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The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne
Acclaimed journalist, podcaster, andcrime historian Kate Winkler Dawson tells the chilling true story of a young woman whose scandalous life was rumored to be Nathaniel Hawthorne’s inspiration for The Scarlet Letter—and whose shocking death inspired the first true-crime book published in America.
On a cold winter day in 1832, Sarah Cornell was found hanging in a barn, four months pregnant, after a disgraceful liaison with a charismatic Methodist minister, Reverend Ephraim Avery. Some (Avery’s lawyers) claimed her death was suicide…but others weren’t so sure. Determined to uncover the real story, intrepid Victorian writer Catharine Williams threw herself into the investigation and wrote what many claim is the first American true-crime narrative, Fall River. The case and Williams’ book became a sensation—one that divided the country and inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. But the reverend was not convicted, and questions linger to this day about what really led to Sarah Cornell’s death. Until now.
In The Sinners All Bow, acclaimed true-crime historian Kate Winkler Dawson travels back in time to 19th century small town America, emboldened to finish the work Williams started nearly two centuries before. Using modern investigative advancements—such as “forensic knot analysis” to determine cause of death, the prosecutor’s notes from 1833, and criminal profiling which was invented 55 years later with Jack the Ripper—Dawson fills in the gaps of Williams’ research to find the truth. Along the way she also examines how society decides who is the “right kind” of crime victim and how America’s long history of religious evangelism may have clouded the facts both in the 1830s and today. Ultimately, The Sinners All Bow brings justice to an unsettling mystery that speaks to our past as well as our present, anchored by three women who subverted the script they were given.
On a cold winter day in 1832, Sarah Cornell was found hanging in a barn, four months pregnant, after a disgraceful liaison with a charismatic Methodist minister, Reverend Ephraim Avery. Some (Avery’s lawyers) claimed her death was suicide…but others weren’t so sure. Determined to uncover the real story, intrepid Victorian writer Catharine Williams threw herself into the investigation and wrote what many claim is the first American true-crime narrative, Fall River. The case and Williams’ book became a sensation—one that divided the country and inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. But the reverend was not convicted, and questions linger to this day about what really led to Sarah Cornell’s death. Until now.
In The Sinners All Bow, acclaimed true-crime historian Kate Winkler Dawson travels back in time to 19th century small town America, emboldened to finish the work Williams started nearly two centuries before. Using modern investigative advancements—such as “forensic knot analysis” to determine cause of death, the prosecutor’s notes from 1833, and criminal profiling which was invented 55 years later with Jack the Ripper—Dawson fills in the gaps of Williams’ research to find the truth. Along the way she also examines how society decides who is the “right kind” of crime victim and how America’s long history of religious evangelism may have clouded the facts both in the 1830s and today. Ultimately, The Sinners All Bow brings justice to an unsettling mystery that speaks to our past as well as our present, anchored by three women who subverted the script they were given.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 7, 2025
512 people are currently reading
14665 people want to read
About the author
Kate Winkler Dawson
5 books737 followersKate Winkler Dawson joined the University of Texas at Austin's School of Journalism as a senior lecturer in 2009. Before then, she was on the faculty of Fordham University's Marymount College for two years. A seasoned documentary producer, news writer and TV news producer, her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, United Press International in London, WCBS News, ABC News Radio, Fox News Channel, “PBS NewsHour” and “Nightline.” She's on the board of the Texas Center for Actual Innocence and lives in Austin, Texas with her family. This is her debut book.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 423 reviews
January 20, 2025
The best fictional literature is often rooted in real life scenarios and cases. In the case of the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne came across the case of Sarah Maria Cornell. Cornell was found hanging and her death was initially ruled a suicide. Later, a court case would call into doubt whether it was suicide or murder. The similarities between Cornell and Hester Prynne do not stop there, but I don't want to give away too much.
Kate Winkler Dawson takes on Cornell's case in her book The Sinners All Bow. She actually takes on quite a bit more. Dawson also discusses her "co-author's" own biases as she attempts to solve the question of murder or suicide. Yes, co-author is in quotes and I won't say why but you find out in the introduction. Dawson also looks at the rise of Methodism (it's important) and the lives of women in the early 1800s. It's a lot, but Dawson handles it all well.
I would tell readers that the beginning of the book is a bit slow. Dawson has to set up her own narrative mechanism, describe the times her characters live in, and then discuss forensics. The one criticism I have is that it really slows down the story in the beginning. However, once it is all set up and Dawson can focus fully on Cornell's story, the book flies by. Historical true crime always requires more setup than a traditional true crime tome. In this case, Dawson's book is worth the wait to get to the meat of the story.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Putnam Books.)
Kate Winkler Dawson takes on Cornell's case in her book The Sinners All Bow. She actually takes on quite a bit more. Dawson also discusses her "co-author's" own biases as she attempts to solve the question of murder or suicide. Yes, co-author is in quotes and I won't say why but you find out in the introduction. Dawson also looks at the rise of Methodism (it's important) and the lives of women in the early 1800s. It's a lot, but Dawson handles it all well.
I would tell readers that the beginning of the book is a bit slow. Dawson has to set up her own narrative mechanism, describe the times her characters live in, and then discuss forensics. The one criticism I have is that it really slows down the story in the beginning. However, once it is all set up and Dawson can focus fully on Cornell's story, the book flies by. Historical true crime always requires more setup than a traditional true crime tome. In this case, Dawson's book is worth the wait to get to the meat of the story.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Putnam Books.)
May 31, 2025
Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of "The Sinners All Bow" by Kate Winkler Dawson in exchange for an honest review.
Almost 200 years later, the death of Sarah Maria Cornell remains shrouded in mystery. The only indisputable fact in the famous 1832 case is that she was found dead on John Durfee's farm one winter morning. Thereafter, investigations began by local authorities, religious factions, the New England industrial complex, and an established author named Catherine Read Williams. The main and only named suspect was Methodist minister Ephraim Avery It all culminated in a salacious, exhausting trial where Avery was declared not guilty. (Legally not guilty, though both contemporary and modern experts are all pretty convinced he was guilty.)
In The Sinners All Bow, Kate Winkler Dawson takes readers through the complex, bewildering case. She traces the lives of Sarah Cornell, Ephraim Avery, Catherine Williams, and how the case inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne to pen The Scarlet Letter. It's dive into a world where justice didn't have modern forensics or legal standards and where misogyny was a matter of course. It's a close look at how the Industrial Revolution and the rise of Methodism felt like the beginning of the modern world for women seeking independence and felt the end of the world as traditional New Englanders understood it.
