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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
This is the first true crime book I've read and I've also never heard anything about the Borden murders before. I loved this book and couldn't put it down.
Reading it, it didn't strike me as particularly for a younger audience, though it is labeled ya (maybe that helped it be less graphic?). While the content matter was naturally disturbing (since two people were butchered) and the book didn't shy away from describing those deaths, I never found it disturbing. The descriptions felt distanced to me, not as graphic.
I loved the neutral way the case was presented. I did feel really frustrated at the way the case was so poorly handled (meaning we will probably never know for sure who did it) but it was a very interesting case. I felt it was presented very well.
Reading it, it didn't strike me as particularly for a younger audience, though it is labeled ya (maybe that helped it be less graphic?). While the content matter was naturally disturbing (since two people were butchered) and the book didn't shy away from describing those deaths, I never found it disturbing. The descriptions felt distanced to me, not as graphic.
I loved the neutral way the case was presented. I did feel really frustrated at the way the case was so poorly handled (meaning we will probably never know for sure who did it) but it was a very interesting case. I felt it was presented very well.
Good
I read this for the Book Riot reading challenge “Young Adult Non-Fiction”. I’d never heard of Lizzie Borden before, so it sounded interesting. The author treated the subject matter fairly. I didn’t perceive much bias. The story was told well. The people involved were fairly well thought out. I’m disappointed that no one knows for sure “who dun it”. I also wish the author had included a post script of “where are they now”? It felt like the book just kinda quit after the trial. I’d like to see how the rest of their lives played out.
I read this for the Book Riot reading challenge “Young Adult Non-Fiction”. I’d never heard of Lizzie Borden before, so it sounded interesting. The author treated the subject matter fairly. I didn’t perceive much bias. The story was told well. The people involved were fairly well thought out. I’m disappointed that no one knows for sure “who dun it”. I also wish the author had included a post script of “where are they now”? It felt like the book just kinda quit after the trial. I’d like to see how the rest of their lives played out.
I'm not really into true crime/mysteries but I do love a lady with an axe, and also I was looking for high-interest nonfiction to booktalk, so I picked this up. I didn't know that much about Lizzie Borden so I definitely learned a lot from this, and I think tweens/teens/people who are more interested in crime procedurals in general will dig it. It does a good job of presenting all the evidence (and lack of evidence) in a way that's interesting but not sensationalized. The end is inconclusive, which might be unsatisfying for younger readers, but I appreciate that it's honest and thoughtful, that there's just not enough evidence to be certain either way! Could be a good discussion topic too.
A quibble: a lot of time is spent talking about how shocking the photos of the bodies/crime scene were...and then there's a section of photos included...that doesn't have those pictures!! C'mon you know that's what all the kids want. (One of them is included in a later photo section and it's really not that gory/bad...it's black and white & you can't really tell what's happening. And you can look at them all online anyway. BUT C'MON just put the murder photos in your murder book!!)
anyway, kids love murder, so this should be a great one to booktalk.
A quibble: a lot of time is spent talking about how shocking the photos of the bodies/crime scene were...and then there's a section of photos included...that doesn't have those pictures!! C'mon you know that's what all the kids want. (One of them is included in a later photo section and it's really not that gory/bad...it's black and white & you can't really tell what's happening. And you can look at them all online anyway. BUT C'MON just put the murder photos in your murder book!!)
anyway, kids love murder, so this should be a great one to booktalk.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
dark
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
Interesting read about the legendary story of Lizzie Borden. Facts are presented in a fictional thriller style chronologically from the time just before the murders to the end of Lizzie's life.
The story does drag a bit through the trial portions as many facts are repeated, but overall is is well presented and engaging.
Good for anyone over 12 who is interested in the story.
The story does drag a bit through the trial portions as many facts are repeated, but overall is is well presented and engaging.
Good for anyone over 12 who is interested in the story.
I really enjoyed the book. It's about the case of Lizzie Borden, which is super interesting and makes you think who actually murdered Lizzie Borden's parents. Definitely recommend if you like true crime.
An excellent nonfiction book on the notorious crime of the 19th century, this meticulously researched book gives as balanced an account as is probably possible, letting the reader judge for themselves if Lizzie Borden was guilty or not guilty of killing her father and stepmother. The book is divided into sections, narrating the discovery of the bodies and what happened immediately afterward; subsequent sections describe the arraignment, pretrial hearing, and trial itself. The book includes many photographs, including the victims' bashed-in skulls (but none of the murder victims up close; the text describes the wounds in quite enough detail for your imagination to fill in the rest, thank you very much) and the floor plan of the house, to enable the reader to properly follow along and set the scene just like in any good murder mystery. Every bit of dialogue in the book is real, documented in the endnotes as having been said in various witness testimonies, so the book reads like a novel but is not fictionalized. I am amazed at how much material is out there on this case (including two different modern quarterly journals! There are "Lizzie Borden Societies" apparently! Good grief!), and the author gives a terrific end note describing how she wrote the book, trying to give a full accounting of both defense and prosecution, and discarding the newspaper stories that we know to be completely fabricated. She gives a pretty full description of what Lizzie may have been like, as a person, without sensationalizing anything. What I enjoyed most were the fascinating sidebars explaining all kinds of 19th century social and cultural details, from the kinds of fabric used in ladies' dresses of the time (I'd never heard of "Bedford cord" or "Bengali silk", but it was important in determining what Lizzie wore during or after the crime) to mourning practices, to the kinds of medicines available at drugstores back then, and so forth. And the author also gave enlightening information on 19th century journalism in general and the local newspapers of the time specifically. I was shocked to learn that a reporter was able to slip inside the house alongside the police right as they began their investigation! The incompetence and sloppiness of the police was a really interesting aspect to this case. Highly recommend this book to anyone who likes murder mysteries, police procedurals, learning more about America at the end of the 19th century, women's history, and so on.
