Goodreads Mobile | see what your friends are reading

Jan 20, 2011

Book Concierge rated it:

Dallas turns her attention to the deep South in her latest historical novel, inspired by the real-life murder of the “goat lady” in Natchez Mississippi.

The time is 1933. Nora Bondurant Tate, barely recovering from her divorce just about a year previously, has been notified that an aunt she didn’t know she had has left her entire estate to Nora. She leaves Denver for Natchez with the mistaken notion that she’ll be staying at Avoca, the house that has been in the Bondurant family sin More...

0 comments like

Aug 24, 2009

Sarah rated it:

I have become a devoted Sandra Dallas fan. Some themes continuously run through her books, some of them I find refreshing and enjoyable (small niblets of faith). Others I find tiresome when they keep popping up in each story (somehow the main character is always drawn to quilting or something....fine for a quilting story, but annoying when it keeps popping up in all of her stories!).

Although I loved this story and I appreciated some of the real, raw heartache that I experienced w More...

0 comments like

Jun 12, 2011

Anne Hawn rated it:

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the whole, I liked it. There were good characters and an interesting plot. Nora Bondurant Tate is recovering from her divorce and finds that she has inherited a crumbling antebellum house from a aunt that she didn't know she had. Nora knew little about her father and had no idea that he was from an old Natches, MS family. Even more incredible was the fact that her aunt was murdered by an old lover who committed suicide after he shot her. Her aunt wa More...

0 comments like

Oct 11, 2011

Ashley rated it:

Quick, interesting read. Not overly exciting or suspenseful, this light mystery takes place in Natchez, MS in 1932. It was a book club pick I wasn't really looking forward to, but found myself enjoying instead. I didn't want to read another book dealing with the repercussions of slavery, and although it's obviously part of the story, it's not the main focus. The main focus is instead on the mystery surrounding the death of the "Goat Lady" and her niece's attempt to get to know her post More...

0 comments like

Mar 30, 2011

Keilani rated it:

I think this is my second fav. of her books. Persian Pickle Club is first. A woman finds out about an inheritance from an unknown great-aunt in the South in the 1930's. She leaves Denver to (unknowingly) discover her past at a time when her present is painful at best. Small spoiler - there is a limited homosexual element in the book. Other than that, it's an interesting read, and as always with her books, a fascinating glimpse into a different time period. I also like that not only is it a More...

0 comments like

Jan 10, 2011

Ida rated it:

I listened to this one on my ipod. Purchased it from audible. I think I always like books better when I listen. The narrator did a great job. It was a pleasant book about the south and how the main character soldiered on in the face of her own personal tragedy. She stands up to that well, and to the oddities of a southern culture she doesn't quite understand. THe book is part mystery, as she struggles to understand how her late aunt was killed and what the family structure and family relationsh More...

0 comments like

May 25, 2010

Carole rated it:

This book is set in Natchez, Mississippi, in the 1930's, and contains plenty of Southern culture and dialogue, i.e., (spoken by a colored ex-slave) "I guess I've been in Hell's kitchen and licked the spoon." And another: "It's just narrow-hearted littleness."

Spoken by the town Sheriff: "We train our women to be charming. Miss Amalie couldn't hardly teach or operate the typewriter....We treasure our womenfolk in the South, but there ain't no market for 'em. More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 31, 2010

Donna rated it:

I realized into this book that I had read it some time ago. I thoroughly enjoyed it again this time, maybe more. It is a wonderful story of the South in the early 1900's, actually the 1920's. Sandra Dallas takes our main character, a young woman in Colorado, into her past in Mississippi. Unknown to her, she has a strong connection to people that she had never known existed. The secrets of her father's past come into the light as she explores her inherited home in Natchez. Interesting char More...

0 comments like

Nov 21, 2009

Elizabeth rated it:

This is a really easy read, just a story that you'll quickly immerse yourself into and leave, feeling like you met a new friend. Nora has escaped a failed marriage only to find she's the sole inheritor of an unknown aunt's estate in Natchez, Mississippi. She journeys there to attempt to sort through her aunt's life and to find out just who this unknown woman was, meanwhile, she reminisces about her own life.

I just love Southern stories. This book gave just a glimpse into 1930s More...

0 comments like

Nov 27, 2011

Sue rated it:

I read Sandra Dallas' "Tallgrass" with my reading group, really liked it, and determined to read more of her books. 'New Mercies' is the second of her books that I've read. I enjoyed that it was set in Natchez, Mississippi - a place that I knew little about prior to some reading that I've done in recent years. I've learned that Natchez was a great economic center before the Civil War, and that there are many historic mansions in the town. Another interesting facet of 'New Mercies' i More...

0 comments like

Nov 03, 2011

Jill rated it:

Reading books by Sandra Dallas is like peeling an onion - there are layers and layers within the story. Just like the first of her books I read, this one takes place in the past (1930's) and she uses language common in that era, as well as language common in the South. It makes the book much more real. There was stronger character development in this book than the first one I read. I really liked getting to know the characters and learning things about the old South. It was a very pleasant More...

0 comments like

Apr 04, 2009

Dana rated it:

Not as good as the other books I've read by this author. It's about a woman who inherits a house down south after the death of a relative she never knew. She goes there to settle the estate and try to understand the mystery surrounding the death of this relative, as well the mystery around her family. Along the way she learns about herself. It seemed to drag on for me, and I did have to make myself finish it. It's not that it was boring, just a little slow and predictable for me.

1 comment like

Mar 02, 2009

Natalie rated it:

I just love Sandra Dallas and was not disappointed in this book. A woman in the 1930's finds that she has inherited an estate from an "aunt" she didn't know existed. I enjoyed reading about the old homes and plantations in Mississippi and could easily imagine what it would have been like for the heroine to go through the estate. Some of the story was odd--hence my 3 star rating. I would never re-read this--but was able to easily get through it.

