- Paperback: 208 pages
- Publisher: Puffin Books (4 May 2006)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 014131950X
- ISBN-13: 978-0141319506
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 1.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,005,170 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
From Katie Grant, the author of "Blood Red Horse" and "Green Jasper", comes the recipe for the perfect historical read: feisty heroine Alice de Granville; traitorous (but charming) relative Uncle Frank (deceased); and valiant men none other than Uncle Frank's executioner, Dan Skinslicer, and Captain Hew French of the King's Dragoons. Add Alice's heartfelt certainty that Uncle Frank's remains must be safely returned to Hartslove, a headlong flight on horseback, disguises, the ever-gossipy London mob and the devastating effect of Alice's blue eyes, for a brilliantly funny, exciting adventure. You won't want it to end!
About the Author
K. M. Grant was born into a large Lancashire family that often found itself caught up in historical events -- usually on the losing side. Stories of high adventure, most of them true, were part of everyday life. Married, with teenage children, the author now lives in Scotland and works as a writer and broadcaster.
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First Sentence
When Uncle Frank's head was finally parted from his body, the crowd laughed. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
When Uncle Frank's head was finally parted from his body, the crowd laughed. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
How the Hangman Lost His Heart may promise, from the synopsis at least, to be a syrupy historical romance for preteens. However, upon reading this when there was no other reading material at hand on holiday, I discovered that I could not have been further from the truth in my presumptions.
Alice is a well brought up girl living with her eccentric grandmother and desperate Aunt in 1700's london. When her beloved Uncle Frank meets a grizzly end at the hands of kind-hearted executioner Dan Skinslicer, Alice decides to rescue his head from Temple Bar. However, all does not go according to plan and she, Dan, a soldier called Hew and Uncle Frank's head are soon on the run from all of the soldires in London in a desperate attempt to reunite Frank's head with his body.
The only quibbles that I have with this book are that some of the characters are somewhat 2D and Dan's feelings for Alice did not particularly deserve to be the title. Such matters aside, How the Hangman Lost His Heart is fast-paced, mostly, I think, historically accurate and Uncle Frank's head adds a touch of humour. Read this book if you are 10+ and enjoy short but satisfactory reads.
Alice is a well brought up girl living with her eccentric grandmother and desperate Aunt in 1700's london. When her beloved Uncle Frank meets a grizzly end at the hands of kind-hearted executioner Dan Skinslicer, Alice decides to rescue his head from Temple Bar. However, all does not go according to plan and she, Dan, a soldier called Hew and Uncle Frank's head are soon on the run from all of the soldires in London in a desperate attempt to reunite Frank's head with his body.
The only quibbles that I have with this book are that some of the characters are somewhat 2D and Dan's feelings for Alice did not particularly deserve to be the title. Such matters aside, How the Hangman Lost His Heart is fast-paced, mostly, I think, historically accurate and Uncle Frank's head adds a touch of humour. Read this book if you are 10+ and enjoy short but satisfactory reads.
Format:Paperback
I bought this book after hearing the author talk about her work at our local library. It sounded like it would be a humorous, lighthearted book in spite of the gruesome subject matter and I was not disappointed. This was a great adventure story for older children (and pretty good for this middle-aged adult too). I laughed from start to finish.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Courtesy of the Figment Review at Figment[dot]com
14 Oct 2011
Format:Hardcover
By Emily Weaver
Alice could hardly stand to watch her beloved Uncle Frank be executed, and when she finds out that his head is to be displayed as a warning to future dissenters, she knows that she has to do something. But if there's one thing more difficult than stealing the head of one of the king's enemies, it's hanging on to it. In a desperate race against the king's soldiers, Alice launches a mission to snatch her uncle's head and reunite it with his body. Accompanying her is Dan, the local hangman who personally played a part in Frank's death. Soon, Alice finds herself up against not only the king's soldiers, but also a young captain that she may or may not be developing feelings for.
With public executions, dismembered heads, and the general unpleasantness of an England long since passed, Grant isn't afraid to describe some of the more morbid parts of her story--but How the Hangman Lost His Heart doesn't completely disgust the reader. Her writing style has an air of humor about it that makes the book read much more like a dark Disney film than a C.S.I. episode. Uncle Frank's head isn't treated like a barbaric symbol; rather, it takes on a prominent role in the story and is joked about frequently and made light of.
Although the plot is funny and original, I found it difficult to really connect with all of the characters. At times, I felt like I was just reading about them rather than truly feeling what they were feeling. But that isn't to say they aren't a likeable crew. Alice, arguably the most prominent of the main characters, is spunky and quick even though she's a spoiled girl from the countryside who knows little of the world before coming to London. Dan, despite being an executioner, also becomes a likeable character due to his concern for Alice and her safety. Alice and Dan's relationship is one based on respect and admiration, combined with the simple fact that they become one another's constant company. It is their two very different roles in society that make their relationship so comical.
