Susan Meissner

Dear Readers,
First, the important stuff, The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner. I loved this book. It might be her best one yet. Secondly, this book is releasing on Sept. 16th. But you can order your copy today, just let me know if you want one.

Last but not least, I have had a terrible time writing this review. It is me, not the book. Every time I start a review for it, I feel like I am not doing the book justice. There are several different storylines and each one is very different from the others, and yet, they are all tied together. If you have ever read Susan's books before you know she never has just one story line, some being funny with most being serious.

In The Shape of Mercy, Susan does just that. The story of Mercy's diary alone is amazing, the story of Abigail is fascinating , but the main character, Lauren, is the story that doesn't leave you when you are done.

Lauren wants to prove to everyone that she doesn't need her parents money to survive. She takes a job transcribing an old diary that has been handed down through Abigail's family. The diary is written by an family member during the Salem witch trials. I really didn't know that much about the Salem witch trials other than what the play/book the Crucible tells us. It is a very dark time in our history. Sometimes it is even hard to remember that it isn't a work of fiction, but real families were torn apart and very real people, innocent people, were killed on the will and whim of a few teenage girls. Peer pressure is a very powerful tool.

Back to Lauren. I loved her storyline. She is a very normal person with every day struggles. She is trying to make the right decisions and yet doesn't want to hurt anyone. Especially her family, and yet wants to stand on her own. Which is a fine and difficult line to walk. Sometimes things aren't what you think they are.

I can't stress it enough, read this book. It wasn't at all what I expected, it was better.

Happy Reading