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The Goodbye Season
A courageous young woman comes of age in the midst of an historical tragedy, from the author of Dark Water Rising.
Mercy Kaplan doesn't want to be like her mother, saddled with crying kids and failing crops for the rest of her life. Mercy longs to be on her own—until her wish comes true in the worst possible way. It is 1918 and a deadly flu epidemic ravages the country, leaving her utterly alone and penniless.
Mercy soon finds a job with Mrs. Wilder. But there's something unsettling about the woman, whose brother died under mysterious circumstances. And then there's Daniel, who could sweep a girl off her feet if she isn't careful.
“The history—of the epidemic and of early feminism—creates a dramatic story, and Mercy’s personal struggle for independence is universal.” —Booklist
“Mercy tells her story in a gentle, cadenced voice filled with youthful hope, simple wisdom and gritty endurance. Perfect similes capture the flavor of Mercy's bittersweet life during the epidemic of 1918.” —Kirkus Reviews
Mercy Kaplan doesn't want to be like her mother, saddled with crying kids and failing crops for the rest of her life. Mercy longs to be on her own—until her wish comes true in the worst possible way. It is 1918 and a deadly flu epidemic ravages the country, leaving her utterly alone and penniless.
Mercy soon finds a job with Mrs. Wilder. But there's something unsettling about the woman, whose brother died under mysterious circumstances. And then there's Daniel, who could sweep a girl off her feet if she isn't careful.
“The history—of the epidemic and of early feminism—creates a dramatic story, and Mercy’s personal struggle for independence is universal.” —Booklist
“Mercy tells her story in a gentle, cadenced voice filled with youthful hope, simple wisdom and gritty endurance. Perfect similes capture the flavor of Mercy's bittersweet life during the epidemic of 1918.” —Kirkus Reviews
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
9 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Marian Hale
3 books24 followersMarian Hale is an American author known for her historical novels for young adults. Her first novel, The Truth about Sparrows (2004), tells the story of twelve-year-old Sadie and her family's journey from Missouri to Texas during the Great Depression. The novel is praised for its historical accuracy and the development of its protagonist, Sadie. Hale's second novel, Dark Water Rising (2006), is set in 1900 and follows seventeen-year-old Seth during the devastating Galveston hurricane, blending fiction with historical events.
Hale also writes The Goodbye Season (2009), another young adult novel that explores family and personal growth. She lives with her husband, daughter, and grandchildren on the Texas coast.
Hale also writes The Goodbye Season (2009), another young adult novel that explores family and personal growth. She lives with her husband, daughter, and grandchildren on the Texas coast.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
February 5, 2013
I would have given this a better rating had the end been better. I actually enjoyed the book and then the end was like what? It ended so abruptly. The author went through all the trouble to develop Gabe, Gilly and Daniel's characters, and then we don't get to see their happy ending? Let alone Mercy's ending. At the very least, let us see her go back to the farm and then let our minds wander from there, but we didn't even get that much. It was disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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January 12, 2014They were gone, every last one of them, never to be seen again. Now no matter how hard Mercy Kaplan looks she will never see another one of her beloved family members again.
In the book The Goodbye Season it is 1842 when the Spanish influenza just begins settling itself upon Canton Texas. The numbers of people that are affected by it are countless. Although the Kaplan family will be altered before they even know the epidemic has arrived. Mercy Kaplan a sixteen year old girl lives in the rural country side of southern Texas. She lives with her Mother, Father, her fourteen year old sister Charity, and two younger brothers Justice and Honor. Mercy despises being the oldest. Her mother always tells her it is more responsibility than anyone else in the family. Mercy spends her days slaving away cooking, cleaning, and housework. That is one thing she doesn’t want to end up doing with her life. Mercy addresses quickly that she will not grow up to be like her mother, a housewife, who does nothing but look after everyone else. Mercy already realizes that she wants to travel and see things. She should be careful what she wishes for.
A few days later Mercy’s mother and father tell her that with the influenza heading their way and the low supply of crops, there isn’t enough food to feed the family. They tell Mercy they have found her a job on a farm being the maid of the household. She could earn the family some extra money and with her gone that will be one less mouth to feed. Mercy knows she has to do this to keep her brothers and sister from starving. Mercy knows she will miss her family terribly but she has to do what’s right. She packs up her things and begins to hike to the Bonner’s farm.
Once Mercy arrives she instantly falls in love with Mrs. Bonner, an elderly lady whose husband runs their farm. The old lady is sweet and helps her clean the kitchen and make the meals. Mr. Bonner is a little more difficult. He doesn’t talk to Mercy at first but once she starts to cook his favorite meals and bring him coffee and shine his shoes he opens up. Mercy learns that both of the Bonner’s children recently died from the Spanish influenza. This makes Mercy realize how close the epidemic actually is and it was much more serious than she thought.
The epidemic takes Mr. Bonner first. Mercy tends to him until he takes his last breath. Mercy is devastated because even in the short few months she spent with them she had become rather close to both of them. At this time Mrs. Bonner tells her to pack up her things and return home. She doesn’t want Mercy to catch it and she wants Mercy to make sure her family is alright since its more than likely one of the members of her family has fallen ill. Mercy is sick with the thought of Mrs. Bonner alone but she is also extremely worried about her own family. With that Mercy begins her long journey home.
