We mostly all know the story of Lizzie Borden..took an axe and gave her father 40 whacks........

This book mixes facts with fiction and gives the reader a new take on the infamous case.
It is well written and brought right up to date.

I couldn't get enough and this is a book that I will defin itely recommend and re read..

"Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks
When she saw what she had done
She gave her father forty-one."

Now this is the Lizzie Borden story I've wanted since I first found out about her! Getting to be in her mind with thoughts and opinions that she very well could have had made this un-put-downable for me. I understood this fictional Lizzie's thought process and how she may have in fact been driven to do what she was accused and ultimately acquitted of. The perspective of a woman under arrest in the 1890s was unique, and I hadn't previously read anything that described what it would have been like for her in jail at the time. I struggle to find another book to compare this to, it stands alone in the best of ways!

I’m going to be really honest, I did not like this book. It has nothing to due with the book itself, but me. It was not my type of book I was expecting more true crime notions but it was really dragged out. I felt this book could have been half the size and still got the same point across. I realize that the story of Lizzie Bordon is actually pretty boring. This is no hate to the author or the contents, this was just not for me. I recommend this book for anyone who loves excessive detail, true crime, or a historical piece.

I really love historical fiction, and Fanning's retelling in "Lizzie" feels like a sweet spot between historical fiction and true crime. In her book, Fanning is able to make Lizzie Borden a real, tangible antiheroine. There is obviously a lot of violence and agitation in the life of Lizzie Borden, but I really did appreciate all the ways that this book didn't shy away from those facts-- but that they are compounded together with the imagined and probable feelings and emotions of Lizzie herself.

"Lizzie Borden took an ax
And gave her mother forty whacks,
And when she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one."

The well-known rhyme about the murders gets several things wrong (it was her stepmother & the amount of axe blows are incorrect for a start) but was Lizzie the killer? This book is an uneasy mix of historical fiction & true crime, with the author blending the events & aftermath of Lizzie Borden's trial for the murders of her father & stepmother whilst giving us a look into Lizzie's thoughts, that doesn't quite gel.

The first third was very hard-going, the conversations felt very stilted as if the characters were automatons rather than people, but when we get to the point where Lizzie is first arrested, it vastly improves. I found myself engrossed in reading about the conditions in which Lizzie was kept before the inquest & the lead-up to her being charged & on trial.

The character of Lizzie though was her own worst enemy here, & it felt as if she was just parroting 'feminist' rhetoric at times & needlessly riling people who were on her side. I must say that I don't know much about her character & she may have indeed been very blunt & forthright. Overall it was interesting but treads a fine line between fact & fiction that isn't always work. 3.25 stars (rounded down)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Level Best Books (IBPA), for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Unfortunately DNF'd it at 21%. This did not feel at all like historical fiction; the writing was very straightforward, like a textbook, which made me unable to continue. The dialogue feels forced because of it as well.

"Lizzie Borden took an axe
She gave her mother forty whacks
When she saw what she had done
She gave her father forty-one."

The events in Fall River are well known along with the trial, but Lizzie goes beyond that. Lizzie explores the relationship between the sisters Lizzie and Emma and Lizzie's life through it all.

I was hooked simply because of the subject matter, but I didn't enjoy the majority of the book

While there are factual events in the book such as the trial, I'm not sure how much of the rest of the story is based in fact. A hidey hole? A Confession? It would have been nice to have had clarity on what events were fact and what was gossip or fiction.

The dialogue was my main issue. I felt the dialogue was boring and stale. Yes, it was a late Victorian era with a type of speech and language, but I really struggled to stay engaged with it.
Along with the speech was Lizzie's constant diatribes on the evil of men. It was receptive and heavy handed - was this based in fact?

I enjoyed the trial and the glimpses of Lizzie's time in jail. It was interesting to read something other than the focus on the murder.
However, after the trial it felt like it wandered from diary point to diary point with no real reason to many things. I struggled to finish the latter half of the book.

Grab this book for different view on Lizzie Borden.

Thank you to Netgalley and Level Best Books for the chance to read and review.

I’m a huge lover of pseudo-historical novels — ones that attempt to fill in the blanks, subvert a story that was marred by historical biases, offer a fresh perspective or just take inspiration from our own histories. Lizzie delves into the story of Lizzie Andrew Borden, a tale that has captivated history and true crime fans around the world and sparks a debate: was she a scapegoat, a murderer, or something more complicated?

Lizzie attempts to answer the not if she was a killer, but why? Fanning fills in the gaps with her own ideas of what really happened not just that one night, but in the carnage that follows.

Fanning tries to look underneath the sensationalist coverage and fear mongering at the time to give us one interpretation of Lizzie’s crime and punishment - but also using her to explore 19th century society and its vilification of women.

"I am considered too delicate to hear the doctors testimony about the axe splitting an imaginary skill, yet they think I am indelicate enough to plunge that same weapon into my living father ten or eleven times?"

While I appreciate blurring the line between reality and fiction, something that often happens in real life cases like Lizzies, there was something jarring about the way it was presented in this book - but it was clearly researched in the factual elements and had many hours of wondering and speculation behind it with plenty of intricate details that really set the scene and allow the reader to understand the nuance of the situation.

The shift in narrative styles was a little lackadaisical, it sometimes reading like a biography and other times as a work of fiction- sometimes just facts and statements, then vivid scenes and descriptions. I appreciated the effort behind trying to merge the truth with ideas to create a narrative, but this felt somewhere in between that didn't quite work for me.

"He walked his bustling street passing by four homes, a restaurant, stables, a photography studio, a liquor store, a wholesale produce business, a carriage trimmer a plumbing company and a machine shop. Turning left and down one block further he reached Main Street."

