"Have you ever been completely ambivalent about a book, to the point where you are not certain what you want to write? That is rather how I feel about Grace Hammer. I did not hate it, but I did not absolutely love it either. There were definitely some charming points about the story, and I am glad that I read the novel, but I am struggling to find the words to describe this book and my feelings about it. [return]When Ms. Stockbridge uses the caption A Story of the Victorian Underground , she definitely means it. This book describes humanity at its lowest. The main character is a successful pickpocket living amongst thieves, murderers, prostitutes, and drunkards. No one has much money, and most of the characters spend their time earning enough to go get blitzed at the many pubs available to them on the East End. It is a bleak outlook on life, one that I know existed, but one that is not typically brought under the spotlight with such clarity. [return]Grace Hammer is a likeable character, if a reader can get over the fact that she is a pickpocket by trade and has taught her kids the same skills. She is an excellent mother and dotes on all of her children, and the children support and love their mother. This, to me, is the most touching part of the story. Their love is beautiful to behold, especially when compared to their surroundings, their neighbors, and friends. Ms. Stockbridge accentuates this point a bit too forcefully though, in my opinion, by continually pointing out how clean and spotless they are. However, it is this family dynamic that drives the storyline, for when Grace is in danger, the reader automatically sympathizes with her plight because of what it means for her family, and so I understand why Ms. Stockbridge makes such a point of this difference, even if I do believe it was a bit awkward and clich
