The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

I finished up The Mermaid Chair while travelling for work and overall I found this book enjoyable.  First off, you may recognize the name of the author.  Sue Monk Kidd also wrote The Secret Life of Bees which I just happened to love.  Unfortunately, I did not love The Mermaid Chair as much as her first work.  The story follows Jessie Sullivan, a woman who is in what I would describe a mid-life crisis.  Her mother is ill so she escapes her monotonous and vanilla life to go and take care of her.  While visiting her mother (who lives on a small island with few inhabits besides the monks that run the monastery on the island) she falls for a monk that is just months away from taking his final vows.  The story winds together issues Jessie has with her mom and their past together, Jessie’s relationship with her husband back on the mainland and her new fling with the monk from the island.  I thought the book was a little slow but it kept me reading so there is always something to be said for that.  The last ¼ of the book was when it got more interesting.  I especially liked a few twists that I did not see coming at the end.  I think that some of the situations were a little unreal and I had a hard time believing that there would not be more consequences for some of the things that went on.  I think many would find this book enjoyable and I would most likely recommend it to others.  I borrowed it from the library and was glad as it is one that I don’t think I will read again but sure enjoyed it the first time.

368 Pages