Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf narrated by, Tanya Eby &
Kate Rudd
This is a powerful book, and at times hard to read. This is definitely
a ripped from headlines book, when the unthinkable happens to social worker
Ellen, how do you get people to understand that it was an accident when the
guilt of it is ripping you apart. Then we have runaway Jenny whose dad is in
jail and her mother ran off with the man that beat Jenny when she was younger
but luckily she is found by a kind woman who also happens to be Ellen’s mother
Maudene.
Ellen has seen the most awful things in her career as a
social worker but one moment of distraction changes her whole life and the life
of her family and she ends up on the other side of the fence wishing with
everything that she could go back and start the day over. This book shows the
difference between outright abuse and neglect and accidents but sometimes
social services and the media don’t see the distinction between the two. My
heart broke in Ellen’s storyline when the awful thing happened my heart was
racing and it was just really tough to read.
Jenny is spunky and courageous and luckily pretty street
smart I liked her and was rooting for her to find a better life. Although her
storyline was a bit too happily ever after and felt a little rushed I was still
happy for her.
Tanya Eby’s narration as Jenny was very well done and
believable but Kate Rudd’s narration was so hysterical it got really old, I can
understand that in certain moments of this book the hysteria was needed but it
was constant and it seemed to be all the characters are just screeching and
whiny. I do understand this was a taut
emotional book but I wish Rudd had dialed back a bit.
As I said this is a powerful book, I think this would be a
good book for a bookclub because I think it would bring about a great
discussion. I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending I felt both stories were rushed
and a bit too tied up in a bow for my taste.
3 Stars
No comments:
Post a Comment