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tahlia__nerds_out's review
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
4.5
A fascinating story centering on corruption, selfishness, spite, and a desire for dominance. Filled with people who are hard to like, this story nonetheless drew me in as it revealed the complexities of the time and of the people who lived in it. This may be a story about a murder, but it is almost as much -- if not more so -- about a university: its founding, trials, and how the of its foundress' life and death affected its future.
ames599's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
I wanted to read this book because I thought was going to be a fascinating true crime story, but in fact the murder part was much smaller than I expected. It does frame the entire story, but so much more of this work focuses on the gilded age, and how those with money and/or power ruled over those who had little or neither. It was about deceit, controlling others, deep seeded corruption, and yes spirits all in relation to the San Francisco vicinity and the beginning of Stanford University. It is clear that the author put a great deal of research into this book, and the amount of documents that have conveniently become missing is an interesting part of the story. Overall I found this audiobook a engrossing listen. At times it was difficult to keep all the players straight, as there were so many, and there were spots where it felt a bit long winded. The narrator started off a bit slow and drab, but once past the introduction section he conveyed the story in a way that felt appropriate to such a tale. I would definitely recommend it to other history/true crime listeners, but with the caveat that if you're looking for a book focused just on the crime this isn't it. This is a history that simply happens to include an unsolved or should I say covered up murder.
**I received a copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for the an honest review.**
I wanted to read this book because I thought was going to be a fascinating true crime story, but in fact the murder part was much smaller than I expected. It does frame the entire story, but so much more of this work focuses on the gilded age, and how those with money and/or power ruled over those who had little or neither. It was about deceit, controlling others, deep seeded corruption, and yes spirits all in relation to the San Francisco vicinity and the beginning of Stanford University. It is clear that the author put a great deal of research into this book, and the amount of documents that have conveniently become missing is an interesting part of the story. Overall I found this audiobook a engrossing listen. At times it was difficult to keep all the players straight, as there were so many, and there were spots where it felt a bit long winded. The narrator started off a bit slow and drab, but once past the introduction section he conveyed the story in a way that felt appropriate to such a tale. I would definitely recommend it to other history/true crime listeners, but with the caveat that if you're looking for a book focused just on the crime this isn't it. This is a history that simply happens to include an unsolved or should I say covered up murder.
**I received a copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for the an honest review.**
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