- Hardcover: 342 pages
- Publisher: Tor Books (Hc) (Dec 15 1990)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312932049
- ISBN-13: 978-0312932046
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 14.2 x 3.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 522 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Elizabeth Engstrom's Lizzie Borden is not a true crime book, but rather an exquisitely crafted novel about a bright young woman whose filial love is strained to the limits by poverty and the desire to break free of a stifling family. The central characters, the oppressive summer heat, and the floor plan are drawn from the 1892 Massachusetts case in which Lizzie Borden was tried for the presumed hatchet murders (the weapon was never found) of her father and stepmother, and acquitted of the crime. But the personalities and motivations of the characters are the author's own invention. As she puts it, "My purpose is not to offend; it is to justify." And justify she does--if violence is ever justifiable--as we learn of the peculiar architecture, both physical and psychological, of a family whose every movement seems designed to torment poor Lizzie. This is a grim, alluring, and vividly sexual story.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
In Engstrom's fictional treatment of the famous Lizzie Borden murder case of 1892--in which Lizzie allegedly kills both her parents but is acquitted--every door in the Borden house in Fall River, Mass., is metaphorically locked, and each room holds the terrible secrets of its occupant. Emma, Lizzie's older sister, wracked by uncontrollable rages, periodically flees to New Bedford to assuage her surreptitious appetites for sex, drink and violence. Paterfamilias Andrew Borden, tyrannical and penurious in equal measure, loves nothing but money (which he hoards obsessively), concealing his sinful thoughts and acts from his obese second wife, Abby. Lizzie appears to be a serene young woman, but only because, in the author's view, she has repressed another self--angry and long denied, it burns to emerge. At first Engstrom ( Black Ambrosia ) skillfully and subtly builds a psychological plot, moving the reader inexorably toward the anticipated savage denouement. But the very same restraint and innuendo used to good effect in the novel's early portions ill serve the final bloodbath, which approaches anticlimax. Engstrom's supernatural solution to a crime so inimitably real is a cop-out.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting character study,
By L. Greenslade "Avid reader in Canada" (Manitoba) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Lizzie Borden (Hardcover)
I picked this book up, having a very cursory knowledge of the case. I didn't really expect an indepth analysis of the crime, evidence etc. I expected a hypothesis about the characters in this drama, an alternative viewpoint from the accounts I had read that had been based on the newspaper reports of the day (and when have newspapers ever got all the facts straight?).I was not disappointed! I was enthralled with the characters, who all seemed to have their own take on each other and on the events that led up to the August murders. I felt that they all had strengths, and they all had many many weaknesses, but it was truly interesting to delve deeper into their personalities, and to me, these characters came to life in a new way. I was surprised that the book basically ended on the day of the murders, but this did seem true to the book, in the end. I was left guessing how the characters reacted to the murders and the trial, but there is satisfaction in a book that leaves a person thinking after the last page is turned! Should you read this book if you are researching The Murders of Andrew and Abby Borden? No, probably not. But if you are interested in captivating character study of a dysfunctional family that happens to end up infamous, then by all means get this book!
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not For the Serious Borden Enthusiast,
By mwreview "mwreview" (Northern California, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Lizzie Borden (Paperback)
I picked up this book one day while looking for a study on the Borden case. It was only after I started reading it that I realized it was fiction. The book kept my interest and I read it through. The author definitely researched the subject, offering an analysis of the characters and living arrangements of the Borden household. But for someone like me who wanted to learn more about the history of the crime, a novel will not do. From Lizzie's odd relationship with her father to her sexual experimentation, it is a very disturbing account. Engstrom's version of the crime itself, I'll warn you, is very homoerotic. It was a little much for my tastes.
5.0 out of 5 stars
My first Lizzie experience,
By "proudvtgirl" (vt) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Lizzie Borden (Paperback)
This was the first book I read about Lizzie Borden and I loved it! Ever since this book (though it may be considered fictional) I have thought of Lizzie in an entirely new light. I truly believe this emotional and physchological approach could have been real in Lizzie's case. It makes me more sympathetic and understanding when I think about her. Taking a trip to the actual house in Fall River MA, this book was echoing in the back of my mind. I could see, in person, some of the places that the author described. Taking this author's input and putting it into your own thoughts about this case surely will make a difference on how you will see the murder case!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