There was something about the way the house sounded. It sounded old and abandoned and a little too quite. Mercy walks over to the hearth and sees a small white note that tells her that her mother and all her siblings died over three weeks ago from the epidemic. Mercy can’t even believe it she falls to the ground in complete shock and horror. She doesn’t move for the rest of the night, and at times she wishes the influenza had taken her as well. She was alone with nowhere to go and no one to comfort her.
Now that Mercy has the strength to collect herself she heads into town to try and find a job. She asks everywhere but can’t find anyone who is hiring because of the epidemic. Mercy stops by the bakery just to catch her breath and begins to cry. A woman comes out and asks her if she is alright. Mercy can’t find herself to tell this woman what happened to her family. Mercy just tells her she needs a place to live. The woman, who introduces herself as Emma allows Mercy to sleep in the spare room for a few nights. Mercy offers in exchange to do all the cooking and cleaning. Mercy meets Emma’s daughter Beth and for about a month this becomes a regular thing and they welcome Mercy into the house.
After a while though Emma says she has found Mercy a job being the nanny and maid for the Conwell home. Cora Conwell has two small children and another older son named Daniel. Cora needed someone to watch her kids since her husband was just taken by the influenza. Mercy agrees to do it but Emma warns her, that Cora isn’t right. Something is mentally wrong with her and for Mercy to be careful. With that she sends Mercy on her way.
When Mercy arrives at the Conwell home the one thing she instantly notices is Cora. She keeps her large home very unclean. She left dinner cooking on the stove and she is always saying something about finding a missing black button. Mercy knows something isn’t right with her. Especially when she begins hearing rumors around town that Cora killed her older brother. Mercy has to do something she just can’t leave this family to their psychotic mother. If Mercy stays will she help the Conwell family out? Or will her life be taken by the epidemic, or worse, Cora Conwell
In the book The Goodbye Season it is 1842 when the Spanish influenza just begins settling itself upon Canton Texas. The numbers of people that are affected by it are countless. Although the Kaplan family will be altered before they even know the epidemic has arrived. Mercy Kaplan a sixteen year old girl lives in the rural country side of southern Texas. She lives with her Mother, Father, her fourteen year old sister Charity, and two younger brothers Justice and Honor. Mercy despises being the oldest. Her mother always tells her it is more responsibility than anyone else in the family. Mercy spends her days slaving away cooking, cleaning, and housework. That is one thing she doesn’t want to end up doing with her life. Mercy addresses quickly that she will not grow up to be like her mother, a housewife, who does nothing but look after everyone else. Mercy already realizes that she wants to travel and see things. She should be careful what she wishes for.
A few days later Mercy’s mother and father tell her that with the influenza heading their way and the low supply of crops, there isn’t enough food to feed the family. They tell Mercy they have found her a job on a farm being the maid of the household. She could earn the family some extra money and with her gone that will be one less mouth to feed. Mercy knows she has to do this to keep her brothers and sister from starving. Mercy knows she will miss her family terribly but she has to do what’s right. She packs up her things and begins to hike to the Bonner’s farm.
Once Mercy arrives she instantly falls in love with Mrs. Bonner, an elderly lady whose husband runs their farm. The old lady is sweet and helps her clean the kitchen and make the meals. Mr. Bonner is a little more difficult. He doesn’t talk to Mercy at first but once she starts to cook his favorite meals and bring him coffee and shine his shoes he opens up. Mercy learns that both of the Bonner’s children recently died from the Spanish influenza. This makes Mercy realize how close the epidemic actually is and it was much more serious than she thought.
The epidemic takes Mr. Bonner first. Mercy tends to him until he takes his last breath. Mercy is devastated because even in the short few months she spent with them she had become rather close to both of them. At this time Mrs. Bonner tells her to pack up her things and return home. She doesn’t want Mercy to catch it and she wants Mercy to make sure her family is alright since its more than likely one of the members of her family has fallen ill. Mercy is sick with the thought of Mrs. Bonner alone but she is also extremely worried about her own family. With that Mercy begins her long journey home.
There was something about the way the house sounded. It sounded old and abandoned and a little too quite. Mercy walks over to the hearth and sees a small white note that tells her that her mother and all her siblings died over three weeks ago from the epidemic. Mercy can’t even believe it she falls to the ground in complete shock and horror. She doesn’t move for the rest of the night, and at times she wishes the influenza had taken her as well. She was alone with nowhere to go and no one to comfort her.
Now that Mercy has the strength to collect herself she heads into town to try and find a job. She asks everywhere but can’t find anyone who is hiring because of the epidemic. Mercy stops by the bakery just to catch her breath and begins to cry. A woman comes out and asks her if she is alright. Mercy can’t find herself to tell this woman what happened to her family. Mercy just tells her she needs a place to live. The woman, who introduces herself as Emma allows Mercy to sleep in the spare room for a few nights. Mercy offers in exchange to do all the cooking and cleaning. Mercy meets Emma’s daughter Beth and for about a month this becomes a regular thing and they welcome Mercy into the house.
After a while though Emma says she has found Mercy a job being the nanny and maid for the Conwell home. Cora Conwell has two small children and another older son named Daniel. Cora needed someone to watch her kids since her husband was just taken by the influenza. Mercy agrees to do it but Emma warns her, that Cora isn’t right. Something is mentally wrong with her and for Mercy to be careful. With that she sends Mercy on her way.
