Years of Grace · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Years of Grace by Margaret Ayer Barnes.

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Chapter 1
Dedication
A brief dedication to C. B., acknowledging their role as a listener to the story.
Chapter 2
Years of Grace
The chapter explores the passage of time and the quiet, often painful, reflections of Jane as she navigates middle age, observing the lives of her children and the changing dynamics within her family and social circle.
Chapter 3
Part I: André
The chapter introduces Jane Ward and her family, including her sister Isabel and their interactions with André Duroy, a Frenchman who becomes a significant figure in their lives. Themes of love, marriage, and social class emerge as the family navigates relationships and expectations.
Chapter 4
I
Jane Ward, now a middle-aged woman, stands in her hotel room at the Plaza in New York, looking out over Central Park as she prepares to sail to Paris with her husband Stephen. Their journey is not a holiday but a 'monstrous pilgrimage' to attend the divorce and remarriage of their daughter Cicily. Jane reflects on her past, particularly her first love André, and feels a guilty excitement about the trip. She meets with her daughter Jenny, who avoids mentioning Cicily's situation, and later lunches with her old friend Agnes Johnson, feeling young again in spirit despite her aged appearance.
Chapter 5
I
Jane Ward, now a middle-aged woman, stands in her hotel room at the Plaza in New York, looking out over Central Park as she prepares to sail to Paris with her husband Stephen. Their journey is not a holiday but a 'monstrous pilgrimage' to attend the divorce and remarriage of their daughter Cicily. Jane reflects on her past, particularly her first love André, and feels a guilty excitement about the trip. She meets with her daughter Jenny, who avoids mentioning Cicily's situation, and later lunches with her old friend Agnes Johnson, feeling young again in spirit despite her aged appearance.

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Dedication

Years of Grace

Part I: André

I

I