NCLA Review -Having read Susan Meissner's Why the Sky Is Blue several years ago, I eagerly delved into The Shape of Mercy, expecting another insightful, profound, and thought-provoking novel. While this book is very different in its content, it is an equally compelling read. Lauren, 20, a college sophomore from a very wealthy family, decides to turn away from her family's money and get a part time job. She is hired by an old woman to transcribe a 320 year old diary. The diary spells out a love story between Mercy, a victim of the Salem witch trials, and John Peter while bringing to light a parallel love story between Abigail, the owner of the diary, and a man she loved but couldn't marry. Lauren's involvement in the lives of Mercy and Abigail produces changes in her own life and views toward other people, wealth, and her place in her own family. Rating: 4 —MW Waterbrook 2008, 305p, paper, 9781400074563, $13.99 [FIC] ( )

Lauren Durough is the only child of a fabulously wealthy and successful entreprenurial father. She has spent her whole life trying to live up to the family legend of success and ability. But she doesn't want to do everything the way that she imagines her father wants her to and so she enacts small moments of rebellion, choosing to go to a state school instead of Stanford. She lives in a dorm with a roommate instead of alone in a fancy condo. And she has now decided that she wants to forgo the allowance that has made her college life so easy so she applies for a job. But Lauren is not finished walking off the beaten path, applying for a job in which none of the other English majors is interested. And when she goes to Abigail's gracious home and hears that the job is to transcribe Abigail's distant relative's diary from the time of the Salem witch trials, she wants the job desperately.

The novel weaves the stories of Lauren, the elderly Abigail, and the long deceased Mercy together. Mercy's diary was probably the most interesting bit of the story but instead of choosing to portray it in the language and tone of the times, Meissner chose to have the diary be in modern language which made it hard to distinguish between Mercy's voice and Lauren's. There was no real legitimate argument for having Abigail ask Lauren to not only transcribe the diary but to transliterate it as well to make it accessible to a modern reader. If Abigail's intention was to have the diary published, an intention she disclaims, that might be one thing but as she doesn't there is no compelling reason to her request, thereby robbing the novel of some of its authenticity.

The love story between Mercy and John Peter is sweet and charming as portrayed in the diary and certainly is a foil to the long ago love of Abigail's that Lauren pushes to discover. But the story of Abigail's love and loss is abrupt and never fully fleshed out making it hard to compare it to the sacrifice that Mercy makes. Many of the plot threads in the story are not so much left dangling as ignored completely once the end of the story nears and that is a frustrating thing. I don't think the strived for parallels between all three of the women were as successful as I suspect they should have been. I didn't love the book, because of these flaws but I'm not sorry I read it. There was potential there and the nugget of the story was a good one that just didn't fully work. ( )

This novel packs a powerful punch as the reader gets drawn into the dramatic story of a young women involved in the Salem witch trials. The story starts in the modern day, however, as Lauren--a college student with a trust fund--becomes intrigued by an ad posted on a school bulletin board. It is a help wanted ad for someone to transcribe a diary. Lauren answers the ad and despite the imposing nature of the diary's owner, Abigail Boyles, she gets the job and is thrilled to learn that the diary belonged to a young girl living in Salem during the time of the witch trials. What Lauren doesn't count on is how emotionally involved she will get with the story of Mercy, the author of the diary, and how it will affect her own life choices.
This novel is so intriguing on many levels, but mainly because of the excellent job of capturing the drama of the Salem witch trials and the difficult choices that Mercy was faced with. Fans of well written Christian fiction, and those who love history must read this one. ( )

What this book had going for it... A powerful diary of a girl who was to be hanged in the Salem witch trials. The story of Mercy through the diary was strong and I looked forward to these snippets.
What was not so great... The book was preachy. The author was very overt on her message and what she wanted the reader to take from this book. Although I don't think that the book says it is contemporary fiction, I can see why people have shelved this book as christian lit. ( )

Lauren has always lived a life of privilege, but she goes to a state school, lives in a dorm, and wants to get a job, even though she could just use her parents' allowance and live off-campus. The job posting that most intrigues her is a transcription job, and her boss is an older woman who has refused the job to many English majors before her. Abigail owns the diary of Mercy Hayworth, a woman accused of witchcraft during the Salem trials, and wants someone to not only transcribe the diary but also understand Mercy. When Lauren takes the job, she finds herself immersed in this other woman's life, and starts questioning assumptions she's made all her life.

