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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
I was very put off and considered not finishing this when the author mentioned men's rights activist blogs in the intro (I mean, seriously?)
That said, the profiles were well presented and written. I had previously heard of at least two of the women included, but still learned more about them. If you have an interest in the topic, this is worth reading. I didn't absolutely love it, but it was interesting.
That said, the profiles were well presented and written. I had previously heard of at least two of the women included, but still learned more about them. If you have an interest in the topic, this is worth reading. I didn't absolutely love it, but it was interesting.
This was pretty good but just not entirely what i was expecting / am used to. There are only 14 women featured so each section is a pretty in-depth look at their life and crimes, and I probably would have preferred to have more women featured but a little less detail overall. Still, it is a very interesting read because it discusses not only their crimes but also their lives in general, their legacy in history, and which parts of the story are fact vs. which have been embellished over the ages.
I thought this book did a good job of exploring the possible reason for these women's crimes without necessarily making excuses for them; they are serial killers after all. I think the author said it best in some of her notes at the end where she says that she “empathized but didn’t sympathize with every woman in this book", and that's definitely an important distinction to make.
I would have also liked to have some more modern examples. There were are few at the beginning of the 20th century but many were several hundred years ago, but the author explains at the end that she picked older ones because they felt less raw since there is some distance between them and us and also because it allows for better historical perspective, which is a big part of this novel. Also [and I know this sounds awful because this book is about real people who actually got killed in real life] I would have liked a bit more ...variety ...with the murders? I mean I guess if it ain't broke don't fix it, but also there's only so many times I can read about a woman poisoning her family members with arsenic.
Overall an interesting read, but maybe a bit more in-depth than I would have liked. Also just as a note, I have shelved this under 'girls helping girls' because that's my general 'feminism' and adjacent issues tag and although in this particular case 'girls killing girls' would definitely be more appropriate, this book does spend a lot of time discussing the differences in the public's reaction to male vs. female serial killers so it is definitely down the 'gender studies' route at the very least.
I thought this book did a good job of exploring the possible reason for these women's crimes without necessarily making excuses for them; they are serial killers after all. I think the author said it best in some of her notes at the end where she says that she “empathized but didn’t sympathize with every woman in this book", and that's definitely an important distinction to make.
I would have also liked to have some more modern examples. There were are few at the beginning of the 20th century but many were several hundred years ago, but the author explains at the end that she picked older ones because they felt less raw since there is some distance between them and us and also because it allows for better historical perspective, which is a big part of this novel. Also [and I know this sounds awful because this book is about real people who actually got killed in real life] I would have liked a bit more ...variety ...with the murders? I mean I guess if it ain't broke don't fix it, but also there's only so many times I can read about a woman poisoning her family members with arsenic.
Overall an interesting read, but maybe a bit more in-depth than I would have liked. Also just as a note, I have shelved this under 'girls helping girls' because that's my general 'feminism' and adjacent issues tag and although in this particular case 'girls killing girls' would definitely be more appropriate, this book does spend a lot of time discussing the differences in the public's reaction to male vs. female serial killers so it is definitely down the 'gender studies' route at the very least.
dark
informative
fast-paced
I learned a lot from this book and appreciatie this. However, this isn’t the type of non fiction book i enjoy. It didn’t offer anything new while i feel like there is a whole lot on the topic not explored yet. The part I was disappointed on the most was the conclusion. You just spend going through a lot of stories which don’t intertwine and instead of providing insights and or some common thread, the conclusion was basically “we don’t know a lot”. Well yeah, but if you can’t add anything new why write the book at all. On a positive note, it was a fast read, just a bit anti climactic.
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
A fascinating and educational book that treats the topic of female serial killers with respect and honesty - truth is often harsher and darker than fiction. I especially appreciated how the author spanned multiple eras and regions - giving us a glimpse at history without glorifying it. And finally, the audio version is incredibly well done and was enjoyable to listen to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexism, Abortion
Minor: Incest, Suicide, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt
dark
informative
fast-paced
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
I loved the inclusion of non-western female killers, even though there were only a few cases with sufficient data to properly portrait the women and their motives.
It's a bit repetitive after a while, and despite condemning the media's reaction to female killers, I often did get the impression that those murderers were still 'only women', doing 'womanly crimes'. But that might also be due to the scarce information on other female killers.
It's a bit repetitive after a while, and despite condemning the media's reaction to female killers, I often did get the impression that those murderers were still 'only women', doing 'womanly crimes'. But that might also be due to the scarce information on other female killers.
Unapologetically sensational and often taking on the more speculative tone of tabloid articles and armchair psychology, Telfer doesn't take herself too seriously in this book. She does however take pains to give us a broad range of subjects both in nationality and social status, and contextualizes their lives and crimes in their own era, as well as the treatment of their legacies and perceptions of female killers in general today. Morbidly fascinating but not for the faint of heart, I think this book will please true crime fans and those who enjoy the macabre.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
dark
informative
slow-paced