When Mercy arrives at the Conwell home the one thing she instantly notices is Cora. She keeps her large home very unclean. She left dinner cooking on the stove and she is always saying something about finding a missing black button. Mercy knows something isn’t right with her. Especially when she begins hearing rumors around town that Cora killed her older brother. Mercy has to do something she just can’t leave this family to their psychotic mother. If Mercy stays will she help the Conwell family out? Or will her life be taken by the epidemic, or worse, Cora Conwell
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2009
This is Hale’s third historical novel. Set during the 1918 epidemic, it follows young Mercy. The member of a sharecropper’s family, she is so poor that her family is forced to send her away to work for someone ten miles from them just to have her fed. Mercy works hard and soon bonds with the couple she serves and their two hired men. But after one trip to town, one hired man is dead and Mercy is sent away for her own safety. She returns home to her family, finding the house empty and her mother and three siblings buried near the house. Mercy is now alone and penniless. She finds a job taking care of a woman and her two small children. But something is strange about the family and Mercy finds herself drawn to the older stepson who may know the answer to the mystery.
An intricate tale of loss, grief, mystery, and love, this book is well plotted and filled with surprises. Mercy is a heroine who never despairs, works incredibly hard, and makes her own way. She is gentle, sweet and yet strong and resilient. At the same time, she is conflicted and unsure often. She is a character worth spending time with in her complexity. The 1918 epidemic will fascinate teens who are hearing about swine flu around them. The devastation of the epidemic is clearly evoked without becoming graphic or overwhelming.
One quibble I have is with the cover art. Why, why, why is Mercy wearing lipgloss and mascara?! Love the hair, the face, the look, the setting. But the makeup just doesn’t work.
An historical novel that is sure to please, this book while about a 17-year-old character would be appropriate for readers as young as 12.
An intricate tale of loss, grief, mystery, and love, this book is well plotted and filled with surprises. Mercy is a heroine who never despairs, works incredibly hard, and makes her own way. She is gentle, sweet and yet strong and resilient. At the same time, she is conflicted and unsure often. She is a character worth spending time with in her complexity. The 1918 epidemic will fascinate teens who are hearing about swine flu around them. The devastation of the epidemic is clearly evoked without becoming graphic or overwhelming.
One quibble I have is with the cover art. Why, why, why is Mercy wearing lipgloss and mascara?! Love the hair, the face, the look, the setting. But the makeup just doesn’t work.
An historical novel that is sure to please, this book while about a 17-year-old character would be appropriate for readers as young as 12.
February 21, 2016
This book was perfect. A fantastic coming of age tale that was so heart breaking but made me smile. I loved Mercy and how she didn't take no for an answer. She made her own life which I love. My only problem was that she kept resisting Daniel when they were meant to be! I think they got married in the end. A truly great read that I recommend to all historical fiction lovers.
July 14, 2024
2/10 - Not memorable IMO, decent enough.
May 13, 2015
Mercy Kaplan has a lot to figure out in her life but she knows something for sure- she doesn't want to grow up to be like her mother: taking care of five kids and watching crops fail every year. Mercy has bigger dreams. The year is 1918 and times are tough for the Kaplan family. Their crops are failing and they have little food, a lot of mouths to feed and a long winter ahead. Things change for Mercy as she leaves her home and goes to live with an older couple to work on their farm doing house chores. The long winter just gets worse and worse. The spanish influenza outbreak begins and many people die. Mercy hasn't heard from her family in months when she is forced to leave the couple when the influenza hits them. She heads home and finds her worst nightmare, an abandoned house and some of her family dead from the influenza. Mercy is left homeless with no work. This is her adventure involving love, murder, survival and lots of mystery. The characters in this story seem very real. In my mind I imagine Mercy tall with long light brown hair and blue eyes. The things that she says always have a purpose: they are either to be helpful or to resolve an issue. Her actions make a big impact on the story. They are often to help someone or work to benefit a situation. Her small deeds can impact a lot of people. I enjoyed this particular book very much, because it was a look into what life was like in 1918. This story takes you on an adventure through a major time in this character's life. The author did a very good job of keeping you wondering what was going to happen next. I enjoyed this book very much and recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction and mystery.
October 12, 2020
I really enjoyed reading this book, and I'd definitely recommend it to others as a good, easy read that still keeps you engaged in the character's story. After finishing it, I really wanted a sequel though!
July 13, 2009
Timeless story.
June 22, 2017
Will be reading this one with my 8th graders this year. Loved it :)
March 5, 2020
WOW! A young sharecropper's daughter making life choices with a Spanish influenza going around. I thought this was a good read.
May 24, 2021
in my opinion, I did not enjoy this book. I was not really into the book.
January 24, 2023
3.5 stars! Heart-wrenching book about a seventeen year-old who aimed to not be trapped with house chores and crying children (basically marriage) like her mother. Her life shifted when the spanish flu epidemic happened and she was forced to support her life all alone and penniless. I loved how fast paced this book is and how short the chapters are. However, it disturbed me with the fact that she was bullied by an outsider into thinking that marriage is what she really wants and what will make her happy. Also the fact that there was an unmarried character which is living a "dull" and unhappy life in a huge house. Sometimes, people aren't prepared for marriages and it is okay. AND WHAT WAS THAT ENDING YA ALLAH 😭
August 9, 2024
This book was beautifully tragic. My heart broke over and over again for Mercy. A resilient young woman who is unfortunately ruled by her fears. This book had brought me to tears several times.
