WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.040 Hey everyone, welcome to the Deep Dive. Great 00:00:02.040 --> 00:00:05.280 to be here. So today, picture this, New York 00:00:05.280 --> 00:00:10.820 City, 1930s. You've got towering ambition literally 00:00:10.820 --> 00:00:13.919 scraping the sky, but right down on the street 00:00:13.919 --> 00:00:17.760 level, real desperation too. Mm -hmm, a city 00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:20.100 of contrasts for sure. Exactly, and that's kind 00:00:20.100 --> 00:00:21.929 of the world we're stepping into with... Gemma 00:00:21.929 --> 00:00:25.070 Tizard's novel, Grace of the Empire State. Yeah, 00:00:25.129 --> 00:00:28.030 it's historical fiction and it really throws 00:00:28.030 --> 00:00:29.570 you right in. It does. The source you shared 00:00:29.570 --> 00:00:32.170 really highlighted that. It centers on this young 00:00:32.170 --> 00:00:35.070 woman, Grace. That's right, Grace. And she's 00:00:35.070 --> 00:00:37.799 basically navigating, well, everything. Family 00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:40.820 stuff, the sheer challenge of survival back then. 00:00:40.939 --> 00:00:42.679 And it's all tangled up with the building of 00:00:42.679 --> 00:00:44.799 the Empire State Building, right? And, you know, 00:00:44.820 --> 00:00:47.479 the social world of the time. Precisely. It weaves 00:00:47.479 --> 00:00:50.000 her personal story into this huge historical 00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:52.500 moment. You know, diving into it, a few things 00:00:52.500 --> 00:00:54.460 really jumped out at me. First off, just the 00:00:54.460 --> 00:00:57.380 atmosphere. Tizard's description of 1930s New 00:00:57.380 --> 00:00:59.759 York. Wow. Oh, absolutely. You really get a sense 00:00:59.759 --> 00:01:01.640 of the place, don't you? The energy, the noise. 00:01:01.740 --> 00:01:05.900 Yeah, and the sheer scale of that building going 00:01:05.900 --> 00:01:07.780 up, you could almost feel it. And that's often 00:01:07.780 --> 00:01:10.159 what makes good historical fiction work, isn't 00:01:10.159 --> 00:01:12.480 it? That blend. What blend exactly? You know, 00:01:12.480 --> 00:01:15.099 the big picture, the historical events blending 00:01:15.099 --> 00:01:20.219 with the really personal side of things, the 00:01:20.219 --> 00:01:22.840 characters' lives. Totally. And speaking of characters, 00:01:23.099 --> 00:01:25.400 the relationships felt very strong, especially 00:01:25.400 --> 00:01:27.760 the women, Grace's friendships, and her family 00:01:27.760 --> 00:01:31.250 connections. Mm -hmm. Those bonds felt, well, 00:01:31.329 --> 00:01:34.430 really authentic, resonant. You cared about them. 00:01:34.569 --> 00:01:36.849 I agree. And I loved how those personal stories 00:01:36.849 --> 00:01:38.409 weren't just happening during the historical 00:01:38.409 --> 00:01:41.030 events, but were actually, you know, shaped by 00:01:41.030 --> 00:01:43.170 them, sometimes in really surprising ways. Right. 00:01:43.230 --> 00:01:45.590 The context wasn't just wallpaper. It mattered 00:01:45.590 --> 00:01:49.349 to their choices, their struggles. Yeah. But 00:01:49.349 --> 00:01:52.290 on the flip side, and this is just a minor thing, 00:01:52.370 --> 00:01:54.549 maybe. Well, there were quite a few characters, 00:01:54.670 --> 00:01:56.670 weren't there? There were, yeah. A pretty large 00:01:56.670 --> 00:01:59.319 cast. And sometimes maybe it felt a bit hard 00:01:59.319 --> 00:02:02.239 to keep track or get deeply invested in every 00:02:02.239 --> 00:02:05.140 single person's journey. I can see that. It's 00:02:05.140 --> 00:02:07.540 a balancing act, introducing enough characters 00:02:07.540 --> 00:02:10.659 to make the world feel rich without overwhelming 00:02:10.659 --> 00:02:12.879 the reader. Right. And maybe tied to that, did 00:02:12.879 --> 00:02:16.199 you find the pacing a little uneven at times? 