It's a fascinating. though upsetting tale, with a lot of subtly and complexity. It should have made for a fascinating read but the book itself is technically flawed. It's disorganized, with information withheld until the very end, presumably for dramatic effect, even when introducing it earlier would have make more sense. The writing is loose, and could have benefitted from some stricter editing. There were some missed opportunities for further rounding out the story too.
The bigger issue, though, is unreliability. Unreliability is a major theme of The Sinners All Bow. There's the unreliable nature of forensics in the 1830s, the unreliability of human memory and witness accounts. Dawson speaks repeatedly about how and why Catherine Read (her "coauthor") is unreliable in her investigative report. (Although, Dawson never really discusses why readers should believe Catherine on some points but not others).
IN THE ARC DISTRIBUTED BY NETGALLEY, BUT APPARENTLY CORRECTED IN PRINT COPIES, some of Dawson's own factual reporting is unreliable too. At one point, she references a 1928 death of a woman named Cora Van Ness Mead, who supposedly called 911 before police found her dead. EXCEPT that 911 wasn't established until 1967. She did NOT say the authorities were summoned. She specifically wrote 911. It's a pretty glaring issue for an author who has written a number of true crime books. Maybe it's a typo? Maybe it's supposed to be verbal shorthand for Mrs. Mead calling the authorities? Either way, it's misleading and factually incorrect.
All in all, The Sinners All Bow feels like a missed opportunity to tell a truly compelling story. Cautiously recommended for readers who are generally interested in the case, though with the caveat that there are some notable issues with it.
Almost 200 years later, the death of Sarah Maria Cornell remains shrouded in mystery. The only indisputable fact in the famous 1832 case is that she was found dead on John Durfee's farm one winter morning. Thereafter, investigations began by local authorities, religious factions, the New England industrial complex, and an established author named Catherine Read Williams. The main and only named suspect was Methodist minister Ephraim Avery It all culminated in a salacious, exhausting trial where Avery was declared not guilty. (Legally not guilty, though both contemporary and modern experts are all pretty convinced he was guilty.)
In The Sinners All Bow, Kate Winkler Dawson takes readers through the complex, bewildering case. She traces the lives of Sarah Cornell, Ephraim Avery, Catherine Williams, and how the case inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne to pen The Scarlet Letter. It's dive into a world where justice didn't have modern forensics or legal standards and where misogyny was a matter of course. It's a close look at how the Industrial Revolution and the rise of Methodism felt like the beginning of the modern world for women seeking independence and felt the end of the world as traditional New Englanders understood it.
It's a fascinating. though upsetting tale, with a lot of subtly and complexity. It should have made for a fascinating read but the book itself is technically flawed. It's disorganized, with information withheld until the very end, presumably for dramatic effect, even when introducing it earlier would have make more sense. The writing is loose, and could have benefitted from some stricter editing. There were some missed opportunities for further rounding out the story too.
The bigger issue, though, is unreliability. Unreliability is a major theme of The Sinners All Bow. There's the unreliable nature of forensics in the 1830s, the unreliability of human memory and witness accounts. Dawson speaks repeatedly about how and why Catherine Read (her "coauthor") is unreliable in her investigative report. (Although, Dawson never really discusses why readers should believe Catherine on some points but not others).
IN THE ARC DISTRIBUTED BY NETGALLEY, BUT APPARENTLY CORRECTED IN PRINT COPIES, some of Dawson's own factual reporting is unreliable too. At one point, she references a 1928 death of a woman named Cora Van Ness Mead, who supposedly called 911 before police found her dead. EXCEPT that 911 wasn't established until 1967. She did NOT say the authorities were summoned. She specifically wrote 911. It's a pretty glaring issue for an author who has written a number of true crime books. Maybe it's a typo? Maybe it's supposed to be verbal shorthand for Mrs. Mead calling the authorities? Either way, it's misleading and factually incorrect.
All in all, The Sinners All Bow feels like a missed opportunity to tell a truly compelling story. Cautiously recommended for readers who are generally interested in the case, though with the caveat that there are some notable issues with it.
February 19, 2025
Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter" is one of my favorite American novels of all time, and Hester Prynne is one of my favorite heroines of all time, but I had no idea that her character was based on a real woman, Sarah Maria Cornell, whose murder in 1832 created a media frenzy for its time and resulted in the publication of one of the first true-crime books a year later.
Kate Winkler Dawson's book "The Sinners All Bow" is a unique true-crime thriller in that it is more than just about a real-life murder. It is also about the evolution of true crime writing, starting with Catherine Read Arnold Williams, a well-known writer of the mid-19th century, whose book "Fall River: An Authentic Narrative" helped to create a new genre of writing. It is also about the role of women and the horrible mistreatment of women in a patriarchal society. Dawson offers a fascinating and infuriating history of rape culture and how a misogynistic justice system has, while somewhat improved today, done a horrible disservice to women in America.
Dawson borrows heavily from Williams's book, acknowledging that Williams did most of the heavy lifting in terms of research and investigation (long before investigative journalism was even a thing), even going so far as calling her a "co-author".
Cornell's death was tragic, but the life she led prior to her death, and the injustice she received even after her death, was equally tragic.
Kate Winkler Dawson's book "The Sinners All Bow" is a unique true-crime thriller in that it is more than just about a real-life murder. It is also about the evolution of true crime writing, starting with Catherine Read Arnold Williams, a well-known writer of the mid-19th century, whose book "Fall River: An Authentic Narrative" helped to create a new genre of writing. It is also about the role of women and the horrible mistreatment of women in a patriarchal society. Dawson offers a fascinating and infuriating history of rape culture and how a misogynistic justice system has, while somewhat improved today, done a horrible disservice to women in America.
Dawson borrows heavily from Williams's book, acknowledging that Williams did most of the heavy lifting in terms of research and investigation (long before investigative journalism was even a thing), even going so far as calling her a "co-author".
Cornell's death was tragic, but the life she led prior to her death, and the injustice she received even after her death, was equally tragic.
March 22, 2025
This was fine.
I was interested in the parts about Sarah Maria Cornell's death, the process undergone in the 1830s in an attempt to determine if her death was a suicide or homicide, and the evidence, such as the letters found in her possession. I personally was less engaged in the parts about Catherine R. Williams, despite this being a major part of what the author wants to tell us about here. And really, the bits that were examined through the lens of a modern day forensic investigator were pretty minimal. Honestly, I think I might have appreciated this more in the format of an article or essay.
Then there is the issue related to the fact that I listened to this one on audio. Having the author narrate this is a bold choice, seeing as there are Reddit threads devoted to how people don't like listening to her voice. I mean, it's her book, she can do what she likes. But even though I admire what she does with her work, when I tried to listen to her podcast Buried Bones (which SHOULD be right up my alley - I obtained an undergraduate degree in anthropology and planned on specializing in forensic anthropology if I continued on to grad school instead of going into nursing, but am still very interested in forensic topics), I just couldn't do it, fam. She's probably a lovely person, but her voice is difficult for me to listen to.
Anyway, even if I had read this in print, I probably still would have personally found it to be mildly engaging and informative, but nothing to write home about.
My takeaways: Sarah Maria Cornell was almost certainly murdered but there simply was not enough evidence to convict the likely culprit, Catherine Williams is an important figure who I still don't know too much about because my brain kind of short circuited during the parts talking about her, and it might be kind of shameful that I've never read The Scarlet Letter but at least I did watch the Wishbone episode about it.
I was interested in the parts about Sarah Maria Cornell's death, the process undergone in the 1830s in an attempt to determine if her death was a suicide or homicide, and the evidence, such as the letters found in her possession. I personally was less engaged in the parts about Catherine R. Williams, despite this being a major part of what the author wants to tell us about here. And really, the bits that were examined through the lens of a modern day forensic investigator were pretty minimal. Honestly, I think I might have appreciated this more in the format of an article or essay.
Then there is the issue related to the fact that I listened to this one on audio. Having the author narrate this is a bold choice, seeing as there are Reddit threads devoted to how people don't like listening to her voice. I mean, it's her book, she can do what she likes. But even though I admire what she does with her work, when I tried to listen to her podcast Buried Bones (which SHOULD be right up my alley - I obtained an undergraduate degree in anthropology and planned on specializing in forensic anthropology if I continued on to grad school instead of going into nursing, but am still very interested in forensic topics), I just couldn't do it, fam. She's probably a lovely person, but her voice is difficult for me to listen to.
Anyway, even if I had read this in print, I probably still would have personally found it to be mildly engaging and informative, but nothing to write home about.
My takeaways: Sarah Maria Cornell was almost certainly murdered but there simply was not enough evidence to convict the likely culprit, Catherine Williams is an important figure who I still don't know too much about because my brain kind of short circuited during the parts talking about her, and it might be kind of shameful that I've never read The Scarlet Letter but at least I did watch the Wishbone episode about it.
July 31, 2025
I fell in love with Kate Winkler Dawsons cadence and candor years back listening to her fascinating mystery based tales of old on her wicked ways podcast , and after a far too long hold off I’m so very glad to finally be able to dive into her literary backlog. The best rec I could give for this book is if you love her podcasts than you’ll love this since while in a longer and deeper diving perspective, the actual tale is pretty much paced and out together like her other historic tales and for me that’s more than just fine. I feel like the due diligence and research Kate has always put into her works also helps bring such a level of intrigue, as well as trust unlike what you might get from some authors wanting to make a few creative choices to sell. The only large drawback I can find to give would be near the midway point, I seemingly got a bit bored and lost in mud between all the details and background info, which is better than the alternative but still made me put it down last night in order to have a fresh headed start at it this morning in order to finish it out. I feel like above all I really want to hunt down a copy of Catherine reads take on the case in Fall River, but I guess I never would’ve even known about her or her book without Dawsons love and devotion to all things old and mysterious. 3.75/5
February 9, 2025
Oh, this could have been a really good book! There was a lot of fascinating information and history, but I could not tolerate the constant shift of both subject and style. The book keeps shifting between Catharine Williams, who wrote about Sarah Cornell right after her death, and Sarah herself, which was annoying, but what REALLY turned me off and made me stop reading was the periodic injection of unnecessary "scenes" that the author makes up from one of their lives. For example, she begins a discussion of part of Catherine's life with "Catherine exmined her own alabaster skin in the mirror before bed." This method of presenting the information would be OK if it were a consistent story approach, but then the author IMMEDIATELY switches back to a more traditional approach. The next sentence is, " She might have been born to a common sea captain in Newport, but she was also the granddaughter of New England royalty." Do those two sentences go together? Not in my mind!
March 19, 2025
Based on the first American true crime narrative, “Fall River”, written by Catharine Read Arnold Williams in 1833, we now discover the case that inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Scarlet Letter.” Kate Winkler Dawson examines the death of a young woman on a cold winter night in 1832 in New England, Sarah Marie Cornell. This death shook the area of Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts with the question: murder or suicide? Did this young woman experience a sexual assault that resulted in pregnancy at the hands of the charismatic Methodist minister Ephraim Avery?
In “All Sinners Bow” we travel back in time to examine the evidence and perhaps fill in some gaps in the nearly two hundred year old case, in particular the bias that we know exists in regard to gender. Was Sarah Cornell a hard working independent woman seeking a religious community or a diseased harlot? Since the beginning of time, if a woman does not conform to obedience to a man, if she falls afoul of a man’s reputation, she is painted with the same brushstrokes of sinister dismissal and ruin that can result in death.
Williams and Dawson are advocates for the victim, in this case Sarah Cornell, and then as now speak for the woman who lost her life in Fall River in December of 1832.
In “All Sinners Bow” we travel back in time to examine the evidence and perhaps fill in some gaps in the nearly two hundred year old case, in particular the bias that we know exists in regard to gender. Was Sarah Cornell a hard working independent woman seeking a religious community or a diseased harlot? Since the beginning of time, if a woman does not conform to obedience to a man, if she falls afoul of a man’s reputation, she is painted with the same brushstrokes of sinister dismissal and ruin that can result in death.
Williams and Dawson are advocates for the victim, in this case Sarah Cornell, and then as now speak for the woman who lost her life in Fall River in December of 1832.
April 3, 2025
If it's Kate Winkler Dawson... it's gonna be great! True crime, factual. Loved it.
February 22, 2025
The story of Sarah Maria Cornell, who was found dead, hanging from a stake on a farm in Tiverton, Rhode Island, 1823. The story focuses on Sarah, her life, her work in various mills throughout New England, and how she got involved with a Methodist minister during the time known as the Great Awakening, a Protestant revival involving the early Methodist church. (Other religions were also involved, but the Methodists play large.)
A story about her life, death and the trial of the minister who was accused of her murder. Sarah's story was also documented - at that time - by writer Catherine Williams. She was a fairly well-known writer in the early to mid 1800's, and the book she wrote about Sarah was a best-seller. Williams was present at the trial of the accused murderer, interviewed those who knew Sarah, and took copious notes on everything she saw, heard, learned, and so on.
The present writer, Ms. Dawson, used Williams' book as part of her research and considers Williams as a sort of a 'co-author.' But though respectful of Williams' findings, there were also a few flaws in her research, which Dawson is careful to point out. In the early 1800's there was a tremendous bias against young women who lived and worked alone without husband or male relative at hand. Does this still exist today to some extent? Yes, of course it does. Along with victim-shaming and victim-blaming, which was almost considered normal at the time.
Along with a modern view of what happened to Sarah, and that of Williams' book, there is also the possiblity that Nathaniel Hawthorne modeled his fictional character, Hester Prynne, on Sarah Cornell. It's known that he followed the case, the trial of her accused murderer, through the newspapers of the day and commented on it.
That aside, it's like reading a Dateline script in places - and I mean that as a compliment. Dateline: 1823. What really happened to Sarah Cornell? Was it a revenge suicide? (She was found to be pregnant; they actually did an autopsy on her.) Or was it murder? (Lots of evidence points to the minister, who probably raped Sarah.) There are accounts galore from those who knew Sarah as a person, an individual and a devoutly religious young woman. (At this time almost everyone in New England went to church EVERY Sunday. And read the Bible. I grew up at the end of this astounding heritage, and yes, was raised as a Congregationalist!)
But you also have the Methodists - a rowdy, wild and untidy group during the Great Awakening. Attending meetings outside in tents. Yelling and cheering, singing and clapping! Men and women, young and old, freely mixing! The more staid and established Congregationalists weren't very happy about this! (Probably still aren't.)
And then there are the mills - a backdrop which was always there. They popped up like mushrooms all over New England, hiring thousands of workers, among them many young women who needed an income. Sarah Cornell worked in various mills, often as a weaver. In some people's views - at the time - she was mixing with the wrong kind.
So this book is a lot about everything: the time, the culture, the thinking. Religion and the rights of women. Society and preconceived ideas which once ground into a people are hard to root out. And mostly about what really happened to young Sarah Cornell.
Fascinating and factual. Five stars.
A story about her life, death and the trial of the minister who was accused of her murder. Sarah's story was also documented - at that time - by writer Catherine Williams. She was a fairly well-known writer in the early to mid 1800's, and the book she wrote about Sarah was a best-seller. Williams was present at the trial of the accused murderer, interviewed those who knew Sarah, and took copious notes on everything she saw, heard, learned, and so on.
The present writer, Ms. Dawson, used Williams' book as part of her research and considers Williams as a sort of a 'co-author.' But though respectful of Williams' findings, there were also a few flaws in her research, which Dawson is careful to point out. In the early 1800's there was a tremendous bias against young women who lived and worked alone without husband or male relative at hand. Does this still exist today to some extent? Yes, of course it does. Along with victim-shaming and victim-blaming, which was almost considered normal at the time.
Along with a modern view of what happened to Sarah, and that of Williams' book, there is also the possiblity that Nathaniel Hawthorne modeled his fictional character, Hester Prynne, on Sarah Cornell. It's known that he followed the case, the trial of her accused murderer, through the newspapers of the day and commented on it.
That aside, it's like reading a Dateline script in places - and I mean that as a compliment. Dateline: 1823. What really happened to Sarah Cornell? Was it a revenge suicide? (She was found to be pregnant; they actually did an autopsy on her.) Or was it murder? (Lots of evidence points to the minister, who probably raped Sarah.) There are accounts galore from those who knew Sarah as a person, an individual and a devoutly religious young woman. (At this time almost everyone in New England went to church EVERY Sunday. And read the Bible. I grew up at the end of this astounding heritage, and yes, was raised as a Congregationalist!)
But you also have the Methodists - a rowdy, wild and untidy group during the Great Awakening. Attending meetings outside in tents. Yelling and cheering, singing and clapping! Men and women, young and old, freely mixing! The more staid and established Congregationalists weren't very happy about this! (Probably still aren't.)
And then there are the mills - a backdrop which was always there. They popped up like mushrooms all over New England, hiring thousands of workers, among them many young women who needed an income. Sarah Cornell worked in various mills, often as a weaver. In some people's views - at the time - she was mixing with the wrong kind.
So this book is a lot about everything: the time, the culture, the thinking. Religion and the rights of women. Society and preconceived ideas which once ground into a people are hard to root out. And mostly about what really happened to young Sarah Cornell.
Fascinating and factual. Five stars.
February 17, 2025
It's been almost four decades since I read The Scarlet Letter, but from what I recall, it was a very different story than what this one reveals. Without revealing spoilers, all I can say is that Hawthorne seems to have whitewashed Dimmesdale's culpability. Of course he did. Ugh. As in The Scarlet Letter, it's the woman who is vilified and victimized and publicly humiliated. It's her reputation that is eviscerated. It's her daughter that suffers. I cannot ever read Hawthorne with the same respect ever again. I think his conclusion on the murder case is clear based on how he wrote his book.
Grateful to Dawson and Catharine Williams for their combined efforts in tirelessly working to vindicate Sarah Cornell (and consequently, Hester Prynne). Women like Dawson and Williams give me hope that not every lost voice is lost forever. I deem this an important work of investigative nonfiction. I would like to see this book read alongside The Scarlett Letter in schools across the country. Of course, it's more likely this book will be banned, but I can still want it to be true.
4.5, rounding up to 5.
Grateful to Dawson and Catharine Williams for their combined efforts in tirelessly working to vindicate Sarah Cornell (and consequently, Hester Prynne). Women like Dawson and Williams give me hope that not every lost voice is lost forever. I deem this an important work of investigative nonfiction. I would like to see this book read alongside The Scarlett Letter in schools across the country. Of course, it's more likely this book will be banned, but I can still want it to be true.
4.5, rounding up to 5.
January 9, 2025
Audiobook/Book Review 📖🎧
thank you so much partner @putnambooks @prhaudio for the free copy and audiobook!
