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This I Know

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Set in a small Midwest town in the late 1960s and helmed by an unforgettable young protagonist—compassionate, uncannily wise Grace— This I Know  is a luminous coming-of-age story from an astonishing new voice.
 
Eleven-year-old Grace Carter has a talent for hiding things. She’s had plenty of practice, burying thoughts and feelings that might anger her strict Evangelical pastor father, and concealing the deep intuition she carries inside. The Knowing, as Grace calls it, offers glimpses of people’s pasts and futures. It enables her to see into the depth of her mother’s sadness, and even allows Grace to talk to Isaac, her twin brother who died at birth. To her wise, loving Aunt Pearl, the Knowing is a family gift; to her daddy, it’s close to witchcraft. 
 
Grace can’t see into someone’s thoughts without their permission. But it doesn’t take her special talent to know that her small community is harboring its share of secrets. A young girl has gone missing. Within Grace’s own family too, the cracks are widening, as her sisters Hope, Joy, and Chastity enjoy the normal life that eludes Grace. It’s Grace’s kinship with other outsiders that keeps her afloat—Lyle, a gentle, homeless man, and Lola, a free-spirited new girl at school. But when her mother lapses into deep depression after bringing home a new baby, Grace will face a life-changing choice—ignore her gift and become the obedient daughter her father demands, or find the courage to make herself heard, even if it means standing apart . . .

320 pages, Hardcover

First published April 24, 2018

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About the author

Eldonna Edwards

4 books681 followers
Eldonna Edwards grew up in a large family nestled between cornfields and churches in the provincial Midwest. She eventually escaped the harsh winters, moving to California where she expanded her career from journaling teacher to author to beloved writer's conference instructor and public speaker. The voice in her best-selling debut novel THIS I KNOW, comes straight from the heart and has won over the hearts of readers everywhere. In her second novel Clover Blue (June 2019) Eldonna once again explores themes of otherness and belonging, and the true definition of home.

Eldonna is also the subject of the award-winning documentary Perfect Strangers that follows one kidney patient and one potential kidney donor in their search for a possible match. Her 2014 memoir LOST IN TRANSPLANTATION chronicles this life-changing decision. Eldonna currently lives and writes in a tiny pink house in beautiful San Luis Obispo, CA.

"Luminous Stories, Unlikely Heroes." Eldonna is drawn to stories about community--the places we live, the families we're born into, and the tribes we gravitate toward. She prefers hometown settings peopled with recognizable characters from the grocery store, a neighborhood cafe or noisy schoolyard. Her books explore the bigger questions of one's meaning and purpose, and the overlapping consequences of our choices, good and bad. Eldonna integrates humor into her stories to balance the complex and sometimes darker aspects of challenging situations. Please visit her at http://www.eldonnaedwards.com or find her on Facebook at Eldonna Edwards Author Page


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5 stars
1,776 (46%)
4 stars
1,464 (38%)
3 stars
486 (12%)
2 stars
99 (2%)
1 star
26 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 557 reviews
Profile Image for Elyse Walters.
4,010 reviews11.2k followers
April 14, 2018
“Grace decided that when she grew up she wanted to be the kind of mom who makes finger and toe paintings with her children
while listening to records on a real stereo”.

Hallelujah for Grace’s first best friend, Lola who introduced her to the wonderful world of art, music, dance, creativity, and full self expression.

For all ‘the knowing’ - the clairvoyance ability - Grace had inside her ....
she could hear things, see things, know things.....
Grace didn’t know why her ‘gift’ made her daddy so angry. She didn’t understand his coldness, his punishments, his slaps, his strict rules about what was sinful.
She also didn’t really know why she tried so hard to please her daddy.

Grace had ‘the knowing’, but the blind spots about herself contributed to self doubts. She was often very lonely trying to be what she would never be happy being.

Thank God... (not her daddy’s God), for a few diamonds in the dust.
Her Aunt, mom, and friend, believed in who she was and loved her unconditionally.

As with all coming of age novels — we hope to see growth with our protagonist...
And we do with Grace.

Not without sadness, and a rigid religious upbringing, but over time -we see Grace developing a stronger inner sense of ‘self’. The relationship Grace has with her dead twin brother Isaac also grows.

My favorite scene was when Grace was 11 years old ‘playing’ at being the neighborhood fortuneteller. Kids paid a quarter to ask a question. Grace told them
their “knowing”.
I loved the scene because it was such a KID THING TO DO!!!! I know it was to be more ‘serious’ and ‘real’....
but I enjoyed the kids being kids and all their anticipation. The very cute towel Grace wore on her head was priceless and I found it adorable!