00:02:17.099 --> 00:02:21.099 Possibly. Yeah, you could say that. Some plot 00:02:21.099 --> 00:02:23.780 points seemed to really race ahead, while others 00:02:23.780 --> 00:02:26.460 kind of lingered a bit longer. Yeah, it just 00:02:26.460 --> 00:02:28.280 slightly affected the flow for me in a couple 00:02:28.280 --> 00:02:30.840 of spots. Nothing major, but noticeable. Sure. 00:02:31.099 --> 00:02:34.259 And maybe one other small point. What's that? 00:02:34.599 --> 00:02:37.060 While the historical setting was generally fantastic, 00:02:37.340 --> 00:02:40.599 maybe a couple of the social or economic threads, 00:02:40.879 --> 00:02:44.020 they could perhaps have been explored just a 00:02:44.020 --> 00:02:46.379 touch more deeply. To give even more insight 00:02:46.379 --> 00:02:48.219 into what people were really up against. I get 00:02:48.219 --> 00:02:50.319 that. Like delve even further into the day to 00:02:50.319 --> 00:02:53.460 day realities for some characters. Exactly. But 00:02:53.460 --> 00:02:55.400 look, these are pretty minor critiques, really. 00:02:55.539 --> 00:02:57.060 Oh, for sure. Overall, it's a really compelling 00:02:57.060 --> 00:02:59.699 book. It gives you this amazing window into such 00:02:59.699 --> 00:03:03.039 a, well, a transformative time. Definitely. It 00:03:03.039 --> 00:03:05.240 does make you think, doesn't it? How ordinary 00:03:05.240 --> 00:03:08.439 people just live their lives amidst these huge 00:03:08.439 --> 00:03:11.580 history making events. Yeah. How those big moments 00:03:11.580 --> 00:03:15.270 intersect with just, you know. Getting by. So 00:03:15.270 --> 00:03:18.430 putting it all together for that rich picture 00:03:18.430 --> 00:03:21.729 of 1930s New York, the compelling characters, 00:03:21.889 --> 00:03:25.090 the way it tackles these big themes, I'd give 00:03:25.090 --> 00:03:27.889 Grace of the Empire State a solid four out of 00:03:27.889 --> 00:03:30.210 five stars. I think that's fair. It's a story 00:03:30.210 --> 00:03:32.289 that definitely sticks with you, makes you ponder 00:03:32.289 --> 00:03:34.189 that resilience you mentioned. Yeah. Individual 00:03:34.189 --> 00:03:36.990 resilience against these massive forces of change. 00:03:37.129 --> 00:03:39.810 Well put. Okay. Well, that pretty much wraps 00:03:39.810 --> 00:03:42.689 up our deep dive into Grace the Empire State 00:03:42.689 --> 00:03:45.370 for today. It was a good one to discuss. If you 00:03:45.370 --> 00:03:48.129 enjoyed our chat, please do give us a like and 00:03:48.129 --> 00:03:50.069 definitely subscribe so you catch our future 00:03:50.069 --> 00:03:52.530 deep dives. And if you're tempted to read the 00:03:52.530 --> 00:03:54.889 book yourself after hearing this. Yes. We'll 00:03:54.889 --> 00:03:57.469 pop an Amazon link for Gemma Tizard's novel right 00:03:57.469 --> 00:03:59.389 there in the description for you. Easy peasy. 00:03:59.530 --> 00:04:01.810 And we genuinely want to hear from you all listening. 00:04:02.210 --> 00:04:04.430 What part of our discussion caught your ear? 00:04:04.669 --> 00:04:07.250 Yeah, drop a comment below. Tell us your favorite 00:04:07.250 --> 00:04:09.849 bit or maybe something about this glimpse into 00:04:09.849 --> 00:04:12.370 the book that intrigued you the most. And please 00:04:12.370 --> 00:04:14.550 do share this with anyone else you think might 00:04:14.550 --> 00:04:17.329 enjoy it. Fellow historical fiction fans, maybe. 00:04:17.449 --> 00:04:20.269 Definitely. Spread the word. Okay, so maybe one 00:04:20.269 --> 00:04:22.790 last thought to leave everyone with. Go for it. 00:04:23.339 --> 00:04:25.879 Think about those grand achievements we see, 00:04:25.959 --> 00:04:29.319 like the Empire State Building or any big historical 00:04:29.319 --> 00:04:33.439 marker. How many hidden stories, how many personal 00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:36.779 sacrifices and quiet struggles lie just beneath 00:04:36.779 --> 00:04:39.339 the surface? Things we never hear about. That's 00:04:39.339 --> 00:04:41.819 a great point. And it makes you wonder, what 00:04:41.819 --> 00:04:44.699 are the untold narratives, the quiet acts of 00:04:44.699 --> 00:04:46.860 resilience happening all around us, even right 00:04:46.860 --> 00:04:48.759 now, that we just don't see? Something to think 00:04:48.759 --> 00:04:50.519 about. Definitely something to think about. Thanks, 00:04:50.620 --> 00:04:52.199 everyone, for tuning in. Thanks, all.