Bitter Harvest

Rating:
Summary: Very interesting case
Review: I just finished this book today -- the second Ann Rule book I've read this week (the other was _Heart Full of Lies_).

As I've said about Ann's books before, she has a tendency to repeat information, and it gets tedious sometimes. I particularly noticed this during the court trial section, where much of that information was given in earlier parts of the book.

However, despite the repetition, this book outlines a very sad and tragic case. I have a hard time reading books where children are the victims, and this one was no exception; many times I had tears when I had to read about the kids.

Unlike the other books I've read by this author, I noticed that there was no clear good person v. bad person in this case. Yes, Debora is quite demented and obviously is mentally unstable, however, her husband can't quite win any awards for honesty and truthfulness. His affair added another degree of tragedy to an already horrific situation. I hope that the remaining daughter is able to live some sort of normal life, despite all she's been exposed to.

For those of you who read Ann's books regularly and are continually amazed at how warped some of these killers are, you won't be disappointed with this novel.

Rating:
Summary: To Bookworm
Review: Out of curiosity, how are we supposed to e-mail you without an address?

Rating:
Summary: fascinating book about an exceptionally troubled woman
Review: The true-crime story explored in Bitter Harvest is gripping and disturbing on many levels, underscoring the often imperceptible line between genius and madness, the curious combination of enviable professional achievement with a total disconnection from reality within an individual. Makes you wonder just how the human brain works. This was a fast read, very intriguing. Admittedly, the story is more interesting to me because I'm familiar with the setting and I've heard first-hand accounts of Debora Green's odd and somewhat antisocial behavior while she was in medical school and residency. I didn't notice any glaring flaws in the writing, but the story is so intriguing I'm not sure that I would have noticed. Rule does seem to be mighty sympathetic to Green's husband (an achiever who seemed to surpass his wife professionally, and who fooled around with a very attractive other woman while "chaperoning" a child's international field trip), but hey, it wasn't the husband who poisoned Green with castor beans, necessitating brain surgery. It wasn't the husband who set fire to the family manse. Though he's no saint, she certainly surpasses him in the hierarchy of bad behavior. This book left me concerned that mental illness is often overlooked, or at least minimized, in "accomplished" and professionally successful individuals -- a tragedy in itself that can lead to tragic results.