BITTER HARVEST: A WOMAN'S FURY A MOTHERS SACRIFICE : "A Woman's Fury, a Mother's Sacrifice"

Rating:
Summary: Excellent case study of an dysfunctional American familyy
Review: I believe that Ann Rule handled this case of an american dysfunctional family tragedy--matricide-- with extreme caution and gave us the reader -"just the facts ma'm." Of all the psychopaths and homicides I have read by Ms. Rule I found the story of the Green family absolutely the most tragic and preventable. The warning signs of the main female character's psychosis were evident early on in her marriage to Dr. Green. All the warning signs were out there blinking bright red and their children were sending out red flags for help, but nothing was done. The tragedy is that both parents should and do share in the quilt, both of them were professionls, well-educated and saddly in deep denial about their problems. Of all homicides that happen, so many are family conflicts that escalate out of control, because no body wants to take a look at themselves. It is easy toss blame back and forth. Drs' Green are people that I personally want to read the riot act too. I want to say wake up folks and take a look at yourselves. Stop running away, which is what each of the good doctors did. Read this commentary and weep folks, weep for the kids that were killed and weep for yourself,because this type of tragedy is quite common.

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Summary: One of Ann Rule's best, a riveting tragedy close to home!
Review: I remember the horror I personally felt as this tragedy unfolded every night on the evening news. Seeing only what the attorneys wanted us to see, hearing only what they wanted us to hear. As a resident of Kansas City Kansas and as a mother, I needed to understand how this could have happened. As a huge fan of Ann Rule's her book answered so many questions. No Mike Farrar was not a total innocent, but he loved his children and only wanted the best for them. I saw Debora Green's face on the evening news every night, so completely devoid of emotion something I could not comprehend. Ann's book answered alot of questions for those of us who live where this happened. Thank You Ann for your honest account of events. Though we will never really understand exactly why Debora Green did what she did.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing
Review: I am an avid fan of Ann Rule's books but in this book, I think she was one sided. I do believe that Dr Green killed her children and tried to poison he husband, but I believe there was more things that went on in that marriage than she wrote about. What led to her drinking and drug abuse? Why would someone so intelligent let herself go like that? She seemed to me to have a very low self esteem and the inablility to cope. I just think there is more to this that either Dr Green herself is willing to divuldge or her family members.

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Summary: This book proves that truth is stranger than fiction
Review: Another great book by Ann Rule, who is one of the best at delving into the motivation and mind-set of criminals with her unique perspective. Unlike some of the other reviews, I did not find that Ms. Rule was biased at all--actually I felt that she appeared to present this unfortunate story in a more balanced way than most authors would be able handle. Certainly both parties in this marriage were less than perfect, and quite obviously entered into this marriage for all the wrong reasons. But the 'average' person either learns to cope with what life has given them, or finds another way out, namely divorce. But this mother, which is impossible for me to understand her motivation as I am also a mother, decides to take matters into her own hands--deciding that no one would "have the children." She obviously felt her children were possessions of the marriage rather than the fact that they were human beings in their own right. Dr. Farrar does share in the blame ! for the sad state of their marriage and for entering an adulterous relationship. It certainly sounds like he has had time to ponder his actions and hopefully to improve upon them in the future. I also find it interesting that other reviewers of this book expect Ms. Rule to delve into Dr. Green's childhood in order to determine her motives behind this great tragedy. For many things in life, there is simply no explanation in existence that would satify the mind of a 'sane' individual. My children are the most precious people in my mind, there is nothing Ms. Rule could discover that would make me understand this sordid story. Nor do I necessarily want to. It would also seem difficult for an author to determine motive when the motive is obviously buried so deep into Dr. Green's mind that she herself can no longer find it. I highly recommend this book to all those other true crime buffs like me, who just can't put down a good book!

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Summary: Another great book by Ann Rule!
Review: Sad story of once brilliant Dr. who turned pathetic lost sole, clinging to husband, brainwashing children, and does the unthinkable of destroying lives. Her husband tried to get help but it was late in the game and he fueled the fire by cheating on her and coming out innocent. What happened to a bright person who had EVERYTHING?? Why did this happen, Dr. Green and husband got together for the wrong reasons, it is obvious. Amazing story.

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Summary: Like every ann rule book I read I found this one fascinating
Review: Both doctors were an interesting study.. Debra was an amazingly intellegent woman who never developed into a productive person.. Mike was a man who had problems with divorce even tho he was desperately unhappy.. I think my question is the same as many who have written.. being a doctor.. it was hard to understand why he didn't insist on getting help for her.. the poisoning aspect was interesting.. who ever heard of castor bean seeds.. I marveled at how he suspected she was poisoning him and continued to stay with her so long.. of course the real tragedy was the death of the children.. Im convinced she loved them but killed them purely for revenge.. Ann is a wonderful writer.. I read everything she writes, tho her attept at fiction was awful.. she really invests a lot in her projects.. I think Ann has the need to understand the criminal mind..

Rating:
Summary: Save your money.
Review: It was not worth the time or money. I wish I had both back. I have been an avid fan of Ann Rule. Unfortunately this book missed the mark.

Rating:
Summary: Not one of Rule's best
Review: I have read every book Ann Rule has written, and while most of them have been pretty good or excellent even, this one definately was not! While the basic story itself was interesting Ms. Rule's interpretation was dull, repetitive and extremely biased toward the husband, Dr. Michael Farrar. Yes, I know he was the victim, but it takes two to tango, and he was not completely blameless. The real victims anyway, were the children, the two that died and the one that must now live with the knowledge that her mother tried to kill her and her father drove her to it. I was very disappointed that Ms. Rule did not dig deeper into Debora Green's childhood to search for a cause for her mental illness. I do not for one minute believe that alcohol and drugs were to blame for her behavior, it had to have gone much deeper than that. There had to be some explanation for her detachment and her extreme anger and her inability to control it. Maybe someday another author will take this same story and make it readable and understandable, because Ms. Rule certainly did not. I feel cheated by this author, who used to put so much into what she writes. If she can't give 100% to her story and to her readers, it's time to look for another career. Perhaps she could be Michael Farrar or Celeste Walkers fan club president.

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Summary: Rules best yet!!!
Review: I think that this is Ann Rules best work yet. With each new book, comes a must read. She is not just one of the best true crime writers, She is the best true crime writer of the century!!!!

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Summary: Husband Exonerated!
Review: Ms Rule had me totally annoyed with her acceptance and portrayal of Dr. Farrar as such an innocent. Throughout the book, I kept wondering why he didn't ACT!!!! Wanting to save a marriage was one thing, but his total denial of the emotional turmoil affecting his children was something else. As others have said, I have read every Ann Rule book and am usually very happy with her presentation. This time, I truly felt that she let her readers down. Deborah Green remains unexplained, as do the reasons for the tragedy . . . I have more questions than answers.