The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne
by Kate Winkler Dawson
Read By Kate Winkler Dawson
About the book 👇🏽
On a cold winter day in 1832, Sarah Maria Cornell was found dead in a quiet farmyard in a small New England town. When her troubled past and a secret correspondence with charismatic Methodist minister Reverend Ephraim Avery was uncovered, more questions emerged. Was Sarah’s death a suicide...or something much darker? Determined to uncover the real story, Victorian writer Catharine Read Arnold Williams threw herself into the investigation as the trial was unfolding and wrote what many claim to be the first American true-crime narrative, Fall River. The murder divided the country and inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter—but the reverend was not convicted, and questions linger to this day about what really led to Sarah Cornell’s death. Until now.
📖🎧 My thoughts:
I am pretty sure my favorite way to consume nonfiction is via audiobook. Truthfully it was a little on the slower side in the beginning but eventually it picked up. It was definitely an interesting read, full of information, and over all enjoyable. I liked that there were different perspectives and it was fascinating to hear about the different investigative methods used. I think the synopsis of the book encompasses exactly what you’ll find in this book! If you’re looking for a new nonfiction book to read and enjoy history and true crime, you’ll definitely want to consider picking this one up. It’s out NOW! Happy publication week!
Happy reading! 📖🎧
thank you so much partner @putnambooks @prhaudio for the free copy and audiobook!
The Sinners All Bow: Two Authors, One Murder, and the Real Hester Prynne
by Kate Winkler Dawson
Read By Kate Winkler Dawson
About the book 👇🏽
On a cold winter day in 1832, Sarah Maria Cornell was found dead in a quiet farmyard in a small New England town. When her troubled past and a secret correspondence with charismatic Methodist minister Reverend Ephraim Avery was uncovered, more questions emerged. Was Sarah’s death a suicide...or something much darker? Determined to uncover the real story, Victorian writer Catharine Read Arnold Williams threw herself into the investigation as the trial was unfolding and wrote what many claim to be the first American true-crime narrative, Fall River. The murder divided the country and inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter—but the reverend was not convicted, and questions linger to this day about what really led to Sarah Cornell’s death. Until now.
📖🎧 My thoughts:
I am pretty sure my favorite way to consume nonfiction is via audiobook. Truthfully it was a little on the slower side in the beginning but eventually it picked up. It was definitely an interesting read, full of information, and over all enjoyable. I liked that there were different perspectives and it was fascinating to hear about the different investigative methods used. I think the synopsis of the book encompasses exactly what you’ll find in this book! If you’re looking for a new nonfiction book to read and enjoy history and true crime, you’ll definitely want to consider picking this one up. It’s out NOW! Happy publication week!
Happy reading! 📖🎧
August 9, 2024
True crime is not my genre, generally, but the link to the Scarlet Letter got my attention and I wanted to give this a try.
Dawson unearths a notorious murder trial from Fall River MA in 1833 and reexamines the court proceedings, the evidence, and the lives of victim and accused. She brings in a forensics expert to review the testimony related to physical evidence, and a handwriting expert to evaluate relevant letters. In addition, she reviews the statements and attitudes of Catharine Williams, who wrote a book about the case while it was happening, which is credited as being the first 'true crime' book.
In the process, she discusses in heartbreaking detail the first-ever blame-the-victim defense, in which defense attorneys marshalled dozens of witnesses to testify under oath (apparently falsely) to the extremely bad character of Sarah Cornell. We are fortunate that those kinds of things are becoming less permissible today in courts of law.
I agree with her conclusions, which I won't spoil here but are not a surprise given the evidence. She also ends up agreeing with Williams despite her biases and fudging of evidence. While I found the discussion of 19th century Methodism rather uninteresting, Dawson is making a case that religious prejudice was involved and that the witnesses were gathered to malign the victim from people who would see defending a minister as defending their religious choice; this case is totally circumstantial, I might add.
My problems with the book come from the Scarlet Letter tie-in. I have read that book two or three times, although it's been fifteen years or so since my last reading, and I do not see that the parallels are that strong. Evidently Hawthorne was interested in the Cornell case, and got the germ of his idea for his book from it. That seems to be as far as it goes, and I found the repeated attempts to liken Cornell and Hester Prynne unconvincing. I do not see Arthur Dimmesdale and Ephraim Avery as similar characters in any way. Ephraim Avery was an actual rapist who abused his authority over his female congregants, and was also married, while I never felt that Dimmesdale was anything worse than weak - Hester came to him when she was vulnerable, but in the end I felt that they actually cared for one another, he did not appear to be manipulating her to protect himself, and he was burdened with feelings of guilt that appear never to have crossed Avery's mind. Not to mention he would never have actually killed Hester. This totally did not work for me.
There was one place where I got the feeling Dawson was mixing Congregational and Episcopal adherents or equating them; maybe they were both 'establishment' religions in 19th century New England, but they were not the same thing. Evidently Catharine Williams was Episcopalian and the economic elite who owned the mills were Congregational, at least according to this book, but that does not mean their attitudes and interests would have been perfectly aligned. If you're going to repeatedly throw those terms around, you should make clear what you mean and why it matters.
On the whole, this book will be interesting to true-crime history buffs, but I hope people who do not know The Scarlet Letter do not assume these two stories are the same.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy of this book. Hope they give it one more good copyedit!
Dawson unearths a notorious murder trial from Fall River MA in 1833 and reexamines the court proceedings, the evidence, and the lives of victim and accused. She brings in a forensics expert to review the testimony related to physical evidence, and a handwriting expert to evaluate relevant letters. In addition, she reviews the statements and attitudes of Catharine Williams, who wrote a book about the case while it was happening, which is credited as being the first 'true crime' book.
In the process, she discusses in heartbreaking detail the first-ever blame-the-victim defense, in which defense attorneys marshalled dozens of witnesses to testify under oath (apparently falsely) to the extremely bad character of Sarah Cornell. We are fortunate that those kinds of things are becoming less permissible today in courts of law.
I agree with her conclusions, which I won't spoil here but are not a surprise given the evidence. She also ends up agreeing with Williams despite her biases and fudging of evidence. While I found the discussion of 19th century Methodism rather uninteresting, Dawson is making a case that religious prejudice was involved and that the witnesses were gathered to malign the victim from people who would see defending a minister as defending their religious choice; this case is totally circumstantial, I might add.
