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"The remarkable new account of an essential piece of American mythology--the trial of Lizzie Borden--based on twenty years of research and recently unearthed evidence. The Trial of Lizzie Borden tells the true story of one of the most sensational murder trials in American history. When Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally hacked to death in Fall River, Massachusetts, in August 1892, the arrest of the couple's younger daughter Lizzie turned the case into international news and her trial into a spectacle unparalleled in American history. Reporters flocked to the scene. Well-known columnists took up conspicuous seats in the courtroom. The defendant was relentlessly scrutinized for signs of guilt or innocence. Everyone--rich and poor, suffragists and social conservatives, legal scholars and laypeople--had an opinion about Lizzie Borden's guilt or innocence. Was she a cold-blooded murderess or an unjustly persecuted lady? Did she or didn't she? The popular fascination with the Borden murders and its central enigmatic character has endured for more than one hundred years. Immortalized in rhyme, told and retold in every conceivable genre, the murders have secured a place in the American pantheon of mythic horror, but one typically wrenched from its historical moment. In contrast, Cara Robertson explores the stories Lizzie Borden's culture wanted and expected to hear and how those stories influenced the debate inside and outside of the courtroom. Based on transcripts of the Borden legal proceedings, contemporary newspaper accounts, unpublished local accounts, and recently unearthed letters from Lizzie herself, The Trial of Lizzie Borden offers a window onto America in the Gilded Age, showcasing its most deeply held convictions and its most troubling social anxieties"--… (more)
User reviews
Important to any trial is background and context. Robertson covers the history of the town,
The trial itself is covered thoroughly, down to descriptions of what was worn and various reactions of the participants and observers. This was presented without embellishment, which might be a disappointment for some drawn to the sensationalism of the crime but makes the account much clearer and free from opinion and conjecture that otherwise would get in the way of learning what happened.
Finally the verdict and aftermath, as well as a brief overview of pop culture references, where Robertson provides a nice wrap-up of the case and its implications. She does not go into a lot of detail here but then it isn't the focus of the book.
A couple things surprise me about some of the reviews, so I thought I would mention a couple things to warn potential readers. I actually saw someone complain about it being "fact focused." A warning, this is a nonfiction account focused on, as the title says, the trial of Lizzie Borden. This is not a fictional dramatization or a sensationalistic embellishment. So if the facts of the case presented in a straightforward manner isn't what you want, there are plenty of fluffier accounts of the murders. Also, a few mention that it seemed to be mostly about the trial. Well, okay, check the title again before deciding if you want to read it. It seems pretty clear to me that this will be about the trial, but maybe the title wasn't clear enough for some.
In short, I would highly recommend this to readers, both well-versed in the case as well as newbies, who primarily want to know the facts of the case. This, for those less familiar with the case, will provide a solid foundation for future ventures into the wide range of texts about Lizzie and the murders. It will better enable you to have an idea where conjecture departs from the course of evidence.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
I found some of the courtroom details fascinating--especially how women
With all the information cited in the book, I felt sure I was going to solve the mystery. Did Lizzie commit the crime or did someone else? Maybe someday the mystery will be solved, but in the meantime readers can play armchair detective.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read an advance copy and offer an honest review.
I have read many accounts of this murder and even saw a play based on it. Ms. Robertson’s book is one of the most extensively researched and unbiased accounts I’ve read. This most definitely does not read like a historical novel as well it shouldn’t, though never ceased to hold my interest. This is a fact-based accounting based on Ms. Robertson’s twenty years of research. The book itself ended at 65%, the rest being a list of notes detailing the source of almost every sentence in the book.
What I found the most impressive about the book was that the author includes much information about society at the time of the murder and the way people perceived women. The men on Lizzie’s jury just couldn’t imagine a lady such as Lizzie committing such an atrocious act. For a women to do what was done to these two victims, she would have had to have been a monster and that would have shown in her countenance. The book also touches on what was thought to be the cause of “hysteria” in women.
The book not only covers the trial in detail but also the discussions that were taking place outside of the courtroom and newspaper accountings, as well as rumors. Another plus is that the book is chock full of photos that help the details to life.
A must read for true life crime readers. Highly recommended.
This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review.
The author sets the scene and presents the trial with equal seriousness. There's gore, of course, but no sensationalism, no breathless reconstructed conversations or caricature portraits. The facts and the mysteries are all laid out without embellishment. You be the juror.
Thank you to the publishers for an early review copy
This book was
This definitely made me look at the case and crime with a whole new look. Definitely a must read for true crime buffs.