Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf
Published by Harlequin MIRA
Publication Date: June 24, 2014
ISBN-10: 0778316335
ISBN-13: 978-0778316336
Pages: 320
Review copy from: Harlequin
Edition: TPB
My Rating: 5
Synopsis (via GR):
Veteran social worker Ellen Moore has seen the worst side of humanity; the vilest acts one person can commit against another. She is a fiercely dedicated children’s advocate and a devoted mother and wife. But one blistering summer day, a simple moment of distraction will have repercussions that Ellen could never have imagined, threatening to shatter everything she holds dear, and trapping her between the gears of the system she works for.
Meanwhile, ten-year-old Jenny Briard has been living with her well-meaning but irresponsible father since her mother left them, sleeping on friends’ couches and moving in and out of cheap motels. When Jenny suddenly finds herself on her own, she is forced to survive with nothing but a few dollars and her street smarts. The last thing she wants is a social worker, but when Ellen’s and Jenny’s lives collide, little do they know just how much they can help one another.
A powerful and emotionally charged tale about motherhood and justice, Little Mercies is a searing portrait of the tenuous grasp we have on the things we love the most, and of the ties that unexpectedly bring us together.
Meanwhile, ten-year-old Jenny Briard has been living with her well-meaning but irresponsible father since her mother left them, sleeping on friends’ couches and moving in and out of cheap motels. When Jenny suddenly finds herself on her own, she is forced to survive with nothing but a few dollars and her street smarts. The last thing she wants is a social worker, but when Ellen’s and Jenny’s lives collide, little do they know just how much they can help one another.
A powerful and emotionally charged tale about motherhood and justice, Little Mercies is a searing portrait of the tenuous grasp we have on the things we love the most, and of the ties that unexpectedly bring us together.
My Thoughts and Opinion:
This was an emotional page turner!!! And I couldn’t have read it at the most perfect time of the year. I may have to include a hint of a spoiler so you may not want to read the entire review except to know it is a poignant story.
The four children in this book stole my heart from the first page to the last. And I felt compassion and empathy for the adults that cared and loved them to the best of their ability (vague to avoid spoilers)
(spoiler) I now have a whole new perspective of reality. We have all heard on the news of a child , or even an animal, left in a car, during the summer months and I’m sure, and I will admit I’m guilty of it, said or thought, how or what was the adult thinking? But after reading this book, I’m not so sure that I will be so quick to judge. Yes, it is wrong, it is a crime, we all need to be vigilant,and should wait for all details before making comments and/or judgments.
I have had Ms. Gudenkauf’s books on my wishlist for a while but after reading Little Mercies, she was just moved to my “authors to read” list. Excellent Ms. Gudenkauf, Excellent!!
DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
I was thrilled to find a copy of this in my neighborhood’s Little Free Library and can’t wait to read it!
I loved this book too. I felt the same way, not to be so quick to judge.