Carla
Minus one star for the misleading (and arguably offensive) title and subtitle. The only way “Ladies' Man” applies is if you are looking at the “Charmer” as an incel pickup artist. Which may be the point–I don't know. He's a scam artist, a profligate user of young women, and a rapist/murderer. So perhaps the title and subtitle are in supremely bad taste, or just ironic. I know that if the man in question had raped or used me, or murdered someone I love, I would not be pleased with such irony. This guy is a fast-talking charmer in the fact that he got his own ways for so long–but still. As the victim of sexual and domestic violence myself, it just sticks in my craw. I'm usually not so sensitive to such things, so when something like this really does bother me, I pay attention.
Wavered between three and four stars because of the ending—as in the last few paragraphs.
Decided to go with three because the author, in a follow-up essay included with the book, fully spoils the surprise ending to the film The Wicker Man! So yeah, do not read the footnotes to the essay if you have not seen the films he mentions. Glad I wasn't spoiled!
This one upset my apple cart in the best way possible! I was supremely uncomfortable and enjoyed every minute of it.
I actually have been a nanny, in the distant past, not this kind of nanny, mind you! But I was disturbed to find myself empathizing with the monotony, the blurred and uncomfortably changing boundaries, the politics with the parents...and this empathy made the novel's claustrophobia that much creepier for me. This novel is the perfect illustration of how someone can get lost in their head so easily and convince themselves of nearly anything. The danger of that, I think, lurks in all of our psyches.
Domesticity entangled with the banality of evil. Which is more important, the greater good of the group, or the ethical right? The mores of rich suburbia or justice? Protecting a minor or protecting an even younger minor? When the story starts, you as the reader don't even realize there is a spider's web; by the end, everyone's ensnared...and poisoned by the spider. But you're left pondering who the real spider is.
The journalists' portions of this book: well-researched, factually reported breakdown of the crime and of who Ariel Castro was.
Gina and Amanda's portions of this book: honest sharing interlaced with unnecessary and heavy doses of We Don't Like Michelle Knight
Seriously. There were parts of this book where it seemed the message was how much they both dislike Michelle, today, rather than what happened to them, then.
I am carefully separating this present pettiness from the mind games Castro would play with the three girls; I completely understand the difference. But it's so blatant that, in the conclusion, you learn that Amanda and Gina go to the White House for an event honoring the missing, and Michelle is excluded. If I'd been through ten years of hell, and someone else had suffered in that hell even longer, it would not matter to me how I felt about her as a person. I would make completely sure she was by my side at that White House event because she is also a survivor.
Let me put it this way: I am an avid reader of true crime, and I was glad and relieved when this book ended.
Very original phrasing, yet reminds me of Joan Didion sometimes in her striking, clear understanding of human nature.
One of those books where I write down certain passages so my pen and notebook, as David Sedaris said, can remember what it feels like.
“the empty kitchen, smelling of the domestic rot of the sponge”
“Her face answered all its own questions.”
There was way too much internal dialogue—beyond the pale. This was a true crime book, not a novel. I cannot believe that David West was able to report that much of his inner life to Jack Olsen. Were it not for Kevin Pierce's superb narration of the audiobook, I would have bailed.
Plus, the book was supposed to be about the killer couple, not about the male of the couple and the wacky but well-meaning PI that caught him. So very odd.
This book is not for everyone. The authors are very honest about what Kermit Gosnell, and what Gosnell did went far beyond abortion. He murdered and decimated. If you are uncomfortable with Ed Gein's story, do not read this book, for Gosnell was the same type of hoarder.
This book was finely investigated, so I only deduct one star for these reasons:
* the unnecessary, in my opinion, long chapter lecturing the reader on proper journalistic practices. It's near the end of the book, so by the time it is reached, I as the reader have the full picture of the bizarre news dodge of this story. I don't need a mini journalism class to drive it home.
* the occasional use of “pro-abortion” in place of “pro-choice” in general (the only person I have run across who is truly pro-abortion is Dr. Gosnell, for pro- implies enthusiasm, gusto); and, in companion with this, the introduction written by a member of the Duck Dynasty family. This case is so vile, it didn't need to be politicized at all, in any way. Just tell the reader what Gosnell, his wife, and his staff did. You'll probably change a lot of minds on abortion. I think these leans of bias make the annoyance of the lesson of the unbiased Fourth Estate stronger. To truly make this point, the book should have carried absolutely no agenda—including no biased language (a no-no in basic journalism) and no biased celebrity endorsement.
I can't say this enough: this is an important case, and, despite its above flaws, an important book. But I am going to type a phrase below that was in the crime scene report about Ed Gein, and please let it be your litmus test for whether or not you should read this book.
That phrase is: cup of noses
I love true crime, and yet found this tedious. I am uncomfortable when a victim is “Heathered”; a large portion of this book is devoted to proclaiming what an angel on earth Elizabeth DeCaro had been since birth. It's not necessary! It does not draw me into the fight for justice as the reader; it actually pulls me out of the story. Honor her memory and her story by allowing her to be the flawed human she was. That's the true crime story I want to read.
Wonderful...like having a breakfast nook or walk through the woods talk with Madeleine–the talk began about the liturgical year as delineated in the Book of Common Prayer, but has delightfully swerved back and fro to physics then troublesome Bible stories to family politics then the place in our society for the very young and the very old...
The coffee grows tepid, the dog bashes ahead in the brush. The talk continues and weaves and braids. There is always more coffee, and the dog knows the way, and is only following his nature. All is well.
I expected better from the Wilsons.
The formatting of the ebook was off–strange margins and headers cut off from their sections–and no amount of font or don't size tweaking helped. The book actually crashed several times while I was trying to read it, and lost my place numerous times as well. There are also many editorial errors, such as hyphenated words in the middle of a paragraph.
On top of this, the book has an amazing amount of factual errors. On one page, the victim was shot twice; on the following page, that same victim succumbed to seven shots. The worst error found was mislabeled photos: Angelo Buono's photograph was captioned as Kenneth Bianchi, and vice versa.
All types of ghosts
Sometimes, we are our own haunted houses. Sometimes we haunt ourselves–with regrets, with grudges, with distorted memories.
Do you believe in ghosts? They believe in you.
Enchanting, thoughtful exploration of the physical homesteads we live in–and leave–as well as the houses we construct inside ourselves to house our selves.
Received as a early read via Netgalley in return for an honest review. My honest review is, quite frankly, this novel is just as incredible as any of other of Margaret George's immersive deep dives into historical huge personalities. By reading this, I really understood Nero as a human being, and not a callously fiddling caricature. I am a polyamourous reader, reading several books at once, but once I started Confessions, no other book had my attention until I finished it. I cannot wait to read the sequel.
