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Reviews tagging 'Violence'
The Witch of New York: The Trials of Polly Bodine and the Cursed Birth of Tabloid Justice by Alex Hortis
2 reviews
lexcellent's review
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
Moderate: Sexism, Child death, and Death of parent
dearhaleynicole's review
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.75
I am not generally a non-fiction reader (it's just not the genre I typically gravitate towards), but I wanted to read this book because the premise sounded really interesting and it's a person and event I didn't previously know anything about so that intrigued me. I genuinely thought the way the author Alex Hortis told the story was really interesting and definitely reminded me a well-detailed true crime podcast (definitely with less dramatization, though). I will say I really appreciated the way the book was outlined (intro to story with cast of characters upfront, chronological telling of events in the case, and then conclusion and final thoughts). I'm more of an analytical person, so the attention to detail was a big plus for me. But I also enjoyed how the author's tone shown through in the recounting of events, as well. There were just moments here and there in his writing style that alluded to why Mary "Polly" Bodine's story is so important to know and not forget (since so much of the prejudice and unjustness of her story is still relevant today).
Listening to the audiobook was honestly the best way, I think, personally for me to have consumed this book. Due to nature of the story (specifically the multiple court cases held against Polly), sometimes the facts began to feel repetitive at times. I think Alex still did a good job with telling an accurate portrayal of the events so this was just an unfortunate side effect of that, as facts of the case had to be rehatched often. But I think the narrator, Erin Bennett, did a good job with her reading of the book and that made those parts easier to parse through as she kept such an even, clear voice throughout the audiobook.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this read. Though it definitely felt slower-paced at times, I think Alex Hortis did a phenomenal job not only recounting the trials of Polly Bodine, but also the woman. Whose character was defamed publicly in such a demoralizing, brutal way. Both by the press and by the courts. She deserved a better immortalization than the "witch" she was depicted as.
Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify for graciously sending me the audiobook to review in exchange for an honest review!
Listening to the audiobook was honestly the best way, I think, personally for me to have consumed this book. Due to nature of the story (specifically the multiple court cases held against Polly), sometimes the facts began to feel repetitive at times. I think Alex still did a good job with telling an accurate portrayal of the events so this was just an unfortunate side effect of that, as facts of the case had to be rehatched often. But I think the narrator, Erin Bennett, did a good job with her reading of the book and that made those parts easier to parse through as she kept such an even, clear voice throughout the audiobook.
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this read. Though it definitely felt slower-paced at times, I think Alex Hortis did a phenomenal job not only recounting the trials of Polly Bodine, but also the woman. Whose character was defamed publicly in such a demoralizing, brutal way. Both by the press and by the courts. She deserved a better immortalization than the "witch" she was depicted as.
Thank you to NetGalley and Spotify for graciously sending me the audiobook to review in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Miscarriage, Murder, Violence, Child death, and Classism
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