Newes from the Dead by Mary Hooper Book Review

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age: 13+

Pages: 241

Gender: Female (Some males maybe)

Publication Year: 2008

Plot: 5/5
Description: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Developed: 4/5
Fast Paced: 5/5
Cover: 2/3
Memorable: +2

Total: 26/28
Percent: 93%
Grade: A-

   After I dropped the book, The Silver Blade down is frustration, I went to my bookshelf and picked up Newes from the Dead, for I wanted a nice, short historical fiction novel to read really quickly. I then started the book around 12 o'clock at night. I could not put it down. I am not sure how long I was reading it, but I must of put it down around 2! This book was really exciting and just yanked me in.

   The plot was really good, since I have been interested in the historical figure Anne Green for a really long time, of course I would think the plot was good, but anyway here it goes. There are two different "parts" of the books really. There is the part when it tells about Anne Green's life before she "died" and what led up to it. All this being narrated in first person by Anne Green herself while she is I guess, I don't know what you would call it. A coma? Well, she tells about how she was seduced by a Sir Geofferey Read and about everything else too. Then the other part of the story happens while she is in a "coma" thinking through her life. It is told in third person from the eyes of a medical student with a stutter named Robert. He has come to see Anne Green dissected, but soon he notices he eyelids flicker and a rattling sound comeing from her throat. He realizes that she is alive, so the doctors don't dissect her, but try to revive her! So it goes on to tell about how the doctors revive her. I think the plot is really good and very interesting so I gave it a 5/5.

   The description was good, but not the best. They described the execution very nicely, but there were a lot of things that were just lacking. But it was a short book.

   The characters were good, but I think they could of developed the character Robert more. From what the reader was told, I liked him a lot. But he was just lacking, the author didn't give enough information about him. Also the character Anne kind of annoyed me a times. She was so gullible. Did she really think that Sir Geofferey would raise her to power? Really? I just wanted to yell at her to think. She didn't see how much better off she would be with John Taylor. It made me so mad at her. I didn't like Sir Geofferey at all, he was really just so evil.

   The story was pretty well developed for a book that short. I think they could of developed as I said in the character section, Robert more. But the author still did a pretty good job. There were some parts I wish they would linger longer at, though.

   This book was very fast paced. As you see I read it in all of about 3 hours. I read two hours yesterday night and this morning I probably read less then an hour. It is a very good book, like as I said with Vampire Plagues, to read in between other, bigger books. A book that you can just relax with.
  
   The cover looks nice. But I have a serious problem with the model. Isn't Anne supposed to have fair hair with blue eyes. The model has green eyes with blackish hair. Even thought the England hard back cover look very pretty since it has a painting on the front, it has the same problem. The England paperback does much better though. I go like the little swirly things on the cover, it makes it real pretty, The font is nice too.

   I thought this book was pretty memorable, so I gave it a +2. It is memorable, to me at least, since it is a quite odd story and because the basis for the story is true.

   I liked this book a lot. It was fast and very enjoyable. I recommend this book too people who like easy read historical fiction based on a real facts.