Mercer Girls

I loved the author's descriptions and tempo of the book, the whole while seeing it as a mini series, with some historical reference and romance. The reading has peaked my curiosity about factual information about the Mercer Girls.

The Mercer Girls is a page turner. Since I'm fascinated with history of the Northwest, especially Washington state, this fiction book was just up my alley. Libbie Hawker intertwined the life stories of three women who came from Lowell, MA to Seattle, Washington territory under the guidance of Asa Mercer. Mercer was a true person, but the three female characters were fiction. Each had their own reason for migrating to the Northwest. Each had secrets and their incredible bond and support of each other was very believable despite their differences. Strong, capable women who helped pass women's voting rights in the territory. Hawker used real people such as Mercer, Susan B. Anthony and Abigail Duniway to add interest to the story. Hawker's use of the history of the time was well documented, but there were no footnotes to interrupt the fictional story line.

Read one of her first novels - about Pocahontas, and John Smith..it started a bit slow, then became a "page-turner. It was SO good, I bought another copy for my daughter. Wanted to read another Hawker novel -- saw a bunch which were loosely about ancient Egypt...so MANY, decided I wasn't ready to plunge so deeply into ancient Egypt. Then. there was "Mercer Girls"...I ordered it from Amazon, and eagerly settled into the novel --hoping to be swept into the story...never happened...boring. It seemed she was just filling space with as many adjectives as she could, to make a book. I recalled the first book was a "slow start," so I hung in, and kept reading. Blah,blah,blah...mundane stuff. Three-quarters thru the book, Jo, suddenly left her beau, and joined the Suffrage Movement. She left her teaching job... and PLOP, was active in Women's Suffrage-- no mention of the abandoned BF, she tossed her teaching job (which she had been so happy to have, etc.). We get a brief history lesson about Suffrage (which won women in the US the right to vote, and made them- people instead of property of men) This is a very important occurrence, but it seemed it could have been snipped from a history book and taped into place. It was an "aside," not the inspiration which caused the book to be written. Character development - trite and lacking depth. At one point, Dovey becomes a tax collector. She learns to fire a gun, and ride a horse. It looked hopeful, alas, Hawker dispenses with what could have punched-up the whole story...she moves on, and leaves her characters at times when they could engage the reader...and she lingers at places which did not need detail. The whole novel is like a chore Hawker can't wait to finish No dice. I have about 25-20 pages left...I put the book down. I won't pick it up again...

The Mercer Girls or Mercer Maids were an 1860s project of Asa Shinn Mercer. I previously read about Lowell, Ma and the challenges of enticing farm girls to work in the Lowell Mills. In the late 1860's, the Mills were in trouble and closing and jobs were scarce for women. Seattle Washington was growing rapidly, and needed women to be teachers, marry and bear children. Asa Mercer from Seattle Washington persuaded some women from Lowell to travel to Seattle. These women had to pay for their travel expenses which some found a hardship. By the early 1870's, women still had no rights to vote etc., all of which is portrayed in this nicely written story of courageous women looking for a change and traveled to the far West of our country, to find their new destinies. It took brave women to bring attention to the state and Federal Government that the laws regarding women, needed to be changed, and women should be allowed to vote and handle their own earned money. I like stories based on some historical information. After reading this lovely story, I then researched Asa Mercer . In conclusion, this is a very interesting story about women and their challenges for independence.

Mercer Girls is a fictional account of an historical event. The story follows three women as they travel from Lowell, Mass. to the wild, unsophisticated, and often immoral city of Seattle, WA. These women travel with Asa Mercer in order to get to Seattle, tame the city, and become brides. Their lives diverge and reconnect in various settings and for various reasons. I found this book to be very interesting, particularly the historical information given at the end of the novel. The women were easy to care for and their journey was something easy to empathize about. While their lives took different turns, each was fun to read about. My only complaint -- why I docked it one star -- was that it got bogged down in the middle. Other than that, I recommend it without reservation.

Having grown up in Massachusetts, I was familiar with Lowell where the story began. Mill towns and the closing of mills was a concern to the economy leaving many jobless.That, along with personal issues, was what led the Mercer Girls to join the lengthy journey to Seattle.This novel is about three of the women who face challenges and adventure as they make the voyage and struggle to survive.It was particularly interesting to read about Seattle's Underground, a place I had visited.Excellent description of the rough and tough life in San Francisco as well as a newly developing Seattle.The story becomes tedious about 3/4 of the way through when it launches into the history Suffragette Movement, interesting and informative butAlmost boring.On the whole I enjoyed The Mercer Girls.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a choice of my book club and it did not disappoint. The author has taken actual historical events and woven a story around them. I was interested in learning about old Seattle as I live just across the US border on Vancouver Island and I love to visit that city. As a historian myself, I loved the historical detail in the narrative and, while fascinating for me to read, did not interfere with the free flow of the story. The three women chosen as the focus of the tale are believable characters and I could see some of myself in one of them. This was a great read and I am now exploring other books by the same author. As an author, I love reading books that have good writing with great grammar, and this one hit the spot.Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in the history of women's suffrage and the fight for equality—and the dangers the protagonists faced in their quest.

The premise had such promise. And then I read the book. The characters are of their time, in a way, but we get a 21st century take on them. Which makes them almost caricatures. While this is a story of 19th century women trying to overcome the injustice dealt to women, the males in this book are far more human and more "of our time". There are improbably happy ending to the stories of the three protagonists. The writing is wooden and while I tried to like what I was reading, the book is a disappointment.

Throughout history there are examples of women striving for equality. Striving for the right to be self-sufficient. Striving for autonomy. Hawker created three women who joined the suffrage movement in its infancy. Three very different women. She wove their stories together into an engaging tale of perseverance and resilience. The reader was engaged in the trials and tribulations of the heroines, and rejoiced at their triumphs. Seattle itself was a character in the story. Its muddy streets, its roughness, and its growth were made very real. All in all a good read

Interesting characters who made me want to turn the page & find out what happens next. I enjoyed it very much & learned a great deal about suffrage. I knew it had been difficult but had no idea how difficult it had been. We'd better not waste all the effort put into getting the vote.

Good story based on true facts that I was not aware of until I read this book.