Book Review - The Shape of Mercy

This book was read and reviewed by Kelly.

I have had the opportunity to read a new book that is coming out soon. It is The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner.  I was given a copy of the book to read and one to give away.  More details to come after the review. First, the book’s summary.

        Women of all ages will appreciate this highly-readable, layered, and fast-paced story about self-discovery at all stages of life. With rich undertones of intrigue and romance, this contemporary novel with a historical twist explores personal blinders and how upbringing and conditioning can shape people to judge others in ways that can lead to unhappy consequences.
        Lauren Durough is a college student who finds herself on the road to self-discovery as she is hired by octogenarian Abigail Boyles to transcribe the journals of Mercy Hayworth, a seventeenth-century victim of the Massachusetts witch trials. Almost immediately, Lauren finds herself drawn to this girl who lived and died four centuries ago. The strength of her affinity with Mercy forces Lauren to take a startling new look at her own life, including her relationships with Abigail, her college roommate, and a young man named Raul. But on the way to the truth, will Lauren find herself playing the helpless defendant or the misguided judge? Can she break free from her own perceptions and see who she really is?
        Readers will identify with Lauren’s struggle to break away from society’s expectations and her attempt to strike out on her own while figuring out what parts of her own story to hold on to.

I really enjoyed reading this book.  The author does a great job of getting you hooked on the story. I enjoyed how the stories of the three women are interwoven and how Mercy's journal brings them all together.  The story is very well written and it does not end as you would expect which leaves you wanting to know more of what happens to the characters.

Lauren's struggles in the book are believable and most can easily relate to them.  It left me thinking about how my own upbringing has shaped the way I view the world.  Not that it is a bad thing, but it is important not to fall into a pattern of thinking that may cause you to think negatively.  I know that others will enjoy reading this book as much as I did.  

The contest will work pretty much the same as previous ones. Leave a comment and you are automatically entered to win. We will draw a winner this coming Saturday, October 18th.

If you don’t win, you can always buy the book here on Amazon.