My problems with the book come from the Scarlet Letter tie-in. I have read that book two or three times, although it's been fifteen years or so since my last reading, and I do not see that the parallels are that strong. Evidently Hawthorne was interested in the Cornell case, and got the germ of his idea for his book from it. That seems to be as far as it goes, and I found the repeated attempts to liken Cornell and Hester Prynne unconvincing. I do not see Arthur Dimmesdale and Ephraim Avery as similar characters in any way. Ephraim Avery was an actual rapist who abused his authority over his female congregants, and was also married, while I never felt that Dimmesdale was anything worse than weak - Hester came to him when she was vulnerable, but in the end I felt that they actually cared for one another, he did not appear to be manipulating her to protect himself, and he was burdened with feelings of guilt that appear never to have crossed Avery's mind. Not to mention he would never have actually killed Hester. This totally did not work for me.
There was one place where I got the feeling Dawson was mixing Congregational and Episcopal adherents or equating them; maybe they were both 'establishment' religions in 19th century New England, but they were not the same thing. Evidently Catharine Williams was Episcopalian and the economic elite who owned the mills were Congregational, at least according to this book, but that does not mean their attitudes and interests would have been perfectly aligned. If you're going to repeatedly throw those terms around, you should make clear what you mean and why it matters.
On the whole, this book will be interesting to true-crime history buffs, but I hope people who do not know The Scarlet Letter do not assume these two stories are the same.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy of this book. Hope they give it one more good copyedit!
February 24, 2025
This is an investigation into the death of Sarah Marie Cornell in 1832 in Fall River Massachusetts. I was intrigued by the premise of this story. I had heard of this case and am also usually a fan of true crime. The marriage of historical fiction and true crime combined with the story of a woman believed to be the inspiration for Hester Prynne sounded right up my alley. Instead, the author spent so much time justifying her journalistic integrity and going off on so many pedantic tangents that the original story became lost. I love a good academic discussion but this one was a real slog. The author is far too verbose and artificially erudite without any attempt to be interesting or entertaining. Reading this felt like a chore.
January 14, 2025
Absolutely riveting. I did reread The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne in anticipation of this release (it had been 20 years since I had read it). While it isn't completely necessary to do so, it was helpful in reminding me of the cadence of that story to see the direct parallels in the true crime that inspired it. This book is written with a non-biased journalistic perspective of the author Catharine Read Arnold Williams telling of the case & trial surrounding the death of Sarah Maria Cornell.
Please note: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Classism are mentioned or eluded-to.
Please note: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Classism are mentioned or eluded-to.
March 5, 2025
The author jumped from topic to topic without a truly deep dive into the society of the time or a full examination of factory life for women and girls. The author inserts herself into the narrative to caution the reader to fully examine source material, which became too didactic and weary for me as a reader.
January 16, 2025
WHOOSH!!
This book was a lot of a lot, and [like I have been with all of the author's other books] I am totally HERE. FOR. IT. My only regret is that I didn't reread The Scarlet Letter before diving into this book. It would have been great to have a refresher of that story.
This was a excellent [though very, very disturbing/upsetting, and deeply sad] book that was also very frustrating [how is it that 200+ years later we are STILL not believing women?? How have we NOT progressed in that department? And pitting women against women? WHEN will that ridiculous nonsense STOP?? Sigh.], and the vitriol that was aimed at that poor dead girl [and the belief that the man could NOT have raped/killed this girl because he was so PIOUS *EYE ROLL*], who could no longer defend herself was sickening and made me grind my teeth while slamming things down all over the house [I felt bad for my Mom because I was seriously stomping and slamming for a couple hours]. I will say that the ending, in my opinion, was fairly satisfying [I do really like being right].
If you've read The Scarlet Letter and wondered if there has been a real Hester Pryne that Hawthorne knew or knew of, and you enjoy a good true crime mystery, this book is for you. It is excellently written, expertly researched and is honestly a story we all should know. It makes you think and given our current state of affairs, it still, all these years later, very, very relevant.
Very well done!!
Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Winkler Dawson, and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book was a lot of a lot, and [like I have been with all of the author's other books] I am totally HERE. FOR. IT. My only regret is that I didn't reread The Scarlet Letter before diving into this book. It would have been great to have a refresher of that story.
This was a excellent [though very, very disturbing/upsetting, and deeply sad] book that was also very frustrating [how is it that 200+ years later we are STILL not believing women?? How have we NOT progressed in that department? And pitting women against women? WHEN will that ridiculous nonsense STOP?? Sigh.], and the vitriol that was aimed at that poor dead girl [and the belief that the man could NOT have raped/killed this girl because he was so PIOUS *EYE ROLL*], who could no longer defend herself was sickening and made me grind my teeth while slamming things down all over the house [I felt bad for my Mom because I was seriously stomping and slamming for a couple hours]. I will say that the ending, in my opinion, was fairly satisfying [I do really like being right].
If you've read The Scarlet Letter and wondered if there has been a real Hester Pryne that Hawthorne knew or knew of, and you enjoy a good true crime mystery, this book is for you. It is excellently written, expertly researched and is honestly a story we all should know. It makes you think and given our current state of affairs, it still, all these years later, very, very relevant.
Very well done!!
Thank you to NetGalley, Kate Winkler Dawson, and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam/G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 11, 2025
This was a good one!
January 25, 2025
An interesting look at one of history's unsolved mysteries and the need for unbiased reporting in true crime narratives. The premise of the book really intrigued me, and I was most interested in learning about the link between Sarah Cornell's life and Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, but that aspect of the book was so weak. The author references the essay by Boudreau as her source material, and maybe that resource will convince me that a compelling link exists, but what was presented in The Sinners All Bow was not convincing. It is still worth the reading time just to learn about Sarah Cornell's life and the story surrounding her death.
January 10, 2025
Wow. Fascinating and heartbreaking and mind blowing. Kate Winkler Dawson is just amazing. She is so smart and interesting. I love how prevalent Paul Holes was in this book. They are the best team.
I haven't read a non fiction book in an embarrassingly long time so it took some time to get into it but I'm so glad I stuck with it. Kate and Catherine tell an amazing story. Sarah was failed over and over again. She was the inspiration behind scarlet letter. Kate brings current day forensics with the help of Paul Holes to solve the crime.
Def recommend
I haven't read a non fiction book in an embarrassingly long time so it took some time to get into it but I'm so glad I stuck with it. Kate and Catherine tell an amazing story. Sarah was failed over and over again. She was the inspiration behind scarlet letter. Kate brings current day forensics with the help of Paul Holes to solve the crime.