Sweet is a word that comes to me when thinking of this book. Its ‘not’ all sweet....( much to feel sorry about - the other siblings, a homeless man, and ‘mom’), but I found Grace sweet.... and the story tender to our hearts!
I liked Lola just as much as Grace. Smart girl moving out to Berkeley... my hometown! Good fit for her.
I was thankful to Lola. She was a wonderful friend to Grace, a girl who needed a good friend.

A small critique: towards the beginning of the story, there were many sentences that had descriptions that didn’t make a lot of sense to me in relationship to the situation. It felt like the author was looking for creative juicy ways to describe hair, or a person’s voice, or an emotion. Yet they were awkward to me.

Example: Aunt Pearl... “her voice is like honey slow and dripping”.

However...once the story got going ... I didn’t notice these type of sentences as much any longer.
And for a first novel, there are many more plus’s than negatives.
HEART... lots of HEART!

Thank You Kensington Books, Netgalley, and Eldonna Edwards
Profile Image for Diane S ☔.
4,825 reviews14.3k followers
May 8, 2018
What a wonderful story. Young Grace just captured my heart. She has the knowing, she sometimes knows things before they happen. Her prescher father tries to stop her from letting people know she has this knowledge, convinced it comes from the devil. Grace and her mother, however, know different. Her mother once had the same power, but was forced by life to squelch this gift. Grace makes friend with a homeless man, a man who has suffered much. A man who will be accused of terrible things. Grace knows he is a kind man who has had misfortune in his life. One of my favorite lines in this book, a quote that made me think, is one that is said by Grace to this man.

"People think that because you don't have a house, that you don't have a heart. "

Sometimes the younger are more wise than the elder. This family is full of love but also suffers some great tragedies. Grace though refuses to give up, and uses her gift for good, in the only way she can. If only her family can pull through, and her father can see that what she has can be used for good.

ARC from Netgalley.

Profile Image for Cheri.
1,880 reviews2,734 followers
May 4, 2021

4.5 Stars

”Some days I look down
Afraid I will fall
And though the sun shines
I see nothing at all
Then I hear your sweet voice, oh
Oh, come and then go, come and then go
Telling me softly
You love me so”

-- Up to the Mountain, Songwriters: Patricia J. Griffin

”This isn’t a sad story. It’s a love story.”

Set apart from her family by her red hair and green eyes, like a foreigner in the land of blue-eyed blondes, Grace is further distanced by her evangelical preacher father’s feelings that her gift is of Satan.

Grace has the Knowing.

Isaac, her brother, her twin who never made it into this world explains the Knowing to her as “simply a deep awareness…They’d hear the extra notes and they’d see hidden pictures on the walls and they’d feel their mother’s heartbeat long after they were born into this world.

”I make people nervous, even Daddy. Especially Daddy. I know this by how they look away, as if their darkest secrets will be exposed like tea leaves scattered in the snow.”

People in this small midwestern town avoid her; kids in her school won’t look directly at her. And then one day a girl named Lola moves there, and Lola befriends her. Lola’s parents are free spirits, artists, and Grace finally finds a place where she feels accepted, even with her Knowing.

Literally from the first words, the first paragraphs, I was pulled into Grace’s world, from her thoughts beginning one morning in March of 1958 when she was born into this world. Such simply beautiful, lyrical prose, it was easy to love her and feel her every emotion as she goes through a whirlwind of feelings, including, primarily, the attachment she still feels to her twin, Isaac.

”I don’t think anyone in this family knows how lonely I feel sometimes. Just once I wish Daddy would look at me with the same gleam in his eyes he does with Joy and Chastity or even poor Hope.”

Her family doesn’t really understand her, and her mother – who should – has never completely recovered from losing her son. They’d been visiting Aunt Pearl in Mississippi when she went into labor, and after that her mother never let go of that sadness.

”Mamma was distraught. We stayed with Aunt Pearl until after the funeral; then Daddy drove straight through the night back to Michigan. He couldn’t wait to take Mama away from the place that housed all that sadness. What he doesn’t understand is that she brought the memory of that dead baby with her, packed her grief into every last bag before we drove out of Rankin County.”

Sorrow is as much a presence in this debut novel as the people in this family, in this town. Like the notes of a song, it weaves through so many, a homeless man, Lyle, whom Grace befriends, through Grace herself, her mother, and others touched by sorrow, as well. It hovers over all, weaving its way through these lives, but also transforming into uplifting, lyrical, soothing moments.

