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cecile87's review
3.0
A bit glum with bits where I laughed out loud. The recognizable absurdity of the sexist racist and the other anti-choice people is just too depressing. The simplistic thinking and inability to take responsibility for their own misdeeds, for their tendency to blame the victims.
She expressed some of the rage I feel about people who are self-righteous about circumstances that aren’t their business nor ones they have any clue about. Dangerously misguided people for whom, once a child is born, the kid is on their own; for whom, they could give a shit about maternity care before and after childbirth.
So, for that, 3 stars. I didn’t read the whole book. After a third, I went to the last chapter in order to be a bit more ready for my book club…
She expressed some of the rage I feel about people who are self-righteous about circumstances that aren’t their business nor ones they have any clue about. Dangerously misguided people for whom, once a child is born, the kid is on their own; for whom, they could give a shit about maternity care before and after childbirth.
So, for that, 3 stars. I didn’t read the whole book. After a third, I went to the last chapter in order to be a bit more ready for my book club…
nancys99's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
edy901's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
tabithare's review
3.0
3.5 rounded to 3!
mercy street, as many have said, is more of a well-crafted character exploration than a novel. this story was absolutely not what i expected, but i found myself enjoying it anyway. particularly claudia’s sections- most of the other perspectives were odd and not nearly as engaging to me. despite this, haigh’s writing really delves into the minds of all these different people and is extremely dynamic.
also thank you to the people over at harpercollins for an advance copy to review!
mercy street, as many have said, is more of a well-crafted character exploration than a novel. this story was absolutely not what i expected, but i found myself enjoying it anyway. particularly claudia’s sections- most of the other perspectives were odd and not nearly as engaging to me. despite this, haigh’s writing really delves into the minds of all these different people and is extremely dynamic.
also thank you to the people over at harpercollins for an advance copy to review!
mlachevre's review
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
mklein319's review
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
atrautmann217's review
3.0
This book has some really unique characters. Even after finishing it, I’m not sure that I like any of them. Although, I do feel like I understand them. This novel follows a few different characters all centering around an abortion clinic in Boston. From my time as an intern at Planned Parenthood, I recognize the security concerns and protocols of the clinic. I had never read about that experience, which was interesting! My chief complaint is that it was hard to listen to the chapters centering around Victor. His white supremacy and aggressive pro-life stance was nauseating. But, I think that was the point. It felt like a caricature of that type of person - impossible that someone like that exists. Unfortunately, they really do.
joey1914's review
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
literarycrushes's review
3.0
I read Mercy Street by Jennifer Haigh for my book club, which I’ll point out because I don’t think I would have picked this one out on my own. I often find that novels about hot button topics feel forced, as though they’re being written for the sake of getting headlines or making sales rather than because they necessarily have something new to say about a polarizing subject. I did not find that while reading this book.
Mercy Street is a surprisingly quiet story. It is about Claudia, a single, middle-aged woman who works at an abortion clinic in Boston. Through Claudia, we are granted access to the intimate setting of the clinic and learn about many of the patients and their backstories. We also learn about Claudia herself, and her upbringing in rural Maine, where she was raised in a single-wide trailer by a single mother and spent most of her time caring for the array of fosters her mother took in to make extra money. Claudia is not a warm character, and you often feel that she is withholding something of herself as a protective measure. The other characters are all men, each of whom is somehow involved in a somewhat confusing plan to try and dissuade women from getting abortions by publicly shaming them.
I won’t say any more so as to not give the whole plot away, but my main gripe was the book’s pacing – the first half of the novel really takes its time, while the second half feels rushed and I often had to reread paragraphs to make sure I was still following what was going on. One of the characters, Victor, also tended to go on lengthy tirades that I guess were a necessary counterpoint to Claudia’s, and I think were meant to cast a somewhat empathetic view of him, but at times it was more than I could take. Overall though, I’m glad I read it and will be reading Haigh’s other novels soon!
Mercy Street is a surprisingly quiet story. It is about Claudia, a single, middle-aged woman who works at an abortion clinic in Boston. Through Claudia, we are granted access to the intimate setting of the clinic and learn about many of the patients and their backstories. We also learn about Claudia herself, and her upbringing in rural Maine, where she was raised in a single-wide trailer by a single mother and spent most of her time caring for the array of fosters her mother took in to make extra money. Claudia is not a warm character, and you often feel that she is withholding something of herself as a protective measure. The other characters are all men, each of whom is somehow involved in a somewhat confusing plan to try and dissuade women from getting abortions by publicly shaming them.
I won’t say any more so as to not give the whole plot away, but my main gripe was the book’s pacing – the first half of the novel really takes its time, while the second half feels rushed and I often had to reread paragraphs to make sure I was still following what was going on. One of the characters, Victor, also tended to go on lengthy tirades that I guess were a necessary counterpoint to Claudia’s, and I think were meant to cast a somewhat empathetic view of him, but at times it was more than I could take. Overall though, I’m glad I read it and will be reading Haigh’s other novels soon!