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    The Trial of Lizzie Borden
    The Trial of Lizzie Borden
    The Trial of Lizzie Borden
    Audiobook11 hours

    The Trial of Lizzie Borden

    Written by Cara Robertson

    Narrated by Amanda Carlin

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    WINNER OF THE NEW ENGLAND SOCIETY BOOK AWARD

    In Cara Robertson’s “enthralling new book,” The Trial of Lizzie Borden, “the reader is to serve as judge and jury” (The New York Times). Based on twenty years of research and recently unearthed evidence, this true crime and legal history is the “definitive account to date of one of America’s most notorious and enduring murder mysteries” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

    When Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally hacked to death in Fall River, Massachusetts, in August 1892, the arrest of the couple’s younger daughter Lizzie turned the case into international news and her murder trial into a spectacle unparalleled in American history. Reporters flocked to the scene. Well-known columnists took up conspicuous seats in the courtroom. The defendant was relentlessly scrutinized for signs of guilt or innocence. Everyone—rich and poor, suffragists and social conservatives, legal scholars, and laypeople—had an opinion about Lizzie Borden’s guilt or innocence. Was she a cold-blooded murderess or an unjustly persecuted lady? Did she or didn’t she?

    An essential piece of American mythology, the popular fascination with the Borden murders has endured for more than one hundred years. Told and retold in every conceivable genre, the murders have secured a place in the American pantheon of mythic horror. In contrast, “Cara Robertson presents the story with the thoroughness one expects from an attorney…Fans of crime novels will love it” (Kirkus Reviews). Based on transcripts of the Borden legal proceedings, contemporary newspaper accounts, unpublished local accounts, and recently unearthed letters from Lizzie herself, The Trial of Lizzie Borden is “a fast-paced, page-turning read” (Booklist, starred review) that offers a window into America in the Gilded Age. This “remarkable” (Bustle) book “should be at the top of your reading list” (PopSugar).

    Editor's Note

    New release…

    This gripping account of an infamous murder mystery uses new evidence to reexamine the sensational trial of Lizzie Borden, accused of hacking her parents to death with an ax in 1892. The jury acquitted Lizzie, but did they get it right?

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateMar 12, 2019
    ISBN9781508280514
    Author

    Cara Robertson

    Cara Robertson began researching the Borden case as a Harvard undergraduate in 1990. She holds a PhD from University of Oxford and a JD from Stanford Law School. She clerked at the Supreme Court of the United States, served as a legal adviser to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at The Hague, and has written for various publications. Her scholarship has been supported by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Humanities Center, of which she is a Trustee. The Trial of Lizzie Borden, her first book, won the New England Society Book Award in 2020.

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    Reviews for The Trial of Lizzie Borden

    3.5/5

    33 ratings2 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 1/5
      The reader is robotic and the story is drawn out and repetitive

      2 people found this helpful

    • 3/5
      As promised, this is a book about the Borden trial, seemingly from the perspective of a legal scholar. It was interesting but repetitive in facts, in a way that wasn't useful or illuminating, making it feel slow in parts. Other times the language used was antiquated and problematic, as though wanting to sound like the prose was written in 1894. Unfortunately, that was not a consistent style throughout the book, instead standing out as tone deaf or out of touch.

      Because it's a look at the trial and how the arguments were presented, there isn't much discussion about the true validity of the arguments. Instead, the focus is on the inconsistencies of witnesses, specifically law enforcement, and how those things were
      used by both the prosecution and defense, regardless of factual accuracy or truth.

      If you really enjoy the trial focused John Grisham novels, this will appeal to you. If you are looking for a more in-depth look at the mystery and case itself, including deeper dives into the evidence, etc. this isn't exactly the right place to go.

      Listened on 2x speed, which weirdly wasn't as fast as I expected it to sound. Normal speed goes by very slowly, otherwise.