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A review by being_b
Maplecroft by Cherie Priest
3.0
It is possible this book is most fun for people who are more knowledgeable about Lizzie Borden than I am-- I know only the bare bones of the history. Without more knowledge to support me, the characters felt thin. This may be partially due to the conceit that all the text in the novel is meant to be letters and diary entries written by the characters. The period-appropriate emotional reserve expressed in the writing meant the characters' interior lives were more told than shown.
Which is really a pity, because science! horror! lesbians! is totally my jam.
Also, and this really bugged me, there are several scenes of Lizbeth Borden outside, in her nightdress, killing things with an axe, and then having trouble breathing because of her corset. To which I say two things: 1) Why is she sleeping in her corset? and 2) Given how unconventional she is in so many other ways, and how isolated the sisters are, why does she wear a corset when she hunts at all??
Which is really a pity, because science! horror! lesbians! is totally my jam.
Also, and this really bugged me, there are several scenes of Lizbeth Borden outside, in her nightdress, killing things with an axe, and then having trouble breathing because of her corset. To which I say two things: 1) Why is she sleeping in her corset? and 2) Given how unconventional she is in so many other ways, and how isolated the sisters are, why does she wear a corset when she hunts at all??