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The Mercy Step

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The Mercy Step

By: Marcia Hutchinson
Narrated by: Marcia Hutchinson
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About this listen

Taking us back in time to 1960s Bradford, The Mercy Step follows the precocious Mercy, a young child facing a world that is far too big for her small body. Mercy lives with her Windrush generation parents; she craves her mother's attention, which she must share with the Church and her many siblings, while trying to avoid the fists and temper of her father. Mercy struggles to find her place in the world, surrounded by flawed adults and a family she feels like an outsider in, her only joys her loyal doll Dolly and the escapism she finds in books. But Mercy is nothing if not resilient, and she takes up the fight to escape her traumatic upbringing, all while maintaining her humour, style and verve. A raw and tender story of family, isolation and growth.

©2025 Marcia Hutchinson (P)2025 Recorded Books Historical Fiction Women's Fiction
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I loved everything about this book. The author as narrator made everything more vivid. The tone of the book offered humour despite an undertone of poverty and threat of violence. A brave story.

An authentic account of a neglected childhood

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Amazing read throughly enjoyed listening to it by the author. Related so much of it to my upbringing in an Asian community Coventry Hillfields. Beautiful and funny and touching at the same time.

Captivating

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A wonderful book from start to finish.
Told through the eyes of a child reliving their childhood, your heart strings will definitely be felt throughout.

A heartfelt story

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I loved Marcia’s use of the thread connecting her to her mummy - umbilical cord that can last a life time, until it doesn’t! I felt very privileged to be hearing Marcia tell the story herself with such eloquence - her intonation and use of patwah really brought characters and their emotion alive for me. Beautiful and painful story of self-discovery in a hard times. Loved it.

Intimacy conjured up between the author/reader, the story and me, the listener.

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I loved this beautifully write story...richly descriptive...intelligent and insightful...the journey was familar... of life in Yorkshire town through the eye of Black girl witnessing her parents struggles...her mothers triumphs and her own coming of age....Family life in Black households in the 60s n 70s... Thank you for the telling Marcia in such creative and vivid way...

Rich with vivid descriptions of West Indian life through the eyes of a Windrush decendant born in the UK

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