"Sweet Mercy" by Ann Tatlock

Sweet Mercy by Ann Tatlock is an historical fiction book set during the great depression, notorious criminals and prohibition.  The main theme is that no one is all bad or all good and that we all need mercy.   Eve tells her grandson about her memories at the lodge which is about to be torn down that was owned by her family and that is the whole story of the book.  When she moves from St. Paul Minnesota where many criminals reside, she is thrilled to live with her Uncle Cy at his lodge in Mercy, Ohio.  She learns that not everything is as it seems and Love covers a multitude of sins (I Peter 4:8), as her father always taught her. 

The story is both interesting and sweet.  It’s a coming-of-age story with a bit of romance weaved into it and is an enjoyable read.  Although Eve is self-righteous and judgmental at the beginning, she learns a surprising truth about herself as she learns of a certain bootlegging operation.  It has lots of varied characters and I loved the ending!  I recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction! 

(Karen's review, 4 stars)

Other books I also liked by this author:  Promises to Keep and The Returning

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"The Returning" by Ann Tatlock

The Returning by Ann Tatlock is contemporary fiction about a family of five:  Andrea and John who have three children:  Phoebe-5, “Rebellious” Rebekah-16 and Billy-17 with Down Syndrome.  The story starts with John returning from prison after being gone five years for manslaughter.  At first, he feels like a stranger in his own home and is frustrated with himself for not being able to find a decent job to support his family and accepts a busboy job from his brother-in-law.  His son, Billy, is really the only one who gives him a good welcome and encourages the others to accept him too.  Phoebe is afraid of her dad and Rebekah hates him.  Andrea hopes they can put their family back together again and longs for his love but John holds back and falls into adultery once again.  I liked how John didn’t give up on his family and worked at rebuilding his relationship with each of them. 

I liked this book a lot because I found myself caring for all the characters and was glad it has a happy ending.  Second chances and forgiveness is the theme of this novel.  I’d say this is Christian fiction at its best!  I highly recommend this one if you like stories about realistic family struggles with happy endings.

(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during May to Joni and Friends for Camp Scholarships for families with special needs children.

"Every Secret Thing" by Ann Tatlock

Every Secret Thing by Ann Tatlcok is about how God sees all of us and calls to us if we listen.  The author makes this point through the characters in this story.  Beth Gunnar is a lonely English teacher who now teaches at the prep school she used to attend herself, where she was inspired by her English teacher, Mr. Dutton.  Unfortunately, she felt betrayed by him and couldn’t stop thinking about it.  She takes an unhappy student, Satchel Queen, under her wing and they develop a close friendship through their love of books and poetry. 

I didn’t care for this book much because it is slow moving and the teacher-student relationship just seemed very strange to me.  I thought it odd that Beth only seemed to care and be interested in one of her students.  I liked Ann’s other book, Promises to Keep, so much more and was disappointed in this one.

 (Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during May to Joni and Friends for Camp Scholarships for families with special needs children.

"Promises to Keep" by Ann Tatlock UPDATED)

Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock is about a little girl’s dream of her parents getting back together even though her mother took off with her children to keep them safe.  Alan Anthony, the father is an alcoholic that was abusive to his family, but convinces his daughter, Rosalind, that he has changed and is going to come back and make everything better.  When the mother and kids move out on their own to a small town, the house they are surprised to find Tillie, the old lady who built the house, sitting on their porch reading their paper.  Tillie had been put into a nursing home when she broke her hip and her son sold her house.  After her hip healed, Tillie left the nursing home because she was determined to live out “her” days in her house.  Because the mother has to work and needs someone to watch the youngest daughter, she lets Tillie move in with them.  I liked this subplot because it was humorous. 

Promises to Keep is well-written and kept my interest all the way through by making me wonder if the father really had changed—it gives great insight into human nature.  This is the first book I’ve read by this author, but look forward to reading more of her books.  There are discussion questions in the back of the book which make this a good Christian fiction book club read.
(Karen's review)

Gerard read this too:
This is a really nice story about two little girls, one black, one white, who want to have their fathers in their lives again.  It kept my interest for sure.  Although somewhat predictable, it's a good story and well worth your time.  It goes fast!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

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