Review – Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Length: 311 pages
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: January 18, 2022
ASIN: B093FBRCYF
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: eGalley from NetGalley.com
Rating: 4/5 stars
“Hazel Sinnett is a lady who wants to be a surgeon more than she wants to marry.
Jack Currer is a resurrection man who’s just trying to survive in a city where it’s too easy to die.
When the two of them have a chance encounter outside the Edinburgh Anatomist’s Society, Hazel thinks nothing of it at first. But after she gets kicked out of renowned surgeon Dr. Beecham’s lectures for being the wrong gender, she realizes that her new acquaintance might be more helpful than she first thought. Because Hazel has made a deal with Dr. Beecham: if she can pass the medical examination on her own, Beecham will allow her to continue her medical career. Without official lessons, though, Hazel will need more than just her books—she’ll need corpses to study.
Lucky that she’s made the acquaintance of someone who digs them up for a living.
But Jack has his own problems: strange men have been seen skulking around cemeteries, his friends are disappearing off the streets, and the dreaded Roman Fever, which wiped out thousands a few years ago, is back with a vengeance. Nobody important cares—until Hazel.
Now, Hazel and Jack must work together to uncover the secrets buried not just in unmarked graves, but in the very heart of Edinburgh society.”
Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got a copy of this book through NetGalley to review.
Thoughts: I liked this quite a bit, it is a fun historical fiction, with some slight magical realism, and an intriguing topic. However, the story feels very unfinished and ends very abruptly; I believe this is a stand alone but maybe it is a start to a series.
I really enjoyed both Hazel and Jack. Hazel is a neglected wealthy young woman who wants to become a surgeon which is very unacceptable for the Victorian time and age. Jack is a resurrection man who steals dead bodies and sells them to doctors for their study. The two end up meeting and joining forces; Hazel wants Jack to provide her with bodies to study so she can study for taking the Medical Exam.
I really loved this book up to the last 20% or so. It’s a good story and an intriguing topic and Jack and Hazel are easy to love. However, things get a bit weird towards the end with Hazel’s desperate studying abruptly giving way to her involvement in a mystery of disappearing people. Then some subtle magic is involved and it feels very forced.
To add to that Jack’s story takes a turn that seemed unnecessary as well. Too much was packed into the last part of this story and it felt contrived. If this is the first book in a series maybe the author was setting up for book 2, however I believe this is supposed to be a stand alone and as such it left me feeling a bit confused and hollow.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was a well done historical fiction with some magical realism. I loved most of the book and enjoyed the unique subject matter and engaging characters. However, things got a bit weird at the end with too many new things packed in and left the book with a hollow, unsatisfying feeling to it. I would recommend this if you are fascinated by the practice of grave-robbing in Victorian times and are looking for an engaging fictional story set around that.
