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210th out of 280 books
—
189 voters
New Mercies
Natchez, Mississippi, in 1933 is a place suspended in time. The silver and china is still dented and cracked from Yankee invaders. And the houses have names...and memories. Nora Bondurant is running away--from her husband's death, from his secrets, and from the ghosts that dog her every step. When she receives a telegram informing her that she has an inheritance, Nora sudd...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
February 21st 2006
by St. Martin's Griffin
(first published April 1st 2005)
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Sandra Dallas often writes about the Rocky Mountains, but "New Mercies" takes place mostly in Natchez, Mississippi, in 1933. Nora Bondurant is summoned by telegram to receive an inheritance from her father's aunt, of whom she never knew. Nora goes to Natchez, hoping to learn more about her father and the family from which he had been estranged. She learns that she has inherited a decaying house named Avoca, the remains of a plantation, and a mystery. Her elderly, eccentric aunt, Amalia Bondurant...more
New Mercies is another great novel by Sandra Dallas. The story takes place in 1933 and is set in Natchez, Mississippi. Dallas does a fantastic job of depicting the culture and speech of the people of Natchez. Nora Bondurant, a young woman who has recently gone through a very unpleasant divorce after 10 years of marriage, is informed that she has inherited the estate of an aunt she has never known about. She travels from her home in Denver to Natchez, Mississippi where her aunt Amalia Bondurant h...more
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 since before ‘th...more
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 since before ‘th...more
Sandra Dallas is such an interesting author. Her books cover such different time periods, settings, and her characters have such depth.
New Mercies is set in the 1930's in Denver and Natchez Mississippi.
Nora Bondurant recently has gotten a divorce after discovering her husband's deep secret. Right after the divorce, her husband commits susicide. Nora receives a telegram asking her to come to
Mississippi to claim an inherentence from an aunt she never knew she had. (isn't an inhertence from so...more
New Mercies is set in the 1930's in Denver and Natchez Mississippi.
Nora Bondurant recently has gotten a divorce after discovering her husband's deep secret. Right after the divorce, her husband commits susicide. Nora receives a telegram asking her to come to
Mississippi to claim an inherentence from an aunt she never knew she had. (isn't an inhertence from so...more
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 with the charact...more
Although I loved this story and I appreciated some of the real, raw heartache that I experienced with the charact...more
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 was kno...more
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 posthumously....more
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 diffe...more
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 relationshi...more
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."
The "new mercies" refer to God's gifts...more
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."
The "new mercies" refer to God's gifts...more
Was originally drawn to this Colorado author for the historical fiction set here in the state I love, but I've long been a fan of Southern fiction, and this was a great blend of both, with a character leaving behind her home in Colorado (with flashbacks to her time there) to claim her inheritance and find out about a family history she never even knew about (something else that appeals to me). The author is into quilting, which she works into her stories, but this story is artfully pieced togeth...more
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 characters,...more
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 Mississippi. It l...more
I just love Southern stories. This book gave just a glimpse into 1930s Mississippi. It l...more
I love Sandra Dallas. She ordinarily writes about women and most of her characters live in Colorado. Historical fiction is her forte. This novel is about a young, recently divorced woman who inherits a crumbling mansion in Natchez,MS, in 1933. She travels from Denver to settle her previously unknown aunt's estate and finds a family mystery to solve and a place where she might be able to start a new life and begin to recover from her divorce and the circumstances surrounding it. I thoroughly enjo...more
Set in Depression-era Mississippi, this book is a wonderful combination of culture and an interesting mystery. Nora Bondurant has come to Mississippi to settle the estate of an elderly aunt that she did not know existed until several weeks before. She is introduced to the culture of the antebellum South as it existed in 1933 among the remnants of the great mansions of Natchez, Mississippi. As she becomes acquainted with the friends and family of her aunt, she begins to become aware of a mystery...more
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' is that it is...more
This is about Nora, whose husband has died and she believes that it was suicide because of secrets he had and she knew about them. Then she gets a telegram telling her she has inherited a home in Natchez Mississippi. She knew little about her father's people and she learns that the lure of Natchez runs deep. Nora's aunt was killed in a murder/suicide and the locals are saying no more - except in hushed tones. She soon learns surprising things about the life and death of her aunt. Kinship isn't...more
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 read.
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.
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.
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.
I just love Sandra Dallas. She rights a good story.
In 1933 when the Civil War has beed over for many years, it is still s recent memory in Natchez, Mississippi. Nora find herself there and surpirsed to find out that she was willed a house from an Aunt that she did not even know she had. Nora is dealing with a recent divorce and death fo her ex-husband. Wanting to get everything settled quickly Nora only plans to be in Natchez a few days.
In 1933 when the Civil War has beed over for many years, it is still s recent memory in Natchez, Mississippi. Nora find herself there and surpirsed to find out that she was willed a house from an Aunt that she did not even know she had. Nora is dealing with a recent divorce and death fo her ex-husband. Wanting to get everything settled quickly Nora only plans to be in Natchez a few days.
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.
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.
Nora Bondurant is surprised to learn she's inherited an old plantation in Natchez, Mississippi when an aunt that she didn't know existed dies. She jumps at the chance to leave Colorado for a visit to the south and to learn about her dad's family. She is running away—from her husband's death and his secrets. Now she has a place to run too. Natchez, Mississippi, in 1933 is a place suspended in time. The silver and china are still dented and cracked from Yankee invaders. When she arrives she learns...more
Recently divorced and at loose ends, Denver resident Nora Bondurant travels to Natchez, Mississippi in the 1930s to claim an inheritance from a previously unknown aunt who died violently. Nora learns about small-town southern culture while trying to uncover family secrets, and eventually reveals her own secrets to the reader. Entertaining story, with a couple of twists I did not see coming. 3.5 stars.
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.
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.
I'm a huge Sandra Dallas fan, especially one of her first historical fictions : " Diary of Mattie Spenser". If you like southern fiction and the allure of the old southern plantations, this book " New Mercies" will appeal to you. It has a mystery, quirky southern characters, and a likeable protaganist, in Nora Bondurant. I loved the descriptions of the mansion she inherited, along with the treasures inside.
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" was a bit better).
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Award-winning author SANDRA DALLAS was dubbed “a quintessential American voice” by Jane Smiley, in Vogue Magazine. Sandra’s novels with their themes of loyalty, friendship, and human dignity have been translated into a dozen foreign languages and have been optioned for films.
A journalism graduate of the University of Denver, Sandra began her writing career as a reporter with Business Week. A staff...more
More about Sandra Dallas...
A journalism graduate of the University of Denver, Sandra began her writing career as a reporter with Business Week. A staff...more
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Jul 05, 2012 06:01am