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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
I really liked parts of this book but the courtroom went on way too long. The first part of the book leading up to the murder reveal was well done and then it was mostly down hill.
dark
informative
reflective
slow-paced
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
slow-paced
Interesting nonfiction story of Robert Coombes, who murdered his mother when he was 13. Robert confessed, was convicted, declared insane (due to his age), and spent 17 years in Broadmoor asylum. He was released to a Salvation Army farm and from there moved to Australia where he became a hero during WWI. After the war he returned to Australia and took up a quiet simple life. The story raises more questions than it answers.
Really interesting and the author clearly did an enormous amount of research to create the true crime/ novel-esque narrative that she did. A good look at household practices/ social norms and laws in the East End and for the lower class during the Victorian Era.
slow-paced
I really enjoyed this: very readable but also very nuanced. We never really get a straightforward "why" for the murder but in the end, this doesn't really matter. Instead Summerscale builds up a rich picture of the society and circumstances in which it happened - and what happened after.
The section on Broadmoor, in particular, is brilliant in dispelling the stereotypes around it.
The section on Broadmoor, in particular, is brilliant in dispelling the stereotypes around it.
This was pretty fascinating up until the final 100 pages where it sort of dragged on a bit too long for my tastes.
informative
medium-paced
The case explored in this book is fascinating and made all the more so by the context that is given to the period. There is a focus on significant events of the time (such as previous cases, many that share similarities), changes in feeling within society, as well as judgements and beliefs that were held by the populous (particularly towards penny dreadfuls). This deep dive into the circumstances in which these people lived makes for a rich exploration, promoting a profound understanding of the events.
However, the tone is dry. It's difficult to know whether to commend the book for not sensationalising these true events- these are real people, after all, not simply a story- or to wish that more drama had been injected into the writing style, especially as it uses the strongly narrative format that is popular in contemporary writing with a biographical emphasis.
The overall structure is a logical one: the murder occurs, there's a short sequence following them before they're caught, and then they're prosecuted before the rest of their lives continue. Crucially, that's what much of this book is: them in various courts explaining the same events but to different people, each time with minor variations to their account. It's clear just how well-researched this is, with extracts from numerous publications of the time and many topical references but, while it's interesting to know about everyone involved in the case, it doesn't make it compelling. Also, it's clear that there is more information available from the time of the murder and when in Australia, and little about the war periods; these sections are jumpy in pace as it tries to include so many events and emotions with limited substance.
All of this is made more impactful by the beautiful writing displayed in the epilogue. It magnificently offers an extension of Coombes' life and character, whilst tastefully balancing the earlier tone of the book. For whatever reason, there were limitations in play that make this interesting but monotone, especially when compared to the addition of the author's voice in the conclusion, which offers a more rhythmic nuance to the writing.
However, the tone is dry. It's difficult to know whether to commend the book for not sensationalising these true events- these are real people, after all, not simply a story- or to wish that more drama had been injected into the writing style, especially as it uses the strongly narrative format that is popular in contemporary writing with a biographical emphasis.
The overall structure is a logical one: the murder occurs, there's a short sequence following them before they're caught, and then they're prosecuted before the rest of their lives continue. Crucially, that's what much of this book is: them in various courts explaining the same events but to different people, each time with minor variations to their account. It's clear just how well-researched this is, with extracts from numerous publications of the time and many topical references but, while it's interesting to know about everyone involved in the case, it doesn't make it compelling. Also, it's clear that there is more information available from the time of the murder and when in Australia, and little about the war periods; these sections are jumpy in pace as it tries to include so many events and emotions with limited substance.
All of this is made more impactful by the beautiful writing displayed in the epilogue. It magnificently offers an extension of Coombes' life and character, whilst tastefully balancing the earlier tone of the book. For whatever reason, there were limitations in play that make this interesting but monotone, especially when compared to the addition of the author's voice in the conclusion, which offers a more rhythmic nuance to the writing.
informative
slow-paced
This book contained so many extraneous details, presumably to pad out a story that actually wasn’t much of a story, that I kept losing the plot entirely and had to remind myself what it was that I was reading. It threw the pacing off and made the entire thing just drag on forever. It could have used another couple of rounds of editing.
I am not sure why this book is rated so highly as to get the Edgar award for 2017. I was disappointed. Its language is simple and narrative full of entirely useless bits of information that bear no relevance to the crime, which in fact had very little mystery behind it. I thought i was reading a criminal narrative when essentially it is a resume of Robert Coombes career in the Australian forces for a great deal of the book.