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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Very in-depth.
I lost interest and skimmed a lot of the last 30%. I wasn’t interested in the legal proceedings.
I lost interest and skimmed a lot of the last 30%. I wasn’t interested in the legal proceedings.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
3/5 stars 596 pages - i have so many thoughts. i want to open by saying it was a very engaging and interesting book, although at times, as often happens with nonfiction, it felt like it was dragging on. especially at the end where we had an afterword, “the last chapter,” “update,” “the final chapter,” and another afterword. i want to acknowledge how badass ann rule is and how impressive her accomplishments are especially as a female true crime writer in the 1970s, but i also want to point out her incorrect view of the police and how several sections of this book were definitely copaganda while she goes on and on about how she never saw the cops she knew do anything bad or whatever. also - i am so against the death penalty not because i don’t think some murderers/r*pists deserve it bc i absolutely do, its that many people that have received the death penalty were innocent and i believe the legal system is way too fucking flawed to have a potential consequence as permanent as death. even if only 1% of people put to death are innocent that’s 1% too much. anyways this book had some pro death penalty discourse in it as well which i disagreed with. i’m realizing i think my issues with this book are more so topics on which ann rice (and her daughter) and i disagree and less so about the book itself so lemme backtrack… the book was good and really interesting and it’s such an important message that a handsome and smart and seemingly empathetic man can be a serial killer and i realized how much this book did for how we understand serial killers today but i wanted more on the victims and less on ted bundy. i also want to talk about how painful and frustrating it was to watch ann rice still have empathy for and care about ted despite everything he did. i want to be so clear rn - I GET IT. i have had empathy for and cared about horrible men. i think this book maybe just wasn’t for me? it also was so long. i’m so glad to be free of ted bundy.
True crime required reading - a thought-provoking perspective.
3.5 stars. At first, Rule's writing really frustrated me, though the content was fascinating throughout. I vastly preferred her tone in the Afterwords, where she unequivocally withdraws her support of Ted Bundy (perhaps because they were written after his confessions). Before that, if I had a dollar for every time she mentioned how "handsome" Bundy was (meh, unibrow), I'd be able to afford a pretty fancy dinner for two.
Still, this is a fascinating story. Unbelievable how someone like Bundy could never ever feel remorse for his actions, which are more violently bizarre than anything I've heard before. Even more sickening is the hoards of women who followed him, quite literally, to the end of the Earth. Despicable people all around.
I read this book after the Boston Marathon bombings, and after so many young people leaped to Jahar's defense. It's one thing for his friends to feel like someone who smokes pot "couldn't possibly be capable of massive violence" (note: they can), but it's something else entirely to have a whole hoard of unrelated teens on Twitter decrying his treatment and proclaiming his innocence. I'm no closer to answers about why people create such a strong myth around "attractive" young killers like Bundy and Jahar. At least now there is historical evidence of this phenomenon, and I feel a little better that our current generation isn't going to hell in a handbasket any more than those that came before us.
Still, this is a fascinating story. Unbelievable how someone like Bundy could never ever feel remorse for his actions, which are more violently bizarre than anything I've heard before. Even more sickening is the hoards of women who followed him, quite literally, to the end of the Earth. Despicable people all around.
I read this book after the Boston Marathon bombings, and after so many young people leaped to Jahar's defense. It's one thing for his friends to feel like someone who smokes pot "couldn't possibly be capable of massive violence" (note: they can), but it's something else entirely to have a whole hoard of unrelated teens on Twitter decrying his treatment and proclaiming his innocence. I'm no closer to answers about why people create such a strong myth around "attractive" young killers like Bundy and Jahar. At least now there is historical evidence of this phenomenon, and I feel a little better that our current generation isn't going to hell in a handbasket any more than those that came before us.
I finally finished this book! Truly a heroic effort on my part, if I may say so. I do not read books this lengthy as a rule.
Despite how long it took me to finish it, I did really enjoy this book. A better record of Ted Bundy, his crimes, his psyche, and the relationships he had, probably does not exist. It probably could have been shortened a decent amount, but other than that I have few complaints. This book is brave and personal and though I've read the whole book now, its premise/raison d'etre remains shocking and sad.
Despite how long it took me to finish it, I did really enjoy this book. A better record of Ted Bundy, his crimes, his psyche, and the relationships he had, probably does not exist. It probably could have been shortened a decent amount, but other than that I have few complaints. This book is brave and personal and though I've read the whole book now, its premise/raison d'etre remains shocking and sad.
This was a good, short read. I listened to it on audio and it was read by the author - she wasn't the best reader. Interesting story.
dark
tense
fast-paced
I’ve had this book on my to-read list for a while, fascinated by the thought that such a prolific crime writer could’ve been friends with one of the most well-known serial killers. This was a quick read, and though Rule was a clunky reader I enjoyed listening to her narration on the audiobook.
As a former consumer of true crime, I was somewhat disappointed to discover that I knew most of what Rule was talking about. But even more so, I was disappointed that Rule didn’t insert more of herself, her personal experiences with Bundy, into the narrative. I understand that what she originally set out to write, and did write, was a basic explanation of Bundy’s crimes. However, being in such a unique position, I just wanted a little more reflection, a little more emotion from her. Though she gave us the bare bones, it just felt so devoid of life (pun unintended).
What do we do, how do we cope, when people we know and care for are revealed to be heinous, despicable people? I wanted more of Rule’s commentary in that regard, but there was none.
This would be a good book for someone new to true crime. Anybody with any prior knowledge in the field can probably skip it.
As a former consumer of true crime, I was somewhat disappointed to discover that I knew most of what Rule was talking about. But even more so, I was disappointed that Rule didn’t insert more of herself, her personal experiences with Bundy, into the narrative. I understand that what she originally set out to write, and did write, was a basic explanation of Bundy’s crimes. However, being in such a unique position, I just wanted a little more reflection, a little more emotion from her. Though she gave us the bare bones, it just felt so devoid of life (pun unintended).
What do we do, how do we cope, when people we know and care for are revealed to be heinous, despicable people? I wanted more of Rule’s commentary in that regard, but there was none.
This would be a good book for someone new to true crime. Anybody with any prior knowledge in the field can probably skip it.
Interesting inside perspective. I don’t necessarily find Ann Rule to be a particularly entertaining writer so I suppose she found the right subject matter, in the sense that it’s interesting enough just to relay facts.