The Miracle of Mercy Land

Title: THE MIRACLE OF MERCY LAND
Author: River Jordan
Publisher: Waterbrook Press
October 2010
ISBN: 978-0-307-45705-9
Genre: Inspirational/historical/fantasy

What if you had the power to amend choices you made in the past? Would you do it, even if it changed everything? (from the back cover)

Mercy Land works as a assistant editor at the Bay City newspaper, but she’s known as “Doc’s Girl” since she worked for Doc for so long. Her father is a pastor in Bittercreek, and every Sunday Mercy goes home to see her parents and Aunt Ida.

Everything changes when a mysterious book blows in and lands in the middle of Doc’s desk. This isn’t your ordinary book. Instead, it is kind of mysterious, and even just being near it, you can see into people’s lives. The choices they made (good and bad), and how everything and everyone was affected by it.

Not sure what they are supposed to do with this book, Mercy and Doc lock it up and hide it in a file cabinet. But even that doesn’t keep the book “quiet.” Soon, Doc announces he’s going to retire. But instead of offering the editor position to Mercy, instead he brings in a stranger—a mystery from Mercy’s past. Soon Mercy understands that her choices will deeply affect everyone she loves—forever.

THE MIRACLE OF MERCY LAND is the first book I’ve read by River Jordan. She is a very talented writer who has the power to make words come alive on the page. Mercy and Doc became real, and I loved some of the expressions Mercy used to describe things. THE MIRACLE OF MERCY LAND is written in first person, making it very easy to get to know her. There are also excerpts from “Doc’s Journal” included, as well as an additional point of view.

There is a bit of fantasy included in this novel (a genre I usually avoid) but it is not overdone, and is so expertly woven in that I didn’t mind it. I was so deeply engrossed in this novel that I finished it in a day. The ending is a bit weird, but over all this is a wonderful book by a new to me author. If you are looking for a great read, then The Miracle of Mercy Land is a book to consider. Discussion questions are included at the end of the book. $13.99. 341 pages.