Finishing Becca: A Story about Peggy Shippen and Benedict Arnold
Grade 7 Up-In 1778, Becca Syng, 14, becomes Peggy Shippen's maid and enters another world. For over a year, she assists Peggy in her revelry, culminating in her mistress's marriage to General Benedict Arnold. Like the Arnolds, Becca is faced with decisions about loyalty: to her country, to her family and, above all, to herself. This first-person historical novel has some major problems. First, since Becca is not a direct participant in Shippen-Arnold affairs, Rinaldi continually relies on the fortuitous overhearing of conversations, chance meetings, and convenient letters to develop her plot. Too much history is crammed into dialogue, and too much confiding in animals occurs to update readers. Second, the author relies on talk, thought, and feelings at the expense of action. Consequently, the story drags. Given Becca's age and inexperience, her perceptiveness is unrealistic; her overwrought language is better suited to a Gothic romance. Finally, Shippen and Arnold are such unpleasant characters that nothing excuses Becca's enduring them for so long. Their complex personalities, apparent in adult biographies, are absent here-she's spoiled and manipulative and he's merely a selfish egotist. This one-track approach not only does these individuals a disservice, but it also becomes tedious to read.Ann W. Moore, Guilderland Public Library, NYCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.