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sofiaswingstedt's review
2.5
There is no reason to spend so much time on what happened later to the girls.
The fact that this book seemed to have been renamed to include Anne Perry's name also reeks of trying to make a buck.
The fact that this book seemed to have been renamed to include Anne Perry's name also reeks of trying to make a buck.
bmpicc's review
3.0
I try to stay away from True Crime books, but this one really intrigued me. I never knew until this book was released that the movie 'Heavenly Creatures' was based on author Anne Perry's life... or that Anne Perry was not her given name! I actually enjoyed this quite a bit, but there were sections that reminded me why I DON'T read True Crime!
maplessence's review
4.0
I have to be honest & say that Pauline Parker & Juliet Hulme must have been two of the most arrogant, conceited, affected & straight out unlikeable teenagers ever to walk on this planet. Juliet Hulme did also have equally unlikeable (&, in the case of her father, uncaring) parents & Pauline's father appears to have been very distant with his children. It is certainly ironic that the only parent who made any attempt to actually parent was seen as the obstacle in the way of Juliet & Pauline's naive dreams of Hollywood stardom.
So they decided to kill her.
Honorah Rieper (as she was known when alive - after her death it was discovered that she & Bert Rieper had never married) died a horrible, brutal death. Both girls took part in the killing with extreme enthusiasm (in spite of Hulme's later self serving denials) & still appeared to think they were "so brilliantly clever" even after their arrests. They were both found sane enough to stand trial, convicted & served 5 years in prison.
After their release (from separate prisons) they changed their names (in Hulme's case twice) & disappeared. Proving that truth can be stranger than fiction Hulme became successful murder mystery writer Anne Perry. Being "outed" may have even helped her career. Parker is believed to have been remorseful in later years, but has never agreed to be interviewed.
A fascinating story, but it is let down in the 2011 Awa Press edition by typos, missing commas & repeated words. A shame as Graham writes well - he just needed a better proof reader.
Another fault is Graham repeats the rumour that Hilda Hulme had their gardener destroy Juliet's diary. It is a reasonable assumption that Juliet kept a journal - Pauline did & Graham quotes extensively from it - but there is no proof!
A book that will give me nightmares for days to come!
So they decided to kill her.
Honorah Rieper (as she was known when alive - after her death it was discovered that she & Bert Rieper had never married) died a horrible, brutal death. Both girls took part in the killing with extreme enthusiasm (in spite of Hulme's later self serving denials) & still appeared to think they were "so brilliantly clever" even after their arrests. They were both found sane enough to stand trial, convicted & served 5 years in prison.
After their release (from separate prisons) they changed their names (in Hulme's case twice) & disappeared. Proving that truth can be stranger than fiction Hulme became successful murder mystery writer Anne Perry. Being "outed" may have even helped her career. Parker is believed to have been remorseful in later years, but has never agreed to be interviewed.
A fascinating story, but it is let down in the 2011 Awa Press edition by typos, missing commas & repeated words. A shame as Graham writes well - he just needed a better proof reader.
Another fault is Graham repeats the rumour that Hilda Hulme had their gardener destroy Juliet's diary. It is a reasonable assumption that Juliet kept a journal - Pauline did & Graham quotes extensively from it - but there is no proof!
A book that will give me nightmares for days to come!
rockymtnmama's review
2.0
Verbose simply for the need to fill pages. The book would have been better if it were about 125 pages shorter; the meat of the story was bound on either side by useless, minute details. I slogged through & am intrigued to watch "Heavenly Creatures", just for a different viewpoint of what could be a fascinating true crime story.
othervee's review
5.0
This was fascinating and compelling. I was surprised at first that there had never been a full-length book devoted to the Parker-Hulme case (apart from Parker-Hulme: A Lesbian View), and then I realised that if there was one I would already have it :) Peter Graham has done a wonderful job of examining this case from many perspectives and of examining all the different treatments of the story from newspaper coverage of the day up to 'Heavenly Creatures'.