Grant has stated that How the Hangman Lost His Heart is based on a true story. Though it's a bit far-fetched at times, the book paints a quirky and odd portrait of two very different people on a very special mission to get a very dead man, or rather, a part of one, home.
Alice could hardly stand to watch her beloved Uncle Frank be executed, and when she finds out that his head is to be displayed as a warning to future dissenters, she knows that she has to do something. But if there's one thing more difficult than stealing the head of one of the king's enemies, it's hanging on to it. In a desperate race against the king's soldiers, Alice launches a mission to snatch her uncle's head and reunite it with his body. Accompanying her is Dan, the local hangman who personally played a part in Frank's death. Soon, Alice finds herself up against not only the king's soldiers, but also a young captain that she may or may not be developing feelings for.
With public executions, dismembered heads, and the general unpleasantness of an England long since passed, Grant isn't afraid to describe some of the more morbid parts of her story--but How the Hangman Lost His Heart doesn't completely disgust the reader. Her writing style has an air of humor about it that makes the book read much more like a dark Disney film than a C.S.I. episode. Uncle Frank's head isn't treated like a barbaric symbol; rather, it takes on a prominent role in the story and is joked about frequently and made light of.
Although the plot is funny and original, I found it difficult to really connect with all of the characters. At times, I felt like I was just reading about them rather than truly feeling what they were feeling. But that isn't to say they aren't a likeable crew. Alice, arguably the most prominent of the main characters, is spunky and quick even though she's a spoiled girl from the countryside who knows little of the world before coming to London. Dan, despite being an executioner, also becomes a likeable character due to his concern for Alice and her safety. Alice and Dan's relationship is one based on respect and admiration, combined with the simple fact that they become one another's constant company. It is their two very different roles in society that make their relationship so comical.
Grant has stated that How the Hangman Lost His Heart is based on a true story. Though it's a bit far-fetched at times, the book paints a quirky and odd portrait of two very different people on a very special mission to get a very dead man, or rather, a part of one, home.
A sweet little book about an execution.
15 April 2008
Format:Hardcover
What skill it takes to start with a family legend and turn it into a really good story. Especially when it's about an ancestor who was executed and the head handed down through the family for years.
It's well-researched and doesn't contrive an unlikely wedding, even though the hangman does lose his heart.
Very satisfying.
It's well-researched and doesn't contrive an unlikely wedding, even though the hangman does lose his heart.
Very satisfying.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
very funny
14 Oct 2008
Format:Hardcover
Grant, K. How the Hangman Lost his Heart. Walker & Company. 2006.
This book is great fun to read. Alice rescues her Uncle Frank's head from a pike atop Temple Bar (London, 1746) and that effort unleashes a hilarious chain of events that will keep children chortling through to the conclusion. Dan "the Hangman" Skinslicer says to Alice after the execution, "the good news is that he (King George) only wants your uncle's head, so you'll get a whole body to take home, which is nice. Sometimes traitors are hacked into four bits, you know and sent off to different towns." After the head is stuck onto a pike, Dan tells her to "rearrange the colonel's hair. I don't expect he'd like to look a mess." By the time Alice is escaping with her uncle's head, she has involved not only Dan but also a Captain Hew Ffrench who despite the fact that he is scared of heights climbs to capture Alice as she perches on the Temple Bar egged on by the nasty leader of his Lighthorse Troop, Major Slavering. The antics go on as Dan rescues Alice and her uncle's head and they careen out of town on a horse. Vivid actions and characters and keen humor combine in this entertaining caper. Recommend to children ages, 9-12.
This book is great fun to read. Alice rescues her Uncle Frank's head from a pike atop Temple Bar (London, 1746) and that effort unleashes a hilarious chain of events that will keep children chortling through to the conclusion. Dan "the Hangman" Skinslicer says to Alice after the execution, "the good news is that he (King George) only wants your uncle's head, so you'll get a whole body to take home, which is nice. Sometimes traitors are hacked into four bits, you know and sent off to different towns." After the head is stuck onto a pike, Dan tells her to "rearrange the colonel's hair. I don't expect he'd like to look a mess." By the time Alice is escaping with her uncle's head, she has involved not only Dan but also a Captain Hew Ffrench who despite the fact that he is scared of heights climbs to capture Alice as she perches on the Temple Bar egged on by the nasty leader of his Lighthorse Troop, Major Slavering. The antics go on as Dan rescues Alice and her uncle's head and they careen out of town on a horse. Vivid actions and characters and keen humor combine in this entertaining caper. Recommend to children ages, 9-12.
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