And, like a song, its beauty is in the story told through movement, of Grace and her family from one moment to the next, through tension, release, sadness, but also joy, and the power of love from the beginning until the last note is played.

Published: 24 APR 2018


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Kensington Books / John Scognamiglio Books
Profile Image for Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader.
2,294 reviews31.4k followers
April 28, 2018
4 memorable stars to This I Know! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Grace is a well-suited name for this strong, resilient, lovable daughter of a fundamentalist preacher father and an absent mother with significantly failing health. She has a gift she calls “the Knowing,” which adds to her difficulties because her father doesn’t trust her.

Grace lives for her father’s approval, but her gift is something he cannot accept because he thinks it’s from the devil. Will Grace give up part of herself in order to be an obedient “good” child and fit in with her family?

Grace crawled right into my heart, and her characterization was honest to the core. While the indomitable Grace is at the center of this novel, there is also an intricately woven and satisfying plot. Edwards writes with beautiful prose and endearing heart.

Bottom line, I adored Grace and this exceptional, stand-out of a book!

Thank you to Eldonna Edwards, Kensington Books, and Netgalley for the ARC. This I Know is available now!
Profile Image for Barbara White.
Author 6 books1,126 followers
December 10, 2017
Outstanding! THIS I KNOW is a remarkable, inspiring story about clairvoyance, faith, and opening your heart—and mind—to the truth. I will not soon forget Grace Carter, the young preacher’s daughter with a unique interpretation of the world. Her kindness, her resilience, her generosity, and her acceptance of others filled me with hope. I am sorry to have turned the last page on her voice and such wonderful lines as: "Daddy says dancing and rock and roll lead to fornication, which means sex. Seems like it would be hard to make a baby when you're dancing." I predict Grace will steal many hearts--not just mine.
Profile Image for Susan's Reviews.
1,138 reviews607 followers
June 12, 2022
A truly unique story: I really enjoyed this one: a touch of magical realism with a twist of psychic ability.



We watch Grace grow from a baby in her mother's womb, see the world through her young eyes, and enjoy her precocious thoughts as she in turn observes and comments on her world and the people around her.



Her gift of the "Knowing" is also a curse, as is her ability to speak with her dead twin, Isaac. I found those conversations fascinating, especially since I more or less have come to similar conclusions regarding our purpose here on this planet. Grace's gradual self-awareness and sense of self-worth were a pleasure to witness, which were helped along by the wise counsel of her "lost twin."

I thought I had been raised strictly, but Grace's upbringing put mine in the shade. No dancing!?! Just about everything was a sin for the fundamentalist preacher (who is Grace's father) in this story. She couldn't do anything to please him, it seemed and eventually she realized that she couldn't deny her gift any longer, despite her father's disapproval.



I did like how the author gave us a peek at "grown up Grace." That twist at the end was so unexpected and sweet!!!! Check out Clover Blue - another great read by this author!
My final rating: a glowing 4.4 stars
Profile Image for Lori Elliott.
771 reviews2,158 followers
June 1, 2018
One of my favorites of 2018! Genuinely told through the voice of a little girl named Grace, this story literally melted my heart. It contains a lot of religious undertones that really focus on what faith and belief really mean. It’s not preachy, just a beautifully poignant novel that will leave you feeling warm inside. Fans of Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger should place this at the top of TBR lists. 5 stars.
Profile Image for Fiona.
1,341 reviews267 followers
June 12, 2018
It takes a lot of energy to try to be what you aren't, but even more not to be what you are.

Set in the American Midwest from the mid sixties, this coming of age story centers itself around Grace - middle daughter of a pastor and his wife, twin sister to a boy who died during birth. Grace has a Knowing; frequently she knows things that are happening elsewhere, or that have happened to the people or objects she touches.

It's a bittersweet mixture of a story, running the length of the emotional spectrum from tragedy to joy. The description of Grace lying under the family's Christmas tree, in particular, was so evocative that I teared up a little from the wave of nostalgia that came over me.

A book to read when you need to retreat from the world a bit, or if you are looking to lose yourself in a world where things (and they do get pretty bleak in spots) will turn out ok. I loved it!

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing a free copy in return for an honest review.
Profile Image for Karen.
1,842 reviews429 followers
July 5, 2023
Local Central Coast Author.

Sweet is a word that comes to me when thinking of this book.

Its ‘not’ all sweet, but I found Grace sweet.... and the story heart-felt!

Literally from the first words, the first paragraphs, I was pulled into Grace’s world.

