A Mercy by Toni Morrison

As with all of Toni Morrison books, I feel like if I were a high schooler trying to read this book, I would hate it unless I had a good English teacher to explain everything to me. Morrison is such a complex writer that in the initial reading of this book, I feel like there was a lot that I was missing, yet there was so much that I did get that I kept reading. In terms of whether or not this book is "better" or worse than her other books, I'd definitely have to read it again. I mean Beloved is so fantastic that I wonder if there's anything that can compare. I feel like she does such a good job of capturing the emotion and confusion of owning oneself that it's really hard to compare to the ways she was able to weave all those different themes together in Beloved.

With A Mercy, she explores more of the roles of women in society of that time period and how one's identity is forged by their interactions with others so it addresses another issue. I don't think that it was as emotionally powerful but a good academic read. This would be a book that would be fun and compelling to discuss with others. It's also one of those books that you would read again because there's so many hints at deeper things that one wouldn't be able to get until the second or third reading.

All in all, I'd have to say that of all the books I've reviewed so far, this one has the most academic value (I mean I know The Crucible is pretty widely read in high schools, but this one has more meat in it). As for how much I liked it as a novel, I'd have to say its readability isn't as highly rated because there are so many themes and motifs interweaved throughout the novel that unless you were a little more well read, I don't think you'd be able to appreciate the book as much.