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There were things I liked about this book and things I didn't like. I liked the story, it seemed realistic and was both engaging and heart wrenching at times. I didn't love the alternating chapters (one from Ellen's perspective and one from Jenny's). There were two problems with this. First, the chapters were too short. Just as you were getting into the character's story, it stopped and you had to flip to the other character. I think that if the chapters had been a little longer, it wouldn't have felt so choppy. Second, for most of the book the stories of the two characters overlapped a little, but weren't linear. Then, all of the sudden they merge and are explaining the same event, just switching perspective. This just felt off to me. Thankfully it was only for a short time. Finally, my biggest complaint would be how neatly things wrapped up. What I liked about this book was how real it seemed. THIngs weren't perfect for anyone and people got dealt some bad and perhaps unfair situations in life. Then everything is neat and pretty in the end. Sadly, real life doesn't always end this was and it took some authenticity out of the story for me. Overall, worth reading.
I once again had the opportunity to hear Heather Gudenkauf speak at our local Barnes and Noble. It’s always a pleasure to see Heather as she is friendly, warm and honest about her journey as a writer. After her reading and Q & A, I picked up a copy of her latest novel, Little Mercies, which I immediately started reading almost as soon as I got home. I was immediately sucked into Little Mercies and it didn’t let me go until the end.
Heather is very talented with her character development. The characters in Little Mercies are real especially Ellen. I am not a mother, but my heart ached and my eyes filled with tears during her most trying moments. I can’t imagine what it would be like for a parent to read this novel. They would probably need to buy stock in tissues just to make it to the last page!
My favorite thing about Heather’s books is the way she rolls out the plot. The point of contention comes early. She patiently puts her characters through hell while, every once in a while, shining a flashlight in the darkness to give the characters and the reader hope–a little mercy so to speak. She doesn’t rush the story or push the characters beyond what would be considered a reasonable breaking point. The events and emotions are all very real. All these things together make Little Mercies a thumbs up.
Heather is very talented with her character development. The characters in Little Mercies are real especially Ellen. I am not a mother, but my heart ached and my eyes filled with tears during her most trying moments. I can’t imagine what it would be like for a parent to read this novel. They would probably need to buy stock in tissues just to make it to the last page!
My favorite thing about Heather’s books is the way she rolls out the plot. The point of contention comes early. She patiently puts her characters through hell while, every once in a while, shining a flashlight in the darkness to give the characters and the reader hope–a little mercy so to speak. She doesn’t rush the story or push the characters beyond what would be considered a reasonable breaking point. The events and emotions are all very real. All these things together make Little Mercies a thumbs up.
I could not put this book down! For my Cincinnati friends, do you remember when that little boy fell into the gorilla exhibit at the zoo a few years ago? Do you remember all the angry, judgmental talk going around town during the aftermath of that tragedy? Yeah, I was guilty of it too! Not our finest moments! During that time I came across an article that had one line that changed my attitude about the whole thing. I didn't have the foresight to copy it down at the time, but it went something like "From birth to the age of 18, parents have 567,648,000 seconds that they are responsible for their children. And it only takes a few of those for something to go horribly wrong. " Yep! It stopped me in my tracks! Suddenly I realized that I wasn't so different than that mom at the zoo. I was just luckier at the right moments. Little Mercies is like that!! It's a reminder of how quickly the tables can turn!
Fairly predictable in spots, but a good read otherwise. Nice to have an easy read after finishing a Stephen King book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️
One Breath Away is still my favorite book by her, but this was a good story from start to finish.
I love all of Heather Gudenkauf's books! I bought this one the day it came out and it did not disappoint! I would say it's not as intense as her previous novels, but is more centered around the relationships of the characters. I loved it and have already passed it on to my mom so she can read it!