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A review by dunningsk
The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia by Emma Copley Eisenberg
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
A mixed bag, but I don’t regret reading it. I found the author’s prose very strong and liked her writing style in general. That said, I had a few fundamental problems with the book. They were interesting choices on the part of the author, and I respect what she was trying to do, but it didn’t work for me.
Cons:
A little self-indulgent. I’m glad I went into this book knowing that the author spent quite a bit of time talking about herself. I didn’t read a word of those chapters and my reading experience was all the better for it. It rubs me the wrong way, a little, that this crime is practically in known with very little information about it online, and the author took so much time to talk about herself.
She gives away the whole thing at the beginning. I’m a little more neutral on this. I think it would have been a better reading experience if I didn’t know up front that Beard was released from prison and someone else confessed. Note that I didn’t say “that Beard was innocent” because the author is a little wobbly on this. . But, not every true crime book has to be an “edge of your seat” thriller. This was a slow burn.
Finally, I truly truly truly don’t understand what she was doing with the name of the book. Even at the very start, she says something like “Whenever I think of this case, I think of her.” Really? Cause you barely write about her. You could probably fill 5-10 pages with everything about her. It’s a catchy title IMO but it just doesn’t make sense in any other way.
All of that being said- I enjoyed reading the chapters focused on how the crime, investigation, and trial played out. She could have taken the issue of wrongful imprisonment a little further but honestly the way she did interweave things like “Thinking, Fast and Slow” was very well done. I think she’s a very strong writer and would absolutely read something else by her, especially if it were a little less memoir-y.
Cons:
A little self-indulgent. I’m glad I went into this book knowing that the author spent quite a bit of time talking about herself. I didn’t read a word of those chapters and my reading experience was all the better for it. It rubs me the wrong way, a little, that this crime is practically in known with very little information about it online, and the author took so much time to talk about herself.
She gives away the whole thing at the beginning. I’m a little more neutral on this. I think it would have been a better reading experience if
Finally, I truly truly truly don’t understand what she was doing with the name of the book. Even at the very start, she says something like “Whenever I think of this case, I think of her.” Really? Cause you barely write about her. You could probably fill 5-10 pages with everything about her. It’s a catchy title IMO but it just doesn’t make sense in any other way.
All of that being said- I enjoyed reading the chapters focused on how the crime, investigation, and trial played out. She could have taken the issue of wrongful imprisonment a little further but honestly the way she did interweave things like “Thinking, Fast and Slow” was very well done. I think she’s a very strong writer and would absolutely read something else by her, especially if it were a little less memoir-y.
Content Warnings
Minor: Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence