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Title: Mermaids not so bee-witching
Review: Kidd's novel shares some threads of the tale she wove in the successful Secret Life of Bees; however, Mermaid Chair falls short of expectations. It is difficult to make a personal connection with the protagonist, particularly since the development of Jessie Sullivan is poorly constructed before she immediately falls in love with island monk-hunk Brother Thomas. How can the reader care about Sullivan or why this romance is important so early in the novel? Also, Kidd awkwardly throws in 1980s references here and there to lend credibility to this flashback. I found it to be an annoying, pedestrian, and sometimes painful read. I had to truly fight to just jump to the last chapter to put myself out of misery.
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