How Long to Read Death of a Notary

How Long Does it Take to Read Death of a Notary?

It takes the average reader 5 hours and 8 minutes to read Death of a Notary by Donna Merwick

Assuming a reading speed of 250 words per minute. Learn more

Description

He was the only one. He was the only man to have committed suicide in the town's seventeenth-century history. So begins Donna Merwick's fascinating tale of a Dutch notary who ended his life in his adopted community of Albany. In a major feat of historical reconstruction, she introduces us to Adriaen Janse van Ilpendam and the long-forgotten world he inhabited in Holland's North American colony. Her powerful narrative will make readers care for this quiet and studious man, an "ordinary" settler for whom the clash of empires brought tragedy. Like so many of his fellow countrymen, Janse left his Dutch homeland as a young adult to try his luck in New Netherland. After spending a few years on Manhattan Island, he moved on to the fur trading settlement today known as Albany. Merwick traces his journey to a new continent and re-creates the satisfying existence this respected burgher enjoyed with his wife in the bustling town. As a notary Janse was, in the author's words, "surrounded by stories, those he listened to and recorded, the hundreds he archived in a chest or trunk." His familiar life was turned upside down by the British conquest of the colony. Merwick recounts the changes brought about by the new rulers and imagines the despair Janse must have felt when English, a language he had never learned, replaced his native tongue in official transactions. In any military adventure, truth is alleged to be the first casualty. Merwick offers a poignant reminder that the first casualties are in fact people. As much a musing on what history obscures as what it reveals, her book is a superior work by a master practitioner of her craft.

How long is Death of a Notary?

Death of a Notary by Donna Merwick is 304 pages long, and a total of 77,216 words.

This makes it 103% the length of the average book. It also has 94% more words than the average book.

How Long Does it Take to Read Death of a Notary Aloud?

The average oral reading speed is 183 words per minute. This means it takes 7 hours and 1 minute to read Death of a Notary aloud.

What Reading Level is Death of a Notary?

Death of a Notary is suitable for students ages 12 and up.

Note that there may be other factors that effect this rating besides length that are not factored in on this page. This may include things like complex language or sensitive topics not suitable for students of certain ages.

When deciding what to show young students always use your best judgement and consult a professional.

Where Can I Buy Death of a Notary?

Death of a Notary by Donna Merwick is sold by several retailers and bookshops. However, Read Time works with Amazon to provide an easier way to purchase books.

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