October 5, 2015
Miller (The Lost Crown) presents an exhaustive look at the famous unsolved murders of August 1892, in which Abby and Andrew Borden were found killed by axe in their home in Fall River, Mass., and of which Andrew’s daughter (and Abby’s stepdaughter), Lizzie, was accused. Starting with the morning of the murders, the narrative traces the events leading to Lizzie’s arrest, then details her time in prison and her trial. Miller relies on newspaper accounts and court transcripts to create lively scenes filled with authentic dialogue, making for a suspenseful crime story, which is all the more intriguing for its lasting doubt. Numerous sidebars provide background on subjects like legal proceedings and mourning dress, point out the differences between newspaper coverage of a testimony and the testimony itself, and explore topics of side interest, like what the Bordens ate for breakfast—all of which immerse readers in the life of that era. Photos, diagrams, and Miller’s thoughtful note on researching the book combine with the energetic text to engage readers in their own debate as to Lizzie Borden’s guilt or innocence. Ages 10–up. Agent: Wendy Schmalz, Wendy Schmalz Agency.
October 1, 2015
This true-crime narrative examines the question that mesmerized the nation in 1892: did Lizzie Borden kill her father and stepmother? With an evenhanded approach, the author crafts a gripping story full of well-documented dialogue drawn from legal records. Lizzie Borden was the 32-year-old daughter of a wealthy but frugal businessman in Fall River, Massachusetts. She quickly became the prime suspect when Andrew and Abby Borden were bludgeoned to death in the home she shared with them. A conviction would result in the death penalty. After a brief prologue, a short section describes the gruesome scenes when the bodies were discovered, followed by an introduction to the Borden family. The rest of the chapters chronicle the investigation, hearings, and trial. An initial "Who's Who" keeps the many players straight, while diagrams and photographs of the Borden house help readers picture the layout. Frequent sidebars, integrated gracefully into the text, add context. The detailed narrative separates fact from fiction, discussing and sometimes dismissing rumors and sensational newspaper reports. It's hard to get a sense of personalities due to lack of reliable information, but the courtroom scenes are vivid and exciting. The high-appeal topic will attract many readers, and the suspenseful account will have them trying to solve this still unresolved murder mystery. (author's note, endnotes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 11-15)
COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Starred review from November 1, 2015
Gr 7 Up-Lizzie Borden: the name alone conjures up the legendary story of a daughter who brutally hacked her parents to death with an axe. And yet, as this thoroughly researched account demonstrates, the story is far more complicated. Miller untangles a complex story of a misunderstood young woman, difficult family dynamics, sensationalized news stories, bungling detectives, and more. Borden's father and stepmother were murdered with an axe or hatchet of some kind while both Borden and the family housekeeper were at home. The evidence against Borden was circumstantial at best and nonexistent at worst. Nonetheless, she was indicted for the crime and sent to jail for the duration of the investigation and succeeding trial. Miller carefully walks readers through the cast of characters, the mores and customs of the time, legal procedures, varying newspaper accounts, and the enormous amount of gossip that all became part of the landscape surrounding this crime. Extensive use of primary source documents reveals that much is still not known about the case. Fans of the podcast Serial will find much to enjoy here, as each chapter reveals a new piece of the puzzle and examines it from every angle available. Photographs, documents, and other ephemera are included and round out the narrative, creating a wonderfully full and accessible account of this moment in history. VERDICT Though readers will know the outcome of the trial from the very beginning, they will be invested in the narrative. Sure to be a hit with true crime fans everywhere.-Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA
Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
November 15, 2015
Grades 7-10 Lizzie Borden's trial for the murders of her father and stepmother captivated her contemporaries, and her story became fodder for salacious gossip and fanatic newspaper coverage. In this even-handed account, Miller sifts through misinformation to deliver the facts, scant as they are, and recount the intricacies of the court case that drew thousands to tiny Fall River, Massachusetts. Beginning with the morning of the murders, Miller pieces together the events from sworn testimonies and the more reputable articles from the period. Since the most reliable information came from court records, most of Miller's account takes place in the court room, which can occasionally become dry, particularly given the obtuse nature of nineteenth-century writing. Nevertheless, Miller frequently uses the case to clarify sometimes-muddy details about the law, such as the difference between an inquest and grand jury. Gory details abound, but Miller is careful not to take a side. Plenty of photos, informative inset boxes, and an extensive bibliography round out this well-researched resource, which invites students to think critically about an infamous story.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)
January 1, 2016
Lizzie Borden took an axe, / Gave her mother forty whacks. / When she saw what she had done, / She gave her father forty-one. Today, Miller writes in her introduction, everything most people know of Lizzie Andrew Borden is contained in those four singsong lines of doggerel. And nearly everything in those four lines is wrong. Miller then proceeds to relate both the immediate events leading up to the crime and the arguments for and against Borden that would eventually be used in the legal proceedings. The details sometimes can seem overwhelming, but by giving a play-by-play commentary of this whole affair, Miller is able to examine not just the enigma of Lizzie and the Borden family's dynamics but also various swaths of late-nineteenth-century American social, cultural, political history that often receive extended treatment in sidebars. She also draws heavily on primary source quotations along wth interspersed maps and photographs, and everything is documented in the notes and bibliography in the back matter. The Borden Murders joins the growing body of narrative nonfiction that, despite reading like a novel and looking like a novel (in terms of its trim size), nevertheless scrupulously hews to the facts. jonathan hunt
(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
December 1, 2016
Gr 7 Up-In 1892, Lizzie Borden, a well-to-do young woman from Fall River, MA, went on trial for the brutal murder of her father and stepmother. Miller lays out the facts of the case in painstaking detail, chapter by chapter. Investigating newspaper reports and affidavits and providing historical context for modern readers, Miller crafts a superbly researched work that reads like a thriller and asks probing questions about media bias, sexism, and what lurks in the darkest recesses of the human heart.
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.