This Life of Grace is a history and a biography. It tells the story
of Grace Jarrold, the youngest of eight children, who lived for
almost ninety years in the village of Plympton in Devon. It also
tells the story of the village over the last century, beginning
with the Great War of 1914-1918, school life at that time as
revealed in original documents, the building of 'homes fit for
heroes' in the 1920s, and the General Strike of 1926. It describes
the dwindling of the old 'upstairs-downstairs' life, the approach
of the Second World War and the Blitz of Plymouth. After the
tranquil period of fifteen that followed the War, things changed at
great speed. The influence of farming declined, leading to the
closure of Plympton Market in 2002. The village grew to ten times
its size at the time of Grace's birth and it was absorbed into the
City of Plymouth. All the events are recorded as they affected
local people. Grace is at the heart of the story, much of it told
in her words, related remarkably to the author in frank
conversations as she relived her life when it was drawing to its
close, during almost three years in a hospital bed. The life of her
husband, Major William John Symons, of the Indian Army, is told by
the same author in Stranger on the Shore, published in 2009. In a
pre-publication review, Peter Smith of Crane Books, writes, 'I
liked This Life of Grace even more than Stranger, which I had found
engrossing and very moving. This Life of Grace is written with such
warmth and deep affection and understanding, bringing the
characters vividly to life. Grace was a person of dignity and
humility, an unusual combination, to which I felt a sense of
eloquence, wit and humour should be added. She was very much a
"Grace".' From reviews of Stranger on the Shore 'This highly
unusual book tells the story of an ordinary Cornish family affected
over generations by an appalling genetic disease, and by the
nightmare of not knowing who it will strike next. Yet there is a
kind of triumph amid the suffering. The sensitive writing on a
subject that could hardly be more serious makes for an
unforgettable read.' The People's Book Prize website 'The quiet
courage of a family in dire adversity could not be better
demonstrated...John Symons describes the tragedies that struck at
the heart of a poor but devoted Cornish family. Humanity and the
valour of the human spirit shine from every page.' This England
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