Lizzie Borden

Rating:
Summary: Lizzie Too Good
Review: "Lizzie Borden" is a novel about Lizzie Borden, the accused axe murderess from 1892's Fall River, Massachusetts. The book deals with Lizzie and her life in the 'house of hate' with her father, step-mother and sister, Emma. Most books about Lizzie Borden mention the house as being bland, without 'modern' conveniences, closed-in, locked up, but they don't go into detail. Ms. Engstrom's book does an excellent job of making the reader feel that claustrophobic building around Lizzie and, therefore, giving us a better understanding of Lizzie's real life character. The character of Lizzie, however, is portrayed as "too good" - I was waiting for her to be made into a Saint at the end of the book. The character of Emma was made into an alcoholic slut who took mysterious trips to a nearby town, coming back with bruises on her covered face. The book suffers much from Emma's far out characterization. Ending with the murders, we are left with one of those politically correct guilt trips. Yeah, Lizzie did it. But it's OKAY!

Rating:
Summary: intruiging and original explanation
Review: Before reading this book, I had just read Arnold Brown's factual account. Ms. Engstrom did her research down to the details and those that differed I assume she changed for the sake of the story. I always find it intruiging to imagine what may have gone on in the minds of actual people, to delve deeper into a true story in my own imagination. Since we know so little about the Bordens other than what came out at the murder trial, I found this novelization interesting and entirely in keeping with the picture the actual testimony presented of the various people, while at the same time rounding them out and making them human. Andrew Borden has been called a "despicable miser", but this author shows him as a man with feelings, good and bad. Emma, Lizzie's sister, is made into a dynamic character rather than a nonentity. And while there is no indication Lizzie ever had a friend such as Beatrice, the book points out the dangers of dabbling in the unknown (here, definitely the occult) without knowing what one is doing, as a person can lose control over what is happening. I dont want to give away anything, but Lizzie's experience's are not brought on or controlled by her, but arise spontaneously. As anyone who has had it happen will know, this can be pretty scary. I thnk Ms. Engstrom must have at one time or another to describe the feelings so accurately and I recommend this book for anyone interested in the case, just to get another slant on things.

Rating:
Summary: Not For the Serious Borden Enthusiast
Review: 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.