Sweet Madness by Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie gives us an alternate look at the tale of Lizzie Borden.
Bridget Sullivan is a maid in the Borden household and narrator to this story about the infamous killer who gave her mother 40 whacks — and then gave her father 41.
But Bridget tells a different side of the story. Was Lizzie a cold-blooded killer, or was she cursed? Was she born mad, or was she driven to it? Bridget shows us a Lizzie who can be as sweet as she is stubborn, and as kind and she can be outspoken.
With a father as strict and frugal as Mr. Borden, and a house with walls that seem to whisper, it’s no wonder Lizzie was driven to violence.
‘Sweet Madness’ book review
Sweet Madness balances a story about all facets of Bridget’s life — work, love, and family — with a tale of Lizzie Borden and her father and step-mother. You are taken on a journey into madness through the eyes of someone innocent to the situation, but someone who also undoubtedly gets wrapped up in the whole affair.
Taking place in the late 1800s, the setting is reflective of the times, giving detail to the hard labor maids were meant to endure. Wives and daughters are kept close by, and propriety is often the law of the land. Not that Lizzie cares much about that.
Sweet Madness paints a picture of Lizzie as an outspoken, hardheaded, often overbearing person. In equal measures, Bridget finds herself frustrated by and drawn to Lizzie, much as we as readers are. She is somewhat enigmatic, endearing, and enthusiastic, and yet we know how her story ends.
It is that promise of Lizzie finally succumbing to her madness that drives the story forward, but equally as interesting is why she kills her parents. Considering the mystery surrounding Lizzie’s violent act, this fictional story only adds its guess to the long list of theories. Was it premeditated, or did Lizzie finally just snap? Was she sick, or was she just that heartless?
Bridget is our guide through Sweet Madness, and her desire to bring her sister to the States from Ireland and make a life with her love, Liam, gives depth and humanity to Lizzie as she tries to find a way to insert herself into Bridget’s life, for better or for worse.
The real question of this book is whether, by the end of it, you will sympathize with what Lizzie Borden has done.
Sweet Madness by Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie is available now. Add it to your Goodreads list, or order it on Amazon or IndieBound.
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