[Mercury] [By: Larson, Hope] [April, 2010]

by Hope Larson

August 31, 5:15 PM, French Hill, Nova A girl named Tara is running. She runs through her nice neighborhood and up a road to the burned ruins of what was once a beautiful house--her family's house. August 31, 1859, French Hill, Nova A girl named Josey is picking blackberries with her friend Connie. As the girls gossip, a handsome stranger knocks on the door of Josey's house. His name is Asa, and with his coming, Josey's life--and later in time, Tara's as well--is about to change forever. Because there is treasure in the woods that belong to Josey's family. Gold--an untold fortune. Asa has a secret way of finding it, and his partnership with Josey's father could make them all rich. But there is darkness in the woods, and in Asa. And in the present day, Tara, Josey's descendent, is about to discover the truth about what really happened in the family's past. Eisner award winner Hope Larson weaves together history, romance, and a touch of her trademark magical realism in this remarkable graphic novel of how the past haunts a teenage girl's present.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Comics, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Historical

Paperback

First published January 5, 2010

About the author

Hope Larson is an American illustrator and comics artist. Hope Larson is the author of Salamander Dream, Gray Horses, Chiggers, and Mercury. She won a 2007 Eisner Award. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

Reviews

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very much enjoyed it. Good, clear, compelling storytelling. It's obvious to see why the author is an Eisner award winner.

It has a nice modern teenage storyline, but the paralell 1800's teen storyline really makes it into sometime amazing. The dollop of the fantastic in there (or magical realism, if you insist on the term) sealed the deal for me, bumping it up from a great story to a truly excellent one.

My only regret is that I don't think I can give this one to my little boy *quite* yet. He's 7.5 now, and while he could read and understand it. Some of the relationship and betrayal stuff.... I don't know if he's quite into that yet.

That's not a failing of the book though. Quite the opposite. Any book I *wish* I could share with my boy is doing something very right.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"There's buried treasure on the farm?!" -- Tara Fraser, page 137

I see per the GR reviews that Mercury was largely hit or miss for many readers. Well, I liked it because, in a nostalgic sense, it kind of reminded me of a live-action Disney film from the 70's (like The Watcher in the Woods, which was a bit dark), and the Canadian setting was certainly a plus.

This fantasy-drama-romance graphic novel, illustrated in desolate black & white that is perfect for the tale's supernatural premise, centers on two teenage girls with parallel storylines. Josey Fraser lives on her family's farm in Nova Scotia in 1859, and meets a mysterious treasure-hunting young man and would-be suitor. Josey's descendant Tara Fraser resides in the same (though slightly more suburban) property in 2009. Tara is dealing with the aftermath of a house fire, the absence of both parents, and re-entering high school after a few years of home-schooling. When Tara receives a simple piece of jewelry that long-ago was cherished by Josey, the plot is nicely kicked into motion.

Mercury is one of those books that can get away with not explaining every minor detail or angle because of, you know, 'magic.' (Nothing really heavy-handed, it's just that some exterior or invisible forces are likely in play here.) It was also pretty good with lightly touching on contemporary issues - and Josey's and Tara's lives are probably a little more similar than either would realize, even 150 years apart - while effortlessly switching back and forth between the two main characters.

[Ken-ichi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have to admit I was underwhelmed. This book and its author pop up a lot in discussions of comics' current crop of bright lights, so perhaps my expectations were set a bit high. Given the big-eyed, effeminate look of every character and the parallel time periods / magical realist storyline, this read a bit like a high schooler's mashup of shojo manga and A.S. Byatt. Sadly, like many American high schoolers' attempts at manga, I found Larson's faces to be mostly inexpressive, and, like my least favorite magical realism, the story didn't seem to go anywhere. What do these timelines have in common, even thematically? What role do the magical elements serve in the story? I'm not entirely opposed to magical realism, but I do expect the magic to somehow fit into the emotional or thematic world of the realist story. The talking crow and magic hole in this story just felt a bit prefab and out of place.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I am a fan of Hope Larson, I was a bit disappointed by Mercury. The story, which travels back and forth between 1859 and 2009, links two teenage girls who have both grown up in the same house in French Hill, Nova Scotia. In the present day, Tara Fraser is now living with an aunt, as her childhood home, which has been in the Fraser family for generations, has burned down. Tara’s mother is in northern Alberta, trying to earn enough money to reunite with Tara. Tara is trying to cope with all this change and with having to go back to school and feeling a bit of an outcast. In 1859, Tara’s teenage ancestor, Josey, has just met a young mysterious stranger, who turns up at the Frasier farm, proposing to Josey’s father that they prospect for gold. Josey’s mother is suspicious of this strange man, but Josey begins to feel romantically inclined towards him. Tara also begins to have romantic feelings for a young man on her track team. As their stories, separated by 100 years, begin to dovetail, Tara uses a divining pendant that she has found in the ruins of her house to search for a missing cache of gold that was never found after the murder of Josey’s father.