I tend to like books with first-person narration, because I can stay in a character's head and feel like I'm getting to know them, so using both Lauren as a narrator and Mercy's diary was a neat device and helped me "know" both characters. Some things seemed resolved a little quickly (an Internet search here, and problem solved...), but it was a good story and left me feeling happy in the end. ( )

The Shape of Mercy’s, Lauren, is the quiet introvert as in she doesn’t have any friends that she isn’t related to. She is forever trying to make up for the fact that she isn’t the son her father wanted. So she does everything her family does not expect in an attempt to forge her own path in life. A literature major in college, Lauren is near obsessed with proving that she isn’t a rich snob, so she takes an odd job—transcribing a diary of an accused Salem witch. While earning her spending money she discovers kindred spirits in her employer, Abigail, a wealthy recluse and the diary’s doomed author, Mercy. Learning from the past while on the cusp of her future, Lauren questions her destiny.

Susan Meissner recently spoke about this book, and she relayed that this book is about the individual power everyone has to effect their own and other’s circumstances. When reading the book, the reader understands that it’s never too late to take an action towards improving our world. This message may be why the book is classified as Christian Fiction, not detracting from that message, but this novel could have just as easily been branded Women’s or Historical Fiction. The story transcends genre and becomes simply a great read as good a recommendation to your Grandmother as it is to pre-teens.

The book is well shaped with endearing characters that are near impossible to resist. Mercy’s fate, Abagail’s life, and Lauren’s preconceptions are all revealed slowly which builds the novel’s suspense layer by layer. This novel is at times syrupy sweet and sentimental but always satisfying. If you loved, THE HERETIC’S DAUGHTER by Kathleen Kent or DELIVERANCE DANE by Katherine Howe, you’re sure to enjoy Meissner’s Salem interpretation. ( )

The Shape of Mercy is one of the rare books that you don't want to close the cover after you read the last page. The characters are all so likable and kind. The story tells how the lives of three very different people are actually very similar. Mercy, a victim of the Salem Witch Trials, Lauren, a very privileged young college student and Abigail, an elderly lady who holds the diary written by Mercy, come together in this wonderful story to learn about choices, stigma and preconceived notions that we all struggle with every day of our lives. I loved it! ( )

Lauren is a rich girl who has chosen to be on her own, away from her wealthy family. She is a college student trying to fend for herself. She manages to get a job transcribing the diary of an ancestor of a former librarian. Lauren begins to get lost in the world of Mercy, a young woman living during the Salem Witch Trials. She finds herself being drawn into a tale that she knows will end tragically but she finds she cannot stop herself from reading. As she continues with her work, Lauren begins to see how a girl who lived centuries ago shares the same feelings and angst that she herself feels today.

Wow when I finished this book, I nearly broke down and cried. This book was so moving and heartbreaking. Just like Lauren, it was difficult for me to keep reading Mercy's entries in the diary. Yet I too kept being drawn towards it. Even though I am one who tends to want to know the ending first, this time I didn't want the story to continue. I wanted Mercy to be able to enjoy her life as long as she could. I didn't want to read about the wrongful accusations and the hardships she was forced to suffer. And just like Lauren, I was not eager to read about her death. The Salem Witch Trials was a time in our nation's history that is very dark and one period that would like to be forgotten. I think what made the event more tragic was that it was supposedly all done in the name of Christianity. This unfortunately NOT Christ intended for his followers to act like. I understand their intentions but I really felt that the Puritans of that time didn't really understand God's love and grace. Lauren's story is equally as enthralling. I think the reason why I enjoyed it as much as I did was because she's around the same age as I am. I personally didn't see anything wrong with her way of thinking as opposed to her roommate, who actually got on my nerves at times. But I liked her character very much, and her job of transcribing the diary sounds like a dream job for a history major like myself. Abigail too held an interesting story, and it was hers that made me want to cry. A lifetime of regret due to being afraid to love. Susan Meissner has created another masterpiece. Every one of her books has made my top 10 list of the year and this one definitely will be added to it. VERY HIGHLY recommended. ( )

Lauren Durough has always had money. Since she has grown up with wealth and privilege, she decides that when she goes off to college she wants to make her own money. To do this she takes a job transcribing a diary for retired librarian Abigail Boyles. The diary belonged to a distant cousin of Abigail named Mercy Hayworth, who was caught up in the events of the Salem witch trials.

