i like the book with the big plot twist but the end wasn't that good or he need to write a second book 0143203916 This is a wonderfully strange little book. 0143203916 This was a rather enjoyable and morbid book with quirky old style romance in it. It is set in old England and the opinion on Australia made me laugh my ass of. it was priceless, inaccurate but priceless. I also enjoyed how well researched and put together this story is and the mannerism of all the character in it.
BOOK COVER: 4
RATING: M has defacing corpses and body-snatching in it (if you don't know that that is than you aint old enough to read this book)
OVERAL: Was a rather pleasant morbid read
FAVE CHARACTER: None they all seemed to sit at the same level for me
WOULD I READ MORE FROM THIS AUTHOR: Ummm Maybe
RECOMMED: People who like old English setting, morbid books set in grave yards with a huge revenge fell to it. 0143203916 Fantastic Australian YA!! I recently read Doug's book Shiny Guys which I spotted in my Library and liked the cover.
Followed up with this one and really enjoyed it. Quirky, black humour for older teens of all ages!! 0143203916 The Life of a Teenage Body Snatcher is a black comedy set in England in 1828 and is the 12th book written by Doug MacLeod. We meet sixteen-year-old protagonist, Thomas Timewell, on the evening of his grandfather’s funeral. Thomas' Grandfather's dying wish was for his body to be donated to science to help in the advancement of the medical and scientific fields. Like in many cases, those wishes were ignored and he was buried anyway. So, as you do, Thomas takes matters into his own hands and digs up the grave to take the body where it rightfully belongs, as per his Grandfather's wishes.
As he digs, we meet Plentitude – a body snatcher. An uneasy alliance is made between the two as Plentitude shows Thomas the tricks of the body snatching trade and delivers the body to the desired destination. From there Plentitude convinces Thomas to continue fulfilling the final wishes of the recently deceased.
Body snatching is not a simple game though – there’s competition. Disgruntled former partners of Plentitude’s want the bodies (and the payment that comes with their sale) for themselves. That, plus a gypsy with a taste for throwing meat cleavers, a teacher who ritually tortures his best friend and a mother in a constant opium daze, Thomas’s life gets really bizarre, really fast. Not to mention the lovely Victoria, who he can’t keep from offending every time their paths cross.
As some of you may know, I spend most of my day studying fashion and trends, but I’m picking up on a book trend here - more stories being set during the Georgian and Victorian eras (18th and 19th century) - and I have to say I’m really liking it. Think Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, and Emily Bronte, but teen friendly. Now don’t get me wrong, these authors and many others of that period were very talented and have written some of the best loved classic literature of all time. I’ve read a fair few books from the period either for study or by choice but try as I might I just don’t know what they’re saying. Since times and social customs have changed you need to read between the lines, and understand the contextual history to know why it’s so scandalous for a girl to leave the house without a hat and gloves. This, plus the language itself means the message of those books are unfortunately lost on me, it just feels like a chore to read. I don’t doubt they’re still valuable and the themes and issues they express are important and still relevant today (and should still be read and studied)….but they’re just not fun for me.
What I’m trying to get at here, is that books such as The Life of a Teenage Body Snatcher and others that are coming out recently, are quite faithful to the period and allow you to enjoy a story set in the age of gentlemen in top hats and ladies in corsets without getting lost in the writing of classic literature.
There was a great plot here, quite different to things I’ve read lately - very dark and gruesome at times but also with a sense of sarcasm and humor that kept it light. I loved the surprise ending, as well as the reference to Sweeney Todd, and to the issues of women who had to pose as males to be taken seriously as authors and the extend of opium use of the time.
The characters were a delight and I loved the witty interaction between them. Particularly between Thomas and his adopted younger brother John, who at fourteen has moved out into his deceased grandfather’s mansion and considers himself an important adult, high power business man. I also liked that body snatchers (or resurrectionists) never revealed their names; each one had a unique name chosen by them.
The Life of a Teenage Body Snatcher is a great period novel that was witty and engaging, that gives a dark insight to an unusual occupation. 0143203916
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You must think it strange that I'm digging up my grandfather.
Not at all. I'm sure many young men dig up their grandfathers.
