Anthony's Reviews > The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer
The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer
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by
Anthony's review
bookshelves: mystery, non-fiction, popsugar-2020-challenge, edgar-award-winners
May 19, 2020
bookshelves: mystery, non-fiction, popsugar-2020-challenge, edgar-award-winners
This book explores a fascinating case of matricide by a 13-year-old boy in Victorian London. It features surprisingly compassionate attitudes among late-19th-century asylum workers, retrograde attitudes among lawyers and judges, and doesn’t provide any easy answers regarding why some children enact horrible crimes.
However, so much of the writing is so incredibly dry and bland as to make a lot of the narrative read like an extended court transcript. I can imagine that when an author approaches telling a true story, there is a concern not to leap to conclusions or inject opinions, but I do think there’s some room for a bit more artistry and personality to be present in the prose.
This is only my second-ever delving into true-crime literature, and I’m still waiting to be truly swept away by my reading experience in this genre.
However, so much of the writing is so incredibly dry and bland as to make a lot of the narrative read like an extended court transcript. I can imagine that when an author approaches telling a true story, there is a concern not to leap to conclusions or inject opinions, but I do think there’s some room for a bit more artistry and personality to be present in the prose.
This is only my second-ever delving into true-crime literature, and I’m still waiting to be truly swept away by my reading experience in this genre.
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Reading Progress
October 30, 2019
– Shelved as:
to-read
October 30, 2019
– Shelved
October 30, 2019
– Shelved as:
mystery
October 30, 2019
– Shelved as:
non-fiction
December 27, 2019
– Shelved as:
popsugar-2020-challenge
February 23, 2020
– Shelved as:
edgar-award-winners
May 19, 2020
–
Started Reading
May 19, 2020
–
23.0%
"This is only the second true crime nonfiction book I’ve ever read, and while I’m finding the subject matter interesting, the writing style is incredibly dry."
May 19, 2020
–
Finished Reading
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Jemppu
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May 19, 2020 03:23PM
Compelling themes, indeed. Unfortunate about the delivery.
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