1 comment like

Nov 02, 2009

Michele rated it:

I enjoyed this book as much as the other Sandra Dallas books I have read in the past. Her characters are believeable and little details put the reader right in the era she writes about. At one point in the story I felt an extreme sadness that rarely moves me in other books. Dallas is sensitive without being sappy. Some say the story was predictable. I found it a much needed change of pace. A light, easy quick read that was in many ways thought-provoking.

0 comments like

Feb 23, 2011

Wendy rated it:

Based in the 1930's South. Interesting characters and story line. I wish I had liked the main character a little more. I have a tendency to want heroines with really pure souls and very few measure up :) I can see why the main character had the faults she had but still...I guess very few can live up to Queenie in The Persian Pickle Club. The story line delves into racism and there's a bit of homosexuality but not enough that I was uncomfortable.

0 comments like

May 11, 2010

Fourthemodicas rated it:

This was a different area (Mississippi) and a different era (1933) than the other Sandra Dallas books I have read. It was an interesting story about a woman who is notified she has inherited an estate from her fathers aunt. She travels from Chicago to Mississippi and while uncovering the reason for her Aunts murder discovers many family secrets and learns to turn her life around after her divorce and then her exhusbands suicide.

0 comments like

Sep 19, 2010

Nathalie rated it:

This was a very enjoyable mystery... couldn't quite give it 4 stars for lack of depth but I feel like she definitely understood a lot of the idosyncracies that I have learned about while living here in the South. The main character felt more like someone from the present - the way she spoke, behaved, etc. so it was hard for me to attach myself to her. But as a mystery goes, it was kind of fun to read.

0 comments like

Sep 11, 2010

Loralee rated it:

Like many of Dallas's books, this book contains much of a mystery. The conclusion disappointed me a little because the answer fell into the main character's lap at the end, through a final conversation with someone she had talked to many times already. Still, the theme of the character's homecoming--to a small Southern town she'd never visited before--was satisfying, and I enjoyed the read.

0 comments like

Jun 20, 2009

Rosemary rated it:

A young divorcee inherits an old run down plantation in the deep south. Set in the 50's, there are rumors about the "Goat Lady's" murder and why or who did it. Why did she live in one room of the falling down mansion. The ways of southern women are interesting to read about. Secrets and hidden jewelry make it like a mystery / gossip novel. Started slow but picked up momentum. I loved the people in the book and thought it was worth my time. (Her book, "Persian Pickle Club" More...

0 comments like

May 08, 2011

Susan rated it:

I have been having a good time reading this author, Sandra Dallas. Her characters are all acquainted and sometimes are related, albeit, distantly to each other. I liked this book very much. The plot handled gently the 1930's in the South, awareness different kinds of marriages, and happiness can be found in many, many places. It is a story of recovery and healing.

0 comments like

Dec 07, 2008

Lori rated it:

This is one of my new favorite authors! This story of a city woman being called to help settle the estate of an eccentric aunt she never knew she had was very enjoyable. Her sense of creating another time and place, in this case, the run down Old South, are wonderful. "Tallgrass" is probably my favorite by this author so far, but this one I found very enjoyable.

0 comments like

Jul 28, 2011

Erin rated it:

Her writing style was slightly confusing for me as she introduced bits about many story lines at the beginning. I struggled to remember the significance of all the names at the beginning. By the end though, it was really satisfying to have all of the various piece converge that I was on the edge of my seat. Interesting read, especially for anyone with any ties to the deep south.

0 comments like

Jun 19, 2009

Sandi rated it:

A novel about a woman who inherits a once grand house from an Aunt she never knew she had. This aunt was murdered and Nora sets out to find why and exactly who murdered her aunt. AS in her other books Sandra Dallas paints a great picture of the setting -her it was Natchez,Mississippi in the 1930's and has a colorful cast of characters.

0 comments like

Jun 11, 2010

Betsy rated it:

Most people thought this was a pleasant, enjoyable read, but not one that gave us too much to talk about. Didn't tell us much we didn't already know about post Civil War South and relationships between Whites and former slaves. But Dallas does a good job of creating an authentic atmosphere with vivid descriptions.

0 comments like

Oct 31, 2009

Marguerite rated it:

My favorite line in the book came when the main character meets a man who asks her for change. The character ignores him and the man calls out to her "Hey snooty lady, Jesus loves you." When I read this line, I remembered hearing Sandra Dallas speak and she talked about this line and how it was a personal experience she weaved into her story.

0 comments like

Jul 10, 2010

Lewestover rated it:

Interesting tale involving a young divorcee who discovers relatives she never knew existed when she is willed a southern mansion in 1933. The word miscegenation was added to my vocabulary. The side story of this woman's divorce added an interesting twist, especially considering the time frame of the book.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 03, 2011

Alysia rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Nov 12, 2009

Cindy S rated it:

Nora, the main character, discovers she had a great-aunt, recently deceased. So begins the mystery of her great-aunt's death. Interwoven within this story is a second story - the story of Nora's marriage. Likable characters and an air of mystery, create an enjoyable story.

1 comment like

May 18, 2009

Holly rated it:

This was a great depression era mystery. I enjoy this author's easygoing style. My only complaint was that she didn't do a very good job at her setting. I had a hard time remembering and picturing when this story was supposed to be set. It kept feeling like modern day to me.

0 comments like

Nov 20, 2008

Deb rated it:

I would have given this book 4 stars if it had been a book that I could not put down. I liked the story, the period and the characters. I liked the style of writing and her accuracy of the period. It just wasn't a book that would keep me reading late into the night.

0 comments like

reviews