I have been going through my classics shelves and reading all the books I missed as a child. I actually began reading this one to my children, but I was so intrigued by the story and so impatient for times between naps or chores that I finished it on my own. I will have to revisit it with them later! But this wonderful story is swift, humorous, and insightful. Twain goes back and forth between the stories of two young boys born at the same time who, in a case of mistaken identity, switch roles. Both gain a level of empathy and understanding for the other as well as for those they are to care for and for those who take care of them. This is, as the opening quote suggests, a book about mercy. But it is also about vocation, duty, honor, and, dare I say, what makes a good man, and perhaps more specifically, a good father. But amid a tale of hardship, heartbreak, and hilarity is a story that is sure to delight and enlighten.

Blessings to you and yours,

~Madelyn Rose Craig