The ending was quite unsatisfying for me and I think there are some aspects of the book that seemed quite rushed. Also, the book advertises a plot with murder, it’s more a mention of murder than anything. Hence 4 stars instead of 5. I would absolutely recommend this book.
The ending was quite unsatisfying for me and I think there are some aspects of the book that seemed quite rushed. Also, the book advertises a plot with murder, it’s more a mention of murder than anything. Hence 4 stars instead of 5. I would absolutely recommend this book.
March 28, 2019
I really liked this book because Mercy was a really good writer in this book. This book made me cry and there should be a movie and another book on it. I have one question, Why did Mercy not accept to Daniel's Purpose?
June 15, 2021
Really liked this book!! The author keeps your interest throughout the book. She has only written 3 short novels . Sparrow and Dark Water Raising and the one I am reviewing. Don’t miss these books . Worth your time and I know you will love her historical fiction.
December 11, 2025
Excellent narrator, well paced, page Turner.
I guess I prefer a little bit of comic relief following the heavy stuff, but I still give this book credit for dealing with some very difficult topics well.
Before you dive in, Don’t forget your box of Kleenex! Or 2! You’ll need them more than once!
I guess I prefer a little bit of comic relief following the heavy stuff, but I still give this book credit for dealing with some very difficult topics well.
Before you dive in, Don’t forget your box of Kleenex! Or 2! You’ll need them more than once!
September 25, 2018
I enjoyed this book until the ending. I wanted more. It leads you to believe what you think happened but I want concrete evidence that it actually did.
June 1, 2019
This was a good book, but I felt that it ended rather abruptly. I would have liked a little bit more for sure.
June 10, 2019
4th and up: solid read for MS
May 16, 2020
Beautiful story. Definitely one of my favorites.
June 23, 2020
It was amazing I just wish they would put more
Good I loved it and I think people going in to 6th Grade it cusses in it so I do not recommend for young kids
Good I loved it and I think people going in to 6th Grade it cusses in it so I do not recommend for young kids
May 16, 2021
A sweet story about dealing with loss and moving forward with the help of new friends
January 2, 2022
It was a fast read, predictable story line. I enjoyed it.
July 24, 2024
I LOVE IT.
Okay. It's a historical novel set in the year 1918 during Spanish influenza (mind you that this pandemic is what killed Edward Cullen of The Twilight Saga mehehe). This was not my kind of genre. I am more into romance novels and young adult and anything that goes before the existence of smartphones is not my cup of tea. So you would know that never in a million years would I buy this type of book. I got it in the Big Bad Wolf sale a few months back and I was in a hurry so I just picked it up to fill my box.
But boy, was I wrong, and again, do not judge a book by its cover nor its synopsis. You have to read it to know if you like it or not.
It's about a 16 year old girl (soon to turn 17 in later part in the book) named Mercy Kaplan. She's the daughter of a sharecropper, she lives with her parents and 3 other siblings. She's the oldest. She doesn't want to turn out like her mom, you know, getting married taking care of kids everyday and really that's all her mom does despite the high education her mom has gotten. She wants to do something else with her life.
The winter's coming and they do not have enough food to sustain their life so her parents make a decision that her dad would go to town and get a job and Mercy would go to her parents' acquaintance's farm, Mr. and Mrs. Bonner, and work there as a hired girl who cleans and cooks. She hasn't seen her family in months and when the Spanish influenza is wildly spreading to her town, Mrs. Bonner forces her to go back and see her family. She goes back to her family cabin and she sees a note saying that her mother and 3 siblings were buried on November 16th, 1918 under an oak tree near their house, if I'm not mistaken. It is heartbreaking, you know, because she is all alone. The influenza takes away her family. When reading it, I can feel what she's feeling, it's like I am Mercy. I can feel her loneliness and I feel hopeless for her.
She goes to town to look for her dad. She goes to post office asking the officer if her dad has sent any letters to the Kaplan family but there's nothing. It is believed that her dad died because there is no news about him and he has not tried to contact her in any ways. She then found a job as a nanny to the Wilder's family. There's Cora the mother, Daniel (19 years old) the step-son of Cora (her husband's kid with his first wife), and Gabe and Gilly, Cora's biological kids with Sam. Sam, the husband died of the flu.
So Mercy lives there at the Wilders and everyone loves her. She has grown fond of Gabe and Gilly (Daniel takes a liking to her) and something happens and Cora died. She has to move out of the house because it is not nice to be living with a boy during those time, they are very radical, might I say. So she moves out and lives with her friend, Emma, quite a motherly figure for her. She still goes to the Wilder's to take care of the kids and cooks for them. One day, she found a new live-in job at a boarding house. During her last day at the Wilders, they go out for a picnic and they pluck some flowers and that day is described as perfect. After supper at the house, before she gets to drop the bomb at Daniel, he gives her his mother's wedding ring, he's proposing to her but she rejects him, saying that she gets a new job and will not be coming to the house anymore. Daniel asks her if that is what she wants and she says yes.