I found this story, although fascinating in parts, to be rather muddled with the back and forth between time periods. The addition of supernatural elements made it even more so. It just did not come together for me. The black and white art was gorgeous, up to Larson’s usual standard. I did like how she developed Tara’s character, who begins the story as a rather confused and passive teen but then becomes empowered by her determination to take control of her destiny by finding the gold. I also liked the rural Canadian setting. I can now say that I know what “donair” is. The ending does not tie up all the loose threads, but leaves us wondering how Tara will use the gold to bring her mother back and rebuild their lives together.

Although Mercury is a distinctive story and Larson is a very talented artist, I did not find this graphic novel an overwhelming triumph. I enjoyed it, but was somewhat exasperated by having to yank myself back and forth between 1859 and 2009.

[Mik · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, so... What did I just read?

I rarely read graphic novels anymore. The main reason I read this one was that I had nothing else to read... But wow. The storyline seems like it could be alright, and the fact that it took place in Canada made me happy, because let's face it--I'm from Canada, and we are pretty much invisible to any kind of media.

So let's get this part of the review over this first. This book perpetuates stereotypes like no tomorrow. I half-expected the characters to start saying "eh" every two pages. Here are all the things that annoyed me, formulated into a list:
-Any sort of Canadian lingo was uncomfortably spoonfed into the dialogue and given a footnote at the bottom for all those non-Canadians that apparently don't know what loonies and oilsands are. That's another thing: we don't say "I'll lend you a loonie," we say "I'll lend you a dollar." There is a point where someone refers to Tim Horton's as Tims, but that really didn't need to be shoved into the dialogue for the sake of having it said.
-They played field hockey. Okay, maybe field hockey is popular in Nova Scotia (I looked it up, and it doesn't seem like it) But seriously, field hockey? Is that supposed to be some kind of joke?
-I realized halfway through this book that the author was American, and it all came together. The whole narrative treats Canada like some faraway unknown land with an otherworldly culture.

Now let's talk about the story--it was mediocre. First of all, the visual style of the illustrations was very unclear and unexpressive. The characters and the setting were blank--I couldn't describe a single character to you, because they all acted the same. The two storylines never really converged, they just happened alongside each other and then just ended anticlimactically. Honestly, the whole story wasn't very thought out, and we never get to know what the villain (if you can call him a villain) was even trying to achieve.

Mercury was just a bunch of things happening in a cluttered, uninteresting story.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not loving this graphic novel at all. It has lots of potential but I just have some issues with it.
The art sequence, the story flow and the characters are so confusing. The characters are totally sexist, desperate and somewhat judgemental. I just couldn't connect with the storyline whatsoever it is, let alone the characters!
It's so damn monotonous and boring. As it's a graphic novel, I read it till the end. One of the silly mistakes I know. But I was looking for something that would make the life of Tara, the girl.
Somehow I lost complete interest at 45 percent. I feel the book was not edited and scriptedwell and it was so haphazard and all over the place.

I would not recommend this one at all.

[Amy | littledevonnook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't really know what to expect from this graphic novel. It was an okay read but I don't think I'll be picking it up again!

- This is a graphic novel following the story of two young women, one living in the present day (Tara) and one living in 1859 (Josey). We see how the story of Josey and the events in 1859 effect the life of Tara living in the present. Josey lives on a farm with her family, they are struggling for money but one day a handsome young man named Asa arrives and claims to be able to find gold on their land. With the hopes of finding a fortune and bringing his family out of poverty Josey's Father agrees to work alongside Asa. Before long things with Asa seem a little off and Josey discovers a darkness within him. In the present day Tara and her friends are living in the shadow of Josey and Asa's story - will Tara be able to unearth what happened?

- I thought this story was okay, I wasn't blown away by it. The illustrations are all very simple and in black and white, I don't know whether this effected how much I enjoyed the novel as this is my first graphic novel where all the illustrations have been in black and white. I liked the idea of the interlocking stories and how the past effected what happened in the future. I think my main issue was that I just didn't feel connected to the characters at all, I found them all quite flat and without a great deal of life or depth - I just didn't care about them.

- I would recommend if you are able to take this out at a library, which is what I wish I had done instead of shelling out the money for it! 3 out of 5 stars, a very average read.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This odd graphic novel tells the parallel stories of two Nova Scotia girls, one in 1859 and one today. I knew as I read that the stories of these two would come together at the end, but when they did, I'm sorry, but I didn't get it. Maybe it's me, but I just found the graphics hard to interpret at times. For instance, I had trouble keeping the characters straight, because in some cases two characters tended to look alike, and I had to figure out from context who was who. Color illustrations rather than black and white might have helped. Frankly, the 1859 story was far more interesting to me than the modern one, but I really never got the ending (whereas I did understand how the modern story ended). I think this story would have worked better as prose rather than a graphic novel. Disappointing to me, but others may enjoy it more.

[Lia Strange · Rating 1 out of 5]

lo odie con todo mi corazon, ni me voy a gastar en hacer una reseña

[Thomas Edmund · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mercury is one of those stories I picked up and didn't struggle to read, but found myself constantly wishing for more. The story is OK, the characters quite sweet, and I felt satisfied with the tale, but still many nagging negatives stick in my mind.

First of all the artwork, the style is fine but I felt like there were only 1-2 templates the people were drawn from, and without powerful characterization I often found myself double checking who everyone was. Given that the story seemed to rely heavily on meaningful looks and emotional expressions this didn't gel well.

Second the story was worthy, but I felt lacked real tension. The basic premise centers around an old-timey gold-rush era family and a modern family and their various trials. On an intellectual level the tales were linked well and should have made sense, but between the complaint above and little to alert the reader which time-span you were in I often found myself having to check the characters clothing to remind myself which story I was in. The old-time family probably held more drama as we see a family react to the appearance of a charming but suspicious stranger, and I could see what the story of the modern family was portraying but I felt it was a little flat. I'll probably have to use some SPOILERS to explain so...

SPOILERS AHEAD sorry

The story is basically about a young teenage heroine, who has to live with friends(relatives) due to tough circumstances, the tension is meant to sit with her families lack of income and the likelihood of having to move to another town so her mother can work, but she is settling in 'French Hill' and even has a boyfriend (ooooo). The story is wound up when our MC magically discovered a sack of gold (which was lost/hidden in the old-timey story). Anyway my problem with all this is not so much the details (as I mentioned intellectually its a good story) its more that the narrative didn't make me feel it, most of her story-line seemed just seemed to follow a hard done by teenager, sure moving away from your boyfriend sucks but it never really felt that bad (especially compared to the historic tale)

There was an awesome blurt of supernatural towards the end, which was really cool but probably underused and not really explained (it was probably deep cultural metaphoric stuff lost on an idiot like me but whatever) but I think ultimately Mercury could have thrived better as a fleshed out novel or with more story arc.

[Janessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graphic novels intimidate me. In the same way I’m intimidated my new technology. Or teenagers, even. They seem elusive, somehow. Difficult to capture. I can try to understand them, but I end up feeling like I’ve missed something.

I think one reason for this is that where a traditional novel develops plot and character through words, graphic novels do this through images. And a picture truly is worth a thousand words here. A lot depends on a single frame. You have to pay attention, and you also have to be willing to take a leap of faith and assume a lot from what each sequence is telling you.

That leap of faith was well worth taking with Hope Larson and her award winning graphic novel, Mercury. The book is set in a small town in Nova Scotia, French Hill. But it takes place in two different time periods. In one, dark haired Josey farms with her family on their mid-nineteenth century homestead. She is beginning to look for love and thinking about marriage when a gold rush breaks out and brings a mysterious stranger to their home. In the other, modern-day Tara is trying to find roots for her and her mother after their home, the family farm where Josey lived, burns to the ground.

Each story stands strongly on its own, but the overlap between Josey and Tara’s lives make the book captivating. In Josey’s story we find intrigue, death, and the paranormal. In Tara’s there is romance, adventure, and treasure hunting. But both also include more subtle plot points. Family tension, financial pressure, social awkwardness, and loyalty are all represented with wonderful nuance.

Scenes range from the ordinary: a first date over pizza and coffee, to the paranormal: a funeral procession of specters accompanied by ominous black crows. I loved both. I’m still not sure if I’m ready to dive into the graphic novel genre, but I will definitely watch for more from Larson.

[Melki · Rating 2 out of 5]

The storyline in this book plops back and forth between 2009 and 1859. Both tales are set in rural Nova Scotia and involve teenaged girls.

The 1859 tale about a farm family who falls under the spell of an enigmatic drifter was rather enchanting, which made it all the more annoying to be yanked out of that world, and thrust into the modern day story which involved a magical necklace that can locate solid gold AND...car keys. Really? Yeah. Really.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was recently at the bookstore I was drawn to the cover. Then I read the back and was intrigued. After opening the cover and realizing this was a graphic novel, I was totally sold!

