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Mercury: A Novel by Amy Jo Burns
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Mercury: A Novel (edition 2024)

by Amy Jo Burns (Author)

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16525166,068 (4.13)None
"It's 1990 and seventeen-year-old Marley West is blazing into the river valley town of Mercury, Pennsylvania. A perpetual loner, she seeks a place at someone's table and a family of her own. The first thing she sees when she arrives in town is three men standing on a rooftop. Their silhouettes blot out the sun. The Joseph brothers become Marley's whole world before she can blink. Soon, she is young wife to one, The One Who Got Away to another, and adopted mother to them all. As their own mother fades away and their roofing business crumbles under the weight of their unwieldy father's inflated ego, Marley steps in to shepherd these unruly men. Years later, an eerie discovery in the church attic causes old wounds to resurface and suddenly the family's survival hangs in the balance. With Marley as their light, the Joseph brothers must decide whether they can save the family they've always known--or whether together they can build something stronger in its place."--… (more)
Member:amusedbybooks
Title:Mercury: A Novel
Authors:Amy Jo Burns (Author)
Info:Celadon Books (2024), 336 pages
Collections:Your library
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Mercury by Amy Jo Burns

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I loved that this novel revolves around a family of roofers, although their passion for their work was hard to understand until I read that the author grew up in such a family. There is the mystery of the dead body found in a church attic at the beginning of the story, and there is the relationship of Marley to three brothers, and the tension of a tyrannical patriarch and strong-willed (adulterous) matriarch. The author moves around in time to develop the characters and plot. There is much to empathize and situations to identify with in this book, and I hope the author's style becomes more polished in time. ( )
  sleahey | Apr 5, 2024 |
Gosh this book is sad. But just hopeful enough to not be devastating. ( )
  AngelClaw | Apr 2, 2024 |
This is a family saga for people who are most interested in literary fiction that examines relationships between characters. Most of the characters are 3-dimensional, with things to like and dislike about them. Each person's perspective is understandable - the author is good at showing all the sides of an argument and how easily misunderstandings happen.

Shay's secret and Elise's troubles were both unsurprising. I missed Marley's mom in the second half of the book. I enjoyed Marley's relationship with Jade, though it was a bit sudden.

The writing was good. It took itself a bit too seriously - everything is deep and all the feelings are a little exaggerated. Sensitive readers probably don't have to be told quite so much. A little levity would've been nice.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookish First for an ARC in exchange for a review. ( )
  Kaitlin_KL | Feb 27, 2024 |
If generational family sagas are your thing what a great book this is! Set in a small rural town, one woman tries to keep The Joseph and Sons Roofing Company from falling apart. Leading a couple of twists and plenty of drama, turns somewhat somber, but comes together in the end. ( )
  mchwest | Feb 14, 2024 |
Thanks to #NetGalley, the publisher and the author.

Baylor, (Bay) Waylon (Way), and Shay (baby) (and they called him that too) Joseph are brothers and roofers who live in Mercury, PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh and they are all in the roofing business with their father except for Shay since he was too young at first.

Marley moves to the town with her mother. She first dates Bay and then falls in love with Way. Marley just wanted to fit in with this family of men and her in-laws. Elise was a stiff one and Mick was a tough one.

All the brothers are different in their personalities and demeanor and I can personally say that I liked Shay the youngest the best who wasn't prominently portrayed more for me when he was 10 in the beginning of the book.

It wasn't a depressing book nor sad but it wasn't a happy one either. I wouldn't call them a dysfunctional family but Bay and Way sure were fighting a lot maybe because they were a year apart in ages. ( )
  sweetbabyjane58 | Feb 9, 2024 |
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"It's 1990 and seventeen-year-old Marley West is blazing into the river valley town of Mercury, Pennsylvania. A perpetual loner, she seeks a place at someone's table and a family of her own. The first thing she sees when she arrives in town is three men standing on a rooftop. Their silhouettes blot out the sun. The Joseph brothers become Marley's whole world before she can blink. Soon, she is young wife to one, The One Who Got Away to another, and adopted mother to them all. As their own mother fades away and their roofing business crumbles under the weight of their unwieldy father's inflated ego, Marley steps in to shepherd these unruly men. Years later, an eerie discovery in the church attic causes old wounds to resurface and suddenly the family's survival hangs in the balance. With Marley as their light, the Joseph brothers must decide whether they can save the family they've always known--or whether together they can build something stronger in its place."--

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