The Borden Tragedy

By Rick Geary

"Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother forty whacks, when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one!" In this third volume of Geary's Treasury, the famous Lizzie Borden double murder is explored with as much attention to well -researched detail as in his Jack the Ripper. This is another celebrated murder of last century, the one that lead to the infamous school rhyme. The parrallel between this old case and OJ Simpson's is striking: both defendants had unblemished reputations; the double murders were gruesome; there were no witnesses and no weapons found; the cases took the media by storm. Both wealthy defendants hired expensive lawyers who convinced the jury of reasonable doubt. Both remain under a cloud of suspicion...

• Language: English
• Publisher: NBM Publishing
• Release date: Sep 1, 1997
• ISBN: 9781561637928

Book preview

Reviews for The Borden Tragedy

[rosa.mill · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This graphic novel is part of the Victorian Murder Treasury and the best one of these books I have read so far. What makes this book so readable is the way it is told as though it was through the eyes of a local doing their own investigation. It presents the facts in a very clear and concise way and explains the different opinions on Lizzie Borden's innocence with the facts used to back them up. The book also includes several newspaper articles and notes from the trial to provide more historical background. My only complaint is the picture of O.J. Simpson on the back cover with Lizzie Borden's and the list of statements comparing the two cases. There is no text in the book comparing the two cases and the narrator states that she believes Lizzie to have been innocent; the text on the back contradicts the narrator and since there is no mention of the O.J. Simpson case in the text, it seems strange to place his picture on the back.

[thothj · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A nice graphic history of the Borden Tragedy. All of Rick Geary's books are excellent. The black and white ink drawings perfectly suit the macabre stories he is telling.

[stephmo_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The graphic novel follows a unnamed lifelong friend of Lizzie Bordon as she attempts to make sense of how such a tragedy not only befell her friend, but came to be blamed on her as well. (The narrator is based on an unpublished memoir from a resident of Fall River that was discovered in 1990.) Fantastically drawn in black and white, the frames reminded me of old newspaper drawings. Geary immediately jumps into the action, describing the sweltering heat of that fateful August and introducing the Bordon family at a distance as the story remains true to our narrator's point of view. While the narrator purports to be a confidant of Lizzie's, there are no great secrets revealed - no intimate details, no sensational confessions, not even a transcript of the jailhouse visit. So while this does prevent a fairly uncluttered point of view, it also seems to be somewhat of a tease as it only serves to present a good reason to give Lizzie the presumption of innocence.Rather than concentrate on the murders, the fallout and investigation are the meat of the matter - and why not? Crimes of the Century are a national pastime and this was one of the biggest. It had everything - wealth, social status, spinster daughters, rumors of family strife and enough idiosyncrasies amongst the living and dead to keep things fresh in the news. If we would like to fool ourselves into thinking we were better about privacy or somehow classier about gossip, this case should put those fantasies to rest. Geary presents the citizens of Fall River as lookie-loo extremists - standing outside the house for nearly a week in hopes of gaining glimpses of he bodies or of the sisters. If they weren't standing outside, they were granting interviews to newspapers to offer of sensational "facts" that would later be retracted (Geary presents some of the articles as printed in an appendix).All in all, this is a quick read and an interesting look into the events in Fall River. The point of view is fresh with a small town that has been thrust into the spotlight feel to it.

[lalalibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this slim graphic novel. It is based on the anonymous memoirs of one of Lizzie Borden's peers.

[savageknight_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I can't say I'm up to date on all famous Murders, especially when I read a tale like this one that proves it :) I had heard the name Lizzy Borden before, but not the story around it. Here, Rick Geary gives us the tale of the brutal murder of Lizzie's Father and Stepmother as adapted from the authenticated journal of an unidentified woman. The story and events are fascinating. The artwork is of (what I consider) an old Victorian/ engraving-type format which works wonderfully for this tale. Overall, it is a satisfying book that presents the facts and, even with whatever "new" details brought in by the journal, leaves the reader to reach their own conclusions. The reprinting of news stories from the event was a nice touch.

[elizajane_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rick Geary takes his account of the famous Lizzie Borden murder case from the unpublished memoirs of an unknown lady of Falls River. Being very familiar with this case, it has been one of my obsessions since I was a child, I found the author wrote a very realistic and unbiased presentation. Most of the important facts are here and it is a compelling read. Geary does not try to point a finger at any one suspect but gives the list of suspects and lets the reader deal with the facts themselves. The heavily shaded black and white illustrations are a perfect complement to the mood and subject matter. This is very well-done and an intriguing use of the graphic novel format. I intend to read the others in the series. My only quibble with this volume is the sourcebook at the back which has reproductions of actual newspaper accounts of the murder and trial which would be fascinating to read. Unfortunately, they've been shrunk down so much I couldn't read it without eye strain so gave up trying.

[sweetiegherkin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In this book, Rick Geary adapts the writings of an unknown person who was privy to information about the Lizzie Borden murder case as it unfolded, probably someone who was a friend of the family. Geary does a great job of laying out the setup of the house and the circumstances leading up to the crime as well as the later trial and other developments. He also presents several possibilities of what may have happened. This was a very interesting read and although I had read another book about the crime years ago, this one was better detailed. The book ends with some samples of newspaper articles written at the time of the crime.

[thoughtsofjoylibrary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In graphic novel form, the double murder of Andrew and Abby Borden is detailed through research by Geary. The investigation, trial and chaos within the city of Fall River, Massachusetts is "supposedly excerpted and adapted from the unpublished writings of an unknown woman from the Borden's hometown of Fall River". This "unknown woman" is the narrator.Even knowing the basics of the Borden tragedy, I still found this book to be fascinating - of course, not the murdered victims, but the details of the investigation and Geary's drawings. Presenting and reading this horrible event as a graphic novel made a piece of history (albeit an ugly piece of history) a realistic atrocity. I read it in one sitting (it's short) and was engrossed the entire time. I will definitely be pursuing others graphic novels by Geary. (4.5/5)Originally posted on: Thoughts of Joy

[1morechapter · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I only vaguely knew the story of Lizzie Borden, so this little graphic novel was really an engrossing look at this true crime. Geary’s drawings are great, and he presents cases both for Lizzie Borden’s guilt and for her innocence. The back of the book also has reproductions of the actual newspaper clippings. Fascinating story!This book is part of the Treasury of Victorian Murder series that I will have to look into!