The Dark Side?

Bob Gutowski · Post by **Bob Gutowski** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 11:15 am

While we were on our way to Provincetown we decided, very last minute, to stop by Fall River. I started off by heading for the Historical Society gift shop, where I visited with the warm and wonderful Anna, and finally picked up a copy of the Phillips. Anna couldn't believe I already had a copy of "Nine Pine Street" in my collection. I regret to say I also picked up The Dark Side of Lizzie Borden, which is dreadful. Maybe Lizzie did have an alternate personality, but this book didn't convince me, with its (not "it's") pages and pages of Moody's opening statement as padding, and multiple unnecessary commas. A real mess, and coyly calling it a novel in the opening pages doesn't help. I especially love where the author rather authoritatively announces that there was no confusion over what Lizzie wore that morning(!). I guess we've all been idiots to worry about that!

This is such a shoddy piece of work it almost makes The Hands of Time look good...almost.

Opinions?

Mark A. · Post by **Mark A.** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 5:20 pm

Good point Bob. Both of those books were terrible. They were like a bad car accident. You know you shouldn't look but you do anyway. The glue from the spine on my copy of The Dark Side became unglued before I finished the book! I became unglued shortly after realizing that I plunked down my hard earned cash for a rag that could have been written by a grade school student. I give this book 2 hatchets down.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 8:30 pm

I never finished it, and the cover came off. Nice cover, too.

lydiapinkham · Post by **lydiapinkham** » Tue Aug 03, 2004 9:32 pm

Haven't read Dark Side, because I hold off purchasing what I know nothing about and our library never got it in. Did read Hands of Time, which our library did buy--probably because of the regional author. I think Arnold means well, but I've got to vote hatchets down too. It proclaims a solution, when its evidence is marginal, and the style is atrocious. I shudder to imagine what this other one contains. Same goes for Engstrom, whose book has at least 20 pages available on Amazon--deadly in the worst possible sense.

--Lyddie

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Thu Aug 05, 2004 8:40 am

You guys (Bob and Mark) made me laugh! What good reviews, and I'm glad to hear them because I haven't read my copy yet. Maybe I should leave it where it is - on my shelf. At least it won't come apart that way.

I did read "The Hands of Time" and I can't remember anything about it. I just remember I didn't like it.

Engstrom's novel is good in the sense that she allows us to ponder upon what Lizzie may have been like. That's why I like fictional Lizzie stories. But this correspondance with the woman in Europe, and Lizzie going out in the barn and, uh, enjoying herself, I got tired of quickly. I really disliked Emma's character in the book. Going off on trips all the time and getting drunk and beaten by sex partners??? I don't think so .... I think I remember this book as being good in the respect that the author gave us a real feel of what it was like to live in a house like that, with all the locked doors and general weirdness.