November 1, 2010

The Miracle of Mercy Land


When I first got this book for review, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I had never heard of the author before, so I had no preconception as to what sort of books she wrote, or what sort of writer she was.  But when I received the email asking if I would like to review the book, I jumped at the chance because it sounded interesting.  I enjoy reading books with a supernatural twist now and again.

Set in the early 1930's on the Gulf shores of Alabama, The Miracle of Mercy Land tells the tale of Mercy, a young woman who moves from the backwoods of Bittersweet Creek to the nearby town of Bay City, where she soon becomes assistant to the editor of the local paper.  After a few years on the job, her editor, Doc Phillips, is given possession of a curious book.  Curious, because the book tells you what would have happened in a person's life had they chosen different paths than the one they took.

Doc shares his discovery with Mercy, and together the two keep the book a secret from others, while trying to unlock the mysteries of the book.  Doc apparently wants to right a wrong, and Mercy seeks to fulfill the book's purpose.  Soon, however, Doc brings a new young man into town under the pretenses of him taking over as editor of the newspaper since Doc wants to retire, and nothing is as it seems.

I must say that I enjoyed reading the book in the beginning.  River Jordan is a gifted writer.  However, the book fizzled out for me half way through.  I was left scratching my head over many things, most noteably what The Book was.  She never really develops the purpose of the supernatural book, and how it "worked."  We just know that it was mysterious and Doc Phillips was consumed by it.  But there was never any clues as to where it came from and why it was given to Doc and by whom and for what purpose.

Because of this huge plot hole, I was left scratching my head as to what purpose River Jordan had when writing this book.  While the plot was definitely intriguing, the ending just left me with too many unanswered questions.  But I did enjoy the characters in the book, especially Aunt Ida.  

That said, I did enjoy Ms. Jordan's writing, and I am very interested in reading her other books.

Please note that I was given this book for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.



3 comments:

  1. Thank you for featuring The Miracle of Mercy Land on the blog tour. I do appreciate your taking time to read and share your thoughts with friends.
    Many blessings,

    River Jordan

    ReplyDelete
  2. It sounds like a good one. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm so glad I wasn't the only person who had a hard time with this one. I so wanted to like it, but the same things bothered me.

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