Review: Excellent, insightful account unlike any other
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 7, 2013
I first read this fabulous book many years ago after reading notable earlier treatments about Lizzie Borden by Edmund Pearson and Edward D. Radin. I have since read numerous others on this subject, not a few (like Radin, Frank Spiering and Arnold R. Brown) arguing against Lizzie being the perpetrator. But I personally find Victoria Lincoln's presentation to be superior in many ways to all but one of them, that one being  "Goodbye Lizzie Borden," by Robert Sullivan. A former judge, Sullivan provides a particularly thorough, well-researched, no-nonsense, objective overview and analysis. But as much as I like his book, it appears to be out-of-print. Therefore, not having to decide between the two, I can safely say that Lincoln's excellent book is the VERY BEST currently available.Considerably different in style, "A Private Disgrace," though less straightforward and more subjective than Sullivan's book, provides some keen, personal insights into the setting of the crime which Sullivan and the others do not. (As a child Lincoln lived near the Borden residence and actually met the mature, post-trial Lizzie.) Her literary style is also quite engaging once you get used to it. Like Sullivan, she regards Lizzie as guilty and proceeds accordingly. (This is not a spoiler; the descriptive blurb for this book in the Kindle Store says as much, and so does Lincoln herself in the first few pages of her book.)The purpose of this book, therefore, is not to exonerate Lizzie and keep the reader guessing until book's end to learn the identity of the "real" culprit (as some other books tend to do). Rather, Lincoln essentially explains why Lizzie did it, how she did it, and how she got away with it. This includes portraying the overall locale as well as the specific crime-scene, Lizzie's motivation, the family's profoundly troubled inter-personal relationships, the how's and the why's of the two murders, the conduct of the investigation, Lizzie's trial and acquittal, local public reaction, and subsequent events in her life. Significantly, being found "not guilty" was not equal to a proclamation of Lizzie's innocence. The evidence (or lack of it) which failed to convict her never led to anyone else being formally accused and tried for these murders. Thus, after the trial ended, in the court of popular opinion her "innocence" was questionable at best and highly doubtful at worst, and she bore the stigma of being a murderess (whether true or not) for the rest of her life.This very descriptive book often reads like a novel, and overall is as "entertaining" (if that word may be used in the context of the depiction of such a terrible crime) as it is revealing. Is Lincoln 100% correct in all matters pertaining to the crime? Undoubtedly she is not, but Lincoln dares to touch on all aspects of the crime, including some which other authors have tended to avoid as being indelicate. For example, Lizzie was known to have had "peculiar spells." Obviously these spells must be indicative of some medical condition; Lincoln identifies it as "temporal epilepsy." Others might disagree and prefer to call it something else. But the documented fact is that these behavorial aberrations (call them what you will) coincided with Lizzie's menstrual cycle--and she had her period the very day of the murders! Due to this hormonal influence in one to whom such recurrent imbalances had earlier caused troubling instances of "odd" behavior, Lizzie was (to say the very least) not her "usual" or "normal" self at the time of the murders. While not necessarily a causal factor in and of itself, this nevertheless could have exacerbated an already negative situation and tipped the scales whereby previous thoughts of murder now led to actual murder, and hitherto controllable anger suddenly turned into uncontrollable rage (the vehemence of which is obvious from the extreme number of additional blows rendered to each victim after the initial death blow). It also helps to explain (but not excuse) some of her confused and erratic behavior afterward.None of this exonerates Lizzie or mitigates the horror of her crime, but it allows us to better understand her (or at least TRY to) as a real and troubled human being rather than as some abstract character in a mystery-story puzzle. Those who engage this case should not do so merely as a mental exercise about who (other than Lizzie) might have done it, but as a psychological conumdrum regarding what demons could have possibly driven ANYONE (but particularly Lizzie) to commit two such horrific and gruesome murders. This is what Lincoln does, and does quite well.In fact, Lincoln has probably come the closest of anyone to date (even though this book was originally written back in 1967) in providing an accurate depiction of what really happened (and why) that fateful day. Indeed, reading this book is like traveling back to 1892 in a time-machine to actually see events as they unfold. And we soon realize that truly trying to understand this vlcious crime and Lizzie's degree of involvement in it, is far more complex than some other books on the subject would lead one to believe. It has often been said, "The devil is in the details." Nowhere is that more true than here. While some facts and details speak for themselves, others do not, and mere recapitulation is ultimately inadequate; it requires the type of insightful analysis provided by Lincoln in this book to place these bits and pieces of information in context in order to interpret their deeper significance and move beyond a superficial understanding of the case. Yes, there are many Lizzie Borden books on the market, but honest, thoughtful, and discerning examinations of the case by someone intimately familiar with the time, the place, the people (and especially the psychology of those people) are rare; in fact, they are limited to just one: THIS ONE!Because Lincoln's account is a unique and significent contribution to the extensive body of literature pertaining to this enigmatic case, you will want to read it. Even if you do not agree with the author that Lizzie did it, you will want to know what Lincoln purports happened to be better able to refute her views in support of your own homicidal candidate: Bridget? Emma? Lizzie's Uncle John? Her cousin? A boyfriend? One of Andrew Borden's enemies? A vagrant? Or two (or more) of the aforementioned acting together?  If, on the other hand, you believe in Lizzie's guilt, you will wish to discover the extent to which Lincoln's views reflect, support or otherwise confirm your own. So, in either instance, this is a vital resource for all those interested in the Lizzie Borden case.