Marianne Perry's Blog - Posts Tagged "michael-landon-jr"
Traces of Mercy Book Review
Traces of Mercy opens April 1865 in Tennessee near the end of the American Civil War. We meet a Confederate sniper with a stellar record who refuses to shoot his Union foe tending to his brother during the final moments of his life. He gives the sniper a Mercy Medallion in gratitude. The sniper is subsequently injured, he loses his memory, the war ends and we learn the sniper is female they name Mercy because of the medallion.
As events unfold we meet a convent of Catholic Irish nuns who take care for Mercy. Mercy falls in love with a Union officer in St. Louis, Missouri whose family are railroad developers. They discover she is a Confederate sniper though her amnesia remains and their impending marriage is cancelled. Determined to re-establish her relationship, however, she attempts a criminal act and is captured. She escapes a conviction of treason and subsequent hanging and the book concludes with her on her own determined to solve the mystery of her identity.
The story is told in a series of first-person journal entries Mercy pens that shed insight into her character and the dilemma her amnesia causes; third-person POV unfold the plot.
A suspenseful tale with layered characters, the last line will compel readers to pick up the next book in order to discover what happens to Mercy.
In particular, I favored many of the quotes for the reflection prompted and the timelessness of the tale thus forth created. For example, "Quiet can be very loud."
Written by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Keller, the novel is a good read.
Marianne Perry
Writing inspired by genealogical research to solve family mysteries.
www.marianneperry.ca (less)
As events unfold we meet a convent of Catholic Irish nuns who take care for Mercy. Mercy falls in love with a Union officer in St. Louis, Missouri whose family are railroad developers. They discover she is a Confederate sniper though her amnesia remains and their impending marriage is cancelled. Determined to re-establish her relationship, however, she attempts a criminal act and is captured. She escapes a conviction of treason and subsequent hanging and the book concludes with her on her own determined to solve the mystery of her identity.
The story is told in a series of first-person journal entries Mercy pens that shed insight into her character and the dilemma her amnesia causes; third-person POV unfold the plot.
A suspenseful tale with layered characters, the last line will compel readers to pick up the next book in order to discover what happens to Mercy.
In particular, I favored many of the quotes for the reflection prompted and the timelessness of the tale thus forth created. For example, "Quiet can be very loud."
Written by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Keller, the novel is a good read.
Marianne Perry
Writing inspired by genealogical research to solve family mysteries.
www.marianneperry.ca (less)
Finding Mercy Book Review
Finding Mercy Book Review
Finding Mercy is the sequel to Traces of Mercy. It, too, is written by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley.
Charlotte Chapman, aka Mercy, is a Confederate sniper who has amnesia. The Civil War has ended and she is reunited with her family. She learns her mother died in childbirth and her father is deceased. She meets her stepmother and two step-siblings.
Her family clings to past beliefs and is still operating a rice plantation in Georgia. Though her memory does not return, she has snippets of her former life. Through her interactions with former slaves and observations of how her family and others treat them, she learns of her previous disrespectful attitudes and vows to improve their living conditions. This is a clever tool to inform the reader of historical events without sounding didactic. Charlotte says, "Is that what I used to sound like?" when she hears abrasive comments.
Through events, Charlotte discovers her family intends to rob her of inheriting the estate as her father wished and takes matters in her own hands to ensure justice administered. An exciting plot and well-developed characters, the authors pen vivid descriptive passages as well as apt insights as to suffering amnesia. I felt the ending too rushed but would recommend this as a good read.
Marianne Perry
Writing inspired by genealogical research to solve family mysteries.
www.marianneperry.ca
Finding Mercy is the sequel to Traces of Mercy. It, too, is written by Michael Landon Jr. and Cindy Kelley.
Charlotte Chapman, aka Mercy, is a Confederate sniper who has amnesia. The Civil War has ended and she is reunited with her family. She learns her mother died in childbirth and her father is deceased. She meets her stepmother and two step-siblings.
Her family clings to past beliefs and is still operating a rice plantation in Georgia. Though her memory does not return, she has snippets of her former life. Through her interactions with former slaves and observations of how her family and others treat them, she learns of her previous disrespectful attitudes and vows to improve their living conditions. This is a clever tool to inform the reader of historical events without sounding didactic. Charlotte says, "Is that what I used to sound like?" when she hears abrasive comments.
Through events, Charlotte discovers her family intends to rob her of inheriting the estate as her father wished and takes matters in her own hands to ensure justice administered. An exciting plot and well-developed characters, the authors pen vivid descriptive passages as well as apt insights as to suffering amnesia. I felt the ending too rushed but would recommend this as a good read.
Marianne Perry
Writing inspired by genealogical research to solve family mysteries.
www.marianneperry.ca
