false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1256159442m/2752607.jpg 2752607 3 <b><i> “We understand what we want to understand.”<br></i></b><br>Leaving a life of privilege to strike out on her own, Lauren Durough breaks with convention and her family’s expectations by choosing a state college over Stanford and earning her own income over accepting her ample monthly allowance. She takes a part-time job from 83-year-old librarian Abigail Boyles, who asks Lauren to transcribe the journal entries of her ancestor Mercy Hayworth, a victim of the Salem witch trials. <br><br>Almost immediately, Lauren finds herself drawn to this girl who lived and died four centuries ago. As the fervor around the witch accusations increases, Mercy becomes trapped in the worldview of the day, unable to fight the overwhelming influence of snap judgments and superstition, and Lauren realizes that the secrets of Mercy’s story extend beyond the pages of her diary, living on in the mysterious, embittered Abigail. <br><br>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? 2778306 16 9 2008 The Shape of Mercy: A Novel total:304|5:98|4:139|3:56|2:11|1:0| 304 1236 623 147 4 3 false false Tue Mar 31 09:01:16 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 18 10:40:32 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 2 false false Fri Dec 19 12:25:12 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 19 12:25:16 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Jan 07 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Sep 22 14:49:38 -0700 2008 Sat Jan 10 12:09:53 -0800 2009
About the book:

“We understand what we want to understand.”

Leaving a life of privilege to strike out on her own, Lauren Durough breaks with convention and her family’s expectations by choosing a state college over Stanford and earning her own income over a...more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Mar 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Feb 21 08:48:46 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 23 16:12:49 -0700 2009
The Shape of Mercy is a book like that. It is well written, bu...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Feb 02 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 03 08:01:52 -0800 2009 Tue Feb 03 08:02:08 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Aug 30 00:16:43 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 00:16:48 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 04 08:49:35 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 04 08:58:30 -0700 2009
Lauren Durrough is an heiress and is tired of doing what is expected of her. She decides to attend a public college and get a job i...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jun 25 13:00:47 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 24 15:11:46 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 25 13:00:47 -0700 2009
A couple of the characters bothered me - the roommate Clarissa for one. The aut...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Jun 20 13:00:23 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 20 13:02:33 -0700 2009
Two plots intertwine more than 300 years apart. I could...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Apr 29 11:12:58 -0700 2009 Wed Apr 29 11:13:25 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Mar 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 21 08:38:42 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 21 08:46:13 -0700 2009
When 19-yr-old Lauren takes a part time job transcribing a centuries-old diary for an eccentric old lady, she has no idea t...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Mar 22 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 21 06:33:28 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 18:26:06 -0700 2009
At first, it is the story of a rich girl, Lauren, who takes a job to prove that she doesn't need her family's money, but it evolves into a journey into the p...more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Oct 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 27 09:30:19 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 03 10:22:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Oct 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 29 07:14:57 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 10 07:43:46 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon May 25 20:25:46 -0700 2009 Mon May 25 20:32:08 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Aug 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 26 18:58:54 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 20:16:39 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 28 10:55:05 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 30 05:19:46 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Mar 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 19 14:36:14 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 19 14:39:00 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Apr 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Apr 24 04:45:46 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 25 05:10:48 -0700 2009
This book is a quick ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jan 19 18:07:46 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 19 18:17:12 -0800 2009 more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2752607