Book Review: Sweet Mercy by Ann Tatlock

Back Cover: Stunning coming-of-age drama set during the Great Depression and Prohibition

When Eve Marryat's father is laid off from the Ford Motor Company in 1931, he is forced to support his family by leaving St. Paul, Minnesota, and moving back to his Ohio roots. Eve's uncle Cyrus has invited the family to live and work at his Marryat Island Ballroom and Lodge.

Eve can't wait to leave St. Paul, a notorious haven for gangsters. At seventeen, she considers her family to be "good people," not lawbreakers like so many in her neighborhood. Thrilled to be moving to a "safe haven," Eve soon forms an unlikely friendship with a strange young man named Link, blissfully unaware that her uncle's lodge is anything but what it seems.

When the reality of her situation finally becomes clear, Eve is faced with a dilemma. Does she dare risk everything by exposing the man whose love and generosity is keeping her family from ruin? And when things turn dangerous, can she trust Link in spite of appearances?

My Review: This story gives us a glimpse into what it would have been like growing up around gangsters, bootleggers, flappers, and bums during the Great Depression and Prohibition. Eve is an idealistic teen, believing that all bad things are kept in big cities, while the small town of her dreams will be perfect. Eve's self-righteous perceptions are challenged throughout the story, as life turns from black and white to shades of grey. She learns that bad people aren't all bad, and good people are not all good. As Eve matures, things become more complex for her and her family. Can she keep a terrible secret?

Tatlock's characters are varied and interesting. The only think I didn't really like about the book was the prologue and epilogue. In both we meet the older, grandmother Eve. The novel is reduced to her telling her grandson a story. I'm sure many would disagree with me, but I lost some enjoyment because of the time shift. Other than that, this is a really enjoyable book.

My Rating:

My Recommendation: I recommend this book to fans of Ann Tatlock and readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Book Review: Travelers Rest by Ann Tatlock

Excerpt: "I'm going to close my eyes and rest now. When I open my eyes again, I want you to be gone. Go back to Troy, Jane. Go back and make a life with someone else. I don't want you coming back here."

She gazed at his face, the face she knew so well and had loved so long. She wanted to reach out her hand and touch his cheek, his brow, but she didn't dare. His eyes were closed; she had been dismissed.

"Seth," she said, "just do one more thing for me. Tell me you don't love me anymore. Tell me that, and then I'll go away."

His eyelids trembled and his jaw tightened, but he didn't speak.

"I'll be back tomorrow," she said.

She saw the tear slide down the side of his face. She turned to go without brushing it away. Travelers Rest, pg 20.

Back Cover:

A YOUNG WOMAN 

determined to honor her commitment...

AN INJURED SOLDIER

 convinced life is no longer worth living...

A RETIRED DOCTOR 

certain it's too late to be forgiven...

Jane Morrow has a dilemma, and love alone may not solve it. Her faith has never been strong, yet somehow she hopes God will answer her prayers and tell her what to do. The answer she finds may not be at all what she expected...

My Review: The whole plot of Travelers Rest was intriguing to me from the start. I loved the idea that Tatlock presented of the committed young woman and her wounded soldier. I followed the story line wondering if she would honor her commitment, if she would listen to those around her, if she would have her happily ever after. But I have to be honest, there were parts of the book that just didn't ring true to me, and the pacing felt off in many places. This book is highly emotional, but it just wasn't one of my favorites, though I'm sure others will enjoy it very much.

My Rating:

My Recommendation: I recommend this book to fans of Ann Tatlock, and readers who enjoy emotion packed contemporary fiction.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Book Review: Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock

Excerpt: “How do you know if you’re going to end up in heaven or…you know…the other place?”

Her hand came up gently pushed my hair off my forehead. “Well now,” she said with a smile, “as my dear mother always said, that all depends on who your father is.”

“Who your father is?” The butterflies threw themselves against my stomach wall in one huge rebellion. I was certain I was going to be sick. If my getting into heaven depended on Daddy, I didn’t have a chance. He had promised to change, to stop drinking, to be a good person, but he wasn’t all those things yet – probably wasn’t even close, and I was the one who was going to have to pay for it. Promises to Keep, pg 182.

Back Cover: A mother fleeing unspeakable danger to keep her children safe…

Two young girls guarding secrets in a “cross my heart and hope to die” pledge…

A father desperate to be reunited with his family…

My Review: This was the first of Ann Tatlock’s stories that I have ever read, and I found it to be very enjoyable. Her main character, Roz, is a wonderful girl who is in the middle of a situation that she can’t fully understand. I love the way that Roz looks at life, and how she interoperates what is going on around her. Of course, the addition of Tillie to the household gives the story a deeper and more interesting plot. This story is full of danger, suspense, and trying to figure out what is truth.

My Rating:

My Recommendation: I recommend Promises to Keep to any reader of Contemporary fiction.

Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. Available at your favourite bookseller from Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group.