The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose by Mary Hooper

The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose by Mary Hooper

Hooper, Mary. The Remarkable Life and Times of Eliza Rose. Bloomsbury, 2006. 334 pages. $16.95. ISBN 1582348545

Readers Annotation: Eliza Rose goes to London to find her father after being disowned by her new step-mother only to find that he is not truly her father. In her search for her real parents, Eliza finds the excitement of the stage, friendship and love.

Plot Summary: Eliza Rose always thought her family loved her, until her new stepmother throws her out of the house. Desperate to find her father so he can make her stepmother take her back, Eliza journeys to London where he has taken work after the great fire. Eliza is imprisoned for stealing food, but is eventually freed by Ma Gwynn who ends up using her for her own gains. During the yearly fair, Eliza is dressed as a mermaid and forced to sing her the paying customers of the fair. One customer is so infatuated by the mermaid he offers to pay Ma Gwynn to have her for the night. To prevent Eliza being sold in such a manner, one of Ma’s daughters, Nell, takes her away to be her maid. Nell is an actress and is quickly becoming one of the favorites of the king. After working with Nell as her maid, and in the theatre, Eliza comes to love the excitement of the London theatre and falls for a fine gentleman named Valentine. Finally she finds her father, but all does not end up as she’d hoped. In order to find her true family, she meets an astrologer who tells her she is high born. If only such a thing were true, then she could find her family and marry the man she desires.

Critical Evaluation: Although I did enjoy this book and often couldn’t put it down, I thought it was a bit too light and happy go lucky despite the bad situations Eliza is put into. Eliza’s character, while supposed to be coming into her own as a young woman, seemed much to naïve, or even flighty. For someone looking for a book about a strong young woman following their dreams, this wouldn’t be quite what they were looking for. As for Nell, the idea of being perfectly happy being one of many mistresses of the king and producing a “bastard” child doesn’t seem to be the greatest example to be giving either. That being said, this is a period piece and reflects the mentality of the age. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book for a great historical piece, but would recommend it for a semi-lighthearted happy-ending romance. With all the talk of mistresses, sexual encounters, and lewd language I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone under fourteen.

Reading Level: The reading level of this book better suits ages 14 and up, but the interest level would be that of an older teen.

Book talk ideas: Read the passage where Eliza is describing the situation with her stepmother and her banishment from the house. I would discuss the similarities of this book to Cinderella. Fairy tales like Cinderella aren’t just for children, as this book has the same elements of the fairy tale but with more mature subject matter.

Why it is included: I chose this book because I wanted a comparison to Hooper’s other book Newes from the Dead. It was on two best books lists, one in 2005 and the other in 2006.

Challenge Issues: There is much discussion in the novel about being mistresses, having pre-marital sex and having illegitimate children. I can see that this would be a problem for most parents. I would argue that women at the time would find it an honor to be thus courted by the king. I would also argue that it is up to the parent to restrict what their children read.