With such simple beautiful, lyrical prose, it was easy to love her and feel her every emotion.

And, like a song, its beauty is in the story told through movement… of Grace and her family from one moment to the next, through tension, release, sadness, but also joy, and the power of love from the beginning until the last note is played.
Profile Image for John Gilbert.
1,034 reviews153 followers
June 6, 2022
This was special, very special. Grace has the 'knowing' and struggles through life with a pentacostal minister father who thinks she has the devil in her, her sisters, who think she is crazy and most of the community who just thinks she is weird.

I loved her journey and some of the people she comes across, from hippy classmate Lola, homeless Lyle and her wonderful Aunt from Mississippi. When her beloved mum lapses into a coma her life becomes even more lonely, except she has the presence of her twin brother whom she shared in her mum's womb for nine months and is still with her, but not.

Wonderful read, will stay with me for a long time. 5+
Profile Image for Dale Harcombe.
Author 14 books375 followers
May 22, 2020
Three and a half stars.
Eleven year old Grace Carter has a gift or is it a gift? Though Grace yearns for her father’s approval, she never seems to be able to please him. The Knowing, as Grace calls it, allows her insights into some people’s lives. She sees things before they happen. Other times she gets glimpses of their past and events that have deeply affected them. Her preacher father is adamant Grace does not have a gift but that it comes from the devil. So he tries his best to silence her. Grace is also able to talk to her twin brother Isaac who died at birth. But her father forbids it, so she has to keep these conversations secret. Unlike Grace’s father, Aunt Pearl believes Grace’s Knowing is a rare gift. Grace feels closer to Aunt Pearl, but too often feels on the outer with her sisters, Hope, Joy and Chastity. But it is the new baby that brings the most changes to the Carter household and especially to the children’s mother. Grace also makes friends with a hippie couple and their daughter Lola as well as Lyle, a vagrant who sleeps in their loft. When Lyle is accused of a crime, she is quick to defend him. But is she right?
The style of writing is easy to read. Grace’s voice comes across as clear and well defined. She is an engaging character. Aunt Pearl is also well developed. Some of the other characters, including Grace’s father, Hope and the other sisters struck me as rather one dimensional. There are some moments of humour, but many more where Grace is misunderstood and marginalised by her family and others in the community. Even what started out as an amusing story with the sisters urging Grace to raise money as a fortune teller, ends up with consequences the children did not expect.
I had heard a bit about this book before I bought it. While I enjoyed the story and it kept my interest I didn’t love it quite as much as I thought I expected to. Maybe I should leave coming of age stories alone? I often find they don’t work that well with me. I also thought some aspects of the ending felt rushed and too sudden a change given what had gone before. Plus the epilogue just seemed like a tacked on unnecessary addition to me.
This is my first book by this author and I would be interested to try another. So, to sum up I found this an enjoyable read and Grace an interesting character but it never wholly engaged me as I expected it might have. Still, I know others have absolutely loved it. So if it sounds like your kind of book give it a go and see what you think.
Profile Image for Barbara.
1,490 reviews1,012 followers
September 3, 2018
“This I Know” is a story of a young girl learning to deal with her gift of clairvoyance in an Evangelical environment. Grace is the narrator of the novel and through Grace the reader learns of the strict and punitive environment of the staunch Baptist religion.

Grace is troubled by her gift, which she refers to as “The Knowing”. She doesn’t know what to do with the information she receives. Her father, a strict Bible-thumping Baptist minister deems her gift as a satanic force. Author Eldonna Edwards writes Grace beautifully as a sweet girl navigating her life with a zealous father, an aloof mother, and bossy sisters. Grace’s father does not fair well in the story, although the character rings true. Edwards imagined an innocent child with the gift of clairvoyance being a child of an over-zealous Christian preacher. The story takes place in the 1960’s when religious judgment was at odds with the free-loving hippy movement. As a child of the sixties, and part of the midwestern Bible belt, the religious undertones of judgment ring true. At the time, everyone felt his or her religion was superior to other religion. Little Grace ruminates over religious doctrines.

