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kerinl's review against another edition
3.0
The beginning of this book was great. It soon became redundant and while listening to the audio book I found my self talking out loud to narrator "you've said that ten times already! I get it, move on!". My apologies to all my friends to whom I insisted they should read it. Such promise, such disappointment.
southernbibliomom's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
4.5
This book was uncomfortable and painful to read, but also beautifully written. The book tells a dual story. One of the man who brutally murdered a young child and one of terrible events in the author’s life. Separate stories and yet weaved tragically together. The strength and resilience of the author is shown as well as how complicated families, relationships, and our own minds can be. There is so much more than a strict black and white true crime account. It is about people and the complicated strings that bind them together. About systems that not only have a hard time preventing but could be a cause in destruction. About the difference between truth and the stories told - even in a court room. Alexandra Marzano-Lesnevich puts on a masterclass in how to challenge all of our preconceived notions. Highly recommend.
linnaboobooks's review against another edition
5.0
It's a hard read with plenty of trigger warnings.
lurker_stalker's review against another edition
5.0
I was looking through the books available at my local library (well, the digital version of my local library) and passed right by the audio version of this one. Until I saw the cover for the ebook and something made me stop and go back. I don't even remember what the cover image was. I went back a page in the listings and borrowed the audio book. (Note to authors: covers are important even if it's a digital edition.)
As I got started listening yesterday afternoon, I was much more excited about learning about the case the author had researched than anything having to do with her as a person. That changed somewhere along the way. I can't even tell you exactly when, but I became more involved in her story than in Ricky's. Not that the case and families involved weren't interesting. They were and my heart went out to many of the people involved. But it was Marzano-Lesnevich's life - and the sorts of events we had in common - that ended up hitting me in the gut.
The author slowly and carefully unravels her own past expertly. I didn't even realize what was happening until I became irritated by moving from her story back to the case. I caught myself a few times wondering when the switch happened and I could never figure it out. She completely exposes herself to the reader and I couldn't look away. This has been one of those reading experiences where I feel like I've made a friend of sorts with a character except this character is a real human, not a fictional one. I can't remember the last time I had a burning desire to reach out to an author to let them know just how touched I was by reading, or in this case listening to, their words.
I'm pretty sure I won't actually contact the author so I'll say here, thank you. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself and your family.
As I got started listening yesterday afternoon, I was much more excited about learning about the case the author had researched than anything having to do with her as a person. That changed somewhere along the way. I can't even tell you exactly when, but I became more involved in her story than in Ricky's. Not that the case and families involved weren't interesting. They were and my heart went out to many of the people involved. But it was Marzano-Lesnevich's life - and the sorts of events we had in common - that ended up hitting me in the gut.
The author slowly and carefully unravels her own past expertly. I didn't even realize what was happening until I became irritated by moving from her story back to the case. I caught myself a few times wondering when the switch happened and I could never figure it out. She completely exposes herself to the reader and I couldn't look away. This has been one of those reading experiences where I feel like I've made a friend of sorts with a character except this character is a real human, not a fictional one. I can't remember the last time I had a burning desire to reach out to an author to let them know just how touched I was by reading, or in this case listening to, their words.
I'm pretty sure I won't actually contact the author so I'll say here, thank you. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself and your family.
ashley_pl's review against another edition
4.25
Very well written. The author seems to imagine/speculate a decent amount to make it more of a story and cohesive narrative. But they are very transparent about this and even go chapter by chapter to say which content was imagined and the basis for the imaginings. I found the book to be thought provoking and unsettling.
adam75241's review against another edition
5.0
Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich is a master of her craft. The writing here is sharp and focused, while the story of Ricky and the story of the author are as brutal and disturbing as they are thoughtful. There is a lot to stomach in this book and nearly all of the topics are difficult to get through (nearly every trigger warning imaginable), but Marzano-Lesnevich’s elegant prose and expert pacing make the journey worthwhile. The reader is left to question where the story *really* begins and whether the world’s most vile villains deserve humility.
book_concierge's review against another edition
5.0
Digital audiobook read by the author.
From the book jacket: Before Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich begins a summer internship in Louisiana, working to help defend men accused of murder, she thinks her position is clear. The child of two lawyers, Alexandria is staunchly anti-death penalty. But the moment convicted murderer Ricky Langley’s face flashes on the screen as she reviews an old tape – the moment she hears him speak of his crimes – she is overcome with the feeling of wanting him to die. Shocked by her reaction, after she graduates from law school she begins digging deeper into the case. Despite their vastly different circumstances, something in his story is unsettlingly, uncannily familiar.
My reactions:
Wow. I was completely mesmerized by this memoir / true crime work. Marzano-Lesnevich puts me right into the narrative and I feel invested in both her story and that of convicted murderer, and pedophile, Ricky Langley. I totally understand her compulsion to research Langley’s case, and marvel at the strength of character shown by the author and by Langley. Yes, by Langley.
Here is a man who knew he had a problem and begged – repeatedly – for help. And here is evidence that was overlooked or flatly ignored. Questions that remained unanswered. And a jury’s decision that was perplexing. And here is an author who faced her own history, peeled back the layers of secrecy and denial to confront her own past.
Marzano-Lesnevich narrated the audiobook herself. I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job.
From the book jacket: Before Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich begins a summer internship in Louisiana, working to help defend men accused of murder, she thinks her position is clear. The child of two lawyers, Alexandria is staunchly anti-death penalty. But the moment convicted murderer Ricky Langley’s face flashes on the screen as she reviews an old tape – the moment she hears him speak of his crimes – she is overcome with the feeling of wanting him to die. Shocked by her reaction, after she graduates from law school she begins digging deeper into the case. Despite their vastly different circumstances, something in his story is unsettlingly, uncannily familiar.
My reactions:
Wow. I was completely mesmerized by this memoir / true crime work. Marzano-Lesnevich puts me right into the narrative and I feel invested in both her story and that of convicted murderer, and pedophile, Ricky Langley. I totally understand her compulsion to research Langley’s case, and marvel at the strength of character shown by the author and by Langley. Yes, by Langley.
Here is a man who knew he had a problem and begged – repeatedly – for help. And here is evidence that was overlooked or flatly ignored. Questions that remained unanswered. And a jury’s decision that was perplexing. And here is an author who faced her own history, peeled back the layers of secrecy and denial to confront her own past.
Marzano-Lesnevich narrated the audiobook herself. I cannot imagine anyone else doing a better job.