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: her cousin, Seamus, and Italian brothers Francesco and Giuseppe Gagliardi, known as Frank and Joe. All of them have serious motivation to keep going, even with the risk of Grace getting caught. Besides the financial realities of life during the Great Depression, Grace and Patrick are worried for their little sister, Connie, whose health is poor, and the Gagliardi brothers have family concerns of their own. As Grace adjusts to the work, she and her team must remain constantly on the alert in case their ruse is discovered. But when Grace is forced to make a risky decision--one that may save a man's life but would jeopardize her own precarious position as a steelworker--she doesn't hesitate.
Tizzard vividly depicts the glamor and the heartache of Depression-era New York, including whole families squeezed into tenement apartments and people like Grace's friend Edie, driven to desperation by unlucky circumstances. Grace's friend Betty, a talented dancer, makes her own difficult choice between happiness and security, and Patrick begins searching for other career paths during his forced leave from work. Tizzard slips in glimpses of iconic Manhattan landmarks like the New York Public Library, Central Park, and the Empire State Building itself, giving readers an up-close view of its construction. She immerses readers in the hot, dusty, dangerous details of the job site 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
Shelf Talker: Gemma Tizzard's engaging debut novel follows an Irish-American dancer forced to impersonate her twin brother as a steelworker helping to raise the Empire State Building.