The next day, she works at the boarding house, cooking for a lot of people, 3 times a day. It isn't like at the Wilders house, where she gets to laugh and lots of hugs from Gabe and Gilly. She finally realizes that she wants Daniel and the kids in her life. She wakes up at the middle of the night, packing her stuff (hinting that she's going back to the Wilders) and writes something in the diary that Cora gives her. She finally knows why her mother chooses the life she's living until her death and that is because her husband and kids are everything to her.
-------
I finished this book and I felt like a big chunk of my soul has been taken away by this book. I felt so emotional and sad. Sad that it's over. Sad that Mercy's entire family dies. Sad that her fate is so heart-wrenching and that she's alone. This book is perfect though I really hope that the author would write how she goes back to the Wilders house and how she confesses her feelings to Daniel and all.
Okay. It's a historical novel set in the year 1918 during Spanish influenza (mind you that this pandemic is what killed Edward Cullen of The Twilight Saga mehehe). This was not my kind of genre. I am more into romance novels and young adult and anything that goes before the existence of smartphones is not my cup of tea. So you would know that never in a million years would I buy this type of book. I got it in the Big Bad Wolf sale a few months back and I was in a hurry so I just picked it up to fill my box.
But boy, was I wrong, and again, do not judge a book by its cover nor its synopsis. You have to read it to know if you like it or not.
It's about a 16 year old girl (soon to turn 17 in later part in the book) named Mercy Kaplan. She's the daughter of a sharecropper, she lives with her parents and 3 other siblings. She's the oldest. She doesn't want to turn out like her mom, you know, getting married taking care of kids everyday and really that's all her mom does despite the high education her mom has gotten. She wants to do something else with her life.
The winter's coming and they do not have enough food to sustain their life so her parents make a decision that her dad would go to town and get a job and Mercy would go to her parents' acquaintance's farm, Mr. and Mrs. Bonner, and work there as a hired girl who cleans and cooks. She hasn't seen her family in months and when the Spanish influenza is wildly spreading to her town, Mrs. Bonner forces her to go back and see her family. She goes back to her family cabin and she sees a note saying that her mother and 3 siblings were buried on November 16th, 1918 under an oak tree near their house, if I'm not mistaken. It is heartbreaking, you know, because she is all alone. The influenza takes away her family. When reading it, I can feel what she's feeling, it's like I am Mercy. I can feel her loneliness and I feel hopeless for her.
She goes to town to look for her dad. She goes to post office asking the officer if her dad has sent any letters to the Kaplan family but there's nothing. It is believed that her dad died because there is no news about him and he has not tried to contact her in any ways. She then found a job as a nanny to the Wilder's family. There's Cora the mother, Daniel (19 years old) the step-son of Cora (her husband's kid with his first wife), and Gabe and Gilly, Cora's biological kids with Sam. Sam, the husband died of the flu.
So Mercy lives there at the Wilders and everyone loves her. She has grown fond of Gabe and Gilly (Daniel takes a liking to her) and something happens and Cora died. She has to move out of the house because it is not nice to be living with a boy during those time, they are very radical, might I say. So she moves out and lives with her friend, Emma, quite a motherly figure for her. She still goes to the Wilder's to take care of the kids and cooks for them. One day, she found a new live-in job at a boarding house. During her last day at the Wilders, they go out for a picnic and they pluck some flowers and that day is described as perfect. After supper at the house, before she gets to drop the bomb at Daniel, he gives her his mother's wedding ring, he's proposing to her but she rejects him, saying that she gets a new job and will not be coming to the house anymore. Daniel asks her if that is what she wants and she says yes.
The next day, she works at the boarding house, cooking for a lot of people, 3 times a day. It isn't like at the Wilders house, where she gets to laugh and lots of hugs from Gabe and Gilly. She finally realizes that she wants Daniel and the kids in her life. She wakes up at the middle of the night, packing her stuff (hinting that she's going back to the Wilders) and writes something in the diary that Cora gives her. She finally knows why her mother chooses the life she's living until her death and that is because her husband and kids are everything to her.
-------
I finished this book and I felt like a big chunk of my soul has been taken away by this book. I felt so emotional and sad. Sad that it's over. Sad that Mercy's entire family dies. Sad that her fate is so heart-wrenching and that she's alone. This book is perfect though I really hope that the author would write how she goes back to the Wilders house and how she confesses her feelings to Daniel and all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 16, 2013
The Goodbye Season
By Marian Hale
Review by Kaitlyn
Could you believe what it would be like to live in the past instead of now? I often wonder that same question. In the novel The Goodbye Season by Marian Hale I felt like it would be simpler to live the life back in 1918. But I couldn’t say much until I read a little further. In history this was the time when the great depression was nearing and a flu epidemic came. And that is where my whole vision of the “simpler life” changed while I read this novel.
The Goodbye Season is told by a seventeen year old girl named Mercy Kaplan, a girl who lives on a farm with very little income because her father is a sharecropper who only gets one good crop a year. Mercy has one brother named Justice and two sister whose names are Honor and Charity. One day she found out there crop didn’t turn out well for the year and had to go and work for another family to help make money for her family.
Mercy has this calm, smart, and respectful personality. This is why she was my favorite character in the novel and could do all the things that she managed to do as a seventeen year old.
I really didn’t like how the author used the chapter titles because it is very common. I think it would’ve been even more interesting if they would’ve wrote with specific dates because it was so long ago and would’ve given a feel of old times and would have made it seem more like a diary.
