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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Good book for the now post-roe era. Shoutout to Methuen, Massachusetts. Detailed look at the Boston area.
emotional
medium-paced
Definitely an entertaining read. Full of moral complexity. The author’s decision to portray the clinic’s opponents as crazy was unfortunately predictable and uninteresting. And it would have been nice, amidst all the other character check ins during the last chapter, to have a final look at Timmy in prison.
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
LOVED the writing and the story. Haigh has such a sure hand with the complexities of story and handles the very emotional and fraught landscape of women's lives, poverty, and abortion with great skill. Highly recommend.
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was hoping it would get better as I pushed through this. Sadly this book, wasnt for me. I though I was interested in the premise of this book. I just couldn't get into this or connect to the characters like I hoped.
Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ebook for an honest review.
Thank you NetGalley and publishers for this ebook for an honest review.
I made it about halfway through this book before I realized that I just wasn’t connecting enough with the characters or their storylines to keep reading. I had high hopes for Mercy Street based on its subject matter; I was hoping for something thought-provoking and timely, considering the larger conversation happening in our country right now surrounding issues of women’s reproductive rights, but that seemed to get lost for me among all the rabbit trails of random characters who weren’t all that compelling or likable.
People's reasons for visiting Mercy Street vary. Some who find themselves on Mercy Street are looking for help, guidance, and compassion. Others are seeking to shame and intercede. Just what is located on Mercy Street that is capable of so much division? Why, an abortion clinic ... what else? Jennifer Haigh's new literary novel tells the story of four people whose lives connect through the clinic on Mercy Street, and serves as a social commentary on one of the most divisive issues of all time.
The clinic at Mercy Street is at the center of this introspective, reflective novel. The story follows Claudia, a counselor at the clinic, which provides female reproductive health in addition to abortions, much like a Planned Parenthood clinic; Timmy, Claudia's weed dealer, who is trying to grow his drug business while attempting to mend his strained relationship with his son; Anthony, a client of Timmy's and also a devoted Catholic, who spends his free time protesting outside the Mercy Street clinic and photographing women who enter and exit its doors; and Victor, a zealot who runs an anti-abortion website where he attempts to shame women seeking abortions by posting their photos online. The lives of these four characters intersect in various ways, building this story and demonstrating how women's reproductive health affects people on various levels, regardless of gender or proximity to the issue.
Haigh's Mercy Street ended up being something quite different from what I expected. What I expected was a novel situated inside the Mercy Street clinic, with the employees and patients battling backlash from outside protestors. What I got was something much more poetic and nuanced in nature. Mercy Street borders on highbrow, placing an American slice of life under a microscope, and exposing all there is to see. Much more about the choices people make and what drives them to do so, Mercy Street keeps abortion in the background without being solely about the issue.
Mercy Street slowly meanders through the lives of its four characters, describing their daily ins and outs while also providing clues about their past. As we get closer to these characters, we learn what makes them tick and we also discover that we are all much closer to the issues revolving around reproduction than we may realize at first glance.
Mercy Street will appeal to readers who enjoy character-driven novels that profile people from all walks of American life. While none of the characters in this novel are particularly likeable, there is something to learn from each of them, which is why this book will best be enjoyed by those who want to better understand humanity in all its shades.
The clinic at Mercy Street is at the center of this introspective, reflective novel. The story follows Claudia, a counselor at the clinic, which provides female reproductive health in addition to abortions, much like a Planned Parenthood clinic; Timmy, Claudia's weed dealer, who is trying to grow his drug business while attempting to mend his strained relationship with his son; Anthony, a client of Timmy's and also a devoted Catholic, who spends his free time protesting outside the Mercy Street clinic and photographing women who enter and exit its doors; and Victor, a zealot who runs an anti-abortion website where he attempts to shame women seeking abortions by posting their photos online. The lives of these four characters intersect in various ways, building this story and demonstrating how women's reproductive health affects people on various levels, regardless of gender or proximity to the issue.
Haigh's Mercy Street ended up being something quite different from what I expected. What I expected was a novel situated inside the Mercy Street clinic, with the employees and patients battling backlash from outside protestors. What I got was something much more poetic and nuanced in nature. Mercy Street borders on highbrow, placing an American slice of life under a microscope, and exposing all there is to see. Much more about the choices people make and what drives them to do so, Mercy Street keeps abortion in the background without being solely about the issue.
Mercy Street slowly meanders through the lives of its four characters, describing their daily ins and outs while also providing clues about their past. As we get closer to these characters, we learn what makes them tick and we also discover that we are all much closer to the issues revolving around reproduction than we may realize at first glance.
Mercy Street will appeal to readers who enjoy character-driven novels that profile people from all walks of American life. While none of the characters in this novel are particularly likeable, there is something to learn from each of them, which is why this book will best be enjoyed by those who want to better understand humanity in all its shades.
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated