 |
| Final Rating: 3.2/5 |
Murder by Candlelight: The Gruesome Crimes Behind Our Romance with the Macabre is definitely an acquired taste of different styles of writing and subject matter. Part poetic (even riddle-like) scholarly examination of literary examples of the 18th and 19th century and part gripping narrative of bygone crimes escalating in violence and severity of justice but unfortunately many sections requiring unearthly patience from its audience. If it is a question of if this work is informative and entertaining, the answer is yes. When this book finds its course it is vividly fascinating and takes the reader back in time on a macabre tour complete with a brief visit to the infamous Whitechapel district at the very end. The excellent narrative styling that is presented in the various portions that trace the escalation of vice and murder in England from 1823 to 1888 (and even a few notes on crimes into the 21st century) are what I couldn’t put down and wish that this work contained more of.
I won’t even pretend to tell anyone that I understood half of the references in this title. I think I also misunderstood the various blurbs I had read in anticipation for this work and wasn’t fully prepared for this presentation and type of inspection of true crime. I did though learn many tidbits of facts of the private lives, dark thoughts and theories on crime from different writers of the eras that are examined but these poetic styled sections were placed and explained in a haphazard fashion that seemed a part of another book. To be honest, Murder by Candlelight read like two completely separate books; that’s the only way I can describe this work. Too many tangents of literary topics may dim enthusiasm of this book but it is still well worth reading for those who love historic Gothic subjects and narratives of bygone crimes.
* I would like to thank Pegasus and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read Murder by Candlelight: The Gruesome Crimes Behind Our Romance with the Macabre
No comments:
Post a Comment