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Book Review By Jan Lamers
New Mercies by Sandra Dallas

Rumor is that Amalia Bondurant, known as the goat lady, was murdered. Nora Bondurant is surprized to received a telegram advising her to come to Natchez, Mississippi to settle the estate of her aunt Amalia, a woman she never knew. Nora's father died when Nora was a child and never told her or her mother anything about his family. Nora makes the trip from Denver to Natchez, where the civil war is talked about and Yankees not really welcome. Nora is not greeted warmly by the servants still living at Avoca, the family home which has fallen to ruins. Aunt Polly and Ezra have taken care of the home forever. Nora questions what really happened to Amalia, but the south hides it's secrets. Rumors surface that Amalia was not her father's aunt, rather she was his mother. Who his father was Nora is determined to discover.

While the South is a different culture than Nora is used to, she grows to enjoy the people, and when a place to live is offered to her, she thinks maybe she will move near the relatives she never knew and away from bad memories in Denver. Along the way, she may solve the mystery of the goat lady.


Plot & Themes
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 1930's-1950's
Family, struggle with Yes
Struggle with: - inheritance
Internal struggle/realization? Yes
Struggle over
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Gender - Female
Profession/status:
Age: - 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Nationality

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status:
How sensitive is this character?
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 6 ()
United States Yes
The US: - Deep South
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Misc setting

Writing Style
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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