Mo read and liked Teresa's review of A Mercy:

"Yes, I am a Toni Morrison fan and believe she is incapable of writing a bad book, but that doesn't mean I wasn't ready to be critical of her new book if necessary. It's not necessary. The beginning may seem slow (that never bothers me) as we are thr...more Yes, I am a Toni Morrison fan and believe she is incapable of writing a bad book, but that doesn't mean I wasn't ready to be critical of her new book if necessary. It's not necessary. The beginning may seem slow (that never bothers me) as we are thrust into a world that is faraway in time, but real. Historical details never bog down; they are worn lightly, as a reviewer put it.

Reviewers have compared one character here to Sethe from "Beloved;" and though I see the parallel, this is a very different book. Morrison never repeats a book: each is different from the others. Here the setting is the U.S. before it was the U.S. and slavery is presented in all its forms: black, white, natives, indentured Europeans, 'rescued' orphans, those who are needy, etc. Life is difficult, dangerous and arduous for all, yet there are some who manage to make connections to others despite everything. A slim book that contains multitudes.

The sign of a great book for me: I paged back to the beginning as I neared the end (as I approached the ending, I couldn't put it down) and when I was finished, I could've read it all over again. I will one day.(less) "