This is an easy read. Grace will melt your heart. You will want to rescue her from her intense father. It’s a coming of age story of a young girl finding her way in a small town full of gossips, judgments, and repression.
1,307 reviews34 followers
November 12, 2017
I have fallen in love with the heroine of This I Know-by Eldonna Edwards. I was so very lucky to receive an advanced copy. Grace Carter will be with me-maybe always. I loved this book. Everyone add it to your lists or pre- order. It is That good.
Profile Image for Anna.
1,173 reviews113 followers
June 3, 2018
Grace is an eleven year old girl with a gift for seeing events and hearing the thoughts of others. She calls it The Knowing. She speaks with Isaac, her twin brother who died at birth. He offers her guidance and assurance, giving her a glimpse of God's love. Her father, a Minister, sees Grace's abilities as evil, making her feel like an outcast in her own family and the community. All Grace desires is the love and approval of her father, as shown in this quote: "His fear has built a wall between us that I can never seem to break through, no matter how much good stuff I do to try to tear it down. I started to feel ashamed after that day but Isaac assured me I was special. He reminded me of the words to the Sunday school song "This Little Light of Mine", and that God doesn't want us to hide our light under a bushel. The truth is, I don't think there's a bushel big enough to hide the Knowing. It keeps getting bigger and stronger, like a storm cloud before it grows into a tornado. I've spent most of my life holding it by the tail."
Grace feels isolated, her mother suffers from depression, her sisters don't understand her and she has few friends beyond the daughter of the eccentric hippie couple and the homeless man who sleeps in their barn. But Grace has a big and loving heart and wants for her gift to offer hope to others.
I fell in love with Grace, wanting the best for her in this delightful coming of age story.
The author draws on her own experience as a Minister's daughter to provide insight into the portrait of a congregation in a small Midwestern town. I'm looking forward to more by this author.
Profile Image for Carole.
335 reviews38 followers
June 12, 2018
If only I could find a whole pile of books like this one!! I just love stories told from a child’s perspective, and Grace’s tale of the Knowing drew me in from the beginning.
Grace is an 11 year old girl growing up in the 60s. She is separated from her twin brother, Isaac at birth. She always feels his presence and she can talk with him as she hides in her sister’s closet. This makes her father angry. He is an evangelical pastor who thinks Grace’s gift is of the devil. I wondered if this was going to be creepy, but it wasn’t at all. I loved Grace, and how sweet she was to befriend a homeless man and her kindness towards him. Her 1st real friend, Lola is the daughter of hippies, and Grace finds Lola’s family to be very different from her own. She loves spending time at their house where art, music & dancing make life so much fun. Grace has a close relationship with her Aunt Pearl, who supports her extraordinary gift. I loved all the characters in this book.
I hope to read more from this author. Her debut novel is among my favorites.
Thank you to my Goodreads friends Elyse, Cheri, Anna, Lori & Tania who wrote the wonderful reviews that prompted me to read this book!
3 reviews
December 10, 2017
Really a truly wonderful book. Wonderful, make you feel good kinda story. So many laughs, a few tears. You end up liking Graces family (you want to be a part of her family!), even her dad, yikes. And the music wow :)!! Loved the writing, so many of it will definitely stay with me.
Profile Image for Diane.
Author 10 books161 followers
February 3, 2018
Young Grace has Powers. That is, she can tell people's futures, and she knows when something important is happening somewhere else. She considers this a gift from God, but her fundamentalist pastor father disagrees. He tries to get her to stop it, but she can't. And therein lies the tale. I found this book to be delightful. I don't have Powers, but I grew up in a Southern Baptist family, and my dad would have reacted the same way as the father in this book if I had had them. The book is filled with heart, and I loved it. I would recommend it to anyone. I don't think of it as young adult, even though teenagers would like it. Grace is young, yes, but she has the wisdom of a timeless being. Adults will love it, too.
Profile Image for Michelle.
653 reviews186 followers
April 3, 2018
This I Know is about a young girl named Grace who has the gift of prophecy. The daughter of an Evangelical Pastor she is demonized by her community and admonished by her father for her sight. Despite his attempts to stifle her visions and her will to please him, her abilities gain strength as she ages. Will he ever accept her as she is? Must she quench her fire to appease him?

This I Know is so endearing. There is so much depth to this novel. It is about resilience and hope in the face of atrocity. It is about opening up your heart to people who are different than you and not being so quick to judge a book by it's cover. Most of all it's about loving people for who they are.
Profile Image for Laurie.
996 reviews
February 13, 2018
"The Knowing comes from a good place. A God place."
I loved this book! Grace is a young girl who has a heart of gold, a love for life and for making things right. She has help from "Knowing" what people think and feel at times and seeing things that others cannot see. She friends the people others shun.
"Sorrow is the good Lord's toll for love" as said by Grace's favorite Aunt Pearl.
It's a story of hope and belief! Well Done!
Profile Image for Suanne.
Author 10 books1,009 followers
March 8, 2018
Eldonna Edwards’s new book, THIS I KNOW is a remarkable story about clairvoyance, faith, and self-acceptance. Grace Carter has the Knowing, a type of clairvoyance which allows her to talk to her twin brother who died at birth, and to visit her mother when she goes into a coma after a suicide attempt. At various times, Grace predicts the future, finds lost objects, and sees into the past. Born into a family headed by an Evangelical preacher father who sees her gifts as being nigh onto witchcraft, Grace is forced to hide her talents. Her father resents her on some level because she survived, adding to his household full of girls, and her brother didn’t.

