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almostg's review against another edition
4.0
A lyrical and beautifully crafted version of Edith Thompson's story that is especially good at conveying the various forms of horrific violence to which women were subjected in 1920s Britain.
gobby_gilbert's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
kmac2022's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sophies_little_library's review against another edition
‘Vain to consider that our love might be a real love, on a par with other great loves. That just because you are from Norwood and work as a ship’s laundry man and I grew up in Stamford Hill and read a certain kind of novel, we are not capable of true emotions, of having feelings and experiences which matter’.
In 1923, Edith Thompson and her lover Freddy Bywaters were hanged for the murder of Edie’s husband, Percy. The crime captivated the nation, causing a storm of publicity and speculation. In ‘Fred and Edie’, Jill Dawson draws from Edie’s writings in imaginary letters to Freddy while in prison. They reveal an extraordinary woman, vain, articulate, idealistic, imaginative, and romantic, convicted because the judge was unable to understand her.
As Edgar Lustgarten said about the case years later, ‘it was from the first to last a failure in human understanding; a failure to grasp and comprehend a personality not envisaged in the standard legal textbooks’. Dawson’s Edie is prone to long flights of fantasy, in which she imagines escaping with her lover and killing her abusive husband; these fantasies will later convict her. Yet despite the subject matter, I thought this book was a delight. Edie is captivating, charming, and complex, and Dawson captures her so well that I couldn’t distinguish her fictional letters from the real ones she inserts. Some readers might struggle with her as a heroine, but I adored her - not surprising, given how much I love Jill Dawson’s other works.
In 1923, Edith Thompson and her lover Freddy Bywaters were hanged for the murder of Edie’s husband, Percy. The crime captivated the nation, causing a storm of publicity and speculation. In ‘Fred and Edie’, Jill Dawson draws from Edie’s writings in imaginary letters to Freddy while in prison. They reveal an extraordinary woman, vain, articulate, idealistic, imaginative, and romantic, convicted because the judge was unable to understand her.
As Edgar Lustgarten said about the case years later, ‘it was from the first to last a failure in human understanding; a failure to grasp and comprehend a personality not envisaged in the standard legal textbooks’. Dawson’s Edie is prone to long flights of fantasy, in which she imagines escaping with her lover and killing her abusive husband; these fantasies will later convict her. Yet despite the subject matter, I thought this book was a delight. Edie is captivating, charming, and complex, and Dawson captures her so well that I couldn’t distinguish her fictional letters from the real ones she inserts. Some readers might struggle with her as a heroine, but I adored her - not surprising, given how much I love Jill Dawson’s other works.
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