Let me start out by talking about the amazing artwork that told the story. From start to finish these black and whites are wonderfully detailed. I loved Larson’s ability to capture the character's emotions in her work.

Mercury is the story of two teenage girls from the same family that just happen to live 150 years apart. Josey lives in the year 1859 with her parents on their farm. When a stranger shows up at Josey’s door to help her dad work their land she starts to fall for him. As I read I just wanted things to work out for Josey (especially after all the foreshadowing her not so normal mother has done). Josey Is so sweet and good, but not in that annoying way, you want things to work out for her.

Tara lives in the present day world with her aunt and uncle while she is waiting on her mom to get a permanent job, since their old farm house recently burned. Tara’s aunt gives Tara all her mom's old jewelry to cheer her up about starting school. In the jewelry is one magical piece that will change things for Tara. I really liked Tara’s character! She did the best with what she was given and I loved her sense of adventure.

I enjoyed going back and forth between Josey and Tara’s lives. It kept the book fresh and fast. I loved the ending! I will be looking into more from Hope Larson.

For anyone who has ever wanted to start reading graphic novels but just didn’t know where to start…Mercury would be great intro to graphic novels if you like YA.

Happy Reading,
Rebecca
www.bendingthespine.blogspot.com

[Emmy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book really did nothing for me. I could barely get through it. Besides the fact that the plot moved like something written by a 12 year old, there were so many things wrong with this book. The story really made no sense; I had trouble discerning a real storyline, and even what storyline there is contains a weak and barely worthwhile plot. I mean seriously: A mary-sue faux lesbian (apparently just a tomboy) transfers to a school where everyone confuses her for a Chinese classmate? and even worse is the cliched theme of angsty teen who deals with deadbeat parent. The alternate plot of the gold-mining family falls short, leaving us very unsatisfied with the ending.

The style of art also bothers me. Characters seem to overreact greatly to small things. The reactions are always blown out of proportion, and besides that, facial expressions are terrifyingly grotesque. I do not feel that I'm being overly critical of this piece, because it reminds me of comics that I used to write when I was a child, and I can honestly say that those were just as bad. So, I'm not being overly critical; I'm just being honest and objective.

Now, I know that I can be rather critical sometimes, but I feel that honesty is the best policy when it comes to writing and the arts. And if I don't like something, I say as much.

[Elizabeth A · Rating 2 out of 5]

This YA graphic novel is set in Nova Scotia, and we follow two teenage girls, in two timelines, in the same location. They are related by blood and by place, and while there is a magical realism angle, there wasn't magic in the reading of this one for me.

In the earlier timeline, there are themes of romance, greed, and crime. In the present time line, there are money concerns too, but there simply wasn't enough to link these stories - a magical necklace notwithstanding - and neither timeline stood up on its own either. I wanted more. This was all rather surface level, and there were unnecessary people who didn't move the plot forward. The simple black and white illustration style was nice, but overall, this is one that I found rather uninspiring.

[Jack Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the theme of this book is a dark past leads to a bright future.

I think this because in the 1800's Tara's ancestors were informed that gold was on their farm so they looked for it and while looking at her great great grandfather was killed.

In 2001 Tara looks for it and finds it

[Jennifer Sundt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good premise, good art - I thought I'd had it made. This was the sort of story that was hard to put down - until the very end, when I realized that the story was concluding without any *real* sort of way besides a hasty one. My brain was left frustratedly holding a bag of a series of GREAT plot elements just bursting at the seams, ones with way more potential for development than what they were given. Really, I think this should have been a series, or a larger book. At the very least, there could be a prequel culminating in the old house burning down - because that obviously connected our heroes Tara and Josie who, despite my thinking at some point they will, never actually meet (not even in a dream!).

Other parts of this book also left me frustrated, particularly relating to how past and present switches back and forth FAST - it took me a beat to realize that black background = past and light background = present (or was it the other way around??). The former, arguably more engaging, also made less sense at the end, both physics-wise and relating to Asa's role and intentions. The sequence of events just isn't clear. While mystery can be used to the author's advantage in some cases, this just felt like an unfortunate collision of author and potential deadline on their end, and a bleed-out of sheer confusion.

We don't know what happens next, for either Tara or Josie - but there is no next with this. I got attached, but for what really feels like nothing. Oh yeah, in this story birds have faces and dirt moves around as if sentient (??), but it only goes so far as to push the ambiguous-at-best surface plot forward too its all-too-abrupt end. WhatEVER. At least the pages smelled nice.

