Breathtakingly beautiful 1930s novel about a young woman and her quest to help her brother and survive. Loved every minute! Shows just how strong woman are

In this gripping debut novel, Grace O'Connell must disguise herself as her injured twin brother, Patrick, and work as a riveter high atop the Empire State Building to save her family during the Great Depression.

As she proves her strength and forms deep connections with her colleagues, including Italian immigrant Joe, Grace faces a life-or-death decision when a colleague is stranded in a dangerous accident.

This heart-pounding story explores themes of bravery, sacrifice, family, and loyalty, set against the backdrop of 1930s New York City. The book’s vivid portrayal of Grace’s daring journey left me with a new appreciation for the iconic skyscraper. A powerful and emotional read that will stay with you long after the last page.

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Grace O’Connell always felt happy and safe until her father died, now America’s in the midst of the Great Depression and her twin brother Patrick works at the construction site of the Empire State Building and Grace is a dancer and they support their widowed mother and younger sister.

Even with both siblings working money is tight, and when Grace is laid off and Patrick is injured on the job, she has no choice but to take his place on the team and it’s made up of four men and Grace disguises herself as a man and her brother.

Grace’s first day as a “catcher” is daunting and she’s working eighteen floors up, with the support of the Seamus and the Gagliardi brothers Frank and Joe she gets through it. Grace aches all over, but as the weeks pass she gets stronger and her team members are pleased she's pulling her weight and they still worry about her identity being discovered. One side of the job she wasn’t prepared for was how dangerous it is, accidents happen and a slight error or a being in the wrong place at the wrong time and you could be injured or killed and she witnesses this firsthand.

I received a copy of Grace of the Empire State from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review and it’s the author’s debut novel.

The narrative is set in New York during the Great Depression, a time of long lines of desperate men trying to find jobs, hungry children and families struggling to pay their rent and not ending up being tossed onto the street and homeless.

I really liked the characters, especially Grace, Mary and Connie, the Gagliardi brothers, Seamus and Patrick, Bruno and Florence and the way everyone banded together and helped one and another and the overall theme of the story and the importance of family and sticking together, sacrifice and friendship, helping others and those in need, hope and affinity.

Gemma Tizzard has written an inspiring historical fiction story, a great way to start her writing career and four and a half stars from me.

When Grace's twin brother is injured, he can no longer work. Grace steps up and takes his place, working on the construction of the half buit Empire State building. Set during the great depression, this book shows the hardships many families faced. Showing Grace's desperation to keep a roof over her families head and get medicine for her sick sister.

Historical fiction is a genre I've always loved, but I haven't read much of it recently. This was a great book to get me back into the genre. I've never read a book about the empire state building being built, and even though the story itself was fiction, it really brought to life the hardships and desperation many families faced at the time.

It was a book full of friendship, family, courage, and great sadness. I really felt for every single character in this story. The way all their lives were intertwined created an amazing plot.

I would definitely recommend this book! It had me gripped from the very beginning and had me rooting for Grace and her family throughout.

What a wonderful book of courage and hardship and how family are important.

Grace is a dancer but unfortunately due to the depression she no longer has a job. She lives with her twin brother Patrick, her younger sister Connie and her Mother Mary they just about survive with the two jobs but what will Grace do now. Patrick has an accident at work and Grace ends up learning his job so that they can survive. Her cousin Seamus and the two other work colleagues Frank & Joe helps her.

It was an interesting story and to see how dangerous in those times to construct the Empire State Building, how dangerous it was. I could not put this book down and the way the story went I just wanted to read on. The characters all worked well together.