Alias Graceby Margaret Atwood
This is an intriguing story based on a real woman named Grace Marks, who in the 1840s was convicted, at age sixteen, of helping murder her employer and his housekeeper. She barely escaped the death penalty and was instead sentenced to life in prison, where she served just shy of 30 years before being pardoned. The case was quite famous at the time because while many people strongly believed she was guilty as well as insane, many others believed her to be innocent and spent years campaigning on her behalf. To this day, no one knows whether she was truly guilty or innocent.
Atwood's account is biographical to the extent that all known facts about Grace Marks and her life are included in the book. The rest of the novel is fiction. It is told from a couple of different perspectives, including Grace herself as well as Dr. Simon Jordan, who spends several months interviewing her and trying to see if he can determine her guilt or innocence as well as whether she was suffering from "madness" or another neurologic condition.
I've read other reviews where the reader was disappointed because the book doesn't end neatly, nor does it presume Grace's guilt or innocence. However, I like that Atwood lets the reader decide for him or herself. Her life's story was both sad and interesting, and you can't help but wonder whether she was wrongly accused simply because she was an unmarried female presumed to have had "relations" with the man who actually murdered the victims, or if she was really a shrewd actress and cold-blooded killer.
The verdict: 4 out of 5 stars
This is an intriguing story based on a real woman named Grace Marks, who in the 1840s was convicted, at age sixteen, of helping murder her employer and his housekeeper. She barely escaped the death penalty and was instead sentenced to life in prison, where she served just shy of 30 years before being pardoned. The case was quite famous at the time because while many people strongly believed she was guilty as well as insane, many others believed her to be innocent and spent years campaigning on her behalf. To this day, no one knows whether she was truly guilty or innocent.
Atwood's account is biographical to the extent that all known facts about Grace Marks and her life are included in the book. The rest of the novel is fiction. It is told from a couple of different perspectives, including Grace herself as well as Dr. Simon Jordan, who spends several months interviewing her and trying to see if he can determine her guilt or innocence as well as whether she was suffering from "madness" or another neurologic condition.
I've read other reviews where the reader was disappointed because the book doesn't end neatly, nor does it presume Grace's guilt or innocence. However, I like that Atwood lets the reader decide for him or herself. Her life's story was both sad and interesting, and you can't help but wonder whether she was wrongly accused simply because she was an unmarried female presumed to have had "relations" with the man who actually murdered the victims, or if she was really a shrewd actress and cold-blooded killer.
The verdict: 4 out of 5 stars
2 comments:
Are you a speedy reader?
I am a fast reader - although my schedule now limits my reading time. Pre-baby I could read an average sized novel in a few days, now it takes me a couple of weeks per book...
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