THE THREE GRACES OF PEARL STREET is a multigenerational story about a grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter who share the same name, Graziella. Each woman has their own distinct and unique personality.

Graziella, the grandmother, won me over from the outset. She possesses grit and gumption. I love how she handled her middle school-aged religion class of boys! Graziella does not suffer any fools, and at ninety-six years old, she has the experience to substantiate her views. She also has earned the right to express herself however she wishes. I could not wait to return to her chapters because she is so spunky! I cheered her on against the Cardinal who believed he ruled the local diocese. Graziella has surprises up her sleeve regarding him. A big revelation in the novel only made me appreciate Graziella even more. She is also the guru of investments and financial wizardry, and I understood more about her conflict with the Cardinal.

Grace, the daughter, seems lost for most of the book. Stuck in a marriage that ran out of steam years ago, she holds onto the status quo until Bill, her husband, wants to move on. I took umbrage when Grace castigates Graziella for not telling her something from her past. Frankly, Grace seems to just be going through the motions and is very overprotective toward her adult daughter. Why would she not tell her twenty-five-year-old daughter about her divorce?

Ella, the granddaughter, appears as a typical young adult: hooked on idealism and avoiding realism. She is very smart, but her common sense is woefully underdeveloped. Her character annoyed me the most until halfway through the book. I did yell at her often until Mike reentered her life. I adore Mike! He is such a sweeheart, and Ella is oblivious to his feelings toward her.

Each woman develops in her own way, but Graziella is the heroine of the story. I cannot express my admiration for her enough. In my opinion, neither Grace nor Ella can hold a candle to gutsy Graziella!

My favorite line was "911...I killed my Catholic education teacher!" Graziella's sarcastic responses to the emergency responders left me laughing.

THE THREE GRACES OF PEARL STREET is an inviting read and is sure to entertain readers about generational relationships and the lessons we can learn from family members that we did not even realize we needed to learn.