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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
Read this for murder brunch club. My first Ann Rule, but certainly not my last. Here are some things I noticed that I'd like to talk about at book club:
Central question - what theory on Diane did this book posit? "Bad seed," victim of abuse, somewhere in between?
My answer - I think Rule views her as a sociopathic "bad seed" who may have been abused, but the abuse is certainly no excuse for her actions.
My evidence -
- how sexualized Rule's descriptions of her were (her fixation on the status of Diane's bra, the way she mentioned the size of her bra and underwear at the end, the focus on her appearance at all times, etc.)
- the slow intrusion of Rule as a character (the introduction of an "I" voice during the trial)
- how men appeared to be portrayed as blameless/at the very least guileless, especially the married men with whom Diane had affairs and even men who openly admitted their abusive behaviors (Steve Downs, for example)
- Rule's insistence on Diane's extreme intelligence
I'm also interested in discussing the extent to which misogyny played a role in her conviction and in Rule's portrayal of her. This is not to say I doubt her guilt, but it is clear that her perceived promiscuity and "unfeminine" response to tragedy were enough to convict her in the court of public opinion, if not in her actual trial.
Overall, I enjoyed this a lot. I don't think it was very interesting or empathetic in its portrayal of the human condition, which is why I have given it three stars, but it is a clearly and compellingly told crime story.
Central question - what theory on Diane did this book posit? "Bad seed," victim of abuse, somewhere in between?
My answer - I think Rule views her as a sociopathic "bad seed" who may have been abused, but the abuse is certainly no excuse for her actions.
My evidence -
- how sexualized Rule's descriptions of her were (her fixation on the status of Diane's bra, the way she mentioned the size of her bra and underwear at the end, the focus on her appearance at all times, etc.)
- the slow intrusion of Rule as a character (the introduction of an "I" voice during the trial)
- how men appeared to be portrayed as blameless/at the very least guileless, especially the married men with whom Diane had affairs and even men who openly admitted their abusive behaviors (Steve Downs, for example)
- Rule's insistence on Diane's extreme intelligence
I'm also interested in discussing the extent to which misogyny played a role in her conviction and in Rule's portrayal of her. This is not to say I doubt her guilt, but it is clear that her perceived promiscuity and "unfeminine" response to tragedy were enough to convict her in the court of public opinion, if not in her actual trial.
Overall, I enjoyed this a lot. I don't think it was very interesting or empathetic in its portrayal of the human condition, which is why I have given it three stars, but it is a clearly and compellingly told crime story.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
I've always liked reading true crime so I'm not sure why it's taken me so long to try an Ann Rule book. Loved this. Terrible story, of course, but pretty fascinating and well-written. Glad I read it now because there's an update written after the original publication that's pretty bonkers. I'll definitely look at more of Rule's work.
challenging
informative
sad
tense
fast-paced
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Blood, Murder
After reading The Stranger Beside Me, I wanted to read some more of Ann Rule’s true crime and one of my friends recommended Small Sacrifices.
I’d never heard of Diane Downs before and I was immediately hooked by the story. It was nice because I had no idea what would happen or if she would be found guilty or innocent or would even be charged, so I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I couldn’t believe this really happened!
I was so engrossed in the story and I made my husband watch the 20/20 documentary about Diane Downs just so I could show him the craziness of the whole story and so I could put a face to the name and see some of the interviews quoted in the book. The book was detailed and I love how it went into Diane’s backstory so as to better understand her and really highlight who she was and how she saw the world and how that eventually led to the events. The documentary touched briefly on her past, but put a lot more emphasis on the trial and the crime itself as well as other interviews later on that I didn’t care much about. I felt like one of those book to movie complainers when I was watching the documentary because I kept telling my husband that they left x, y, and z out and that the book was so much crazier.
Ann Rule has a way of just setting a scene, getting all the facts and details right, but also writing in a way that feels like a novel.
I highly recommend Small Sacrifices. It was a page turner that I just couldn’t put down, despite the hefty page count.
I’d never heard of Diane Downs before and I was immediately hooked by the story. It was nice because I had no idea what would happen or if she would be found guilty or innocent or would even be charged, so I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I couldn’t believe this really happened!
I was so engrossed in the story and I made my husband watch the 20/20 documentary about Diane Downs just so I could show him the craziness of the whole story and so I could put a face to the name and see some of the interviews quoted in the book. The book was detailed and I love how it went into Diane’s backstory so as to better understand her and really highlight who she was and how she saw the world and how that eventually led to the events. The documentary touched briefly on her past, but put a lot more emphasis on the trial and the crime itself as well as other interviews later on that I didn’t care much about. I felt like one of those book to movie complainers when I was watching the documentary because I kept telling my husband that they left x, y, and z out and that the book was so much crazier.
Ann Rule has a way of just setting a scene, getting all the facts and details right, but also writing in a way that feels like a novel.
I highly recommend Small Sacrifices. It was a page turner that I just couldn’t put down, despite the hefty page count.
dark
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
Very well written and fascinating case
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced