. I was there, in 1920s Harlem, with all its sights and smells, noisy streets, and wonderful neighbors. And her juxtaposing the setting in tony Westchester County was brilliant. Readers, your heart will break for Grace and her children while you root your hardest for them,