From Amazon.com:
Sue Monk Kidd's The Mermaid Chair is the soulful tale of Jessie Sullivan, a middle-aged woman whose stifled dreams and desires take shape during an extended stay on Egret Island, where she is caring for her troubled mother, Nelle. Like Kidd's stunning debut novel, The Secret Life of Bees, her highly anticipated follow up evokes the same magical sense of whimsy and poignancy.
While Kidd places an obvious importance on the role of mysticism and legend in this tale, including the mysterious mermaid's chair at the center of the island's history, the relationships between characters is what gives this novel its true weight. Once she returns to her childhood home, Jessie is forced to confront not only her relationship with her estranged mother, but her other emotional ties as well. After decades of marriage to Hugh, her practical yet conventional husband, Jessie starts to question whether she is craving an independence she never had the chance to experience. After she meets Brother Thomas, a handsome monk who has yet to take his final vows, Jessie is forced to decide whether passion can coexist with comfort, or if the two are mutually exclusive. As her soul begins to reawaken, Jessie must also confront the circumstances of her father's death, a tragedy that continues to haunt Jessie and Nelle over thirty years later.

By boldly tackling such major themes as love, betrayal, grief, and forgiveness, The Mermaid Chair forces readers to question whether moral issues can always be interpreted in black or white. It is this ability to so gracefully present multiple sides of a story that reinforces Kidd's reputation as a well-respected modern literary voice.

Saw this in a thrift shop today and grabbed it. I've already read it and my copy was taken during a meet-up, but I'm considering starting a bookray with this one.

A quick read. I don't think it was as good as The Secret Life of Bees, but I enjoyed it. I found myself wanting to shake some sense into Jessie, the main character, though in some ways I identified and empathized with her as well. The ending was perfect.

Sent via Air Mail to loveamystery in Canada, July 15, 2005 as part of a ray I started.


Shipping order for The Mermaid Chair:
Sent out by Kim to loveamystery via air mail, 7/15/05.
1. loveamystery (Canada; received July 21, 2005)
2. xmas (NY)(Received Aug. 7, 2005)
3. rern (NY)(received Aug. 17, 2005)
4. LyekkaMarengo (PA)(received 9/17/05)
5. JulieB165 (MA) (Received 10/10/05; sent on to Blaisezabini12 Dec. 29, 05)
6. blaisezabini12 (Romania)(Received January 16, 2006)
7. arlequin (Spain)(received March 14, 2006)
8. Koalabare (UK)(received April 9, 2006)
9. redhouse (UK)(Book is here.)
10. Funkybamboozle (Australia)(Asked to be skipped.)
11. jubby (Australia)
12. nzgoddess (New Zealand)

This book arrived with todays mail.Thank you so much Kim for the beautiful photo and for the stickers and bookmarks. I certainly will use them. I look forward to reading this book. Great idea putting the list inside the front cover of the book with space for date sent on to next person.

Read this book while on a weekend holiday at Whistler, a beautiful resort in the mountains of British Columbia. I did enjoy this story. It was unfortunate that Jessie had to have a sexual affair to effect some change in her life as it was very hurtful for her husband and her daughter. However, it did change her relationship with her husband for the better. Sometimes, when a woman is in need of a change to reach all of her potential and find out who she is, all sorts of situations can arise. The mystery of her father's death and the relationship among her mother and her friends was also very interesting. All in all, I liked this book. I will be sending it on in a day or two.
July26/05
Mailed to xmas today by surface mail. Should take about two weeks. happy reading1

I got back from vacation last night and this book was waiting for me in the pile of mail. I think it had only arrived a day or two earlier so it wasn't waiting too long. I unpacked most of my stuff and then promptly began reading The Mermaid Chair, even though I am presently in the middle of 5 other books! I have a strong aversion to reading more than one book at once, but I somehow got myself into this mess and I think it's only going to get worse before it starts to get better!

Well I'm about 40 pages into it now and am really enjoying it so far, so I shouldn't have any trouble sticking with this book before moving on to another. I have really wanted to read this book for a while because the synopsis seems to be a familiar one in my life. There are some similarities with numbers so far. For instance, Jessie's father died when she was 9, so did mine. And she experiences a kind of guilt in the belief that it was her fault, that only a child can understand. I'm only 24, so I don't think I'm experiencing a mid-life crisis like the main character, but I share some of her feelings about living a "settled" life. Also, the numbers in our ages are reversed (42, 24)...dumb, I know.

Anyway, I have just written far too much! You would think I have finished the book...

Thanks for the bookmark, Loveamystery. I'll have to think of something nice to include for the next reader.

