Reviews
Livesey's prose has a brusque sensuality. It reads lucid and forthright and lean.... Livesey roots tension not just in the bones but the very marrow of the book., MERCURY demonstrates Tolstoy's dictum: all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way. The Stevensons find themselves upended by a horse - a magnificent horse that sets off a chain of deceit and crime. This powerful novel reveals the fragility of life when tested by the shock of genuine passion., Margot Livesey should be better known.... [She] writes as well as anyone and is clearly steeped in the literary canon.... She's a patient builder of complex characters who are often brought face to face with uncomfortable truths about themselves., A fiercely intelligent exploration of the ways blindness - to ourselves, others, and the power of passion and grief - can divide us and transform us.... Livesey's skillful play with the title's many meanings... gives her narrative a rich imagery that interweaves seamlessly with its textured evocation of everyday life., The mid-life crisis takes many forms, some familiar, some wildly unexpected. Livesey, in her riveting novel MERCURY, portrays a couple in their season of crisis. Patiently, precisely, she unfolds the layers of their drama, at once quiet and extreme. She'll make you wonder how well you know your spouse., MERCURY is as luminous, unforgettable, and perfectly rendered as only Margot Livesey can accomplish. I only wished it were twice as long., [A] probing study of the way character shapes our destinies.… Livesey, a Scottish transplant whose brilliant novels are underknown in her adopted country…. A sharply sketched supporting cast adds to the depth and cumulative power… yet more evidence of Livesey's formidable gifts., Livesey's story of loyalty, deceit, ambition, and moral ambiguity is a read-in-one-sitting, sublimely nuanced psychological exploration of personal ethics and responsibility ideal for book-discussion groups., Livesey has a penchant for creating a sense of foreboding in her novels.... A tangled morality tale not about a horse but about a marriage and friendships disintegrating under the steady drip of secrets and half-truths., No one plumbs the depths of ordinary human folly and its consequences like the brilliantly perceptive Margot Livesey. Be prepared: MERCURY will take you on quite a ride., Livesey knows her way around human desire and disappointment. Like the recent blockbusters GONES GIRL and FATES AND FURIES, MERCURY gives us a marriage from alternating perspectives. Unlike those books, there is no looming gimmick or twist. The parties involved agree on what has happened. The question is whether or not their love can survive it., MERCURY explores that thrilling, terrifying moment when grief turns blind, when passion becomes obsession. As always, Livesey tells her tale masterfully, with intelligence, tenderness and a shrewd understanding of all our mercurial human impulses., Delving into the subtler miscommunications of even the most intertwined lives… [MERCURY] underlines the small efforts people make to carve out autonomy within a marriage., MERCURY is a haunting, meticulous inquiry into the nature of blindness-its insidious power to corrupt marital trust, even between those with perfect vision. Margot Livesey is a searingly intelligent writer at the height of her powers., The inimitable Margot Livesey has written an unforgettable story of a couple in the midst of their marriage's dissolution. No one has a better understanding of human nature., A probing morality study that chips away at the age-old question: Would you turn in a loved one if you knew they did something reprehensible? Better yet: When, if ever, is it OK to lie?, Livesey knows her way around human desire and disappointment. Like the recent blockbusters Gone Girl and Fates and Furies , Mercury gives us a marriage from alternating perspectives. Unlike those books, there is no looming gimmick or twist. The parties involved agree on what has happened. The question is whether or not their love can survive it., Fast-paced, with the feel of life as lived….In Livesey, as in Chekhov, when a gun turns up in a domestic drama, it's bound to go off., This remarkable, powerful novel takes its title from a horse: a beautiful, dapple-gray thoroughbred that becomes the object of obsession and the pivotal point of author Margot Livesey's richly complex story., Consuming.... Explores themes of honesty and understanding by showing the impact that obsessions-grief, rapacity-can have on a marriage., Step by step, Livesey brilliantly assembles a truly painful and frightening picture of delusion.... I cannot in good conscience reveal more of the plot. I came to this story in a state of innocence, and I feel that its terrific power depended in great part on the gradual unfolding of unlooked-for events., MERCURY demonstrates Tolstoy's dictum: all unhappy families are unhappy in their own way. The Stevensons find themselves upended by a horse -- a magnificent horse that sets off a chain of deceit and crime. This powerful novel reveals the fragility of life when tested by the shock of genuine passion., [A] probing study of the way character shapes our destinies from… Livesey, a Scottish transplant whose brilliant novels are underknown in her adopted country…. A sharply sketched supporting cast adds to the depth and cumulative power… yet more evidence of Livesey's formidable gifts.
