Apparently this book is also known as Goodbye Paris and is then author's debut novel.

It tells the story of an 8 year long relationship between Grace and David who is leading a double life in Paris.

There is romance and heartbreak to be found in this story, amid a background of music and Grace's traumatic past.

Oh I loved this! Despite reading it a few years ago now (and delaying the review as my daughter was born!), the strong characters and heartwarming story have really stuck with me. The passions she holds and the unexpected friendships make this a rich and deep story that I fell in love with. Highly recommend it!

This is a total page Turner with a completely different subject matter

Really enjoyed this so much

Read April 2021.

I can't remember why I initially chose this book because it is not my usual style/genre but I'm glad I did because it was a beautiful story of human emotion and connection against a musical backdrop.

Grace is a cellist running a shop making and repairing cellos, violins and violas, all whilst running back and forth to Paris to see her married lover, David. Eventually it transpires that David isn't who she thought he was, a revelation that leads to her damaging her own work on the cusp of a prestigious competition. The incident leads to a new closeness with longtime client Mr. Williams, and her prickly teenage shop assistant, Nadia, both of whom are violinists.

The cast was small in this book, yet effective. I did find David's excessive swearing a little jarring and senseless. Otherwise though I thought the author's writing was beautiful and very lyrical and descriptive. I did want more though, it just ended quite abruptly, I wanted a certain point to be carried to fruition and another point kind of got abandoned.

The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton by Anstey Harris is the moving story of heartbreak, love, friendship and hope.

What a beautiful and sweet story little story. I found this uplifting as it is about finding friendship in the most unexpected of places. Grace is a violin maker in long distanced relationship. The characters are well drawn and well developed. Would recommend to anyone wanting a light read.

Grace is left heart-broken after her world takes an unexpected turn. She is comforted and supported by the friendships of a tough-talking teenager and an octogenarian, both of them helping to put the pieces of Grace's life back together.
Narrated entirely from Grace's perspective, we quickly learn that her view of the world is slightly skewed because of the impact events in her past have had on her. In this story of hope and unconditional friendship, the reader is given access to Grace's own rewarding journey of repair via Kent, Paris and Italy,
I am very late to the party with this one, as it already has tonnes of positive reviews and was also selected by the Richard and Judy book club.
A superb read.

The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton by @ansteyharris was also totally joyous and one of the most uplifting books I read last year.

My thanks to the Publishers via NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story in exchange for an honest review. I gave this a 3 stars or 6/10.

This was an easy read that took me into the lives of the characters very quickly and easily. I loved the quirkiness of the characters, they all had their own issues and reasons for being the way they were.

On the whole I enjoyed the story, but at times found Grace to be quite naïve and felt like she needed to wake up and smell the coffee at times. Sometimes life can be cruel or people in relationships can be unintentionally cruel to their partners and I felt that David expected a lot our of Grace and didn't always reciprocate back to her as he should have done.

As the story progressed I enjoyed the relationship between Grace and the elderly violinist, friendship can often mean more to us than other types of relationships.

To find out what fate has in store for Grace and the other characters in this story, grab a copy and disappear to Paris with them all.

This is a good book but not for me, to be honest. I found the main characters difficult to relate to - it was frustrating that Grace came across as such a doormat and her relationship with her married boyfriend made me uncomfortable. Despite this it is very well written and certainly leaves you with plenty to think about.

Grace, whose dream of becoming a professional cellist was ruined, now splits her time between her work as a luthier in her little shop in England and the Paris apartment of her lover David, who is perfect apart from the fact that he is married and won't leave his wife until his children are older. Grace is willing to wait until then and lives this 'half life' with him in a romantic bubble until David becomes #heromystere and everything changes.

I absolutely adored this book.

The violin is my favourite instrument it just fills me with awe the variation of sound you can get from it, it just sings to me and can take me through every emotion depending what piece of music is being played. So when the author referenced pieces of music I would be humming Bartok's Romanian Folk Dances, La Folia and the Libertango while reading and was right there beside Grace breathing in the wood smell when she was making her Cremona cello.

Grace was a lovely character I connected on so many levels with her and the friendship that grew between her, Mr Williams and Nadia is really sweet.

The characters of Nadia, the talented young violinist who works for Grace and Mr Williams, the elderly customer with his own secret complemented the story and reinforced how valuable good friends are.

I couldn't help but feel sorry for David. he deserved the outcome but still ....

Love is a crazy thing!

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

Despite not being a fan of classical music, I did enjoy the descriptions of the instruments that Grace so lovingly restores, and I thought the way she dealt with her fear of performing was well portrayed. However I struggled massively with her relationship - I hated that she was such a pushover and her boyfriend was such an unpleasant character, I was also never convinced with the way she could jet back and forth to Paris whenever she wanted.
An interesting and sweet book in many ways but the central relationship was too frustrating for me.

