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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
*I don’t rate memoirs*
I’ve seen so many documentaries and movies about Ted Bundy. I knew he had a girlfriend, and I always wondered what it was like from her perspective. I worried, “would I be able to tell if I dated someone for six years who was actively kidnapping, raping, and murdering woman across multiple states?” This book was reassuring because she went to the police multiple times with her concerns and they kept shutting her down. It was well written, thoughtful, and insightful. It’s a side of Ted Bundy that nobody but her got to see. Endlessly fascinating and beautifully told.
I’ve seen so many documentaries and movies about Ted Bundy. I knew he had a girlfriend, and I always wondered what it was like from her perspective. I worried, “would I be able to tell if I dated someone for six years who was actively kidnapping, raping, and murdering woman across multiple states?” This book was reassuring because she went to the police multiple times with her concerns and they kept shutting her down. It was well written, thoughtful, and insightful. It’s a side of Ted Bundy that nobody but her got to see. Endlessly fascinating and beautifully told.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol
The lives of serial killers has always been an area of great interest to me. I have spent many hours procrastinating my homework by watching documentaries on these cold-blooded murderers that appear so normal on the outside. However, after reading this particular book made me realize that the destruction these killers leave behind extends further than their body counts. Not only are the families of the victims themselves are grieving for their loss, the families and loved ones of these killers have to live with a guilt of their own which wrecks up their lives so terribly. What I really liked about this book is how the internal turmoil and anguish is expressed by Elizabeth Kendall and how personal it felt. Her younger self is constantly at war with herself, torn by her love for ex-lover Ted Bundy and her guilt for wanting to stand by him while he falsely proclaimed his innocence. In the afterword of the book, her growth from her younger self is evident as she renounces a lot of the things she had felt for Ted in the past. While her past self was still in love with him in a very twisted way, the current self adds in the afterword she regrets her love for Bundy, there's nothing she can do to change it. She acknowledges the manipulation, the gaslighting and the incredibly damaging toxicity Ted had brought in her and her daughter's lives and talks in length how all of that had affected both of them for many many years to come.
I had picked this book up to learn more about the evil that lived within Bundy but really, there's not much of that, because Bundy was such a master in the art of deception and manipulation. No one can ever really tell what went through his mind and anything he says about his state mind during those murder-sprees, I take it with a grain of salt. This sick man is always trying to portray himself as a victim of some sort of external factor. After finishing this book, I have learned about an aspect of evil that is not talked about as often and that is the living with the consequences of evil. I am so used to hearing about these killers from a very matter-of-fact tone that Kendall's more sentimental and self-destructive response to Bundy's crimes really stuck with me.
The reason why I took 1 stars off of this book is because the writing is nothing to write home about, which is forgivable because Kendall isn't really a professional writer, but sometimes my immersion would break at some parts of the story but at other parts, my heart would break for her and her daughter. Other than that, it's a really good book about a struggling single mother with a young daughter, recovering from alcoholism and intense mental trauma.
I had picked this book up to learn more about the evil that lived within Bundy but really, there's not much of that, because Bundy was such a master in the art of deception and manipulation. No one can ever really tell what went through his mind and anything he says about his state mind during those murder-sprees, I take it with a grain of salt. This sick man is always trying to portray himself as a victim of some sort of external factor. After finishing this book, I have learned about an aspect of evil that is not talked about as often and that is the living with the consequences of evil. I am so used to hearing about these killers from a very matter-of-fact tone that Kendall's more sentimental and self-destructive response to Bundy's crimes really stuck with me.
The reason why I took 1 stars off of this book is because the writing is nothing to write home about, which is forgivable because Kendall isn't really a professional writer, but sometimes my immersion would break at some parts of the story but at other parts, my heart would break for her and her daughter. Other than that, it's a really good book about a struggling single mother with a young daughter, recovering from alcoholism and intense mental trauma.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
after watching extremely wicked, shockingly evil and vile, i was intrigued to hear more from Liz about her life with Ted Bundy. While this is not as dramatic as the movie, this is real and raw, making it more chilling.
Spending half my childhood in Tacoma WA during the 80’s I heard a lot about Ted Bundy. Since I was a teen I’ve read a lot on him off and on. I don’t know how it took me this long to come across Liz and Molly’s story but I am so thankful to have finally read it. It made my heart hurt for both of them so much. It was so good to see them overcoming what he did to them too. I hope for nothing but the best for them.
This memoir is proof of what I love about true crime. At the end of the day, it isn't about the murder. It isn't about the crime or the perpetrator. It's about the meaning of humanity, the survivors, and the victims dead and alive. It's a genre about examining the darkest parts of people but realizing you can fight it with light.
Elizabeth Kendall is incredibly brave and a true survivor who was victimized for years by a terrible man. What's amazing about this book is how quickly it goes. You can tell that Elizabeth wrote her story quickly when she originally penned her memoir. Keep in mind that she wrote the original text in 1981, 8 years BEFORE Bundy was executed. Her love for him is fresh and very scary given what he has done. This expanded edition is amazing when she addresses how young she was when she wrote this book and how she has changed. That, to me, made the whole book so wonderful.
And hearing Molly's story for the first time was remarkable. What a strong, kick ass survivor. Highly recommend.
Elizabeth Kendall is incredibly brave and a true survivor who was victimized for years by a terrible man. What's amazing about this book is how quickly it goes. You can tell that Elizabeth wrote her story quickly when she originally penned her memoir. Keep in mind that she wrote the original text in 1981, 8 years BEFORE Bundy was executed. Her love for him is fresh and very scary given what he has done. This expanded edition is amazing when she addresses how young she was when she wrote this book and how she has changed. That, to me, made the whole book so wonderful.
And hearing Molly's story for the first time was remarkable. What a strong, kick ass survivor. Highly recommend.
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced