Lizzie Borden

by Robert Allison and Karen Elizabeth Chaney

Book Overview

Lizzie Borden took an axe. Or did she? Chaney looks behind the myth at one of the most grisly and controversial murders in New England history.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1889833819
• ISBN13: 9781889833811
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: Commonwealth Editions
• Length: 92 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

On balance as"historical"as any other book on this subject

Lizzie Borden was aquitted of the murders of her father and step-mother,and,to date,no other person or persons have been tried for the crime..So,in effect,and for the record,Lizzie Borden is innocent of the crimes,despite the circumstantial evidence which would seem to indicate otherwise..Like O.J.Simpson,whose"guilt" in the matter of his ex-wife and her boyfriend's muders is more a matter of public "knowledge"than of legal culpability(O.J. of course,was also found innocent by a jury,although he fared less well in a later civil trial which found him otherwise),Lizzie Borden is PRESUMED by many to be guilty,despite the result of her trial..Thus it becomes almost an open-season for those who wish to affix blame..The"facts" in this case are few,and most of the books written about Lizzie depend upon speculative spins on the material avail;able...Inasmuchas Lizzie and her maid were the only other persons thought to be in the house at the time of the murders suspicion has fallen on them both,but more so on Lizzie..The maid is considered not to have had a compelling motive to have done the deed,while Lizzie is said to have had resentment towards her step-mother and,to some degree,towards her father as well..If one were to make a guess as to who might have had both motive and opportunity,as well as means,then Lizzie is at the top of avery short list,with every other known suspect running a distant second.. While Ms.Chaney does her fair share of speculating(as well as making some few mistakes with what few real facts we have,such as dating a photograph or indulging her imagination as to certain conversations which may or may not have gone done exactly as described in her book),her musings on this matter,and the conclusions drawn by her from them,are as valid as any others,given that,SAVE FOR THE PRESUMPTION THAT SHE IS GUILTY AND THE RESULT OF HER TRIAL,WHICH PROCLAIMS THAT SHE IS NOT,we really do not know,for sure,what took place that day...Therefore,given this dearth of actual knowledge,Ms.Chaney's conclusions are as good as anyone else's,and in some cases are better than most..Her writing style is not studious or boring,which makes her book-length take on the Borden crime all the more easy to get through,and if,in the end,the reader does not agree with Ms.Chaney's conclusions-so what?It has been ,as of this writing,a full 115 years since the crimes went down,and unless there should be some unimpeachable firsthand account hidden away somewhere that does once and for all detail the crime,say,for example,a secret confession hand-written by Lizzie herself,or another account,by an as yet unknown author who may him/herself have done the crime and whose account might therefore prove it beyond question,we are left with only a few facts and an endless parade of books that speculate...Ms.Chaney's account is quite good considering that,in the end,she presents nothing that can really put the case to rest.

Nice to Meet You Lizzie!

This is a terrific read! Well researched and well written. By the end of the book, I felt like I really knew Lizzie -- and even sympathized with her. Ms. Chaney does an admirable job conveying the the tragedy's complexities within such a few pages. I hope as a result Ms. Chaney gains a broad and much deserved readership.

Quick, enjoyable read

I really enjoyed Ms. Chaney's well written book, Lizzie Borden. It is an excellent introduction to the case, especially for the relative novice. As with any good work of popular history, it tells a whopping good story and vividly recreates a fascinating period in Massachusetts history. Her use of the trial transcript and newspaper reports makes for an even more compelling story. Ms. Chaney does not draw any conclusions regarding Lizzie Borden's innocence or guilt, but rather leaves that up to the reader. I would definitely recommend this book to any reader who is interested in a good read and a short introduction to a fascinating case.