Carrie’s dad is a dairy farmer, but she has a different idea about working the land. When Carrie comes home to Wisconsin for the Thanksgiving holidays, seeking her parents’ support to grow organic vegetables, she encounters surprises from her grandmother and other family members that propel events forward. This novel’s lively look into four generations of women from Mennonite backgrounds reveals the tensions and humor of family living that spill out in everyday interactions.
Available in Paperback:
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Available in Kindle:
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Autographed copy available:
contact author at millerevie4@gmail.com
Endorsements:
“Is there anything more challenging, irritating, exhausting but ultimately soul-nourishing than family life? In this portrait of the Lehman family we find many intriguing characters–across the generations–but Carrie, the restless wanderer who has always felt most at home on the farm, arrests our attention and finally inspires us with hope for the future of sustainable farming, good food, and families living together peaceably and lightly on the land. Everyday Mercies provides a fine-grained, quietly funny portrait of the ebb and flow of extended family dynamics and evokes a richly textured vision of the fabric of life itself. Sound grandiose? Not at all. This wry bit of wisdom sneaks up on you, unnoticed, while you’re laughing and crying with Carrie and not a few of her loved ones.” Marilyn Durham, Chair, Languages and Literatures, UW-Whitewater
“In this lovingly imagined book, a young woman returns to the family farm with a secret passion–to take her family farming legacy in a new direction. The task of finding her voice and expressing her vision causes a ripple among three generations of a Mennonite family in transition, as she discovers new allies in unexpected places. Reclaiming the land and her place in it suggests the ways in which we must all interpret our legacies of faith and belief for the times in which we live and the talent and vision we have to offer.” Ann Hostetler, Professor of English, Goshen College
Reviews:
REVIEW in MENNONITE QUARTERLY REVIEW by Daniel Shank Cruz April 2015
Evie Yoder Miller’s second novel depicts three generations of the Lehmans, a Mennonite farm family in Wisconsin, as they interact with each other over a Thanksgiving weekend. The women in the family are the primary characters: Martha, in her 80’s; Charlotte, her daughter; and Carrie, Charlotte’s 20-something daughter. Each of the book’s twenty chapters is told in third person from one of their perspectives, with Carrie’s view the most frequent, followed by Martha’s. Four of Martha’s chapters also include excerpts from her mother’s diaries from the 1920’s and 1930’s. more
Midwest Book Review CRITIQUE from MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW February 2015
A thoroughly entertaining read from beginning to end, Everyday Mercies showcases author Evie Yoder Miller’s impressive storytelling talents with its deftly crafted characters in a superbly woven novel that holds the reader’s complete attention from first page to last. Very highly recommended for personal recreational reading lists and certain to be an enduringly popular addition to community library General Fiction collections. It should be noted that Everyday Mercies is also available in a Kindle edition ($8.00).
CLIF HOSTETLER’S REVIEW for GOODREADS November 22, 2014
This novel is a cauldron filled with a recipe for the examination of family life. The following ingredients give it volatile potential.
1. Three generations of women living under one roof (four if you count diary from a previous generation).
2. This living arrangement is new, caused by a recent death of grandfather and a visit home by a daughter who’s single. more
DELICIOUS FAMILY FUNCTION, DYSFUNCTION by Nancy J. Myers August 27, 2014
The plot of Everyday Mercies is simple and familiar: a family gathers in rural Wisconsin for Thanksgiving. Things happen, relationships shift, secrets are revealed. During the weekend everybody changes, although some realize it more than others. more
KIRKUS REVIEWS
“Miller does an excellent job of showcasing the complicated motivations of these different characters. Although Carrie is the protagonist, the author uses multiple perspectives to allow readers into the minds of the other[s]. . . .”