Lauren is immediately captivated by Mercy’s story and she begins to see the world around her differently. As “the middle girl” between the history of Mercy and the past and present of Abigail she has a unique understanding of both points of view and both ladies have much to teach her as well.

When I first began reading this book, I somehow expected Abigail to be a crotchety old lady. She is not ornery or mean. She is just reserved because she is used to being taken advantage of and she is haunted by many things from her past. She is still a very likable character.

Lauren was not at all what I expected either. I thought she would be spoiled and self-centered since that is usually the lesson given to us in stories about people of privilege. She’s not. Lauren marches to the beat of her own drummer. She is a bookish introvert(a girl after my own heart) and doesn’t really follow her family’s expectations. She is also a very likable character.

The story of Mercy is tender and heartbreaking from the beginning because we understand where it will inevitably end. However, before it’s all over Lauren, Abigail and the reader will learn lessons about forgiveness, misjudging others, sacrifice, and love.

I preferred the Salem portions of the book to the present day portions but that’s just how it always works out for me. Both portions were equally well-written. This is a poignant story that I highly recommend for lovers of historical fiction. (4/5) ( )

Lauren, a college student from a rich family, takes on a job as literary assistant to a lonely old woman, Abigail, who has a family heirloom, a 17th century diary written during the Salem witch trials. This has been in her family for centuries and Lauren is hired to make a translation in everyday language. As Lauren translates the diary she becomes emotionally attached to the young woman, Mercy Hayworth, who was tried and convicted as a witch.

The narrative switches between the present timeline and lives of the characters to entries from the journal as they are transcribed. On one level this is the story of Mercy (a fictional person) and the almost unbelievable true events that she dealt with in Salem 1692 and on another level it is the story of Lauren and Abigail as they come to terms with their own very difference prejudices that they have laid upon loves ones in their respective lives.

As I found the link to this book on the publisher's website I saw it listed as Christian Fiction. Don't let that make you have your own prejudice against whether you would read the book. As a Christian myself, I honestly didn't realize it was Christian Fiction until I saw it called so. The only religious aspect to the book, aside from the Salem witch trials, is that the characters believe in God and in passing the author mentions that they pray or go to church. While the theme of the book is a Christian one of not judging others that theme transcends Christianity to all walks of life.

I loved this book. It was a page-turner. I was enthralled with the diary entry parts of the books and the characters of Lauren and Abigail were full of depth and all the characters felt real to me including the minor ones. A well-written, absorbing, and heart-felt book. Recommended. ( )

The Shape of Mercy tells the story of how three lives intermingle when Lauren, a wealthy college student seeking independence and validation, takes a job transcribing a Salem witch trials diary penned by a young woman named Mercy. As Lauren uncovers secrets held within the diaries pages, she also uncovers the secrets of the diary’s elderly owner, Abigail. The three form an unlikely multigenerational kinship.

The author does an excellent job meshing three diverse generations while illustrating the universality of love and its depths. Though each young woman walks a unique path, each will make choices that affect the whole of her life. The story is well written with insight into human emotions and relationships. The diary passages make up a large portion of the novel and create a story-within-a-story without a break in the narrative’s flow. The characters are a likeable bunch with Abigail being the most secretive and, therefore, the most intriguing. Her story is a lesson on the pains and regrets of love while Mercy’s is the story of supreme sacrifice. Lauren, like the reader, has much to learn from these two women.

Although I am an avid historical fiction devotee, I have not read anything billed as Christian fiction. After reading The Shape of Mercy, I was surprised to see that it had been labeled as such. I even reread to look for any overt religious tones. There are none. This is interesting for me as I would never have picked up a book that had been labeled ‘Christian Fiction.” And it would have been my loss.

Recommended for those who enjoy coming of age tales, female relationship stories or historical fiction.

