Finally a love story where the heroine doesn't have to decide between true love and a career!

In the last few years, I have gone from a person who has no understanding of what a podcast is to subscribing to about 20 podcasts that I regularly listen to and have toyed with the idea of starting my own (because I don't have enough plates to keep spinning). I listen to everything from true crime and paranormal to health and sciences to history. Podcasts help keep me feel like I am always learning, something I strive to do now that I am no longer in school, as well as keep current with what is going on in the world since I don't watch a regular news program. 

One of my favorites is Noble Blood hosted by Dana Schwartz. I found the podcast through another podcast, You're Wrong About, where Dana was a guest host on episodes about Marie Antoinette and Anastasia (and the last October again discussing Catherine the Great). As a child of the 90s, I had an unhealthy obsession with Anastasia thanks to the animated movie in 1997, and then the obsession grew to Marie Antoinette. As an adult, I still have a need to learn about them, so a podcast that discusses them and other well known and obscure royals called to me. I binged the back catalogue and have been a constant listener since. When Dana announced she was writing a new book, I immediately pre-ordered it. While I read it the day it was released, it seemed fitting to hold the review until February, seeing as it is a love story.

Dana Schwartz grew up in Chicago and then attended Brown University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and American Institutions and Biology. She ultimately decided to go into journalism and writing and, in my opinion, has been amazing. Aside from Anatomy, she has written three other books, along with a few comic books. Dana also has a second podcast, Haileywood, which covers Bruce Willis's attempted real estate career and frequently co-hosts on Hysteria. As a journalist, Dana has written for many huge names, including The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Bustle, and so many more. Her articles range from light hearted to hard hitting and moving; all while showing her unique style and making a statement you're not soon to forget. Dana currently lives in LA with her fiancé (I could have sworn they had gotten married, but I looked and couldn't confirm, so maybe I'm crazy, but I will update if I learn otherwise) and their two cats. Really, Dana Schwartz is just amazing and if I ever got the chance to talk with her, I don't think I would stop fan girling. 

"I warn you now that the course on which you are now embarking is not an easy one. It will challenge you physically. it will challenge you mentally. You will come face-to-fae with the strange, the macabre.... Blood will stain your hands. You might find that blood may even stain your very souls." 

(pp. 103-104)

Anatomy: A Love Story takes place in 1817 Edinburgh and follows the lives of Hazel Sinnett and Jack Currer. Hazel is a lady whose goal in life is to be a surgeon; Jack is a resurrection man whose only goal is survival. Despite being in two different classes, life brings them together outside the Edinburgh Anatomist's Society, and the pair learn that they can benefit from the other. But an illness is ravaging Edinburgh, and strange men are lurking about while others are going missing. The dead bodies Hazel and Jack are uncovering hold more secrets than the illness; they hold the truth of who is targeting the people everyone else overlooks.

Historical fictions are always hit or miss with me. Part of it because of the overly flowery language that was used in the past. The other thing is I never know how much is historic and how much is fiction. The ones that I have found enjoyable are the ones that find the perfect blend of flowery historic dialogue with modern information to help in understanding. Anatomy is one of those that has found the balance, and I believe it is because Dana regularly discusses history on Noble Blood. The other authors I know that have found that balance are historians, and that seems to give them an edge on how to make different parts of history interesting to people who don't normally study it. But Dana created characters the I could easily imagine in 19th century Edinburgh that I wanted to know more about and did not want to leave.

Another special touch that Dana adds in is snippets from books, articles, and notes to give the reader details that are pertinent to the plot, but to have a character out rightly say it would feel forced. Obviously, the readers aren't members of the 19th century, so some customs and remarks are foreign to us, and I would hazard a guess that a lot of us aren't part of the medical community with knowledge of everything discussed in the anatomy class and other medical scenes. Having these reference points is extremely beneficial for the reader and add a special touch to the book. I love when authors utilize this device to share information with the readers.

I often feel that when I am reading a book about a woman who wants to go against the norm, I often find that she only wants to be a professional and completely writes off marriage, children, and anything else feminine. Hazel does not fall into that troupe though, and that is so much more relatable. She is courted by Bernard and isn't completely turned off by the idea of marrying him; she just wants to make sure he supports her dream of being a surgeon as well as a wife. She also admits that she feels a pull to Jack other than him being a means to an end for corpses to practice on. But she does know that to achieve her dream, she needs more than just a supportive future spouse; she needs to work harder than every other man out there. When the novel starts, she has to disguise herself as a man to attend the university, and when she is discovered, she is kicked out. She eventually makes a deal with the doctor running the class that if she can pass the medical exam, he'll not only let her take the classes, but he'll be her mentor. But she is not allowed in the classes until then. Hence the resurrection man, Jack. 

Jack is an underdog and you are rooting for him from page one. Jack is on his own and works multiple jobs to keep afloat. But you're not only rooting for him to succeed out of poverty, but you follow his crush on a woman at the playhouse, and his heart break when he learns that she already has a suitor. Towards the end of the book, something happens to Jack, and it was honestly so stressful waiting to find out what his fate was. You can feel how genuine Jack is, and I just had an urge to take him in and tell him everything would be okay from now on.

The book has a fantastical ending that I did not see coming, but once it was revealed, I was able to spot the bread crumbs throughout the book that I wrote off as interesting character details. I love when a book can surprise me like this, especially with a historical fiction. And despite the splash of fantasy, it does not take away from the plot or make the book unbelievable, another line that is very hard to toe that Dana does beautifully.

You cannot read the book without being faced with the glaring differences between lower and upper class, something that is still prevalent over 200 years later. The lower class is being hunted by dark figures and not taken seriously when they make reports to police, if they return. They are used as guinea pigs for medical practice so that the upper class can thrive, and then left to deal with any repercussions they may face medically. Even worse, the rich can pay their way out if they are caught in their illegal actions, and the lower class are left to take the punishment. Sadly, these issues are still all to real. You'd think in 200 years, we would have evolved past this. But in calling it out, hopefully we can remedy this.

Anatomy: A Love Story not only shows love between humans, but also a love between a person and their passion. Between my full time job and this blog, I know this love well and I feel that Dana puts beautifully into words what it means when you find your passion. The budding love story is also wonderfully expressed and you can't help but to find yourself rooting for Hazel and Jack. Any reader will find a love to root for in this novel, and because of that, I strongly suggest it.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 10

Who should read this?: Lovers of historical fiction, people looking for a love story or quick read, and people wanting to run away to Edinburgh.

Author: Dana Schwartz

Found through: Noble Blood

Repeat Author: No

Series: Not currently (she hinted in an interview at the end of the audio book that the story may not be over, so fingers crossed 🤞!)

Sources:

Dana Schwartz - Goodreads - Twitter - Instagram

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