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A review by brooke_review
Bonnie by Christina Schwarz
4.0
A little known fact about Bonnie Parker is that she was quite the gifted poetess. Who knows what kind of life she might have led if she hadn't gotten tangled up with the likes of Clyde Barrow. But fall for him she did, becoming half of the infamous robbing, kidnapping, murdering duo Bonnie and Clyde ... and as they say, the rest is history. You likely know how this story ends on a winding country road in north Louisiana, but do you know where it begins? Christina Schwarz is here to bring "Suicide Sal" to life in her novel Bonnie, a biographical fiction account of Bonnie Parker's childhood in the Dallas, Texas area to her later highly-publicized crime sprees with Clyde Barrow.
Going into Bonnie, I knew little about Bonnie Parker's life aside from the fact that she traveled around the country committing crimes with the man she loved, Clyde Barrow. Prominent during the Public Enemy era, Bonnie and Clyde's offenses were splashed across newspapers far and wide, and they achieved a level of fame akin to A-list celebrity status. Frankly, I didn't need to know anything about Bonnie before picking up this book because Schwarz describes her life in great detail from childhood to her death at the hands of the police. Schwarz paints a sympathetic portrait of Ms. Parker, highlighting her more sensitive, feminine side, and suggesting that all that she did, she did out of love.
Schwarz captures the mood and atmosphere of the 1930s, completely enveloping readers in this era when gangsters ran wild, robbing and murdering whoever they pleased. As distasteful as Bonnie and Clyde's transgressions were, I was enraptured by their tale of life on the run. This novel builds such tension and peril, and had me on the edge of my seat as I was reading, both wanting and not for Bonnie and Clyde to make their escape. My only fault with it is that Schwarz's writing could sometimes be vague and succinct, and events, such as a getaway, would happen before my mind had time to process that they had. The ambush that resulted in their demise also happened quickly and without much fanfare, and I wish that Schwarz would have slowed down and let us absorb the scene. Then again, Bonnie and Clyde, moved like lightning, thieving and killing with the pedal to the metal, so maybe Schwarz was trying to capture their essence in the pacing of her novel.
Bonnie is recommended to anyone who is naturally fascinated by the story of Bonnie and Clyde, as well as though who are curious to surmise how a woman of the early 20th century could and did turn so violent and bold.
Going into Bonnie, I knew little about Bonnie Parker's life aside from the fact that she traveled around the country committing crimes with the man she loved, Clyde Barrow. Prominent during the Public Enemy era, Bonnie and Clyde's offenses were splashed across newspapers far and wide, and they achieved a level of fame akin to A-list celebrity status. Frankly, I didn't need to know anything about Bonnie before picking up this book because Schwarz describes her life in great detail from childhood to her death at the hands of the police. Schwarz paints a sympathetic portrait of Ms. Parker, highlighting her more sensitive, feminine side, and suggesting that all that she did, she did out of love.
Schwarz captures the mood and atmosphere of the 1930s, completely enveloping readers in this era when gangsters ran wild, robbing and murdering whoever they pleased. As distasteful as Bonnie and Clyde's transgressions were, I was enraptured by their tale of life on the run. This novel builds such tension and peril, and had me on the edge of my seat as I was reading, both wanting and not for Bonnie and Clyde to make their escape. My only fault with it is that Schwarz's writing could sometimes be vague and succinct, and events, such as a getaway, would happen before my mind had time to process that they had. The ambush that resulted in their demise also happened quickly and without much fanfare, and I wish that Schwarz would have slowed down and let us absorb the scene. Then again, Bonnie and Clyde, moved like lightning, thieving and killing with the pedal to the metal, so maybe Schwarz was trying to capture their essence in the pacing of her novel.
Bonnie is recommended to anyone who is naturally fascinated by the story of Bonnie and Clyde, as well as though who are curious to surmise how a woman of the early 20th century could and did turn so violent and bold.