From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult comes a “sensitive exploration of the balance of love” (Publishers Weekly).Two cousins are driven to extremes by the power of love, as one helps his terminally ill wife commit suicide at her request, and the other becomes involved in a passionate affair with his wife’s new assistant. In the midst of betrayals and trials, forced to confront … of betrayals and trials, forced to confront the limits of their love, these cousins must ask themselves how far the borders of their hearts can extend.
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Another brilliantly researched and well-told story of desperately strained relationships.
Two overlapping plots lead us on, as we explore the ethics of mercy killing as well as the torment a respected public figure goes through when he falls in love with another woman and his wife disposes of all his possessions.
Not one of her best.
Jodi Piccoult is a pleasure to read because the plot lines always have twists that make a reader think about different sides to the same events. I always love to pick up one of her books and see what twists and surprises are in store throughout the story.
Jodi Piccolt books are so real and well written.
Inspirational
Couldn’t put it down even though I wanted to
Mercy is about the meaning of love and what it represents in marriage. Cam and Allie MacDonald are the married couple who represent love. Cam is the police chief and clan chief of Wheelock, Massachusetts. Allie owns and operates the local flower shop in town.
The MacDonalds of Carrymuir came to Massachusetts in the late 1740s. Cam hadn’t given much thought to being police chief. It was once his fathers duty. It was both an honor and a mark of respect to protect and serve the people of Wheelock. When his cousin James arrives into town admitting to murdering his sick wife, Cam questions his sense of duty to the law. Questions of ethics comes into play as the grey area of morality and ethics rocks the town of Wheelock.
Cam’s moral obligation to his wife gets tested when a Mia comes into town.
This is my first read by Jodi Picoult. I’m sad it’s taken me this long to pick up one of her books knowing she’s written 26 novels. Her writing style is known for provoking the mind of readers with her controversial topics. I wanted to experience that gifted storytelling ability first hand. I started with a book published in 2001. This way if I like what I read I can read how her writing grows and develops over the years.
I found Jodi’s writing style to be very informative and compelling. Everyone is correct when they say she provokes the minds of readers. This was the type of book in which I couldn’t shut my mind off from. I went to bed thinking about the topics presented in the story.
Narrator:
Alyssa Bresnahan is a female voice over artist who performed Mercy in its entirety. Let me just say when it comes to performing the male character voices in Mercy the sound was much too feminine. Other than that Alyssa did a phenomenal job voicing this book.
The best way to experience Mercy was by listening to the audiobook while following along with my ebook. Alyssa performed all the Scottish words and her pronunciation of words was superb. I’m becoming a fan of audiobooks for this purpose not because I’m incapable of reading but rather I’m incapable of pronouncing words correctly.
This was an English abridged audiobook. The listening time is 17 hours. I listened at 1.8x speed.
Though I love Jodi Picoult -I did not find this as riveting as some of her other stories. The two subplots were well handled and ended predictably -perhaps too much so–character development and individual studies were engaging -The divergence into the Scottish heritage of the chief of police -laird of the McDonald clan -and the dreamlike sequences of his aged Uncle Angus -fighting those wily English -left me high and dry -as did the segue in cousin Jamie’s alternate realities –seemed like well crafted – page filler — You couldn’t help but admire the emergence of Allie -the betrayed wife as a force to be reckoned with -but there was also a sense of
sadness for Cameron- her husband -and you can’t but wonder if duty will be enough to replace the passion and joie de vivre -he had found in Mia’s arms-
loved it
As an “Outlander” fan, I loved the references to Culloden and the Scottish heritage.
I liked this book, but it confused me. I figured out so in who the couple was in the prologue, but I wasn’t sure who was “speaking” in the italicized sections at the end of some chapters. I did not understand the ending at all.
I agree with most readers that MERCY is not Jodi Picoult at her best. Unlike some, I didn’t mind the Scottish clan stuff as I felt it helped to raise the stakes and explain Police Chief Cameron MacDonald’s (aka Cam) elevated standing in the small town of Wheelock Massachusetts, as he is not only the Police Chief but actually the Laird of a community that decamped from Kirriemuir Scotland.
This also explains the first important plot point: Why did Cam’s cousin Jamie MacDonald kill his wife in Wheelock, and then immediately seek out Police Chief Cam? Many readers said they found this puzzling, but the reason is because Cameron MacDonald is Jamie’s clan leader, and as such, is expected to protect his cousin from the consequences of the law.
And so, in this fourth Jodi Picoult novel (I am reading them ALL in order) we have our social issue, that of mercy killing or euthanasia, in the setting of 1990s New England where most people were generally very uncomfortable about this issue, if not dead set against it.
So much for Story One. As most have pointed out, there is another story, which I’ll call Story Two, as it is the more traditional story of the Unfaithful Jerk of a Husband carrying on with wife’s BFF (in this case, a stunning assistant called Mia, whom Cam’s wife Allie helps.) Many readers disliked this story, on the grounds of unbelievability, but I rather enjoyed it. I could empathize with Allie’s infatuation with husband Cam (the Police Chief/Laird,) and her subsequent bitterness as the facts of his betrayal became clear to her. I enjoyed the way that she doled out his comeuppance. But I also agree that Jodi Picoult missed an opportunity to ratchet up the tension by neglecting to tell us more about Mia, who mysteriously appears and vanishes. I was dying to know who she really was, and how she acquired her magical powers. It would have been so neat to have her not only take over Allie’s place at the flower shop, but also as her mother-in-law’s confidant and mixer-of-potions. Four stars. #jodipicoult #mercy
wonderful! I couldn’t put it down.
The book was good but in the middle of the book it gets a little overwhelming. Its definitely realistic and it makes you think on many of decisions you make when you are in love. It makes you think a lot of what you will do for a love one.
I have always enjoyed Jodi’s books and this one did not disappoint. She is not afraid to tackle tough subjects.
This book about what you would do for the one you love. There are two stories being told here. The story of Cam and Allie who live in Wheelock, Massachusetts and the story of Jamie and Maggie who live in a neighboring town. Cam is the police chief and Allie owns a floral shop in town. They are married but have no children. Cam’s family moved to the town from Scotland many years before. Jamie and Maggie (also married with no children) drive to Wheelock where Jamie will only talk to Cam (Cam remembers later that he and Jamie are cousins) to confess to killing Maggie.
The same day, Mia shows up in town and Allie feels sorry for her so she hires her at the floral shop. There is an immediate spark between Cam and Mia.
Back to what you would do for the one you love – would you leave? Would you kill? Would you lie? If a terminally ill family member asks you to kill them will it be considered murder? Or is it Mercy?
I look forward to Jodi Picoult books. This one was not like any of her other books. I could not like Cam. In my opinion, he is a spoiled teenage boy who has no idea how good he has it.
I usually learn something when I read one of her books. Not this time. This was definitely not one of her best.
Jody has a way of telling a story that leaves you all the richer for the journey and you are glad you spent the time to read the tale
DNF
This book was relatable, and loved the twists and turns.
Makes you think about your own mortality and what you would do if presented with the same situations.
When it comes to my favorite authors, Jodi Picoult is always in the top! I love her stories, as they use basic problems we all might face! The characters are usually very realistic, and they make me want to predict how the story will end. We read many of her books in our book club. We also shared her books at reading conferences, and those sessions were very well attended! It is like we cannot wait for the next title to come out …
A most timely story about the world in which we live today. Facing difficult decisions in times of emergency and great pressure is something none of us covet; however, all of us do have these decisions and should prepare ourselves to the extend that we can. This author takes a giant step forward in helping us to consider our convictions about some of life’s most difficult situations. Should be a must read for all of us.