Customer Reviews

Lizzie Borden (New England Remembers) (NE Remembers)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

The first error is on the copyright page, which states that the cover photo, the Newport, R.I. vacation shot of Lizzie taken in 1893, was taken prior to the murders - which took place in 1892! The author later identifies a three-quarter portrait of Lizzie as a "profile" view. Again and again, Ms. Chaney does not take the time that Rick Geary, for one, does (in his graphic novel of the case) to state that many of the events of the murder morning are in dispute. Rather, she forges ahead, proclaiming without any doubt that Lizzie "walked downstairs dressed in a blue Bengalese (sic - the word is "Bengaline") silk skirt and blouse" and that "Abby told Lizzie that she had gotten a note from a sick friend that morning and was going out to visit her." This last is, of course, one of the most questioned and speculated-upon issues of the case.

This book is, unfortunately, as inventive as Victoria Lincoln's well-written but ultimately semi-fictional epic, A PRIVATE DISGRACE. One photo caption reads, "Lizzie as a young woman. She loved the theater, but rejected it for a higher calling to the church, primarily because she wanted to feel useful and accepted." And your references, Ms. Chaney? In thirty-five years of researching the case I have never read anywhere that the young Miss Borden was smitten with the theater. It's a romantic notion, and it bookends nicely with the actual older Lizzie's embrace of the stage, but it seem entirely to be an invention on the author's part. And where, pray tell, are Lizzie's motives so definitely set down for all to see? Perhaps the book ought to be titled LIZZIE BORDEN, AS I IMAGINE HER.

Don't breakout your credit cards for this book...Karen Chaney's book New England Remembers should be titled New England Should Forget This Book - besides the fact that the book is filled with historical inaccuracies (which raises the question is Karen Chaney a real crime historian?) it reads like a menu at a bad Chinese restaurant - "same old, same old."
New England Remembers is not insightful and not very thought provoking which translates to - better spend your money elsewhere.

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.

This is not a book for a reference on the case, rather it serves only to provide more misinformation. Chaney gets the facts wrong over and over again.

Suffice to say my endeavor to highlight in yellow all her errors was an incomplete effort. Too soon my highlighter went dry from all the citations of inaccuracies. I would be less harsh if she were not a Harvard professor, previously published. One should know better. One should at least know that when writing on a topic that commands an enlightened audience, one should get all their facts straight. We experts (yes, I am one) can spot the mistakes at 20 paces. Or at least longer than the life span of a yellow highlighter. I might add that if Karen was rushed to publish because of time certain dates relative to this "New England Remembers" series, she should have insisted with the publisher for more time or foregone the exercise. Instead, the unfortunate result ill serves Karen, the publisher, and the reading public. I can state this unequivocably because I had a personal experience with another Lizzie book that was "rushed to publish" and the subsequent editing errors were abysmal. No errors of editing at issue here - only the factual content. Tsk, tsk, Ms. Chaney, for tis greater the crime.

Faye Musselman
Payson, AZ[...]

Ms. Chaney ought to be ashamed of herself for perpetrating this extremely short (74 pages!) and poorly researched work upon unsuspecting readers. Factual errors abound and the left out information is glaringly absent. Is this what passes for scholarship at Harvard today? I refuse to believe any new research went into this novella so one is left asking why it was written at all. To gain a publication credit? I hope the head of the history department at Harvard misses this little foray into authorship lest Ms. Chaney might find herself teaching at the local junior high. If a seventh grader had written this I'd give it a B+, but I expect more from a writer who flaunts her Harvard credentials.

New England Remembers lacks the sense of a well done crime novel. The writing style and structure does not support the thesis and the historical perspective is missing many key points. I can not recommend this book to anyone.

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.

Historical inaccuracies abound in this mediocre attempt of portraying the history and the heinous crime Lizzie Borden was accused and convicted. I think true crime historians would agree, New England Remembers is a feeble attempt to spin history.

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.