I like how the author showed the perspective of Mercy throughout the book because it gave it the sense of a dairy but it wasn’t at the same time which made it more like a novel.
I think overall this book fits into a type of mystery, adventure and romance because in this book Mercy doesn’t know what is about to change in her life because as a seventeen year old it has changed a lot and she needs to move on in life so it becomes an adventure because she has to take on adult roles. Although it isn’t as difficult for Mercy to do this because her mother has taught her so much and she has younger siblings. It is also romance because Mercy finds a boy. This boy is one of her employer’s sons and this makes it even more difficult to fall in love.
The larger theme of the story is about leaving things in the past and moving on even though it is hard to do. But Mercy doesn’t leave things behind, she applies them to her life as if they were still there and continues on with her new life. This is why the title The Goodbye Season fits the overall theme of the novel.
While you read this novel you get the feeling that you are in Mercy’s shoes which is a nerve racking feel that makes you want to keep reading. If you enjoy nerve racking and tear jerking novels then this is one for you.
In a world dealing with sickness Mercy Kaplan an intelligent well -kept girl battles through what life has to offer her with the worst and eventually something she didn’t see coming when she was only seventeen.
By Marian Hale
Review by Kaitlyn
Could you believe what it would be like to live in the past instead of now? I often wonder that same question. In the novel The Goodbye Season by Marian Hale I felt like it would be simpler to live the life back in 1918. But I couldn’t say much until I read a little further. In history this was the time when the great depression was nearing and a flu epidemic came. And that is where my whole vision of the “simpler life” changed while I read this novel.
The Goodbye Season is told by a seventeen year old girl named Mercy Kaplan, a girl who lives on a farm with very little income because her father is a sharecropper who only gets one good crop a year. Mercy has one brother named Justice and two sister whose names are Honor and Charity. One day she found out there crop didn’t turn out well for the year and had to go and work for another family to help make money for her family.
Mercy has this calm, smart, and respectful personality. This is why she was my favorite character in the novel and could do all the things that she managed to do as a seventeen year old.
I really didn’t like how the author used the chapter titles because it is very common. I think it would’ve been even more interesting if they would’ve wrote with specific dates because it was so long ago and would’ve given a feel of old times and would have made it seem more like a diary.
I like how the author showed the perspective of Mercy throughout the book because it gave it the sense of a dairy but it wasn’t at the same time which made it more like a novel.
I think overall this book fits into a type of mystery, adventure and romance because in this book Mercy doesn’t know what is about to change in her life because as a seventeen year old it has changed a lot and she needs to move on in life so it becomes an adventure because she has to take on adult roles. Although it isn’t as difficult for Mercy to do this because her mother has taught her so much and she has younger siblings. It is also romance because Mercy finds a boy. This boy is one of her employer’s sons and this makes it even more difficult to fall in love.
The larger theme of the story is about leaving things in the past and moving on even though it is hard to do. But Mercy doesn’t leave things behind, she applies them to her life as if they were still there and continues on with her new life. This is why the title The Goodbye Season fits the overall theme of the novel.
While you read this novel you get the feeling that you are in Mercy’s shoes which is a nerve racking feel that makes you want to keep reading. If you enjoy nerve racking and tear jerking novels then this is one for you.
In a world dealing with sickness Mercy Kaplan an intelligent well -kept girl battles through what life has to offer her with the worst and eventually something she didn’t see coming when she was only seventeen.
January 10, 2016
SPOILER ALERT!!!!
The Goodbye Season is a well written book, but a bit sad. It's a story about a girl named Mercy Kaplan. Her family is poor and this winter they don't have enough food to feed their family of six. Their cotton crops failed again this year and their father can't find a job in town. They send Mercy Kaplan to the Bonners where they take her in. She does house chores and cooks and cleans. In return they give her food and shelter. About a week before Christmas the two work boys that helped Mr. Bonner with the crops that season have died from a plague. Mercy is sent home to her family by the Bonners when Mr. Bonner becomes sick from the Spanish influenza. Mercy is sad and wants to stay at first and then she becomes excited to see her family again. When she arrives home her hopes are crushed. She finds a note on the mantel piece that says her family died and they were buried out by the oak on their farm. Mercy is devastated but determined to find her father who set off to find a job in other towns but said he would write often. Mercy sets off to try and find work in town but everywhere there is not enough business after the sickness to hire extra hands. By a pure miracle Mercy finds Emma at The Glory. Emma takes her in and lets her work for her keep. She even finds her a real job taking care of the Wilders. Emma goes to work for the Wilders. They are good people but the woman of the house (Mrs. Wilder) went crazy long ago. Mercy cannot leave well enough alone and in this book she finds out what happened to Mrs. Wilder and Mercy even falls in love. In my opinion if you don’t like sad books you shouldn't read this. It's well written but it is extremely sad. At first the author leads you to believe that Mrs. Wilder murdered her brother and her mother and at the end you find out that in fact Mr. Wilder (her own father!) killed his wife because she would not give him her land she inherited and killed his son because he married someone he did not approve. In each case he beats them to death, and then runs his horse pulled carriage over them and tells the authorities that they were trampled by horses. This book does have a kind of irony to it, because when Mercy was with her family, all she could think about was how she wanted to leave. She also thought about how she didn't want to turn out like her mama but when her family does die, and she gets her wish, all she wants is her family back. She also turns out exactly like her mother. Marrying Daniel because she loves him and settling for less than she could have had.