One of the things I most appreciated was Graham's investigation of the families of both girls and the circumstances of their childhoods, and in particular his attempt to give a more rounded picture of Honorah Rieper/Parker, who was the victim in this murder and yet tends to be incomplete. I don't believe I've ever seen a photograph of her, and she's always eclipsed by the more glamorous and salacious details of the Hulme family. Most commentaries on the case talk about Christchurch in the 1950s but few go further back to look at the circumstances of their parents' lives.
One of the things that struck me most is that neither girl appears to have received any proper therapy or treatment while in prison, which of course wouldn't be the case today. Stories about their lives while incarcerated are scarce and it would be interesting to know how they reacted to being separated - particularly since the idea of separation was one of the main motives for murder.
Of course, one of the most titillating aspects of this case is that Juliet Hulme transformed herself into Anne Perry the writer and gained fame and fortune in the way she seems to have dreamed about early on. The author clearly dislikes Hulme/Perry and it's difficult not to share his distaste, especially given her recent attempts to minimise her own part in the murder. Fame doesn't appear to have brought her happiness though.
I doubt this murder could happen in quite the same way today (although of course children do still murder their parents and vice versa). Perhaps in a less inhibited world with more outlets for imagination, the girls would have been less dependent on each other and their energies could have been dissipated differently. It's interesting to note that both women have turned to religion and become very devout in their later lives. Perhaps they both needed something to devote themselves to, and in 1950s Christchurch all they could find was one another.
Altogether a great read. True crime writing is always best when it includes context and Peter Graham does a great job of it here.
One of the things I most appreciated was Graham's investigation of the families of both girls and the circumstances of their childhoods, and in particular his attempt to give a more rounded picture of Honorah Rieper/Parker, who was the victim in this murder and yet tends to be incomplete. I don't believe I've ever seen a photograph of her, and she's always eclipsed by the more glamorous and salacious details of the Hulme family. Most commentaries on the case talk about Christchurch in the 1950s but few go further back to look at the circumstances of their parents' lives.
One of the things that struck me most is that neither girl appears to have received any proper therapy or treatment while in prison, which of course wouldn't be the case today. Stories about their lives while incarcerated are scarce and it would be interesting to know how they reacted to being separated - particularly since the idea of separation was one of the main motives for murder.
Of course, one of the most titillating aspects of this case is that Juliet Hulme transformed herself into Anne Perry the writer and gained fame and fortune in the way she seems to have dreamed about early on. The author clearly dislikes Hulme/Perry and it's difficult not to share his distaste, especially given her recent attempts to minimise her own part in the murder. Fame doesn't appear to have brought her happiness though.
I doubt this murder could happen in quite the same way today (although of course children do still murder their parents and vice versa). Perhaps in a less inhibited world with more outlets for imagination, the girls would have been less dependent on each other and their energies could have been dissipated differently. It's interesting to note that both women have turned to religion and become very devout in their later lives. Perhaps they both needed something to devote themselves to, and in 1950s Christchurch all they could find was one another.
Altogether a great read. True crime writing is always best when it includes context and Peter Graham does a great job of it here.
chosaflook's review
5.0
Heavenly Creatures is my all-time favorite movie. I had no idea there was a book because it's not for sale here in the US. Thank you, without your comments I would have never known it existed.
For any US readers who want it: what I found was either a seller wouldn't ship internationally or it would cost $30 for shipping from AU/NZ. I did find a site, fishpond.com.sg, that ships internationally for free...although will take 2-4 weeks. Hope this isn't against GoodReads rules to post that, but it was either that, or start begging GoodReads readers in that area for help!
Again, thanks!
For any US readers who want it: what I found was either a seller wouldn't ship internationally or it would cost $30 for shipping from AU/NZ. I did find a site, fishpond.com.sg, that ships internationally for free...although will take 2-4 weeks. Hope this isn't against GoodReads rules to post that, but it was either that, or start begging GoodReads readers in that area for help!
Again, thanks!
mistressmess's review
5.0
It gave me a new perspective to the murder. Differant than the one the film provided.