A Moment of Grace

Patrick and Nicola were together for 28 years. This is the searing but uplifting tale of her illness, and their last 13 months. In May 2015, Patrick Dillon, award-winning architect and writer, and Nicola Thorold OBE, a leading theatre producer and former chief executive of the Independent Theatre Council, had been married for more than two decades. They had two children and the future looked bright. That month, Nicola was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia. Thirteen months later - after several rounds of treatment, and hopes raised and cruelly dashed - she died, aged 51. A Moment of Grace is Patrick's searing account of that year and the months that followed it. But it is not, at heart, a sad book. Rather, it is a tale of humanity - of warmth, home, family - and above all, it is a story of love.Praise for A Moment of Grace: 'Raw, gracious, candid and true ... It manages to be an uplifting book about tragedy' - Kate Leaver, British Vogue 'A profoundly moving and impassioned account of a 28-year romance.' - The Observer 'A breath taking ode to a life well loved.' - Laura Jane Williams, author of Becoming 'This book is perfect - excruciatingly well-written, poignant, tender. My heart breaks and then gets fuller every time I open it.' - Kate Leaver, author of The Friendship Cure Patrick Dillon is an award-winning architect and writer, whose published work includes The Story of Buildings.