A Place Called Grace

By: Alison Rand

Narrated by: Alison Rand

Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Struggling New York actress Alison has an outwardly good life: toned body, plenty of dates, a comfortable daily regimen. Still, she feels stagnant, empty, and as blocked as the river view from her Upper West Side apartment. Now divorced and in her mid-30s, she has never gotten past an early childhood trauma of being torn away from her brother and sister when her parents separated. Since then, nothing sticks. No one stays. She craves a sense of permanence, a place to call home.

To shake things up, Alison makes a bold, possibly foolhardy move - she relocates to bureaucracy-riddled Rome, where she barely speaks the language, knows no one except the elusive Casanova who gave her one vacation night of pleasure, and has no acting work waiting.

In a series of tragi-comic encounters, she tries to settle in to an exotic culture, looks for amore in all the wrong places, and begins to break into the acting world.

After a serious accident, Alison’s hopes for an Italian fantasy life come crashing down. Back in New York, the personal tragedies and career obstacles pile up until salvation arrives from an unexpected source.

A Place Called Grace is a humorous, hopeful, bittersweet contemporary memoir. It is a story of finding yourself amid the isolation and loneliness one can feel in modern-day life and shows how a seemingly unmoored existence can find its safe, solid center after all.

©2018 Alison Rand (P)2020 Alison Rand

A Moving Memoir

I found Alison Rand’s book to be so refreshing, particularly the emotional honesty she expressed in so many challenging areas of her life. Having first read the memoir, in listening to Ms. Rand’s voice on her audiobook, I found myself even more drawn in to the intimacy of her experiences. So many areas of the author’s life touched me: the longing for connection in both female friendships and in the intense desire for a long lasting romance with a man; the loyalty and love for her mother and father, along with the layers of complexity these relationships bring; her loving affection for her brother, as well as the friendship with Grace in Grace’s later years. How all of us would love to have a Grace in our lives. I highly recommend this audiobook.

Happy that she found herself

Lively and talented narrator. Sharing the times when you're not at your best, when you're discovering what you want vs what you need, is vulnerable. The author shares those stories here and I applaud her for being vulnerable.

I loved this book!

Alison writes with bravery, humor and compassion. I was very intrigued by her time in Rome. She's done what many have dreamed of but don't do. Both laugh out loud funny and rich with empathy, I read her book last summer at a time I needed a really good read. Now I am super impressed by the new audio version of her book. She does a wonderful job with the various accents and characters in her memoir. It's compulsively "listen-able". This is one multi talented lady!

A charming, touching, honest and beautiful escape

I truly loved every minute of listening to this book. I had also read the book and loved it but am even more blown away by listening to the story told from Alison’s point of view. She painted such a clear picture for me of what was going on. Her voice is not only soothing ,but each portrayal of every character was spot on!! Some funny, some touching. I was impressed with how she really brought each character to life by her voice. I am in show business and I know that is no easy feat!! The story flows beautifully and effortlessly. Listening to it was such an escape from the crazy times we are going through right now in this world. We all need this kind of escape. (Every time they went to eat in the story it made me crave pasta!) I also commend her for being so brave and sharing her personal and vulnerable thoughts. I could relate to so many things she shared. I think many of us could. I am looking forward to part 2 of this memoir! I highly recommend during this time of quarantine and introspection that people download this book as an escape . You will laugh, be touched, be moved and relate. Reminding us that we are all alike in many ways. Thank you Alison for this gift.

A Life’s Journey.

I most say, I enjoyed listening to Alison reading her own book. She has made me feel her story with Heart & Grace. Her story also took me into my life’s journey & understanding that we all have been though times, & too pick up, dust yourself off & too walk with Grace.

Delightful reading

I listened to the book on my way to work , it was very delightful to listen to the narrator every day.
Her story was very interesting kept my daily attention. Great read will be forwarding it to my friends.

A Very Heartwarming Memoir!

I loved listening to Alison's Audio Book! It's extremely moving, in ways far different than having read the Book. For me, the Audio really penetrates the heart and mind of the Listener. Alison's experiences are very rich and touching. It's hard to put into words (since this is my first Audio Book), but Alison's "soothing" voice continues to resonate, as does her story. What a tender memoir!

A great read for all dog lovers!

A brave story about challenging yourself and finding you can handle whatever life brings you. Also, just finished reading while listening to her second book. Walking Alison, a funny and charming story of her love and mentor, Dea. A beautiful and insightful poodle .

A compelling story of self-discovery

A heartfelt yet witty bittersweet story of adventure, bravery and self-discovery with a moving narration.

I loved Alison’s delivery!

I love it when an author reads their own story. This memoir is so delightful to listen to. An authentically conveyed account of Alison’s life experiences of family, romance, tragedy and resilience told with humor, irony and love.
So good!