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gloomy_grackle 's review for:
The Stranger Beside Me
by Ann Rule
This book (or at least my copy of it) is very dated in ideas and prose, to the point of being uncomfortable at times. I won't criticize the author for using common vernacular of the time. It is however something to keep in mind.
What interested me, and kept me reading, was Ann's relationship with Ted. Yes, it was intimate- but it did not feel like friendship. More like symbiosis. Ann sends Ted money in jail, she gets her story. Etc. Quid pro quo?
I did however find myself bristling at Ann's narrative voice. At one point after describing his jail cell, she transitions to describing her own "cell"- a seedy hotel room. Interesting comparison. I was also surprised at how pathetic Ted was, but maybe this helped him manipulate the women in his life.
Overall, it was an interesting book. I can't discount Ann's contribution to True Crime. It is nice to see how the genre has shifted and evolved in the 40+ years since Ann wrote The Stranger Beside me
And just as a quick side note- I refuse to read Ted Bundy's shitty poetry. Gotta draw the line somewhere.
3.5/5
What interested me, and kept me reading, was Ann's relationship with Ted. Yes, it was intimate- but it did not feel like friendship. More like symbiosis. Ann sends Ted money in jail, she gets her story. Etc. Quid pro quo?
I did however find myself bristling at Ann's narrative voice. At one point after describing his jail cell, she transitions to describing her own "cell"- a seedy hotel room. Interesting comparison. I was also surprised at how pathetic Ted was, but maybe this helped him manipulate the women in his life.
Overall, it was an interesting book. I can't discount Ann's contribution to True Crime. It is nice to see how the genre has shifted and evolved in the 40+ years since Ann wrote The Stranger Beside me
And just as a quick side note- I refuse to read Ted Bundy's shitty poetry. Gotta draw the line somewhere.
3.5/5