Borden Tragedy

This book is part of the Treasury of Victorian Murder series, a series of books in graphic novel form that tell the stories of famous nineteenth century murders. This book tells the story of the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden, who were brutally hacked to death with an axe; a crime for which their daughter Lizzie was charged, leading to the famous children's rhyme, "Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks; when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one!" This is a really good book, one that I saw my daughter reading. She is thirteen years old, and was interested in the double-murder, and got this book for herself. She found the book highly informative and certainly not too gruesome. Reading it for myself, I was impressed with the way the author used the graphic novel format to bring the story to life, but without being too graphic or gruesome. He successfully walked a fine line, presenting the facts of the murders in an even-handed manner, including facts that seem to implicate Lizzie Borden and those that seem to exonerate her. Overall, I found this to be a fascinating and highly informative book. So, if you are interested in the Lizzie Borden case, and want an easy to read, and yet balanced and informative read, then this book is for you. My thirteen year old daughter and I both highly recommend this book to you.

Rick Geary makes that clear on the back cover of The Borden Tragedy, a straightforward investigation into the infamous double murder in Fall River, Mass., in 1892. While the contents of the book focus strictly on the case, its victims and suspects, the back cover draws various amusing (and convincing) comparisons between Borden in 1892 and Simpson in 1994, from the celebrity surrounding the crime to the "not guilty" verdict that closed the trial. Between the covers, however, Geary provides a wonderfully direct account of the incident, drawing on anonymous memoirs from the time they were discovered in a trunk in 1990. While using that typed manuscript as his source, Geary verified his facts with numerous other sources, compiling a fascinating summation to accompany his illustrated narration. The terse account is filled with details that suggest it was written by a close associate of the family. The narrative is written formally, evocative of the time, and Geary's black-and-white illustrations provide a fly-on-the-wall view of events as they unfolded. The book draws no conclusions about the murderer's identity; the killer is always off-panel or shown only in shadow. And, while a small amount of blood is unavoidable in a story of this sort, the book never descends into tasteless levels of gore.

Mr. Geary... my hat is off to you, sir!"The Borden Tragedy" is near perfect in all it's pictoral details and facts. I can attest to this as I have actually stayed the night in the infamous guest room where dear ol' step-mommy's bludgeoned body was found, had a lengthy conversation with the Borden historian in Fall River, read the interrogation notes and the police blotter from the time of Lizzie's arrest, as well as having dug up as much information as I possibly could before my actual visit so I would be ready to ask a plethora of questions. I can tell you with absolute certainty: Geary has his act together here.For those of you that might not be familar with the term "graphic novel", it basically means "a really fancy comic book with lots of words". Be that as it may, Geary managed to cram pack the pages with more information about the Borden case than you can shake a bloody axe handle at. (Granted, there is still quite a bit more to the case... but this is just a comic book designed for light reading!)The illustrations are beautifully intricate and detailed. All the maps of town and of the rooms within the residence itself are accurate... down to the placement of furniture. Geary introduces briefly throughout the novel many of the alternate theories and possible other suspects to the grisly murders. He has done a wonderful job of recreating the entire series of events that took place that stifling summer of 1892. Included at the rear of the book are several pages of press clippings of the time as well as Lizzie's Indictment. The back cover has an eerie comparison of the Borden case to that of the Simpson case a hundred years later.There are about 3 discrepencies I have found within the pages of "The Borden Tragedy", but they are so minute that they really don't bear mentioning. I highly recommend this book to anyone that has a love of comics, Borden affectionados/collectors, or simply anyone wanting a very brief yet still accurate introduction to one of the most famous unsolved crimes in all of american history.

The Borden Tragedy is a helpful reference for anybody who is studying Lizzie Borden and needs help visualizing how the murderous events on August 4, 1892 likely took place. The story is told in comic book format with black and white drawings, but don't laugh; you won't find material like this in the Sunday morning comics. Although I have never visited Fall River Massachusetts, Rick Geary's wonderful illustrations make me feel like I got an effective inexpensive vacation to the town. This book is a definite buy for any Bordenologist.

Geary's art and style lend a three dimensional quality to a hundred year old murder story. The evidence is suprisingly detailed, and leads the reader to reflect on any number of possible scenarios without being so brass as to try to present a solution. As good or better than Volume 2's examination of the Jack the Ripper murders.