A totally fascinating and engaging book about Lizzie Borden and the famous trial surrounding the accusations she killed her father and stepmother. At times, the courtroom discussions got a little long, but it makes sense in context, given it's really all Miller has to work with to construct the narrative. I didn't know much about Borden at all, but I loved learning about her, the history of the case, and how much bumbling it up there was.
A couple of things frustrated me in terms of design and layout, but namely, why were the photos in the order they were in? It was strange to see the pictures that were talked about later in the book come before the ones that were talked about sooner (see: the famous 'gruesome' photo being shoved in the back section but not the first -- also, that photo isn't at all gruesome by today's standards).
This has huge appeal for readers who love true crime, legends of famous murders, or women who've been mistreated by history.
Full review here: http://stackedbooks.org/2016/10/cybils-mgya-nonfiction-reviews-the-borden-murders-by-sarah-miller-ten-days-a-madwoman-by-deborah-noyes.html
A couple of things frustrated me in terms of design and layout, but namely, why were the photos in the order they were in? It was strange to see the pictures that were talked about later in the book come before the ones that were talked about sooner (see: the famous 'gruesome' photo being shoved in the back section but not the first -- also, that photo isn't at all gruesome by today's standards).
This has huge appeal for readers who love true crime, legends of famous murders, or women who've been mistreated by history.
Full review here: http://stackedbooks.org/2016/10/cybils-mgya-nonfiction-reviews-the-borden-murders-by-sarah-miller-ten-days-a-madwoman-by-deborah-noyes.html
See more of my reviews on my blog the Book Deviant
A chilling true story
The Borden murders have always mystified me. From what I knew, Lizzie Borden killed her parents for money, but she was never convicted due to too little evidence. I didn't realize how little I knew.
Miller's writing was very to the point, very rarely using words that I didn't understand or that went around in circles. She also used a lot of quotes from sources, which I found entertaining because it made this book read more like a fictional novel rather than a nonfiction book. But, because I knew this was real, I was really shaken up in the beginning.
You are given the cold, hard facts-what is known, isn't known, and what is unsure. And yes, all three of those are found within this book. Lots of documents have been hidden from public view, or has been lost. Which makes this book so much more freaky.
The best nonfiction book I've read
I haven't read that many. But this is the best by far.
Everything is in chronological order, starting with the murder all the way to Lizzie's death. Even though this murder has long been apart of history, I was surprised with how I felt at the end of this book, now unsure but put on edge because of everything.
Miller wrote this book in a way to still make it interesting, while still pumping the pages full of information. I was a little disappointed with the ending, after the drama of the entire book, but I guess that's how real life is, huh?
Overall?
I picked this up on a whim, and was completely blown away with it. It didn't feel like nonfiction, and read like a story as well. At parts it was a little slow, and the ending was a little disappointing, but I still found this to be entertaining while at the same time being educational.
Would I Recommend?
While it was a very interesting book to me, it was only because I already had interest in this happening. If you have no idea what the Borden murders were, I wouldn't pick it up. But, if you're interested in learning what it was, or wanting to know more about it-this book will answer ALL of your questions. Except one.
A chilling true story
The Borden murders have always mystified me. From what I knew, Lizzie Borden killed her parents for money, but she was never convicted due to too little evidence. I didn't realize how little I knew.
Miller's writing was very to the point, very rarely using words that I didn't understand or that went around in circles. She also used a lot of quotes from sources, which I found entertaining because it made this book read more like a fictional novel rather than a nonfiction book. But, because I knew this was real, I was really shaken up in the beginning.
You are given the cold, hard facts-what is known, isn't known, and what is unsure. And yes, all three of those are found within this book. Lots of documents have been hidden from public view, or has been lost. Which makes this book so much more freaky.
The best nonfiction book I've read
I haven't read that many. But this is the best by far.
Everything is in chronological order, starting with the murder all the way to Lizzie's death. Even though this murder has long been apart of history, I was surprised with how I felt at the end of this book, now unsure but put on edge because of everything.
Miller wrote this book in a way to still make it interesting, while still pumping the pages full of information. I was a little disappointed with the ending, after the drama of the entire book, but I guess that's how real life is, huh?
Overall?
I picked this up on a whim, and was completely blown away with it. It didn't feel like nonfiction, and read like a story as well. At parts it was a little slow, and the ending was a little disappointing, but I still found this to be entertaining while at the same time being educational.
Would I Recommend?
While it was a very interesting book to me, it was only because I already had interest in this happening. If you have no idea what the Borden murders were, I wouldn't pick it up. But, if you're interested in learning what it was, or wanting to know more about it-this book will answer ALL of your questions. Except one.