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bookslovejenna 's review for:
The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer
by Kate Summerscale
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
In the 1890s a boy kills his mother and then ignores the decaying body in the bedroom for over a week as he cares for his younger brother and pawns his belongings in order to buy food, clothes, and penny dreadfuls. But why? And what becomes of him?
5/5⭐️s
Five things about The Wicked Boy by Kate Summerscale.
1. The mystery is less about why or how and more about who this young boy becomes and the impact he will have on others.
2. This book is completely about Robert Coombes but it’s also about the amazing leadership and treatment provided at Broadmoore Asylum (this place was no Bedlam and we could learn much today from its approaches back then!). It’s also about the fight against penny dreadfuls and how some saw them as a major cause of corruption of young boys. The same exact arguments are used today to speak out against video games, movies, and music. It’s also about so much more!
3. This book is meticulous in its detail, utterly engaging, and thoroughly researched and documented.
4. While the story of the murder might be sensational and possibly the reason we, in a period obsessed with true crime, might pick up this book...Summerscale rejects the sensational in favor of fleshing out Coombes and guiding us through his life with empathy in order to reveal to us a complete human being. You might come for the murder but stay for the war hero and the story of a man who lives a quiet life and positively impacts many.
5. This is an incredibly humane book. I love everything about it.
5/5⭐️s
Five things about The Wicked Boy by Kate Summerscale.
1. The mystery is less about why or how and more about who this young boy becomes and the impact he will have on others.
2. This book is completely about Robert Coombes but it’s also about the amazing leadership and treatment provided at Broadmoore Asylum (this place was no Bedlam and we could learn much today from its approaches back then!). It’s also about the fight against penny dreadfuls and how some saw them as a major cause of corruption of young boys. The same exact arguments are used today to speak out against video games, movies, and music. It’s also about so much more!
3. This book is meticulous in its detail, utterly engaging, and thoroughly researched and documented.
4. While the story of the murder might be sensational and possibly the reason we, in a period obsessed with true crime, might pick up this book...Summerscale rejects the sensational in favor of fleshing out Coombes and guiding us through his life with empathy in order to reveal to us a complete human being. You might come for the murder but stay for the war hero and the story of a man who lives a quiet life and positively impacts many.
5. This is an incredibly humane book. I love everything about it.