Review first published on Many A Quaint & Curious Volume
© Tasses 2007-2009 ( )

http://books.moonsoar.com/archives/20... ( )

Susan Meissner’s The Shape of Mercy is not at all the usual type of reading that I do but because I am curious about what is happening in Christian Fiction and Young Adult Literature these days, I decided to take a look at it. And I am happy that I did because The Shape of Mercy represents both of those genres very well, further convincing me in the process that neither genre should be taken for granted.

Meissner’s story will most certainly appeal to young female readers because, at its heart, it is a love story. In fact, it is three love stories. And it will appeal to Christian Fiction fans because of its low key approach to presenting a positive message about the Christian lifestyle and what it has to offer to those who choose to live it.

Lauren Durough, young college student and an only child, has grown into a bit of a rebel when it comes to doing what her family expects her to do. In most ways, she is a product of the privileged lifestyle to which she was born, but Lauren believes that her father is unhappy that he has no son to whom he will be able to turn over the family business when he is ready to retire. That makes her even more determined to blaze her own trail, resulting in her choice of a state school over a private university and her decision to major in English rather than in Business as she was expected to do.

A desire to cover some of her own school expenses leads Lauren to an interesting job transcribing the personal diary of Mercy Hayworth, a young woman who in 1692 Salem was charged with being a witch. Lauren knew that the job would be interesting; she never expected that it would change her life.

The Shape of Mercy is about three very different women: Mercy Hayworth, a nineteen-year-old charged with the 17th century death penalty crime of being a witch; Lauren Durough, the young college student who more than three hundred years later is asked to transcribe the barely legible words from Mercy’s diary; and Abigail Boyles, the elderly ex-librarian in whose family the diary has been passed from generation-to-generation.

Lauren immediately identifies with Mercy Hayworth and the innocent love story recounted in Mercy’s diary while she reluctantly approaches the brutal truth of Mercy’s final days that she knows will be revealed in the diary’s last entries. But Lauren is surprised to find that Abigail, through her own life story, can teach her as much about love, critical choices, prejudice and regrets as Lauren can learn from the much shorter and more tragic life described in Mercy’s diary.

Susan Meissner uses the lives of three very different women, women of vastly different life experiences, to reveal some real truths to her readers. The Shape of Mercy is filled with life lessons that young women will find particularly appealing but, make no mistake about it, it is never too late for any of us to be reminded of what Meissner describes here about preconceived notions and the importance of love in one’s life. This is one of those books that can be read on more than one level – and it might even make some young readers curious enough to do some reading on the Salem Witch Trials, definitely a good thing.

Rated at: 4.0 ( )

I loved this book!!! It is an amazing read. Historical, modern, Christian but not preachy. ( )

This book was a bit of a departure for me, as I don't generally read religious fiction or historical fiction, but I found it captivating and compelling. As the main character, Lauren Durough, sets out to transcribe the 400-year-old journals of Mercy Hayworth, who was a victim of the Salem witch trials, she learns a great deal about herself and is forced to examine and change the way she thinks about the world. This is an engrossing read with a very light religious element.

Full review at The Book Lady's Blog ( )

This is one of the most deeply moving novels that I have ever read, and without a doubt it is going on my favorites' shelf in my permanent library. The Shape of Mercy is a story that crosses generations and is both historical and contemporary. I can easily find myself relating to Mercy from early American history as well as Lauren from contemporary life. Life and love is an incredibly deep concept and is amazing how they affect our day to day lives and decisions. As human beings, no matter what century we live in, we care about what other people think (no matter how much we argue it) and live our lives in a small manner to fit into a specific place. The sociology of our day to day environment shapes us and often times it is to something that we do not like, but it is what it is and what we need to live with. Susan Meissner is an incredible organizer of words that fits together some beautiful poetry and prose to give the shape of the ideal of mercy. Through this book, I was taken into three different worlds and captivated. Life went on for me outside of this book, but the book never left my thoughts. Lauren dreamed of Mercy, and I dreamed of them all. Susan created a masterpiece that stays with you and makes you think. This is the first I have read from her, and I cannot wait to pick up something else equally as inspirational and convicting. I do not know how to go pick up another book after such an experience. ( )