When I began this story I wasn’t sure that it was quite right for me. Grace and David’s relationship didn’t sit well. I have known friends, seen friends torn up with this kind of relationship and it isn’t good, it isn’t kind, someone – more than one – will get hurt. Mind you Anstey Harris portrays it well and does not get overly sentimental nor too cruel. Judges it well and gives an insight into each of those involved. One or two instances certainly made me smile or at least nod with satisfaction. How it evolves in the book for Grace, how it makes her react and act is necessary to the storyline. I was soon swept up with Grace.

Grace, Nadia and Mr Williams swept up with them all and their realistic, understated but wonderful friendship. Everyone should know this sort of friendship in their life, how happy we all would be. How lucky those of us are that do have friendships like this.

Grace is a maker of musical instruments and I found the parts of this book which described the process interesting and quite soothing. Graces back story weaves it’s way through the book and you come to learn how she got to the place she is now. She is successful in her career and yet has a profound sense of loss, of not quite reaching her full potential. Nadia is feisty, lovable, annoying, naive and wise in that way teenagers can be. Mr Williams is a slightly more subdued character within the book, you hear of him rather than about him. Grace is working on an instrument for him. Yet it is Mr Williams that makes a pivotal decision for Grace. Then there are the instruments – violins, violas, cellos – I could hear them in my thoughts, feel them in my heart and soul.

I was immersed in the characters, the instruments, the music and the storyline in this beautifully written, immensely engaging and downright captivating book.

Anstey Harris has written a wonderful story, this book is one of the best I have read this year and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

With thanks to Simon and Schuster via NetGalley for an eCopy of The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton in exchange for an honest opinion.

Grace Atherton makes violins, violas, cellos and double basses. She devides her time between her shop in London and a life with her married lover, David, in Paris. One day something happens that causes her life in Paris to be torn open leading to revelations and loss.
I'd heard quite a lot about this book and thought it would be just my sort of read. It was, but for some reason in the first half of the book I didn't warm to the main characters at all. Grace seemed a bit of a wimp and David was the usual cheating husband, promising to leave his stale marriage but doing nothing to hurry things along
However, in the second half of the story things change and I devoured the rest of the book in a few hours. Grace, along with her assistant, feisty Nadia and the delightful neighbour Maurice Williams, go to Italy so that Grace can enter a cello into a prestigious competition. I loved this part of the story.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy.

I loved this book - so different and unusual, beautifully written too. I know nothing about music or the making of instruments but that didn’t matter. The characters were well rounded and I could feel empathy with them. A great holiday read.

Grace Atherton’s life is dedicated to music and owns a shop that repairs violins. She was on the cusp of being the greatest cello player but something happened at college and since then she has not being able to play the cello publicly.

David is Grace’s love of her life, she saviours every moment they spend together, but theirs is a relationship that needs to be kept secret as it will hurt other people and herself.

When David saves someone’s life little does he know the press will want to find out who the hero of the hour is and any secret he has will be revealed by his act of kindness.

When Grace hits rock bottom, it’s only her friend Nadia and customer Mr Williams who sweep in to care for her. This book beautifully tells the story of friendship, heartache and learning to forgive and start life again.

Loved reading about the beauty of music. I have never played a musical instrument and felt very jealous by the end of this book at the passion and emotion one can feel whilst playing.

The characters are very life like, loved their separate stories and how 3 very different people become friends that help each other with their own heartache and troubles.

A beautifully written book that is charming and heartwarming.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Although this was predictable in places this was a sweet story of a cello maker and her friends. I loved the detail of the instrument making process and the musical themes of the book.

It was disappointing that the blurb for the book gives away half of the plot though and also the comparison to Elinor Oliphant I didn't think fit at all, the characters are completely different.

This is the first book i have read by Anstey Harris and I absolutely loved it - I especially loved the attention to detail regarding the music theme in the book. It was such a great read and Grace was a beautifully, well constructed character. I will definitely be reading more by Anstey Harris, highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A decent contemporary story. A good relationship plot with good character dynamics but not quite enough growth/development. Would recommend.

Paris, romance, violins. I glided pleasurably through this story of love, heartbreak (of course) and missed chances. It was warm, well written and perfectly plotted. If, ultimately, it was also in parts a little predictable, then that's probably because it's what's expected of the genre (romance? 'UpLit?' A mix of the two?). A story of a woman looking back on her life, re-examining her choices and moving forward. Sweet, enjoyable and uplifting.