Tender Mercies: A Novel

by Rosellen Brown

Laura and Dan Courser are a less than perfect, but deeply passionate couple with two young children and lots of plans. Until Dan, displaying the boyish bravado that made Laura fall in love with him, takes the tiller of a boat he can't handle and causes the accident that shatters their lives.

Suddenly there are no more ordinary days or nights. And, in a story filled with astonishing revelations, we witness two people wrestling with a marriage in which all the rules are changed, confronting the guilt and anger, devotion and desire that don't merely survive...but can help heal the wounded heart.

Rosellen Brown creates a compelling portrayal of a family torn apart--and perhaps put back together again--by love.

Genres: Fiction

287 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Rosellen Brown (born May 12, 1939) is an American author, and has been an instructor of English and creative writing at several universities, including the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Houston. She has won several grants and awards for her work. The 1996 film Before and After was adapted from her novel of the same name.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Elana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm biased, but this is one of my most beloved books ever. It is my favorite of hers. Really heart-wrenching, human, flawed characters. Shout out to you, Mom!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wife is paralyzed.

[Nancy Mcdaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is difficult. As always, Rosellen Brown's writing is lyrical and beautiful. But the story was so disturbing. I am so glad I read this book but cannot say that I loved it- because it was so hard to read (if well written. Does that make sense?)
By the way, I am going backwards. My first book by Rosellen Brown was The Lake on Fire - I loved it so much that I am now reading everything that she has written. This is my fourth book of hers that I have read!

[Teresa Conway · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first fiction story I’ve read with “real” flawed but good characters, nothing over romanticized at all.

[Sarah Frank · Rating 2 out of 5]

should’ve been a novella or long short story imo

[Rachel M · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't know if I even wanted to write anything about this book. The cover set it up to be inspriring, but I can't say that this adjective really seemed right. The premise was intriguing: husband causes wife's paralysis in a boating accident, and now both have to learn to live with themselves and each other in new circumstance. There is great potential for a redeeming story here. I was left with a sense of characters only half-carved out of stone, with a lot more to be uncovered. It wasn't that the author's sketch of the characters seemed incomplete - it was more that the characters themselves lacked. I suppose any couple could face this kind of tragedy, but some people would learn and discover more under the circumstances than others would.
Parts of Dan and Laura were easy to empathize with. There were moments when I thought, " Wow, so that's how that would feel - I never thought about it that way." But there was something disappointing about it, too, and though it wasn't a long book, it dragged on.

[Michael]

This book was dark, disturbing, depressing and not my typical read. That being said it is well written and does deliver the author's message well. I may not have liked it or found it in the least bit entertaining, but I can see some who might. I had to almost force myself to finish this book while excercising as it streamlined from one case of emotional self-centeredness to another. Breaking a family apart over a physical tragedy is not new or miraculous and the author makes that overly apparent. The book and story seem to entangle what life requires with the freedom of our spirit and I found it tragic. I sincerely feel that was the point of the book and therefore why I felt it was well written, just not my taste.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a passionate young couple, married, with two children. He takes the tiller of a boat and accidently runs over his wife. She barely survives but is a quadraplegic. How they both learn to live with this and what it does to their marriage is the basis of the story. Brown is an excellent writer who helps the reader get into the psyche of her characters. It's compelling, gritty, memorable.

[Jeanne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible book about a woman paralyzed after a boat accident caused by her husband. About how they both live with the consequences. Totally depressing and not an easy read both in terms of language and content. Not sure why I kept reading till the end.

[Alicia Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tender Mercies is an incredible play that shows the how love can be the driving force behind change and redemption. This play is a testament that everyone deserves second chances in life and some "tender mercies" along the way.

[Grant · Rating 3 out of 5]

should have been a short story. maybe a long short story.

[Celine Keating]

Extraordinary writing - it doesn't get better than this.

[Amanda Mecke · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary early novel by Brown
-- not the Robert Duvall movie. The ordinary and miraculous sides of marriage, tragedy, guilt, and love.

[Agatha Nettles · Rating 3 out of 5]

So great to go to the library and pick up such a powerful novel written in 1978. Difficult subject tackled head on and with immense artistry and humanity.