I was immediately carried into this book by Grace’s childish voice as she recognizes her missing half, her dead brother, from a photograph of her mother when she was pregnant with the twins. Her voices matures as she matures, and as she learns to accept herself and her Knowing despite her father’s antipathy.

Set in the hippie era, lesbian love, free-love, and Jesus Freaks play counterpoint to Evangelical Christian beliefs.

I read this book in one sitting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
2 reviews
February 4, 2018
Jaw-dropping. This novel kept my fingers frantically turning pages and me staying up far later than I should for just one. more. page. Protagonist Grace Carter is such an honest character, both in her personality and portrayal, several sections in the book felt like they could have come out of my own childhood and experiences. Author Eldonna Edwards does a fantastic job of characterization, everyone from Grace's misguided but loving father to the homeless man who sets up shop in the family barn is both flawed and admirable. There are no 2-d characters in this book. Without giving more away, Grace's journey leading to self-acceptance is inspiring and surprising, the climax presents a fantastic dichotomy: when the crap hits the fan is it better to continue to hide your gifts for the sake of the approval of others, or do you finally accept yourself and say to hell with everyone else? Of course, that's my takeaway: do yourself a favor and pre-order this book and you can decide for yourself. A+++ would read again, this one's living on my shelf from now on.
Profile Image for Natalia Iwanyckyj.
Author 1 book64 followers
February 9, 2018
From the first paragraph, Grace Carter’s lyrical voice, expanded awareness, and deep wisdom sucked me in. The writing is GORGEOUS, the characters wonderfully drawn, and the themes universally appealing.

Grace has The Knowing, which her flower-child friend Lola eventually identifies as clairvoyance.

“I love the soft flesh of Mama’s warm palm against my own even though sometimes I feel a deep sorrow through her skin.”

Her father is a preacher.

“Daddy gives me The Look when I mention things I’m not supposed to know without someone telling me.”

Grace can only be herself.

“I don’t think there’s a bushel big enough to hide the Knowing. It keeps getting bigger and stronger, like a storm cloud before it grows into a tornado. I’ve spent most of my life holding it by the tail.”

Her twin did not survive birth, but he continues to walk beside her in life.

“He told me that what’s true for one person isn’t always true for another, but that doesn’t make it a lie.”

“This I Know” is an exquisite dance between Grace and her father, mother, and sisters, Grace and the limited-sight world around her, and Grace and her Knowing. The prose took my breath away. The soft, gentle story stole my heart.
Profile Image for Linda Weber.
489 reviews9 followers
February 24, 2018
This book took me way back to my childhood years in the 60’s. A small town, multiple siblings, whispers about the wee one that never had a chance to be with us - though he was not a twin like in this story. Church was the constant of our lives, also. My dad was not a pastor but boy could he preach! I was the oldest - not in the middle like Grace but I remember so many of the same feelings, same struggles with life. My questioning of God and religion didn’t come until I was much older but I certainly can identify with her confusion. And then there is the “knowing”. Her mother had it and Grace had it. The trouble was that it was totaly in conflict with the words and beliefs that came from the pulpit of the husband - the father. I won’t say the “knowing” was a part of my childhood but there was and still is signs of something else, messages from somewhere. My mom had it - I have it... With that many similarities, this book will stay with me for a long time. This author knows how to use words to cradle you into the arms of the story. This may be her debut novel but I’m expecting and eagerly waiting another!
Profile Image for Margaret Duke-Wyer.
529 reviews5 followers
February 7, 2018
The book opens with Grace voicing her awareness of her twin, Isaac, curled against her: two interchangeable beings cocooned in their mother’s womb. It is the late 1960s, a small town in the Midwest and Grace is born into a family ruled by an Evangelical pastor – her father. Isaac her twin, did not survive and so from the start Grace is aware of ‘knowing’ something is missing, and knowing of sadness. Sadness she witnessed in her mother who slowly, over the years, withdrew from the family and eventually into a hospital where she had completely retreated into a coma.