The Goodbye Season is a well written book, but a bit sad. It's a story about a girl named Mercy Kaplan. Her family is poor and this winter they don't have enough food to feed their family of six. Their cotton crops failed again this year and their father can't find a job in town. They send Mercy Kaplan to the Bonners where they take her in. She does house chores and cooks and cleans. In return they give her food and shelter. About a week before Christmas the two work boys that helped Mr. Bonner with the crops that season have died from a plague. Mercy is sent home to her family by the Bonners when Mr. Bonner becomes sick from the Spanish influenza. Mercy is sad and wants to stay at first and then she becomes excited to see her family again. When she arrives home her hopes are crushed. She finds a note on the mantel piece that says her family died and they were buried out by the oak on their farm. Mercy is devastated but determined to find her father who set off to find a job in other towns but said he would write often. Mercy sets off to try and find work in town but everywhere there is not enough business after the sickness to hire extra hands. By a pure miracle Mercy finds Emma at The Glory. Emma takes her in and lets her work for her keep. She even finds her a real job taking care of the Wilders. Emma goes to work for the Wilders. They are good people but the woman of the house (Mrs. Wilder) went crazy long ago. Mercy cannot leave well enough alone and in this book she finds out what happened to Mrs. Wilder and Mercy even falls in love. In my opinion if you don’t like sad books you shouldn't read this. It's well written but it is extremely sad. At first the author leads you to believe that Mrs. Wilder murdered her brother and her mother and at the end you find out that in fact Mr. Wilder (her own father!) killed his wife because she would not give him her land she inherited and killed his son because he married someone he did not approve. In each case he beats them to death, and then runs his horse pulled carriage over them and tells the authorities that they were trampled by horses. This book does have a kind of irony to it, because when Mercy was with her family, all she could think about was how she wanted to leave. She also thought about how she didn't want to turn out like her mama but when her family does die, and she gets her wish, all she wants is her family back. She also turns out exactly like her mother. Marrying Daniel because she loves him and settling for less than she could have had.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 25, 2010
I like this book so far because it is kinda like a death and loveish story because it takes place when the spanish influenzis was going aroud and all of mercys family is dead and she is trying to find work to pay for her self. i is kinda love because when she was trying to find work she is now a maid and she is working for a famiy that has this boy t hat she like and i think that he likes her too. i also like how it is being told and i like the lay out. Now that i am farther in this book Mercy the main carecter think that the women she is working for killed her brother and mother because they were both trampled by horses. and she is also talking to a button and she is getting all up tight about a letter that her dad sent and she is really scared that he will find out what she did and i am not quite sure what she did that she is so scared about. mercy and this guy named daniel i think that he likes her because they have had 3 scecret meetings late at night. now in the book it is christmas and mercy i9s having to do all the cleaning and cooking because Mrs. Wukders dad is coming and she is really affriad that he is going to know what she did and she is really scared that he will find out. and mercy wAS TELLING THE step son n ot to leave them to alone to gether or bad thins might occur and n ow the father wants to take her on a one on one hborse and carrige ride she is deathly affraid of horses and carregis because her mother was tramped and soo was her brother. so she think that mabey that ir will happen to her. now mercy is going to go toher friends house named emma she owns a cafe and she is haveing christmas day in the cafe with emma and her daughter. i think that scince the father want to go on a horse and carrige ride that all the kids will go with so that danielle womt have to watch them and then they father and daughter womt be alone and then they wont have to worry about a scert getting out. i think that the scerct is that once her mother died of being trampled by horse that she murdered tyhe brother because she was scared that maybe she would be the next to die but i dont know and ity is really suspence full and it is kida scaring me just a little.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2012
Having read and loved Hale's previous work, Dark Water Rising, I was hoping for another historical coming of age tale where the setting and time period came to life. Unfortunately, this novel did not strike me the way the previous one did.
Seventeen year old Mercy Kaplan, the oldest daughter of a sharecropper family, finds herself farmed out to another family when the cotton crop fails and the family is on the verge of ruin. Mercy's father and Mercy take off down the road, each in opposite directions, but with the same goal - keeping the rest of the family from starvation. Mercy moves in with an eldery couple with a large farm, cooking and cleaning for room and board. Mercy settles into to her new life and is looking forward to Miz Beulah's offer of having her family for Christmas dinner when the influenza strikes the farm. Miz Beulah and Mr. Bonner fear for Mercy's safety and send her off before she can be striken. Mercy makes her way back to the family holding, only to find that her entire family has died.
Armed with a little more than a dollar and a recommendation from Miz Bealah, Mercy makes her way to Canton, Texas to see if she can find work and word from her father. The town has been hit hard by the flu, and jobs are scarce. Mercy finally finds work with the Wilder family and finds herself drawn into their family. Mercy has dreams of finding her own way in life, but keeps finding herself drawn into other's lives as she searches for a way to avoid a life of cooking and cleaning for others.
Although set in 1918-19, the rural setting often lost its sense of time - there were shades of the late 1800's as well as the Great Depression. The Spanish Influenza could have taken a bigger role; as it was, it happened, people died. The character of Mercy did a lot of getting on with her life, but did a lot of whining as well - not the most engaging character.