Def recommend
January 16, 2025
Round up 3
December 29, 2024
DNF
Personally, I found the first few chapters that I read to be a bit too hard to get into. Maybe it gets better further in, but I couldn't bring myself to spend more time on it. The whole narrative is that Sarah's story was written by Catharine which is now being retold by Kate. It's confusing, convoluted, and not engaging enough to keep me reading. The fact that the whole story is about how unreliable narratives of Sarah's death are was making me disengaged.
Personally, I found the first few chapters that I read to be a bit too hard to get into. Maybe it gets better further in, but I couldn't bring myself to spend more time on it. The whole narrative is that Sarah's story was written by Catharine which is now being retold by Kate. It's confusing, convoluted, and not engaging enough to keep me reading. The fact that the whole story is about how unreliable narratives of Sarah's death are was making me disengaged.
May 10, 2025
Although I enjoy true crime, I’m sometimes uncomfortable about the way the victims are presented for the reader’s entertainment or with some other agenda in mind. This is one of the issues that concerns the author of this book, as she discusses what was perhaps the first true crime book, Catherine Williams’ Fall River. It dealt with the death of a young millworker, Sarah Maria Cornell, who was found hanged on John Durfee’s farm in Rhode Island in 1833. Initially thought to be suicide, evidence discovered soon pointed at a Methodist preacher, Ephraim Avery.
Dawson examines both the details of the case itself - making use of her 21st century access to forensic experts - and the book written by Williams. She addresses questions of victim shaming, the influence of religious communities in New England, and bias in works of non fiction. The Cornell case was also said to have influenced Hawthorne’s portrayal of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter, and the attitudes of Williams and Hawthorne towards their subjects are discussed.
There was much that I found interesting about the background to the case, particularly the role of Methodism and of the rise in industrialisation in New England, developments which affected both the role of women and their perception in society. The views of modern experts were valuable and well integrated into the narrative, and the research was thorough. The references to Hester Prynne were less illuminating, maybe even obvious, and didn’t add much in my opinion - I preferred the sections focussing on Sarah and her fate.
Overall an interesting book which shed light on a shameful and saddening episode in US social and legal history.
Dawson examines both the details of the case itself - making use of her 21st century access to forensic experts - and the book written by Williams. She addresses questions of victim shaming, the influence of religious communities in New England, and bias in works of non fiction. The Cornell case was also said to have influenced Hawthorne’s portrayal of Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter, and the attitudes of Williams and Hawthorne towards their subjects are discussed.
There was much that I found interesting about the background to the case, particularly the role of Methodism and of the rise in industrialisation in New England, developments which affected both the role of women and their perception in society. The views of modern experts were valuable and well integrated into the narrative, and the research was thorough. The references to Hester Prynne were less illuminating, maybe even obvious, and didn’t add much in my opinion - I preferred the sections focussing on Sarah and her fate.
Overall an interesting book which shed light on a shameful and saddening episode in US social and legal history.
January 28, 2025
First line: Catharine Read Arnold Williams was a fearless woman.
Summary: Kate Winkler Dawson is a crime historian, podcaster and author who has traveled back in time with her latest work to the small town of Fall River, Massachusetts. Drawing on the first true crime book written by Catharine Williams, Dawson looks at the facts about the murder that shocked the country and inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.
On December 21, 1832, Sarah Maria Cornell was found hanging on the property of John Durfee. It is revealed that she was also four months pregnant. At first it appears to be a suicide but as the women involved look at her personal possessions the theory changes to murder. And who murdered this young woman? All signs point to Methodist minister Ephraim Avery. In the end Avery was not convicted, leaving many to wonder what happened that night.
My Thoughts: I hadn’t even heard of this book until I saw an author I follow review it. From the description it sounded fascinating. The premise was completely different to anything I had read before. It was two writers writing over a century apart about a murder and the conclusion that both of them came to in the end.
The author starts out by giving us as much information as she can gather from early nineteenth century records about Sarah and her early life. She is a mill worker who passionately follows the Methodist religion. She has had hard times which have led to many rumors surrounding her character. When she is found dead these rumors start to color many people’s ideas about her and her fate.
As the story continues on and the trial commences we are presented with the evidence that was used to accuse the minister of the murder. In the early 1800s there was very little forensic science for the prosecutors to use. Dawson brings in experts today to examine the facts from the case and help determine what they could mean about the case.
In the end, the minister is not convicted, leaving many to question what happened to Sarah Cornell on the Durfee farm. While this is a book about true crime it also looks at the way women were treated and viewed during this time in American history. A woman who may have done nothing wrong, did not get justice for her death because the world around her saw her as less than. This was a very sad case and a fascinating book on a woman who was nearly forgotten.
Summary: Kate Winkler Dawson is a crime historian, podcaster and author who has traveled back in time with her latest work to the small town of Fall River, Massachusetts. Drawing on the first true crime book written by Catharine Williams, Dawson looks at the facts about the murder that shocked the country and inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter.
On December 21, 1832, Sarah Maria Cornell was found hanging on the property of John Durfee. It is revealed that she was also four months pregnant. At first it appears to be a suicide but as the women involved look at her personal possessions the theory changes to murder. And who murdered this young woman? All signs point to Methodist minister Ephraim Avery. In the end Avery was not convicted, leaving many to wonder what happened that night.
My Thoughts: I hadn’t even heard of this book until I saw an author I follow review it. From the description it sounded fascinating. The premise was completely different to anything I had read before. It was two writers writing over a century apart about a murder and the conclusion that both of them came to in the end.
The author starts out by giving us as much information as she can gather from early nineteenth century records about Sarah and her early life. She is a mill worker who passionately follows the Methodist religion. She has had hard times which have led to many rumors surrounding her character. When she is found dead these rumors start to color many people’s ideas about her and her fate.
As the story continues on and the trial commences we are presented with the evidence that was used to accuse the minister of the murder. In the early 1800s there was very little forensic science for the prosecutors to use. Dawson brings in experts today to examine the facts from the case and help determine what they could mean about the case.
In the end, the minister is not convicted, leaving many to question what happened to Sarah Cornell on the Durfee farm. While this is a book about true crime it also looks at the way women were treated and viewed during this time in American history. A woman who may have done nothing wrong, did not get justice for her death because the world around her saw her as less than. This was a very sad case and a fascinating book on a woman who was nearly forgotten.
February 18, 2025
A book analyzing a book written in the 1800's, one many consider the first true crime accounts in America, that covered a mostly forgotten crime that inspired The Scarlet Letter.
This honestly is a marvel. And a case is still, sadly, timely and representative of our justice system and society today.
