Little Mercies
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4.8 • 5 Ratings
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- £2.99
Publisher Description
Sometimes, one small mistake can have life-altering consequences…
As a veteran social worker, Ellen Moore has seen it all – the vilest acts one person can commit against another. The only thing that gets her through the workday is knowing her job helps children. That, and her family: her husband, Adam, and three beautiful kids, twins Leah and Lucas, and eleven-month-old Avery. But with a blink of an eye – with one small mistake – Ellen is suddenly at the mercy of the system she works for. Avery is ripped from her clutches, and her whole world begins crashing down around her.
Meanwhile, ten-year-old Jenny Briard has been living with her well-meaning but good-for-nothing father since her mother left them. When her father decides to pack their belongings and move to a new state, Jenny thinks she might be on the road to a better life. But soon she finds herself on her own, forced to survive with nothing but a few dollars and her street smarts. Evading police and the social system, Jenny finds refuge with a kind-hearted waitress. The last thing she needs is a social worker, but when Ellen and Jenny's lives collide unexpectedly, little do they know just how much they can help one another.
Praise for Heather Gudenkauf:
‘This will have you gripped until the last page’ – Closer
‘Deeply moving and lyrical’ – Company
‘A memorable read’ – Sunday Express
‘totally gripping’ – Marie Claire
‘Set to become a bookclub staple’ – The Guardian
'Fans of Jodi Picoult will devour this' – Red
'Gudenkauf’s prose is searingly raw… Thrilling and emotionally tender, this novel, with its driving pace, will appeal to fans of…Jodi Picoult.' – Booklist
‘This gripping novel is moving and thought-provoking’ -Heat
‘Emotionally-charged’ -My Weekly
About the author
Heather Gudenkauf is an Edgar Award nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Heather lives in Iowa with her husband and children. In her free time Heather enjoys spending time with her family, reading, and running.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Like her debut, The Weight of Silence, Gudenkauf's latest explores the vulnerability of children, this time through two linked stories narrated in alternating chapters. Social worker Ellen Moore juggles responsibility for three children, a husband, a widowed mother, and a caseload of endangered children. One hot and hectic July morning, she rushes out of her house in Cedar City, Iowa, to help a troubled family, barely hearing her husband's goodbyes. Only later does she realize that Adam, asking her to bring their infant daughter Avery to daycare, has put the child into their van. As Avery is rushed to the hospital with life-threatening heatstroke, Ellen faces a familiar investigation this time as an accused perpetrator of child endangerment herself. Out on bail but prohibited from seeing Avery, she finds refuge at her mother's house. Meanwhile, 10-year-old Jenny Briard runs away from her home in Nebraska after her alcoholic father is arrested. When Jenny ends up in Cedar City, she is found and taken in by Ellen's lonely mother, Maudene. Helping her mother decide what to do with the girl, Ellen realizes that clues to the secrets of Jenny's past are within her own case files. With its compelling premise, Ellen's story is more gripping than Jenny's. But its hurried denouement feels false and sentimental, denying the more nuanced resolution her complex situation deserves.
Customer Reviews
Little Mercies is Incredible!
I love this book! I loved the similarities location wise to 'One Breath Way' it made it feel like I tenets red the same world all over again! This story is extremely well written. I live the difference in perspective from Ellen and Jenny. The story is awesome, heart hitting and inspiring. I was hooked, just wanted to keep reading to see what happens, and boy the way it all comes to this 'point' towards the end. I loved it. You'll love it! Heather's fabulous.
Little mercies
Brilliant book couldn't put it down