At eleven years old Grace is surrounded by her sisters, Hope, Joy and Chastity who individually shine, whether through beauty or intelligence. But Grace is the oddity. No matter how she tries, and she really does, she cannot seem to get her father’s approval. She is aware that her gift of knowing, or intuition is deemed evil but she sees it as helpful, a gift from god and she seeks solace in talking to her dead brother Issac. She longs for her baptism, but three times is denied this by her father who deems her not ready, as yet.

Grace finds comfort in her friendship with Lola a new girl at school who has unconventional, hippy parents who offer Grace an outlet and support. She also befriends a homeless man who is accused when a young girl goes missing. All of her friendships live in the margins, as does Grace. When Grace’s mother produces another child she retreats into severe depression and the family dynamic changes.

I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful this book is. I just cannot. When reading this I felt joyous. I felt a resounding echo in my soul. I probably also felt envy – for such beautiful writing; for creating a personality that is so uplifting. I wanted to literally shout about it – you must read this – you will not believe it. Instead I read on, savouring every particle, every revelation and felt that ‘yes, everything could be right in the world’ – if you could just see, hear, understand.

I have one negative comment, only a little one. I am not sure about the end – it felt too rushed for me. Sort of ‘that happened, then that, then that is it.’ Maybe that says more about me not really wanting to finish the book than anything else.

Sometimes, five stars don’t get it. Not for me, not this time. At least 7.5 for the way it made me feel - joyous.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

Profile Image for Donna Davis.
1,823 reviews266 followers
April 25, 2018
“Sometimes I wish I could catch Mama’s voice in a jar and keep it beside my bed at night, let each note light the darkness like a captured firefly.”

Eldonna Edwards makes her debut with the best written child protagonist since Scout Finch appeared in To Kill a Mockingbird. Many thanks go to Net Galley and Kensington Books for the digital review copy.

Grace Carter is eleven years old, one of several daughters of a strict evangelical preacher. Her mother has come undone, slowly unraveling from grief that began with the death of Grace’s twin brother, Isaac. Grace misses Isaac, too, but she has the comfort of his counsel; she hears and knows things that most other people do not. Her mother and Aunt Pearl call it “the knowing”, but her father calls it the work of the devil. Grace grows up understanding that she must keep her head down and avoid getting into trouble. It’s a treacherous path, and now and then things pop out, as they will with adolescents.

Edwards is a gifted writer, and she’s tackled an ambitious project in writing a first person narrative. It’s hard to voice a child in a way that is developmentally appropriate and consistent, and she’s nailed it spot on. Many writers would try to dodge this literary obligation by creating a precocious, academically gifted character, which is so common that it’s clichéd, and as I read this story and see that Grace is just an average kid, apart from her supernatural talent, I hold my breath to see if she can carry it off all the way through, and she does it masterfully. The way Edwards develops Grace, adding layers to her personality and melding it with the dead-accurate setting—the Midwest during the 1960s—makes her one of the most exciting new voices to emerge this generation. The plot never slows, but with a character and setting this resonant, Edwards could send Grace to sit in her closet for the whole book and her readers would be captivated regardless.

I would have preferred a more nuanced ending, but it’s a small concern. Everyone that loves strong fiction will want this book. Order yours while you can get it on the first printing.
Profile Image for Christie Sitterly.
259 reviews12 followers
November 5, 2017
This I Know by Eldonna Edwards is superbly unique and touching. It is a read that many can relate to. Edwards’ protagonist is young Grace, one of five daughters born to a pastor father and a mother who suffers severe postpartum depression and other ailments. The author delicately and sensitively addresses these issues. Grace was supposed to be a twin, but her brother did not make it. She is awkward and finds herself in sticky situations. Grace has a gift of “the Knowing,” or being able to tell a person’s fate. Yet, she always seems to find herself in trouble whether through manipulation by her sisters, or in her quest to help save others. Her father believes she is “of the devil,” and she can never seem to please him which is all she really wants. The book comes to a climax when Grace is forced to use her power in the midst of crisis, risking her father’s fury. This book is so relatable that I think it will touch any reader!
Profile Image for Lolly K Dandeneau.
1,882 reviews242 followers
March 6, 2018
via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
'I make people nervous, even Daddy. Especially Daddy. I know this by how they look away, as if their darkest secrets will be exposed like tea leaves scattered in the snow.'

