Overview

After decades of near-solitude, terminally ill art professor Miriam Johnson discovers her final student may also be her most extraordinary. Dr. Miriam Johnson has spent years in self-imposed isolation, haunted by the tragic death of her husband Tom and consumed by guilt over choices that now seem unforgivable. A respected art history professor at LSU, she has built walls around her heart, convinced that her unwillingness to leave Louisiana and her blindness to Tom's despair sealed their fate. But when a terminal cancer diagnosis forces her to hire a caregiver, nineteen-year-old Camille Caillouet arrives and quietly begins to crack those walls. Struggling through nursing school while honoring her late grandparents' dreams, Camille becomes more than an attendant-she becomes a student of Miriam's hard-won wisdom, and a reflection of the potential Miriam can no longer waste. What begins as a practical arrangement becomes something far deeper: a final chance for Miriam to nurture in Camille the life she feels she failed to nurture in Tom-and, in doing so, to discover that even grief can be turned toward grace. Moving between the passionate early days of Miriam's marriage in 1979 and her final months in 2015, this deeply moving novel explores the weight of survivor's guilt, the complexity of love, and the transformative power of mentorship. In the tradition of Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge, and Kent Haruf's Our Souls at Night, Painting Grace captures both the ache of profound loss and the surprising grace that can emerge when we open our hearts to unexpected connection.

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Reviews

""In Mary Hester's moving debut novel, Painting Grace, the past and present fuse as an esteemed art history professor moves toward the end of her life. Uprooted by memories and regrets, she is long past allowing herself love and forgiveness, only to slowly find redemption through art, and in a young caretaker who will become her last student. Hester reminds us that one life can make a difference to so many. A poignant and compassionate story that will resonate long after it's over."" -Gail Tsukiyama, author of The Samurai's Garden and The Brightest Star ""Painting Grace is a compellingly rendered portrait of striving and success and the cost to a young woman's life. Purely told, tremendously affecting, a read that reminds us how human we are, how fallible, and ultimately how fortunate if grace descends."" -Michelle Latiolais, author of Widow and She ""Hester explores the rich dynamics of human bonds: families of blood, families of choice, and the families of the heart. I can't promise you'll feel peaceful after reading this book, but you'll certainly feel wiser."" -John Matthew Fox, author of I Will Shout Your Name

Author Information

Mary Hester holds a Master's degree in English from Louisiana State University, where she taught English and technical writing. She practiced law for many years and was listed in Best Lawyers in America. After living in Baton Rouge and New Orleans for over forty years, she now resides in North Carolina with her husband Mark and their rescue dog Blue. Painting Grace is her debut novel, written over twelve years with guidance from her writing group and mentors.

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