At its heart, it's the documentation of the life of a woman who was victimized over and over and betrayed by her own community and religious leaders. And then sadly, mostly forgotten to history save for the few people who tried to advocate for her in the 1800's.
Overall it's a heartbreaking look at the dangers of religious prejudice, zealot ideology, and the exploitation of vulnerable women in so many forms.
An incredibly important book for our society and addresses the importance of quality of true crime journalism.
This honestly is a marvel. And a case is still, sadly, timely and representative of our justice system and society today.
At its heart, it's the documentation of the life of a woman who was victimized over and over and betrayed by her own community and religious leaders. And then sadly, mostly forgotten to history save for the few people who tried to advocate for her in the 1800's.
Overall it's a heartbreaking look at the dangers of religious prejudice, zealot ideology, and the exploitation of vulnerable women in so many forms.
An incredibly important book for our society and addresses the importance of quality of true crime journalism.
February 16, 2025
This is a super important entry into the conversation about ethics in true crime narratives. Advocating for the rights and dignity of the victim, I felt this book did a great job of laying out facts and avoiding laying blame anywhere but at the feet of the responsible party.
May 23, 2025
3 ⭐️ I picked this book up because I was fascinated to learn that the character Hester Prynne was based off of a real life woman and (most probably) murder victim, Sarah Maria Cornell. The case of Cornell’s death was fascinating and I appreciated the look into one of the first true crime books ever written which was about her death, Fall River by Catherine R Williams. Winkler Dawson does a good job of explaining the biases that are evident in Williams coverage of this case. The one thing that kept this book from being rated higher for me was that in some places it just felt very repetitive and I felt myself zoning out while reading. Other than that it was a good and interesting read and I’m glad to learn more about the real life case that inspired Hester Prynne and The Scarlet Letter.
September 16, 2025
I listened to the audio version of this book, as read by the author.
I was hopeful that this book would be an historical assessment and relation of a true crime case and how it became part of the lore for The Scarlet Letter by N. Hawthorne. The facts of the case at the time and in subsequent revisitation with modern techniques has some interest. However, for much of the first half of the book, the author circles around multiple times both building her own reputation as a narrator and that of her “co-author” who was contemporaneous to the crime. She uses a pedantic method to describe the history of Methodism, the hardships of “factory girls”, and staunch Protestant followers in New England at the time — all of these provide crucial background to the case and its outcome at trial — and could have been summarized in a chapter or maybe two up front, instead of rehashing repeatedly through the book.
The author’s best writing regarding this case begins in Chapter *7*, which should give you an idea how much slogging there is, and how much potential fat could be trimmed to make this a more readable, informative, and enjoyable read.
I was hopeful that this book would be an historical assessment and relation of a true crime case and how it became part of the lore for The Scarlet Letter by N. Hawthorne. The facts of the case at the time and in subsequent revisitation with modern techniques has some interest. However, for much of the first half of the book, the author circles around multiple times both building her own reputation as a narrator and that of her “co-author” who was contemporaneous to the crime. She uses a pedantic method to describe the history of Methodism, the hardships of “factory girls”, and staunch Protestant followers in New England at the time — all of these provide crucial background to the case and its outcome at trial — and could have been summarized in a chapter or maybe two up front, instead of rehashing repeatedly through the book.
The author’s best writing regarding this case begins in Chapter *7*, which should give you an idea how much slogging there is, and how much potential fat could be trimmed to make this a more readable, informative, and enjoyable read.
January 17, 2025
3 stars
I listened to the audiobook version of this book, which was narrated by Winkler Dawson. This was a mistake. I listen frequently to one of Winkler Dawson's podcasts Buried Bones, and I find it easy to listen to and absorb information with her and co-host Paul Holes' banter and back and forth format. Winkler Dawson on her own has a very specific reading/speaking style that is incredibly soothing and rhythmic.....and became very easy for me to let fade into the background and zone out to. No shade to her, but it was not a great match for me when it comes to a true crime novel where details can be rather important to pay attention to.
For the contents of the book itself, I found it interesting and thorough. I liked the decision to examine not only the case but the book Fall River and its biases (as one of the first true crime books written shortly after the case occurred). I also appreciated the inclusion of Paul Holes' expertise added throughout. It's what makes Buried Bones so interesting to me, seeing cold cases through the lens of modern forensics. Winkler Dawson remains clearheaded while also being sensitive to the victim, something else I always appreciate in true crime.
I think my main complaint is that there was a lot of repetition. The book felt too long for the information that was available and presented in the case, and it wasn't a really long book.
Overall this was an interesting deep dive into a case that not very many people know about, but that inspired a classic novel. I always appreciate learning more about source material for books or movies, so learning there was a woman that Hester Prynne was based on was fascinating...and it feels important to acknowledge. This wasn't my favourite true crime novel, and while I will likely read future (or previous) work by Kate Winkler Dawson, I think I'll skip the audiobooks and read the hard copies instead.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book, which was narrated by Winkler Dawson. This was a mistake. I listen frequently to one of Winkler Dawson's podcasts Buried Bones, and I find it easy to listen to and absorb information with her and co-host Paul Holes' banter and back and forth format. Winkler Dawson on her own has a very specific reading/speaking style that is incredibly soothing and rhythmic.....and became very easy for me to let fade into the background and zone out to. No shade to her, but it was not a great match for me when it comes to a true crime novel where details can be rather important to pay attention to.
For the contents of the book itself, I found it interesting and thorough. I liked the decision to examine not only the case but the book Fall River and its biases (as one of the first true crime books written shortly after the case occurred). I also appreciated the inclusion of Paul Holes' expertise added throughout. It's what makes Buried Bones so interesting to me, seeing cold cases through the lens of modern forensics. Winkler Dawson remains clearheaded while also being sensitive to the victim, something else I always appreciate in true crime.
I think my main complaint is that there was a lot of repetition. The book felt too long for the information that was available and presented in the case, and it wasn't a really long book.
Overall this was an interesting deep dive into a case that not very many people know about, but that inspired a classic novel. I always appreciate learning more about source material for books or movies, so learning there was a woman that Hester Prynne was based on was fascinating...and it feels important to acknowledge. This wasn't my favourite true crime novel, and while I will likely read future (or previous) work by Kate Winkler Dawson, I think I'll skip the audiobooks and read the hard copies instead.
January 28, 2025
The historical context of women entering the workforce, specifically as mill laborers, and the 2nd Great Awakening was good. But the flow of the narrative was all over the place and repetitive.
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