Finishing Becca : A Story about Peggy Shippen and Benedict Arnold

Rating:
Summary: It was Awesome!
Review: "Finishing Becca" was an awesome book. I love the way Ann Rinaldi (the author of this book) weaves in true facts, and adds her own little details. I would recomend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction books.

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Summary: The point of view of a girl during the Revoulutionary War
Review: A GREAT book that everyone can enjoy! So fullfilling, and interesting. I was to read it to learn about the Revolutionary War, and I sure learned a lot, and in such a fun way too! It was a great Book, --I could not put it down.

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Summary: A real bedside companion
Review: Ann Rinaldi is my favorite Author of all time. I have read many of her books. This particular one was very good. It is not my favorite of hers but it showed that once again the talented Author Ann Ranaldi can mix fact with fiction and come out with a powerful entertaining novel for young adults. I don't know how she does it but she really gets people interested in history just by them reading a few pages from one of her many delightful books. This author truly deserves an award for her magnificent literature.

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Summary: A Most Exciting Historical Novel Ever!
Review: Ann Rinaldi sets up a rich and interesting background in her novel. This story takes place in the 19th century. A daughter of a sewing mistress is beckoned to be a maid for Peggy Shippen. Peggy is a spoiled Quaker daughther who spends her days thinking about dresses. Her maid will recieve a finishing education, for her services. You have to read the rest to find out! I mainly liked this book because it had a great plot and interesting characters.
Finishing Becca is one of the best book Ann Rinaldi has written.
I recommend it to anyone who loves historical novels and just wanting a great book to read.

Rating:
Summary: Finishing Becca
Review: Becca Syng and her family live in Philadelphia in 1778, in the heart of the War for American Independence. Her family used to be well off, but an economic crisis ruined the family, and her father, a renowned silversmith, died. Becca's mother, a seamstress, then marries Henry Job Claghorn. Becca's brother, Blair, is at Valley Forge.

Because there is a lack of servants in town, Becca is sent to the prestigious Quaker house of the Shippens to be Peggy Shippen's maid. Because she feels she has "missing pieces" in her life, Becca also "finishes" her education. At the Shippen household, Becca is introduced to a world that escapes from the harsh reality of the outside world. Peggy Shippen is a beautiful teenage girl who captures the essence of the "decadence" of the British (book jacket) because while the "Rebels" (the fighting colonists) are starving and clothesless in the winter of 1778, the British in Philadelphia (along with Peggy) throw extravagant, wasteful parties and go to the theater.

Peggy is quite a lady, and at first, she loves a British officer, but later, as the story progresses, she meets the American General Benedict Arnold, and despite the age differences, they fall in love. Becca's primary job is to act as a witness to the events surrounding the Shippen household and Benedict Arnold. With Peggy's strong inclination towards the British, she convinces Arnold to turn traitor to the Americans.

I admire the way Ann Rinaldi depicts the characters of Peggy Shippen and Benedict Arnold because they seem to be in tune with each other. To Becca, they are both quite "evil." She remarks that Peggy has found one of her own missing pieces (Arnold), and the finding did not turn out so pleasant.

Something I find disappointing in the book (hence the three stars) is the lack of development on Becca's part. She mainly acts as a witness, and even with her "finishing" herself, I am still not satisfied at her conclusion. On a side note, there is another character that does not receive the attention he deserves. While at the Shippen household, Becca helps a young Rebel soldier escape, and he eventually makes it to Becca's farm and helps out the family. At this, I am very disappointed that this character is not developed well because he has so much potential to be a complex character that adds to Becca's story. Alas, the reader gets bits and pieces of this character, and only in the end is there any major mentioning of him, and even then, it is brief.

When there is a first person narrator, I believe the narrator's own story should be given a lot of weight, even if the main story plot (here, Peggy and Benedict) is not about the narrator. Historically, Ann Rinaldi does a great job (as always), but I think she should have gone into more depth with Becca Syng's (who, by the way, is fictional) own story.

Rating:
Summary: Read!
Review: Before i read this book, I never thought I would get so interested in the American Revolution. Everybody in my class had to read a Revolutionary War Novel. I looked through all the books that we had to choose from, and to be honest, none of them looked very interesting. But I chose one, none the less, and started to read it. I found myself getting deeper and deeper into the story, and before I knew it, in a few days, I had finished the book. It's really good and I wish they would make it a movie. Anybody who wants to learn more about the American Revolution, or who just wants to read a good book should read this. You might find yourself wishing it had never ended.

Rating:
Summary: A must read!
Review: Being a thirteen year old fascinated by the American Revolution, I found this book entertaining, and informative. I loved reading about the real life characters (who are portrayed as humans), and I got an inside view on the time period. It was extremely hard to put down, and fun book to read, unlike your dry social studies text books. Anyone who loves the American Revolution, or just wants to know more about it should read this book. Also, Ann Rinaldi is a very talented writer, so all of her books are highly recommended by me, especially this one.

Rating:
Summary: Spectacular! Makes you feel like your actualy there!!
Review: Finishing Becca is about a 14-year-old girl named Becca Synge in the Revolutionary War in 1778. When Becca goes to work for the Shippens and for their spoiled, beautiful daughter-Peggy, her world is turned upside down. Then she must also work for her mistress new husband, the despised by all towns-people, merciless, rich- Benedict Arnold. Becca is faced with many decisions, is she should be loyal to her family, to her country, or to her mistress. With all this in mind she must concentrate on trying to find her "missing pieces" as her mother puts it. But then she watches in shock as her Mistress-Peggy urges to turn Benedict Arnold against the Continental army and all of the Patriots, to join the British.

Rating:
Summary: A great book
Review: Finishing Becca is about a servant who works for a 16 year old girl who marries Benedict Arnold. It was a great book, and I enjoyed it very much but I think the whole Benedict Arnold point took a long time to get into. When she started talking about it, the book was more than halfway over. Otherwise, this was a great book, and I would reccomend it.

Rating:
Summary: Utterly Amazing!
Review: Finishing Becca was a wonderful book with much thought put into it, although there were some uneeded parts. Usually in stories such as this one the setting is non-fiction with mostly fictional characters, but unlike those books Ann Rinaldi has included mostly non-fictional characters and though a few of the characters were fictional, it seemed as though they would jump right off of the pages. If there were more stars, this book would have 10!