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually I complain about too much explication but I wanted a little more in this story. I cannot be pleased. Actually, I think I just wanted more of Hope Larson's wonderful artwork and more of the present-day storyline. The whole plot's denouement was a little blurry for me. I got what was going on, but couldn't suss out the details if anyone asked me how it would have really worked out. But, basically, I am a huge fan of Hope Larson and I want more.

[Anatl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is told through parallel timeline, a modern day teenage girl whose house burned down is moving to her cousin house in Nova Scotia the same house where a different teenage girl in the 19th century lived and was courted by a mysterious gold seeking stranger. The story takes a magical realist twist a long the way which felt a little deus ex machina to me, and I also feel like the characters all looked to similar and it was hard to tell them apart.

[bels · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was apparently listed as a nominee for Goodreads Choice Awards, and it makes me have a huge expectation.
It may sound harsh, but there's nothing appealing for me in this book. The two timelines really bother me. The stories didn't mix well, despite the "similarity" they try to portray. The characters aren't making me feel things. The plot is meh. I'm rarely disappointed with a book. But yes, I'm disappointed with this book.

[MrsMackley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Blech. Confusing. I found myself rereading pages and still not figuring out what was going on. A lot of plot holes and weird jumps in the story.

[Emily D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this back in January and legit can't remember what happened. I feel kinda bad about that. Changing rating from 4 to 3 stars since clearly it was a meh read if I can't recall the plot.

[Elizabeth Wyatt · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m, I didn’t get it. What exactly was going on here?

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5? I wish the ending was a little clearer.

[Lorraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of two teenage girls: Josey, who lived in 1859 and Tara, her ancestor living in present day. Both girls lived in the same farmhouse. Josey lives with her parents in the house on their farm. One day a mysterious stranger shows up claiming to have found gold on their property. He offers to go into business with her father and mine the gold. Josey's mother doesn't trust this stranger, but Josey develops a crush on him. Unfortunately tragedy strikes and Josey's father is killed before the gold is discovered. And Asa disappears.

Tara, whose story takes place in the present day, lives with her aunt and uncle after their old farm house burned down. Tara, who as been home schooled for the last two years, returns to school with her cousin. She must adjust her new life and the fact that her mother in living somewhere else for work. To cheer her up, Tara’s aunt gives her her mom's old jewelry. One of the pieces is a magical necklace with the power to find things.

I loved how the story alternates between the two time periods and I enjoyed each of the girls stories. I liked how the magic necklace linked the two stories. I thought the artwork was really good and did a great job distinguishing between the two stories.

[Ellen McClure · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I picked this up to complete my yearly reading goal. I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. I thought it was a little too simple but, the heart of the story was a good one. It just needed to be fleshed out a bit more. Perfect for a sitting though. Plus, I loved the regionalism representation. All in all, not too bad.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

So freaking cool. Loved the setting, dual timelines, supernatural aspects, and the plain high school stuff. Creepy fun.

Library copy

[Samantha Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.90 stars. I really enjoyed this. I liked that it went back and forth between the present and the past of the 1800s and the story comes together.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Mercury” is, for me, the embodiment of a great graphic novel. Larson tells a strong story that is realistic with just a hint of magic. And her illustrations show so well just what can be done in simple black and white.

Hope Larson takes us to a place that most of us have never been, or even thought of going, and she takes us to a time and event that we didn’t even know happened. I had no idea that there was a Nova Scotia gold rush, but there was one in the 1860’s and beyond. In truth there is still small scale gold mining there today. I love stories that can inform and transport you to such events.

In addition to the story the artwork is wonderful. The black and white frames really move the story along and Larson has a real knack for conveying emotion with facial expressions. Another thing that I noticed from page one is that her drawing style seems to be slightly influenced by Jeff Smith, writer and illustrator of the Bone graphic novels. (One of the best, if not the best, graphic novels ever.) I absolutely love Smith’s style and I love Larson’s just as much.

Mercury is suitable for most teens and the characters are very relatable. If you love graphic novels that are heavier on story than on out of this world color graphics and superheroes, then Mercury is definitely for you.

[Chelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 2009, Tara lives with her cousin after her family house burns down and her mother moves to Alberta for work. She's set on not leaving their Nova Scotia home, even though her mom wants to move the family to Edmonton. In 1859, Tara's ancestors meet a man claiming to be a gold prospector, but is he all that he seems?

3.5 stars rated down. What really works here is the novel's pacing - I could barely put it down. I found myself wishing that it had been in color, though, as some of the characters looked alike (unintentionally). The interweaving of the past and present stories was well-done, but I was left wanting more by the story's end.