The Shape of MercySusan Meissner
I've been behind on my blogging recently, but not my reading. One book I've recently torn through was The Shape of Mercy, by Susan Meissner.
I was pleasantly surprised by this novel; I was immediately intrigued by the subject matter (the Salem witch trials), but I still did not expect to find this novel as compelling as I did. Contrary to my expectations, I found myself unable to put this novel down and tore through it in about 2 days.
The Shape of Mercy follows two parallel storylines. First, we're given the tale of Lauren Durough, a young college girl who is looking to break free from her wealthy lineage. Trying to "do things on her own," she seeks a job, and finds one transcribing an old diary for a wealthy older woman, Abigail. The diary in question belongs to Mercy Hayworth, a victim of the Salem witch trials.
Soon, we are drawn into Mercy's world as well as Lauren's. The three main characters (Lauren, Abigail, and Mercy) are nicely drawn and never move into stereotype. Meissner creates sympathetic, intelligent characters and a taut storyline whose many facets both intrigue and surprise.
As might be expected, Lauren's world parallels both Mercy's and Abigail's, and the end of the novel satisfies even as it defies expectations. If you're looking for both a fast-paced and intelligent read, look into The Shape of Mercy.
In a nutshell: A fast-paced read that provided entertainment and insights.
Bibliolatry Scale: 5 out of 6 stars
I was pleasantly surprised by this novel; I was immediately intrigued by the subject matter (the Salem witch trials), but I still did not expect to find this novel as compelling as I did. Contrary to my expectations, I found myself unable to put this novel down and tore through it in about 2 days.
The Shape of Mercy follows two parallel storylines. First, we're given the tale of Lauren Durough, a young college girl who is looking to break free from her wealthy lineage. Trying to "do things on her own," she seeks a job, and finds one transcribing an old diary for a wealthy older woman, Abigail. The diary in question belongs to Mercy Hayworth, a victim of the Salem witch trials.
Soon, we are drawn into Mercy's world as well as Lauren's. The three main characters (Lauren, Abigail, and Mercy) are nicely drawn and never move into stereotype. Meissner creates sympathetic, intelligent characters and a taut storyline whose many facets both intrigue and surprise.As might be expected, Lauren's world parallels both Mercy's and Abigail's, and the end of the novel satisfies even as it defies expectations. If you're looking for both a fast-paced and intelligent read, look into The Shape of Mercy.
In a nutshell: A fast-paced read that provided entertainment and insights.
Bibliolatry Scale: 5 out of 6 stars
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