- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: Washington Square Press; 1 edition (Jun 20 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0743278828
- ISBN-13: 978-0743278829
- Product Dimensions: 20.7 x 15.6 x 2.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 272 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #388,021 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
A gothically tinged historical take on The Lovely Bones, this debut novel manages to carve out some of its own territory. In late 1920s New Orleans, Raziela "Razi" Nolan carries on a passionate college love affair with Andrew O'Connell (while planning to be a gynecologist). She desires immortality ("One lifetime isn't enough to make all the trouble of which I'm capable") and gets her wish when she slips poolside, dies and finds herself in a state "between life and whatever comes next" in which she may observe the world she's left behind and even meddle mildly. As she learns the rules of "the between" Razi finds it too painful to keep track of Andrew. But 70 years after her death in 1929, she is curious to know what happened to her beloved and is drawn to a young couple, Amy Richmond and Scott Duncan. Domingue captures the equally repressive and uninhibited culture of 1920s America, creates a convincing world of "the between," and gives nice shape to the loving but troubled relationship of Amy and Scott as Razi uncovers her connection to them. The novel lacks a fully distinctive voice, but is certainly several cuts above the genre mysteries and historicals it most resembles.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Echoing Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones (2002), debut novelist Domingue places her protagonist, Razi Nolan, "between," that is, in the place where souls go after death, perhaps for decades, before proceeding to whatever comes next. Razi dies in a drowning accident in July 1929, just after graduating from Tulane. Headed to medical school, she was involved with the dissemination of, at the time, illegal birth control information to unmarried women. Now, 70 years later, Razi attempts to find out what happened to Andrew, the love of her life. A parallel plot involves a young couple, Amy and Scott, who are drifting apart because Amy is unable to forget her first fiance, who died tragically 6 years earlier. In each plot, so different in time and place, Domingue takes a probing look at what produces strong and independent women, be it environment, education, or genes. Though Domingue gets a little bogged down in the intricate details of hidden family ties, the well-drawn characters of Razi and Amy ensure that this is an engaging tale. Deborah Donovan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
SIMON BEEKER had been dead four months. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
SIMON BEEKER had been dead four months. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
'Testing the boundaries of time, grief and death',
By J. Cameron-Smith "Expect the Unexpected" (ACT, Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: The Mercy of Thin Air: A Novel (Hardcover)
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The combination of the past, the present and the 'in between' introduced some fascinating possibilities into the lives of the characters.There are some interesting twists and turns as Raziela Nolan (Razi) seeks to follow the life of her beau (Andrew O'Connell) subsequent to her untimely death in the 1920s. As part of her journey of discovery, Razi becomes involved in the lives of Amy and Scott some 70 years after her own death. This is a novel about love, understanding and compromise which tests the boundaries of time, grief and death. In this, her first novel, Ms Domingue has provided a splendid novel to be read and revisited. Highly recommended. Jennifer Cameron-Smith
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully Written Impression of New Orleans since the 20's,
By Bill Kelly (New Orleans) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Mercy of Thin Air: A Novel (Hardcover)
Ronlyn Domingue writes beautiful prose about a subject she obviously loves. Against the setting of uptown New Orleans in the 1920's, she explores the life, loves and death of a young lady of the period. She takes the girl beyond death as she searches for her love whom she left too soon. The protagonist was a "modern" woman, deeeply involved in the burning issues of her day: suffrage, sexual fredom and raising women's consciousness. Her search brings her into contact with New Orleans characters and friends from her life and provides an appropriate resolution. I recommend the book strongly and hope that it heralds future efforts from a true talent.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.5 out of 5 stars (92 customer reviews) 43 of 46 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A catch in my throat, a slip in time and dimension..,
By Pamela Patterson "blkwid" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Mercy of Thin Air: A Novel (Hardcover)
Occasionally there is a book that I can't put down, yet don't want to end. THE MERCY OF THIN AIR was one such book. I sacrificed a night's sleep to keep turning the pages, unable to stop reading, not wanting to lose the magic of this haunting tale of love, loss, regret and release. A part of me lingered within the pages for days. An indefinable ache, a momentary welling of tears kept me hovering within the vapor of Ronlyn Domingue's moving first novel. As has been said by others, her voice is original, her images tangible, breathtaking, and the reader is left hungry for more.
35 of 37 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Lovely Book,
By Bonnie Jo Davis "Loves to read and review books!" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Mercy of Thin Air: A Novel (Hardcover)
The Mercy of Thin Air is a lovely book. It is the first book I've read cover to cover in a long time. The basis of the book is a ghost story but the real story is how people come to terms with a lost love. In most cases a love story ends with some sort of resolution or understanding but when one of the parties is dead there is no resolution... only a hole in the heart that can never be filled.A great deal of the story is set in New Orleans in the 20's and it features a gorgeous blond feminist Raziela Nolan. She dies accidentally after graduating from college and while in the throes of an unexpected love affair. Her boyfriend and her family and friends are devasted and the book talks about how the living and the dead cope with loss. I highly recommend this novel. The story resonated with me and I could not put it down. 22 of 23 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
I Wanted to Love This Book....,
By intanswer "intanswer" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Mercy of Thin Air: A Novel (Hardcover)
...But I didn't. The reviews were so good, and the premise of the book was so intriguing, I couldn't wait to read it. My primary criticism of the book was that it was choppy. I love books told with multiple narrators and different points of view. But because each "chapter" was was so short (usually just a few paragraphs), by the time the reader understands who's talking and whether they are in the present or the past, it's time to move on to another character.There were many enjoyable aspects though. The setting--New Orleans in the 20's, some memorable characaters--Razi and Etoile in particular. The writing was, at times, delicious, and the concept of being "between" was really thought provoking. There is a particularly memorable scene where Razi comes across a little girl who is "between" and helps guide her to a more legitimate death. Wow, what a scene. I wanted to love this book the way I loved the Time Traveller's Wife, but I didn't. |
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