Mercy Road

Mercy Road  by Ann Howard Creel  283 pages

This novel takes place in 1918. America has entered the Great War, but it hasn’t affected the Favier’s of Kentucky. They are kept quite busy with their thoroughbread horse farm. Arlene, the oldest child, is happy caring for the horses and cannot imagine any other lifestyle---no matter what her mother thinks. That is until a fire comsumes their home and takes the life of her father. Thankfully, the horses are spared. Arlene is sure that her father left the family in financial security and the stud services will help to pay for what they need.

Unfortunately, Dad didn’t do that.  Now the family is virtually destitute and with stud services drying up (no pun intended), Arlene realizes that she will have to find employment to care for her mother and brother.

Looking for work is not easy. Young women of that era do not work outside the home. Widening her scope, Arlene heads to the largest nearby city, Cincinnati. There she finds the American Women’s Hosptial, a privately-supported orgainziation that is as desperate for ambulance drivers as much as Arlene needs work. After an extensive interview, Arlene joins the all-female team of doctors and nurses headed for France, where the fighting is the heaviest.

Arlene goest through training that will teach her everything about the ambulances. There she meets Cass and they become friends, watching each other’s backs and helping each other.  The scenes of the ambulance convoys driving to the front are the scenes of nightmares. The author, Ann Howard Kreel, does a great job describing the sights, sounds and smells of war.  This reader felt as if she was there, but there was little tension that I felt a war scene should have.

I was disappointed that Arlene didn’t meet Ernest Hemingway, who was also an ambulance driver during World War I, but he was stationed in Italy, not France. But Arlene does meet another rake, an officer who takes no as a challenge, Felix Brohammer.  He is a smarmy jerk who believes every woman wants him. He sets his hat on Arlene.

Nothing about Felix attracts her. She would rather concentrate on her job and the bonus that she is promised if she stays the entire course. However, she does run into an old heartthrob from back home, Jimmy.

I was confused a bit by the title. I thought “Mercy Road” was the actual name of a road. Instead it’s a euphemism for the road she and the other girls are traveling.  Based on the points I covered in the review,  “Mercy Road” receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.