The Borden Tragedy

This graphic novel is part of the Victorian Murder Treasury and the best one of these books I have read so far. What makes this book so readable is the way it is told as though it was through the eyes of a local doing their own investigation. It presents the facts in a very clear and concise way and explains the different opinions on Lizzie Borden's innocence with the facts used to back them up. The book also includes several newspaper articles and notes from the trial to provide more historical background. My only complaint is the picture of O.J. Simpson on the back cover with Lizzie Borden's and the list of statements comparing the two cases. There is no text in the book comparing the two cases and the narrator states that she show more believes Lizzie to have been innocent; the text on the back contradicts the narrator and since there is no mention of the O.J. Simpson case in the text, it seems strange to place his picture on the back. show less

I can't say I'm up to date on all famous Murders, especially when I read a tale like this one that proves it :) I had heard the name Lizzy Borden before, but not the story around it. Here, Rick Geary gives us the tale of the brutal murder of Lizzie's Father and Stepmother as adapted from the authenticated journal of an unidentified woman. The story and events are fascinating. The artwork is of (what I consider) an old Victorian/ engraving-type format which works wonderfully for this tale. Overall, it is a satisfying book that presents the facts and, even with whatever "new" details brought in by the journal, leaves the reader to reach their own conclusions. The reprinting of news stories from the event was a nice touch.

The graphic novel follows a unnamed lifelong friend of Lizzie Bordon as she attempts to make sense of how such a tragedy not only befell her friend, but came to be blamed on her as well. (The narrator is based on an unpublished memoir from a resident of Fall River that was discovered in 1990.)

Fantastically drawn in black and white, the frames reminded me of old newspaper drawings. Geary immediately jumps into the action, describing the sweltering heat of that fateful August and introducing the Bordon family at a distance as the story remains true to our narrator's point of view. While the narrator purports to be a confidant of Lizzie's, there are no great secrets revealed - no intimate details, no sensational confessions, not even a show more transcript of the jailhouse visit. So while this does prevent a fairly uncluttered point of view, it also seems to be somewhat of a tease as it only serves to present a good reason to give Lizzie the presumption of innocence.

Rather than concentrate on the murders, the fallout and investigation are the meat of the matter - and why not? Crimes of the Century are a national pastime and this was one of the biggest. It had everything - wealth, social status, spinster daughters, rumors of family strife and enough idiosyncrasies amongst the living and dead to keep things fresh in the news. If we would like to fool ourselves into thinking we were better about privacy or somehow classier about gossip, this case should put those fantasies to rest. Geary presents the citizens of Fall River as lookie-loo extremists - standing outside the house for nearly a week in hopes of gaining glimpses of he bodies or of the sisters. If they weren't standing outside, they were granting interviews to newspapers to offer of sensational "facts" that would later be retracted (Geary presents some of the articles as printed in an appendix).

All in all, this is a quick read and an interesting look into the events in Fall River. The point of view is fresh with a small town that has been thrust into the spotlight feel to it. show less

This graphic novel is part of the Victorian Murder Treasury and the best one of these books I have read so far. What makes this book so readable is the way it is told as though it was through the eyes of a local doing their own investigation. It presents the facts in a very clear and concise way and explains the different opinions on Lizzie Borden's innocence with the facts used to back them up. The book also includes several newspaper articles and notes from the trial to provide more historical background. My only complaint is the picture of O.J. Simpson on the back cover with Lizzie Borden's and the list of statements comparing the two cases. There is no text in the book comparing the two cases and the narrator states that she show more believes Lizzie to have been innocent; the text on the back contradicts the narrator and since there is no mention of the O.J. Simpson case in the text, it seems strange to place his picture on the back. show less

This graphic novel is part of the Victorian Murder Treasury and the best one of these books I have read so far. What makes this book so readable is the way it is told as though it was through the eyes of a local doing their own investigation. It presents the facts in a very clear and concise way and explains the different opinions on Lizzie Borden's innocence with the facts used to back them up. The book also includes several newspaper articles and notes from the trial to provide more historical background. My only complaint is the picture of O.J. Simpson on the back cover with Lizzie Borden's and the list of statements comparing the two cases. There is no text in the book comparing the two cases and the narrator states that she show more believes Lizzie to have been innocent; the text on the back contradicts the narrator and since there is no mention of the O.J. Simpson case in the text, it seems strange to place his picture on the back. show less

This graphic novel is part of the Victorian Murder Treasury and the best one of these books I have read so far. What makes this book so readable is the way it is told as though it was through the eyes of a local doing their own investigation. It presents the facts in a very clear and concise way and explains the different opinions on Lizzie Borden's innocence with the facts used to back them up. The book also includes several newspaper articles and notes from the trial to provide more historical background. My only complaint is the picture of O.J. Simpson on the back cover with Lizzie Borden's and the list of statements comparing the two cases. There is no text in the book comparing the two cases and the narrator states that she show more believes Lizzie to have been innocent; the text on the back contradicts the narrator and since there is no mention of the O.J. Simpson case in the text, it seems strange to place his picture on the back. show less

I loved this slim graphic novel. It is based on the anonymous memoirs of one of Lizzie Borden's peers.