A haunting and redemptive novel inspired by the heartbreaking true events that occurred at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, A Tangled Mercy examines the horrifying depths of human brutality and our enduring hope for forgiveness.After the sudden death of her troubled mother, struggling Harvard grad student Kate Drayton walks out on her lecture—and her entire New England life. Haunted by … England life. Haunted by unanswered questions and her own uncertain future, she flees to Charleston, South Carolina, the place where her parents met, convinced it holds the key to understanding her fractured family and saving her career in academia. Kate is determined to unearth groundbreaking information on a failed 1822 slave revolt—the subject of her mother’s own research.
Nearly two centuries earlier, Tom Russell, a gifted blacksmith and slave, grappled with a terrible choice: arm the uprising spearheaded by members of the fiercely independent African Methodist Episcopal Church or keep his own neck out of the noose and protect the woman he loves.
Kate’s attempts to discover what drove her mother’s dangerous obsession with Charleston’s tumultuous history are derailed by a horrific massacre in the very same landmark church. In the unimaginable aftermath, Kate discovers a family she never knew existed as the city unites with a powerful message of hope and forgiveness for the world.
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Intelligent, empathetic and brave — that’s Joy Jordan-Lake! She sets her fascinating historical novel in contemporary Charleston, SC and in 1822, the year of the Denmark Vesey slave revolt and mass hanging. The author digs deep to show the echoes of the past — and how the blood that stained the ground a century ago still taints the soil. The final third as the past and present collide is thrilling!
A TANGLED MERCY is a stunning and timely story. I savored it for the beautiful writing and haunting descriptions of Charleston; I fell in love with the characters–especially young Gabe; I was intrigued by the Gullah language and sucked into the mystery of families entwined through generations. The brutality of hatred and bigotry is raw and disturbing, but what lingers after the last page is turned … is love.
This is a wonderful, informative book. The characters were realistic and multi-leveled.
Could not put this book down
Loved this book! a great book club read.
A very enjoyable read giving great detail of the history of the American South
An unforgettable story with warm characters you can relate to – wonderful southern scenes. I wanted the story to never end. Wish I could give more than 5 stars.
Great reading about racial relatons without preaching. Very well developed characters and an intriguing story.
Interesting read
An eye opener and a fresh visit to an old story. Very timely. Makes you really think, but doesn’t pass judgement.
A Tangled Mercy was a wonderfully complex mix of eras and tragic circumstances. I was taken by surprise by the inclusion of the Emanuel AME murders but uplifted by the response of the community and their ability to forgive in the face of hatred and racism. That in itself gives me hope for mankind in a world in which I have sometimes very little hope for a future of love and understanding.
There were 2 stories being told, the early one clearly influencing understanding of the second and very well woven together by the author. It kept me reading far into the night. I felt both energized and very saddened by the end of the book but the author clearly left me feeling good about the basic nature of most human beings.
A beautifully written book, melding history and fiction, about Charlston, SC. The story flows between present time and the past. At certain points, it brought me to tears. Love, hate, cruelty, redemption and last, but never least, the ability to forgive in the face of tragic circumstances.
Page turner
A Tangled Mercy is a historical fiction book that follows a young girl’s journey to Charleston, South Carolina, searching for her roots. After her mother, Sarah Grace, dies, Kate Drayton has many questions about her mother’s past and Sarah’s obsessive research on a slave named Tom Russell, who died in 1822 during the real-life Denmark Vesey revolt. Unrealistically, Kate accidentally meets all the major players in the story the day she arrives in the city. As the author flips back and forth in time, she tells Tom and Kate’s story in alternating chapters, and we soon learn that they are indeed connected. The details of slavery in 1822 are heart-wrenching, and the accurate description of the massacre that occurred at the Mother Emanuel Church in 2015 tells us that racial tensions are still all too real in the south. Dripping with authentic southern charm and culture—sometimes overly so—this book is an engaging story of discovery, letting go, and acceptance.
A rare dual-time-period novel that makes both time periods interesting and ties them together tightly.
I love history and i visited the Joseph Manigault House in Charleston, SC a few years ago. so, I found the book engaging, but you had to stay on task because of the time changes. the historical info was great1
Breathtaking and masterful, this is one of those time-slip books that is so brilliantly executed, it is going to leave me thinking about it for days, possibly weeks.
For those who are not afraid to dig into some of the grittier questions of today’s culture and for those who may have enjoyed Katie Ganshert’s No One Ever Asked, I highly recommend this book.
I have to admit that I wasn’t overly excited about reading this book. Probably because I had just finished reading a book about the last African slave and wasn’t really ready to read another book pertaining to slavery. I started out slow and then quit, but once I really gave it a shot, I was captivated by the story.
It is an historical novel with a dual story line set in pre-Civil War and present-day Charleston weaving together the Vesey slave uprising of 1822 and the 2015 massacre at Charleston’s AME church.
I love historical novels so I found the historical details and settings fascinating. I liked that the characters were like real people to me. They were complex and complicated characters with warts and pimples like the rest of us, which it made it much easier to relate to them. I also liked that the issue of slavery was dealt with upfront with no attempt to dismiss its importance in our country’s history or the impact it had and continues to have on our society and with which we continue to struggle on a daily basis.
In the end the things that really matter: love, hope, forgiveness, faith, family and friends survive over all else. Truly an excellent novel.
While a little long, I really enjoyed this book. I’m filled with questions now, but I sense that I can build my own ending in a way. Very well written and so much I never really figured out or saw coming.