Seventeen year old Mercy Kaplan, the oldest daughter of a sharecropper family, finds herself farmed out to another family when the cotton crop fails and the family is on the verge of ruin. Mercy's father and Mercy take off down the road, each in opposite directions, but with the same goal - keeping the rest of the family from starvation. Mercy moves in with an eldery couple with a large farm, cooking and cleaning for room and board. Mercy settles into to her new life and is looking forward to Miz Beulah's offer of having her family for Christmas dinner when the influenza strikes the farm. Miz Beulah and Mr. Bonner fear for Mercy's safety and send her off before she can be striken. Mercy makes her way back to the family holding, only to find that her entire family has died.
Armed with a little more than a dollar and a recommendation from Miz Bealah, Mercy makes her way to Canton, Texas to see if she can find work and word from her father. The town has been hit hard by the flu, and jobs are scarce. Mercy finally finds work with the Wilder family and finds herself drawn into their family. Mercy has dreams of finding her own way in life, but keeps finding herself drawn into other's lives as she searches for a way to avoid a life of cooking and cleaning for others.
Although set in 1918-19, the rural setting often lost its sense of time - there were shades of the late 1800's as well as the Great Depression. The Spanish Influenza could have taken a bigger role; as it was, it happened, people died. The character of Mercy did a lot of getting on with her life, but did a lot of whining as well - not the most engaging character.
February 17, 2012
One of the most common story lines in teen literature involves a child with special powers, especially if that child is an orphan or a "practical orphan." Another popular theme involves trying to be different from ones parents, especially a daughter trying to be different from her mother.
Mercy Kaplan dreams of having a different life, a better life, than her mother has. She does not want to be trapped at home, cooking, cleaning, and raising babies her whole life. There aren't many other options open to her, though, and her family's extreme poverty soon drives all plans of escape out of her head. She is sent to live as a servant for a neighboring family, but while she is gone the influenza epidemic rages through her town, killing her entire family and the family she is serving. Mercy tries to find another place to work, but tragedy seems to follow her wherever she goes. When she gets tangled in another family's generational drama, she has to choose: will she stay and relive her mother's life, or will she do something different, just because she's always wanted to be different?
I liked most of this story. The plot actually kept me reading, even if I was able to predict what would happen. I appreciated that Mercy realized toward the end of the novel that her mother was not miserable in her choice to be a homemaker. Mercy's mom enjoyed staying home and raising Mercy and her siblings. However, I was very disappointed in Mercy's decision at the end of the novel. I was rooting for her to choose otherwise. Nonetheless, this was a good book and definitely worth the read.
Mercy Kaplan dreams of having a different life, a better life, than her mother has. She does not want to be trapped at home, cooking, cleaning, and raising babies her whole life. There aren't many other options open to her, though, and her family's extreme poverty soon drives all plans of escape out of her head. She is sent to live as a servant for a neighboring family, but while she is gone the influenza epidemic rages through her town, killing her entire family and the family she is serving. Mercy tries to find another place to work, but tragedy seems to follow her wherever she goes. When she gets tangled in another family's generational drama, she has to choose: will she stay and relive her mother's life, or will she do something different, just because she's always wanted to be different?
I liked most of this story. The plot actually kept me reading, even if I was able to predict what would happen. I appreciated that Mercy realized toward the end of the novel that her mother was not miserable in her choice to be a homemaker. Mercy's mom enjoyed staying home and raising Mercy and her siblings. However, I was very disappointed in Mercy's decision at the end of the novel. I was rooting for her to choose otherwise. Nonetheless, this was a good book and definitely worth the read.
October 16, 2012
In the beginning I rated this book 4 stars but when I finished I wish I could have rated it 10 stars! This is probably the best book I have ever read. This book changes your life. I'm not even exaggerating. You feel that you are Mercy! Parts of the story tears welled up in my eyes. Parts of the story I smiled or laughed and yet other parts I felt the tender caring feeling that Mercy felt towards Danial.
I write this review with so many feelings! I think part of the reason why this book means so much to me is because of the things that have been happening in my life lately. This book has actually been a counselor! Imagine that! Mrs. Rose told that me this book is in a series. I looked at the other books that this author wrote. The plot and characters don't even sound interesting! I felt so sad when Mercy (the main charecter) went home and realized her family had died. Between each chapter there was quotes from famous people that foreshadowed the future in the story. It really made me ponder.
With many historical fiction books they leave the ending with mystery of what the future holds for the character. Honestly, I yelled at the book when I was finished for such a cliff-hanger and my mom told me to vent on Goodreads. Best book I've read. GO HISTORICAL FICTION. I LOVE YOU.
I write this review with so many feelings! I think part of the reason why this book means so much to me is because of the things that have been happening in my life lately. This book has actually been a counselor! Imagine that! Mrs. Rose told that me this book is in a series. I looked at the other books that this author wrote. The plot and characters don't even sound interesting! I felt so sad when Mercy (the main charecter) went home and realized her family had died. Between each chapter there was quotes from famous people that foreshadowed the future in the story. It really made me ponder.
With many historical fiction books they leave the ending with mystery of what the future holds for the character. Honestly, I yelled at the book when I was finished for such a cliff-hanger and my mom told me to vent on Goodreads. Best book I've read. GO HISTORICAL FICTION. I LOVE YOU.
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