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  • Small Mercies

  • A Novel
  • By: Dennis Lehane
  • Narrated by: Robin Miles
  • Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (1,282 ratings)

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Small Mercies

By: Dennis Lehane
Narrated by: Robin Miles
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Publisher's summary

Instant New York Times Bestseller

Small Mercies is thought provoking, engaging, enraging, and can’t-put-it-down entertainment.”—Stephen King

The acclaimed New York Times bestselling writer returns with a masterpiece to rival Mystic River—an all-consuming tale of revenge, family love, festering hate, and insidious power, set against one of the most tumultuous episodes in Boston’s history.

In the summer of 1974 a heatwave blankets Boston and Mary Pat Fennessy is trying to stay one step ahead of the bill collectors. Mary Pat has lived her entire life in the housing projects of “Southie,” the Irish American enclave that stubbornly adheres to old tradition and stands proudly apart.

One night Mary Pat’s teenage daughter Jules stays out late and doesn’t come home. That same evening, a young Black man is found dead, struck by a subway train under mysterious circumstances.

The two events seem unconnected. But Mary Pat, propelled by a desperate search for her missing daughter, begins turning over stones best left untouched—asking questions that bother Marty Butler, chieftain of the Irish mob, and the men who work for him, men who don’t take kindly to any threat to their business.

Set against the hot, tumultuous months when the city’s desegregation of its public schools exploded in violence, Small Mercies is a superb thriller, a brutal depiction of criminality and power, and an unflinching portrait of the dark heart of American racism. It is a mesmerizing and wrenching work that only Dennis Lehane could write.

©2023 Dennis Lehane (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers

What listeners say about Small Mercies

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Might have been a better read than a listen

Certainly, a good view of the racial prejudice, poverty and culture-including the thinly cloaked crime syndicate of Whitey Bolger. I’m of Irish heritage and although I dislike the broad brush used on many Irish people, the bussing crisis hit Southy hard and the general response was both tribal and shameful. A college friend of mine and I used to travel to Southy ( he was also Irish-and I guess we both looked the part) in the early 80s to have weekend fun. We frequently went to the same places for fun and were welcomed and honestly looked after on several occasions. In terms of the bussing events many were ashamed of what happened although placing blame on more than Southy was common. Racial epithets were regularly heard on our weekend forays though not from the young people. We also brought a friend of mine from Africa one weekend night and he was welcomed-although for some silence was the format for the welcome. I know many “well done” accolades went to the narrator but I don’t share this view. She seemed over done and too Southy at times-comically so. This was particularly true when portraying the police characters. This is the second Lehane novel I’ve read and like the first, I liked it but didn’t love it. Perhaps a third one will push me from like to love or perhaps from like to three is enough. Cheers!

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6 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I like this one

This book is well written, and very well read. I really appreciated how human it was and how no character in it is all-good. Very interesting perspective on integration.

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3 people found this helpful

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One of the best books this year

Small Mercies is a tightly written story that encompasses themes both universal and neighborhood specific. The narration is pitch perfect and further enhances this tightly woven story.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

The performance was wonderful.

The best part of this book was the narrator. She really had a great voice for the different characters and made the book so compelling. The story itself was good. The ending was a little over the top, slightly unrealistic, but quite satisfying. I would recommend it.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved the story and narrator

I loved how he wrote a fictional story during a historical time in Boston. Loved the characters! The narrator really brought the characters to life and enriched the story with that iconic Boston accent!

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Enjoyed every moment

Extremely well written and portrayed. I did not know what to expect and enjoyed every moment of the ride.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Wow !!!

This has become one of my all time favorite reads. And my reads are everything from Irving and McCarthy to Steinbeck


Great read

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Another great!

Lebanese has done it again! Being from the Boston area and in high school at this time, it was like reliving the war.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Great book.

The beginning and middle had me wondering where it would end up, but it was absolutely worth the read.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A great listen

Great book, great narration. I didn’t want it to end. It is Definitely worth a credit.

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