Midwest, 1960’s and Grace Carter seems too small for all the ‘Knowing’ she contains within’ her. Having an Evangelical pastor for a father who believes her gift shames God makes her hide the truth from the light. At times, she fears her father is right. It isn’t normal to be able to talk to your dead twin, nor know all the secrets brewing inside all the people in her small town. Her mother’s sadness is a force, a bottomless well where all of them are drowning. If it weren’t for Aunt Pearl’s love, she’d be lost.

People in their town are wary of her, children make fun but then she is bowled over by a girl named Lola, whose parents live the bohemian lifestyle her father believes breeds sin. Why, then, does she feel nothing but comfort and acceptance around Lola and her parents? What about the homeless man Lyle, why do people who put their faith in God see nothing wrong in turning their backs on a man so deeply in need? Her family has known grief, and her mother is spiraling into hers after bringing home a newborn baby. Why can’t she be more like her sisters, even spoiled Chastity? Grace’s premonitions that saved her sister Joy Ann are forbidden, surely it was angels, or God and has nothing to do with Grace’s witchery. Heck, she doesn’t even look like any of them with their blue eyes and soft blond hair, sticking out as she does with her red hair and green eyes as if her “knowing” doesn’t make her different enough!

She may not understand where her ‘knowing’ comes from, but she is not a witch! She is not evil!

Her knowing always leads to bigger stories, unravels secrets others feel are best kept hidden. When children are harmed, it is up to her to find the strength in herself to speak up. The adults seem to be no help, and everything at home is getting worse. Momma is half in this world, half in the other and nobody believes her but is it because the truth can be terrifying, even for grown ups? Surely her daddy isn’t scared of anything, is he? Scared of her?

Will Grace ever be free to be herself, to use her knowing, or is she just crazy or evil like so many make her feel? This is an uplifting story full of hope just in time for Spring. I have to mention the cover, it’s simply lovely. Sometimes you just need a feel good novel, about a little girl finding her backbone and learning to embrace who she is.

Publication Date: April 24, 2018

A John Scognamiglio Book

Kensington Books
Profile Image for Rebecca.
2,730 reviews158 followers
April 15, 2019
Despite all odds, clairvoyant girl (Grace) matures and accepts her Gift.

"I make people nervous, even Daddy. Especially Daddy."

Throughout this coming of age novel, eleven year old Grace grappled with how and when to use her ability, which she called "the Knowing." Her ability allowed her to see into the past and the future and even speak to her twin brother, Isaac, who died at birth. Grace's Evangelical preacher father, Henry, however, had the most difficult time accepting her ability and prayed that the devil would leave her alone. How did his opinion affect her as she matured and grew? Did she allow his domineering personality to crush her, or did she learn to believe in herself and her ability?

As I read this book, my heart ached for Grace as she tried so hard to fit in, to be a good and helpful young lady, and so desperately wanted her father to love her just the way she was. I was also very intrigued by her Gift and wanted to know more about it. I sympathized with the way she was treated—as anyone who has been treated as an outsider would—and rejoiced when her determination, courage, and resiliency helped her to (finally!) find a place in her family and her community.

Other themes in this book included: a missing local girl and postpartum depression.

I very much enjoyed this debut, and look forward to more from this author!

Other Characters:
Isabelle - Grace's mom
Aunt Pearl - Grace's favorite aunt, who is like a 2nd mother
Hope - Grace's oldest sister, 14 yo
Joy - Grace's older sister, 13 yo
Chastity - Grace's younger sister
Marilyn - Grace's baby sister, born with a heart problem
Lola - Grace's best friend

Thank you to the author and the publisher for an advance copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

Location: 1960-1970s Cherry Hill, Michigan

"Mama reminds me of a Dilly Bar from the Dairy Queen, like there's only a thin shell covering what's melting inside." - thought by Grace when her mother suffers from the "baby blues"

"I think I'm just supposed to stay open and let the Knowing be a way to show other people how to listen for the truth rather than hide from it." - Grace to Aunt Pearl
Profile Image for Paula Hagar.
921 reviews46 followers
June 30, 2018
I forced myself to stretch this book out over the course of a weekend, but I could easily and happily have devoured it in one long sitting. It's impossible to read this book and not fall utterly in love with Grace and her "gift" (which sometimes feels like a curse) of The Knowing. Grace's strong spirit and love for her family and the people around her hugged my heart. Sometimes I wanted to throttle her evangelical father who is determined to believe Grace's gift is from The Devil, but like all of us, he has his own worries and demons to deal with. This heartbreakingly poignant, lyrically lovely and deeply original novel is a wonderful debut from an author whom I look forward to reading a lot more of in the future.
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