Mercy Land has made some unexpected choices for a young woman in the 1930s. The sheltered daughter of a traveling preacher, she chooses to leave her rural community to move to nearby Bay City on the warm, gulf-waters of southern Alabama. There she finds a job at the local paper and spends seven years making herself indispensable to old Doc Philips, the publisher and editor. Then she gets a frantic call at dawn—it’s the biggest news story of her life, and she can’t print a word of it.
Doc has come into possession of a curious book that maps the lives of everyone in Bay City—decisions they’ve made in the past, and how those choices affect the future. Mercy and Doc are consumed by the mystery locked between the pages—Doc because he hopes to right a very old wrong, and Mercy because she wants to fulfill the book’s strange purpose. But when a mystery from Mercy’s past arrives by train, she begins to understand that she will have to make choices that will deeply affect everyone she loves—forever.
Read an excerpt
Miracle of Mercy Land | Discussion Guide
Purchase Miracle of Mercy Land
Amazon.com
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million
Borders
IndieBound
Powells
Praise for Miracle of Mercy Land
“A new novel by River Jordan is always cause for celebration, but THE MIRACLE OF MERCY LAND is her best yet. Full of mystery, keen insights, and wisdom, this novel is a wonder, just like Mercy herself.”
–Silas House, author of Clay’s Quilt, Eli the Good
“A tremendously well-written tale. River Jordan is a truly gifted author. Highly recommended.”
– Davis Bunn, best-selling author
“With words spoken like a gentle angel, River Jordan takes her reader deep into the human spirit. A triumph of beauty.”
–Patti Callahan Henry, author of Losing the Moon, When Light Breaks,and the New York Times bestseller Driftwood Summer
“River Jordan taks us on a magical journey to the banks of Bittersweet Creek where the past is revisited and broken hearts are mended. A story told with equal parts Southern charm and supernatural fantasy, this one leaves you dreaming of a world where anything is possible. Jordan has cast her spell again!”
–Susan Gregg Gilmore, author of The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove and Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen
“River Jordan’s words are so delicious that I read them aloud just so I could taste them.If you find it difficult to find a breath of literary fresh air, I assure you, you won’t be disappointed in Jordan.”
–Kaya McLaren, author of On the Divinity of Second Chances and Church of the Dog
“In The Miracle of Mercy Land, River Jordan once again brings us a world filled with magic and light. Jordan strikes a blow for hope in a troubled time. She is a treasure, and The Miracle of Mercy Land is cause for celebration.”
–Raymond L. Atkins, winner of the 2009 Georgia Author of the Year Award and the author of The Front Porch Prophet and Sorrow Wood
“Mercy Land has a heart as big and beautiful as River Jordan’s luminous prose.”
–Kerry Madden, author of the Maggie Valley novels and Up Close, Harper Lee
“River Jordan has crafted a memorable spiritual thriller with beautiful prose, vivid characters, and a unique, haunting plot that grabs the reader by the arm and doesn’t let him go until he reaches the end.”
–Ad Hudler, best-selling author of Man of the House, Southern Living, and Househusband
“River Jordan draws the reder through this magically compelling tale of dark versus light, temptation versus self-knowledge, curiosity versus truth. The Miracle of Mercy Land will keep the reader guessing.”
–Darnell Arnoult, award-winning author of Sufficient Grace and What Travels with Us: Poems
“What if you found a book that is a tell all about the place you live? What would you do? Mercy Land works for a publisher who finds such a book. River Jordan, the author of The Messenger of Magnolia Street, has written another book that is impossible to put down. We loved it and recommend that your bookclub put The Miracle of Mercy Land at the top of your list!”
–Sara Lee and Larry Wood