The Quality of Mercy - by Barry Unsworth (Paperback)

"Superb. . . . Unsworth is one of the best historical novelists on either side of the Atlantic." --The New York Times Book Review

"Deeply moving. . . . Unsworth is equally fluent writing about the lives of bankers and coal miners, judges and slaves, and he brings his characters together with authority and grace." --The Wall Street Journal

"Another engaging demonstration of the talent that's made Unsworth one of the very few writers to appear on the Booker shortlist three times." --The Washington Post

"Reading Barry Unsworth, one immediately feels secure in the hands of an experienced pro, a master scribe that knows his way through a story like a seasoned navigator sailing treacherous but familiar seas." --San Antonio Express-News

"Unsworth has an Austen-esque flair and an uncanny ability to bring the past to life." --Geraldine Brooks, author of March

"Transcends its time. . . . Thought-provoking and resonant." --The Denver Post

"The Quality of Mercy is the work of one who is both artist and craftsman. There is not a page without interest, not a sentence that rings false. It is gripping and moving, a novel about justice which is worthy of that theme. In short, it is a tremendous achievement, as good as anything this great novelist has written." --The Scotsman

"Instantly compelling and impeccably written. . . . Unsworth is a vigorous and precise writer." --Los Angeles Times

"This stand-alone novel has all the predecessor's power to shock. . . . Immediately involving and immensely readable." --The Daily Mail (London)

"What a treat. . . . A silkily written potboiler, wonderfully well-realized, entirely engrossing." --Financial Times

"[Unsworth's] vast knowledge of 18th-century social and material conditions creates a rich and strange rendering of daily life that's utterly persuasive." --The New York Times Book Review

"Intriguing. . . . Unsworth's writing is as rich and authoritative as ever, his eye for the period detail as judicious." --The Guardian (London)

"Full of gorgeous prose, wonderful dialogue in regional dialect, deeply etched characters, and historical settings both rural and urban one can smell and taste. . . . Endlessly enthralling. . . . An honest tale of greed, justice and mercy, a cinematic period piece that engenders romance and ruthlessness in equal amounts." --San Antonio Express-News

"Terrifically original. . . . Unsworth gives a strangled cry to suggest that for all things get better, they stay exactly the same." --The Telegraph (London)

"Rich and powerful. . . . The Quality of Mercy is freighted with deep meaning and sharp observation. . . . A wonderful novel from a writer at the height of his powers, a gripping courtroom drama, a subtle love story, a knockout comedy and a social commentary." --Historical Novel Society

"A page-turner. . . .Heartfelt. . . . The Quality of Mercy has quality to share." --The Daily Express (London)

"Historical fiction at its best. . . . The perfect way to kick off a new year of reading." --BookPage

"Deftly arranged. . . . The fact that [Unsworth's] characters never turn into ciphers is one of his greatest strengths." --The Independent (London)