Thomas Timewell is sixteen and a gentleman. When he meets a body-snatcher called Plenitude, his whole life changes. He is pursued by cutthroats, a tattooed gypsy with a meat cleaver, and even the Grim Reaper. More disturbing still, Thomas has to spend an evening with the worstnoelist in the world.
A black comedy set in England in 1828, The Life of a Teenage Body-Snatcher shows what terrible events can occur when you try to do the right thing. 'Never a good idea', as Thomas' mother would say. The Life of a Teenage Body-Snatcher
A lovely, over-the-top black comedy. I wasn't sure teens would get all the jokes, but there are several fans of this book at my school. If you like Richard Harland, you should enjoy this. 0143203916 Surprised at how much I enjoyed this black comedy, informative and fun. Easy to recommend. 0143203916 Doug Macleod is one of Australia's premier writers - full stop. From Sister Madge's Book of Nuns, through The Comedy Company and Kath & Kim, and My Incredible Life and Death, to the beautiful Siggy and Amber, Tumble Turn (swoons) and The Clockwork Forest.
The Life of a Teenage Body-snatcher follows young Thomas Timewell, sixteen and a gentleman. We meet Thomas as he is attempting to steal the newly-buried body of his grandfather. An unusual pastime for a young gentleman, you might think. And you would be right. But Thomas is just trying to fulfil Grandfather's dying wish - for his body to be donated to science. Unfortunately, Thomas mother doesn't think this is a good idea, and so grandfather goes into the ground. And also unfortunately, body-snatching is against the law, and Thomas risks going to jail for the sake of his grandfather.
Fortunately for Thomas (and Grandfather), he meets a resurrectionist named Plenitude. Plenitude is a man of honour, wisdom and care, and is, as it turns out, the perfect person to have caught Thomas digging noisily into Grandfather's grave.
The Life of a Teenage Body-snatcher is funny, black, thoughtful and moving. It is definitely one of Doug MacLeod's best books in a long history of excellent writing. 0143203916
The story begins as young Thomas, a 16year old gentleman in 1828, is interrupted as he digs up his Grandfather’s fresh corpse in order to fulfil his final wish. The man who interrupted Thomas in the middle of his most unsavoury act is none other than the man who will take Thomas and his friend the kind and gentle Charlie, on the ride of their lives.
Plenitude, is a middle aged body snatcher who has secrets that will turn Thomas’s life upside down, while he breaks his own personal rules to accommodate the young man. But Plenitude is nothing of which he seems. Missing heads, a strange trunk going to the bakers, and his most odd gentlemanly behaviour.
But Thomas has other things on his mind, his most hated teacher is going to publish a book on teaching young boys, in this book he calls Thomas by name a ‘nancy-boy’ and risks destroying his families reputation, much to the displeasure of his brother Joshua. But this book also teaches something else; To choose a young boy out of the class, a gentle one, to use as a whipping boy. This angers Thomas as the whipping boy happens to be his best friend Charlie. While trying to stop the book from being published, dealing with a drug addled mother whose friend seems bent on molesting Thomas, and discovering love, can Thomas keep hidden from the law, the people who want to cancel out the competition, his angry teacher, his odd body snatcher friend, and the weird naked, devil tattooed, insane gypsy woman and her meat cleaver.
This story had everything I was looking for and more with horror, love, and comedy all wrapped into one historical fiction.
0143203916 Set in London in 1828, The life of a teenage body snatcher is a dark comedy following the adventures of a 16-year-old boy named Thomas Timewell.
Thomas is a gentleman with good morals however his morals are tested throughout the book, especially by his drug-addict of a mother. The book begins with Thomas digging up his recently deceased grandfather and meeting a professional body snatcher named Plenitude. Thomas becomes Plenitude’s snatching partner and eventually Thomas’ best friend Charlie is accepted into the team. With twists and turns throughout the book the reader is always kept guessing about the next chapter of the adventure. Swimming with human heads, fighting a drunken maniac and being chased by a naked gypsy are just some of the horrific pitstops along Thomas’ journey. There is gory detail throughout the book and many advanced words, so I would recommend this book to mature readers from age 13 and up.
Doug McLeod’s creative language and description during this book help the reader to visualize scenes in great detail. The life of a teenage body snatcher is a strange but entertaining book that could easily draw any reader’s attention, I would rate this book 4/5 stars. 0143203916
