A Mercy

By: Toni Morrison

Narrated by: Toni Morrison

Length: 6 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

A powerful tragedy distilled into a jewel of a masterpiece by the Nobel Prize - winning author of Beloved and, almost like a prelude to that story, set two centuries earlier.

In the 1680s the slave trade was still in its infancy. In the Americas, virulent religious and class divisions, prejudice and oppression were rife, providing the fertile soil in which slavery and race hatred were planted and took root.

Jacob is an Anglo-Dutch trader and adventurer, with a small holding in the harsh north. Despite his distaste for dealing in "flesh," he takes a small slave girl in part payment for a bad debt from a plantation owner in Catholic Maryland. This is Florens, "with the hands of a slave and the feet of a Portuguese lady." Florens looks for love, first from Lina, an older servant woman at her new master's house, but later from a handsome blacksmith, an African, never enslaved.

There are other voices: Lina, whose tribe was decimated by smallpox; their mistress, Rebekka, herself a victim of religious intolerance back in England; Sorrow, a strange girl who's spent her early years at sea; and finally the devastating voice of Florens' mother. These are all men and women inventing themselves in the wilderness.

A Mercy reveals what lies beneath the surface of slavery. But at its heart it is the ambivalent, disturbing story of a mother who casts off her daughter in order to save her, and of a daughter who may never exorcise that abandonment.

Acts of mercy may have unforeseen consequences.

©2008 Toni Morrison (P)2008 Random House Audio

Good Read

It was a bit confusing in the beginning, but it gets better within the following chapters. I recommend thus book 100%

Completely Immersed!!!

What made the experience of listening to A Mercy the most enjoyable?

Toni Morrison's voice was incredible.

What was one of the most memorable moments of A Mercy?

Florence realizing the person she loved didn't love her back.

Which character – as performed by Toni Morrison – was your favorite?

Sorrow

Any additional comments?

You truly feel transported to another era

She could read the phone book and I'd enjoy it!

She has such a soothing hypnotic voice, and she's not a bad writer either, (lol)

beautiful and deep. her words are so fluid.

loved her voice. she is a masterful author who writes with complexity. this book is not a casual read, you have to be ready to activate your brain. beautiful.

classic Ms. Morrison

She handles these characters in such a way that you feel you have been transported to the 17th century and you are right there sharing each moment with them. very few 20th century writers have written about the injustices and hardships of indentured servants during that time. masterfully written!

Wonderful book

This was my first audiobook, so it was hard to get used to at first, but it was a wonderful experience. Loved it.

Dark listen, but good

I like Toni Morrison, so I'm not bothered by the dark tone her books take, or the inferences. I listened to this particular book in one sitting, and it made me want to go back and listen to it again, just to make sure I got it right. Heart-wrenching. Her characters are very human, very flawed, and they touch the dark places in all of us.

Oscar for Toni Morrison

Would love to see this made into a movie.Historically accurate and visually beautiful! I loved it.

Still trying to make it through

Would you try another book from Toni Morrison and/or Toni Morrison?

Not an audiobook

What didn’t you like about Toni Morrison’s performance?

I found the reading to be very difficult to get into, Toni Morrison's voice is very soothing and the prose is lovely, but I kept needing to back track to try and figure out what was actually said.

Incomplete audiobook

Great novel but it only went up to chapter 5 which is just half of the book. I needed to write my essay on Rebekka’s chapter which is chapter 6.