Reviews
Here are some sample reviews of 'Mercy Street'
The Australian Women's Weekly 
Tess Evans excels at good old-fashioned story-telling but with a hard-hitting contemporary spin...this book explores the underestimation of human kindness and never ceases to surprise, but heartfelt acts can come at a cost.

Royal Reviews
It's a thought provoking and a poignant tale set in modern day Australian suburbia.   

Jarrah Jungle
The characters are all portrayed brilliantly and provide plenty of drama, entertainment and warm and fuzzy moments.  

Aussie Reviews
Mercy Street is a warm hearted story of an unlikely hero, dealing with themes of family, security and cross generational friendships. With a host of moving moments, there are also laughs and a wonderful depth to both the setting and the cast of the novel. A beautiful book. 

Love ‘em  
Oh man, I wish I could read this for the first time again..      Mercy Street is just one of those feel good novels. One of those books that you could read again and again and still love just as much as the first time. George and Rory were the unlikely dynamic duo and I loved reading about their life together. Tess Evans' is now an author that is firmly on my radar and I can't wait for more.

Goodreads
In this heart-warming tale, Evans gives the reader an appealing cast of characters who display very human flaws...Evans have a talent for conveying the mood of the moment...her descriptive prose is truly evocative...Once again, Evans does not disappoint.

The characters are incredibly presented and the story is very moving. Brilliant writing with everything flowing smoothly and keeping you captivated. I wanted to get to the end, but at the same time I didn't want it to finish.

Tess Woods author
An absolute gem of a story - sweet, powerful, contemplative, funny, sad and uplifting all at once. Tess Evans prose is simple and elegant and she delves into difficult topics and morally grey areas with a keen eye and non-judgmental aplomb, leaving the reader to figure out how they feel about things rather than telling them how to feel. I fell hopelessly in love with old George and precocious young Rory who were both heartrendingly well depicted and the supporting characters were equally well drawn. I was moved to tears twice reading this story and I didn't want it to end. This is the first Tess Evans book I've read, but I'm going to go hunting for her others now. Very well done, five out of five stars!

Adelaide Advertiser 13 February 2012
As in her best selling novel 'book of Lost Threads, Evans is moving but realistically unsentimental and often very funny about a situation that could have veered into saccharine...A romantic might have hoped for a more upbeat ending: it is Evans' triumph that she does not give us one.

Better Reading Book of the Week 19 January 2016
'Mercy Street' is one of those books with characters who capture your heart, and who you want to spend every minute with.

Simon MacDonald; reader, writer, bookseller
Mercy Street is a thought-provoking read told with such grace and elegance. Sweet, funny and poignant, this is a fine Australian novel and shouldn't be missed.

Jenny Mustey: Library Service Manager Campaspe Regional Library
'I can now see why your books have so much empathy and warmth with sensitive and believable storylines; your genuine experience and knowledge shines through.'


The Big Book Club
Dealing with loss, grief, the inability to get pregnant and learning to care for someone who is not a birth-child; this is a sweet novel that will pull at your heartstrings.

Interview

My interview with Jan Goldsworthy on 3CR's Published or Not was broadcast on Thursday. This is a great program for those interested in books and writing. I have been interviewed by Jan before and she always reads the book thoroughly. Her questions are thoughtful and non-threatening way so that it is a pleasurable rather than a nerve-wracking experience. So if you are a bookworm and free to listen at 11.30 on Thursdays, give Jan and David a go. The link to my interview is http://www.3cr.org.au/publishedornot.

                   
                           Mercy Street


Mercy Street tell the heart-warming story of George, a sixty-seven-year-old man who, since his wife’s death three years ago, is living a life that is no more than the sum of his ‘worn-out, washed out days.’ He has narrowed down his life so that the only two friends he has are Redgum, a loyal mate, and his sister Shirl, who is always ‘popping in’ to check on him. His marriage to Penny was largely a happy one, despite the fact that though they desperately wanted them, they couldn’t have children.  But the best of marriages can hold a secret, and George still feels the shame of one terrible day.

Into this dull, pedestrian existence comes Angie, a nineteen-year-old single mother who unexpectedly saves his life, leaving him with an obligation to her and her daughter.  He takes this on with great reluctance at first, but gradually his life begins to blossom once more until Angie’s fecklessness sets him on the wrong side of the law.  It takes all of his love and his courage, and friends both old and new, to deal with this unexpected turn of events.

Mercy Street was launched on Wednesday 16 December 2015. I have posted a part-copy of my speech in my blog for those who would like to know a little about the genesis of this novel.​



Mercy Street was Book of the Month for Angus and Robertson and now for Readings bookstore. Needless to say, I'm very happy with this and the positive and thoughtful reviews the book has received so far.