As for Lizzie herself, for a large part of the book she felt 2D, largely a stereotype of the wealthy spoiled spinster girl without any real motivation or thought, very much a repeat of how she was reported by media at the time, but she was slowly developed into her own person with a conviction for women’s rights and her own opinions. I loved how Fanning tried to access her relationships with her sister and distant relatives at the time to see how they could’ve influenced her life, how they reacted to the trial, and if she would've really told anyone the truth.

"'Really Emma,' Lizzie said, 'men have been doing that to unwanted daughters and wives for quite some time. We are lucky we escaped that fate.'"

It was deeply emotional at times between the law and lots of talking and I enjoyed the fact the book actually continued into the aftermath of the trial, showing that Lizzie is more than a court case, a scandal but it did seem to meander afterwards and lost it’s depth and pace. Despite the mildly confusing mash of styles, any history and true crime buffs will definitely find this an interesting read.

I’ve always been interested in the story of Lizzie Borden, but I couldn’t get into this book. It didn’t hold my interest. This was a DNF for me.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This is a true crime, historical fiction novel regarding the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. Set in Massachusetts during the 1800s, the story follows the daughters, Lizzie and Emma Borden, the former is the primary suspect in her dad’s murder.

The events leading up the murders, the direct aftermath, and the court proceedings were well written and kept our attention. The latter quarter of the book was slower paced with many seemingly ‘filler’ chapters that didn’t add great value to the story. The decades that passed after the trial were are least favorite of the book, and could have done without.

Not knowing anything about the story of Lizzie Borden before reading this novel, I wish we were NOT told immediately whether or not she was the murderer. Knowing the ‘truth’ the entire time gave little for suspense. The crime component of the story could have been more of a mystery to ruminate on if the ‘truth’ had been revealed to the reader after the trial.

A lot of names are introduced throughout the book which made it difficult at times to follow or know whether that person would be of interest to remember. One thing that kept tripping me up was the use of two names for their servant. The daughters (whom are both adults) call her Maggie but her real name was Bridget. That was odd, and though the reason was explained it didn’t seem that important to have been incorporated into the story in the first place.

Overall, it was a decent true crime, historical fiction book. I would recommend to anyone that likes this genre and to those liking women’s fiction.

Review currently posted on Goodreads. I will release my review on Instagram on the release date: March 11.

When first requesting this book, I'll admit I was unaware of the Borden case. The other reviews on this book have made me pleasantly aware in the meantime, and I went down a bit of a rabbit hole researching it.

If I'm honest this book does not do the true case or Lizzie Borden justice. Whilst I haven't and do not think I will ever make my own mind up on whether or not Lizzie Borden was her father and stepmother's true killers, due to the many legal injustices, along with the simple fact that I simply wasn't there, I feel this book simply didn't provide an new angle or clarifying insight that it really could've.

The book had a mass number of historical inaccuracies, many of them even being in things as simple as terms and language used- easy to fix or research things like so. Though I'll admit the case didn't seem well researched either- it seemed as if Fanning had just picked a popular case in her genre to turn a quick coin.
Though the writing was boring and not engaging either.

Please, feel free to take my review one of two ways:
The first: I am new to Fanning, a popular and awarded author's writing. I am new to this case. I have likely missed points.
The second: I am not new to law. Nor am I new to crime thrillers. Nor historical fiction. This book was primarily law, and inaccurate law at that, even if it was for a trial in 1893 (which this book claimed there was no trial). This book can hardly be claimed as a Mystery, nor Thriller considering it imagines the thoughts behind it, and not the ending. And a good historical fiction should plainly not be this bore-inducing.
I may be new to the case, but that means the knowledge is fresh in my mind.

So take my review as you will, but keep it in your mind when making your own decisions about this book.

A terrific fictionalised account of a much-written about crime which continues to fascinate people around the world. The author brings careful research into the details of the time and the crime to bear, while also making it clear that this is just one version of how things may have happened. She has captured the character of Lizzie really cleverly - not sensationalising or being overly sentimental in her interpretation -and this has resulted in a character who seems very real and credible. The dialogue and language sometimes seemed a bit difficult to believe as likely to have happened at that time, but who knows?

We all know the story of Lizzie Borden. This story gave me a different outlook on that horrible day in history. It is a great read and I suggest it.

I really enjoyed this book overall. I liked the characters, the writing style, the way that the story progressed. It was a a super easy read for me! Thank you for letting me read it!

This was objectively a good book and I think that if someone didn’t know much about Lizzie Borden and the Borden murders they might enjoy this more but it’s a story that’s been of interest to me for years so I spent my time waiting for twists and turns turning it into a story that never really came.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read and review.

I really enjoyed this novel telling of the Lizzie Borden story. It was engaging and kept me interested from beginning to end. The dynamic between Lizzie and her sister was interesting. It was well paced and written.

This book might best be described as a fictional biography of Lizzie Borden. It doesn’t read like a novel—it’s less immersive and more fact-based. At the same time, because some parts are fiction, it’s impossible to know how closely the book aligns with Borden’s life. I wish it had been either a biography or a novel, instead of something in between the two. Still, it’s an engaging read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

one of the best takes on the Lizzie Borden case that i have ever read!!! this case is absolutely bonkers and the book covered it sooo well!!!

Thank you to netgalley for this ARC copy. I was looking forward to this book. I was a bit disappointed. It seemed more of a statement about the way women are treated in society as second class citizens and less a story about Lizzie Borden.

I’m not sure I enjoyed the concept as a whole - maybe just not for me but adding fiction and speculation to a real life tragedy and not knowing which was which felt disingenuous. Overall the story was engaging and had an interesting perspective focusing on Lizzie’s relationship with her sister and independence in a male dominated world. The writing structure did feel a bit rudimentary.