I finished the book yesterday, and actually shed a few tears at the end there. It kept me thoroughly entertained, but there were a few parts that were kind of cheesy - in particular, that first scene in the hermitage. It was kind of hard to believe that Jessie and Whit could have gotten so close in so little time and with only a few prior exchanges. I think the book could have been a little bit longer to in order to develop the main plot with more depth.

So overall I liked The Mermaid Chair, and I think I've been able to take some bits of wisdom away from it. I'm certainly not going to run off and do anything like Jessie did, but I often wonder what things will be like after 20 years of marriage. This has given me a sense of how there can be beauty in the history of one's love.

I've PMed rern for a mailing address and will send this off as soon as I hear back.

Thanks, KimKerry, for starting this ray and giving us all a chance to read The Mermaid Chair!

I recieved this book yesterday. I can't wait to start it. It is coming with me on vacation next week.

I really enjoyed this book. The author has a beautiful discriptive style. I look forward to reading her first novel, The Secret Life Of Bees as well. I will send this off to LyekkaMarengo ASAP.

09/17/2005 received book today. I loved "The Secret Life of Bees" so I'm looking forward to this one. One other bookring in front of it.

I finished this book over the week-end and thought it was a good read, with interesting characters and many, many good images and passages. I liked the side characters and would imagine a book could probably be taken up with exploring their lives.

Sending on to JulieB165 in MA for her first bookring.

Enjoy.

I received this in the mail the other day. It is going to the top of my TBR pile and will go on to blaisezaini12. :-D

RELEASE NOTES:

I am mailing this to blaisezabini12 tomorrow. Happy reading!

Picked up yesterday from the post office. It looks great! Thank you Julie for mailing the book all the way from the US and thank you KimKerry for organising this ray.

11 February 06: the language the author uses is really beautiful but the book wasn't such a page turner as I have expected it to be.
I think that Jessie's mother would have fitted perfectly in the Medieval age, because of the way in which she interprets and understands catholicism. And I am not saying this as a criticism: it is just nice to be remembered that there are still people whose life is centered around faith.
I am going to pm the next reader right now.

22 February 06: mailed today!

The book is in my hands. I took this from the post oficce this afternoon.

RELEASE NOTES:

Sent this afternoon to the next person in the list. Greetings to everyone!!!

Arrived a couple of days ago but I didn't get the chance to journal.

Goes straight to the top of the TBR pile. Thanks KimKerry for organising, and arlequin for the postcard :)

This was a good read, although not as good as Secret Life of Bees. Her writing is best when describing places - I now really want to visit Egret Island, despite knowing that it's imaginary!
However, the romance with Whit left me a bit cold - the real emotion for me was the completion of family relationships.

And I'll be looking out for her next book...

Off to redhouse as soon as I've got her address.

RELEASE NOTES:

Posted today to redhouse

Arrived safe and sound.
The Secret Life of Bees was the very first bookring I joined when I started bookcrossing and I loved it, so I am looking forward to this very much.
I have about a third of my current read to finish and then I will start this, probably within the next couple of days.
Thanks everyone for moving it on, this little book has travelled so far!

A quick and easy read but for me a bit disappointing.
I loved The Secret Life Of Bees and thought that this one was not near as good.
I never really engaged with the Jessie and found her a bit irritating to tell the truth.
The storyline was totally predictable almost from the opening chapter.
However the descriptions of Egret Island were beautiful. I want to go there! Yes allright I know it's a fictional place. :)
I urge anyone who enjoyed this but hasn't read Bees to do so, it is far superior, with a wonderful and engaging heroine.
Thanks everyone for sharing, I'm still impressed at the trip this book has made.
It will be off to Oz as soon as I have an address.

Funkybamboozle is taking some time out from bookcrossing and asked to be skipped so I'm PMing jubby for address.

I received this beautiful book in the post today.

Thank you.

Finished reading today.

And what an interesting book.
No, I never did read her other book (The secret life of bees), but I think I may have to ferret it out now.

A love story, an amputation (or two) and a story of self-discovery.
I absolutely adored the tale of the Mermaid Chair and St.Senara. I think I might google them later too.

The sex scene in the swamp was a bit imaginative. The realist in me was screeching about the dirt, insects and rocks (not to mention the heat and sun - could you imagine getting burnt pink bits??!).

Overall, an interesting read, and one I would recommend for a airplane flight or roadtrip. Light, and an easy read.

Thank you for sharing this book with me.

RELEASE NOTES:

Posted to NZGoddess.

Oh I'm so sorry I didn't register this earlier .. I enjoyed the book but not as much as the first one .. then passed it onto a girlfriend & I believe her flatmate currently has it ?!
Both are techno phobes so I don't suppose they will register here either, but hopefully someone else down the line will ..