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Sweet Madness
Seventeen-year-old Bridget Sullivan is alone in Fall River, a city that sees Irish immigrants as nothing more than a drunken drain on society. To make matters worse, she's taken employment with the city’s most peculiar and gossip-laden family—the Bordens. But Bridget can’t afford to be picky—the pay surpasses any other job Bridget could ever secure and she desperately needs the money to buy her little sister, Cara, passage to the states. It doesn’t hurt that the job location is also close to her beau, Liam. As she enters the disturbing inner workings of the Borden household, Bridget clings to these advantages.
However, what seemed like a straightforward situation soon turns into one that is untenable. Of course Bridget has heard the gossip around town about the Bordens, but what she encounters is far more unsettling. The erratic, paranoid behavior of Mr. Borden, the fearful silence of his wife, and worse still…the nightly whisperings Bridget hears that seem to come from the walls themselves.
The unexpected bright spot of the position is that Lizzie Borden is so friendly. At first, Bridget is surprised at how Lizzie seems to look out for her, how she takes a strong interest in Bridget’s life. Over time, a friendship grows between them. But when Mr. Borden’s behavior goes from paranoid to cruel, and the eerie occurrences in the house seem to be building momentum, Bridget makes the tough decision that she must leave the house—even if it means leaving behind Lizzie, her closest friend, alone with the madness. Something she swore she would not do.
But when Bridget makes a horrifying discovery in the home, all that she thought she knew about the Bordens is called into question…including if Lizzie is dangerous. And the choice she must make about Lizzie’s character could mean Bridget’s life or death.
SWEET MADNESS is a retelling of the infamous Borden murders from the point of view of Lizzie’s Irish maid, Bridget Sullivan.
However, what seemed like a straightforward situation soon turns into one that is untenable. Of course Bridget has heard the gossip around town about the Bordens, but what she encounters is far more unsettling. The erratic, paranoid behavior of Mr. Borden, the fearful silence of his wife, and worse still…the nightly whisperings Bridget hears that seem to come from the walls themselves.
The unexpected bright spot of the position is that Lizzie Borden is so friendly. At first, Bridget is surprised at how Lizzie seems to look out for her, how she takes a strong interest in Bridget’s life. Over time, a friendship grows between them. But when Mr. Borden’s behavior goes from paranoid to cruel, and the eerie occurrences in the house seem to be building momentum, Bridget makes the tough decision that she must leave the house—even if it means leaving behind Lizzie, her closest friend, alone with the madness. Something she swore she would not do.
But when Bridget makes a horrifying discovery in the home, all that she thought she knew about the Bordens is called into question…including if Lizzie is dangerous. And the choice she must make about Lizzie’s character could mean Bridget’s life or death.
SWEET MADNESS is a retelling of the infamous Borden murders from the point of view of Lizzie’s Irish maid, Bridget Sullivan.
223 pages, Hardcover
First published August 7, 2015
8 people are currently reading
1638 people want to read
About the author
Trisha Leaver
9 books331 followersTrisha Leaver lives on Cape Cod with her husband, three children, and one rather disobedient black lab. She is a chronic daydreamer who prefers the cozy confines of her own imagination to the mundane routine of everyday life. She writes Young Adult Contemporary Fiction, Psychological Horror and Science Fiction and is published with FSG/ Macmillan, Flux/Llewellyn and Merit Press. To find out more about her, please visit her website at www.trishaleaver.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
September 18, 2015
EDIT: I don't generally bump my own reviews, but this one was released this week and since I'm friends with the author I am privy to seeing the cupcakes she will be providing at her launch party . . .
which proves once again she is awesome and worthy of a bump. She and her writing partner also write YA that kids and parents can buddy read without one or the other wanting to tear all of their hair out. If you find the story of Lizzie Borden fascinating after all these years, this might be your cuppa. If not, they've also written YA dystopian and horror and have a sci-fi book coming out in November. And if you think I'm biased because we're "friends" you can eff off because I say what I mean and I mean what I say. I also attempted and failed to score an ARC of Hardwired and was denied because SHE doesn't try to game the system either.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
“Lizzie Borden took an axe . . .”
Bridget Sullivan knew it wouldn’t be easy to work for the Borden family. The gossip about how strange, demanding, and downright cruel they could be has been whispered from one end of town to the other. However, being the Borden’s maid is a job that will not only allow Bridget closer proximity to her future husband, but also pay better than any other bringing Bridget ever closer to her goal of paying for her sister’s passage from Ireland and officially starting life as a married woman in the States. Imagine Bridget’s surprise when she discovers that, although more than a bit clingy, Lizzie is nothing like what the rumor-mill has led her to believe. In fact, in a house filled with strange Lizzie is the bright spot with her friendly disposition and willingness to help Bridget complete nearly any chore. Is there more to Lizzie than meets the eye????
“If you’re going to survive in this house, you’ve got to know who you’re truly living with.”
Full disclosure time: I attended high school with one of the authors and this is the third book of hers that I have read. Of those three books, one was a YA dystopian, one was a YA horror and now Sweet Madness - a YA historical fiction. If you follow my reviews you should already know by now that I don’t pad my ratings because of my familiarity with an author, but I do want to take a second to tip my hat to these two ladies who have taken on three different genres and done quite well writing in each. I also want to note that although I know one of the authors, I obtained my ARC from Edelweiss - not from Lindsay Currie.
Now that all of that is out of the way, let me disclose one more thing. The story of Lizzie Borden is one I may have just the teensiestobsession fascination with . . .
Everyone should be interested in Lizzie’s story. Did she or didn’t she? Was she sane or was she crazy? Did she act in cold blood? Was it self defense????
Seriously . . . and yet somehow, maybe????
Don’t let the YA tag on this one fool you. Leaver and Currie definitely are working to break the mold of the stereotypical young adult novel. If you’re a fan of historical fiction, or just someone like Mitchell and me who can’t get enough of reading about the old hatchetry of the brain whenever possible, this is a title you should check out.
Speaking of Mitchell. What are you doing with that axe there, buddy?????
ARC provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
which proves once again she is awesome and worthy of a bump. She and her writing partner also write YA that kids and parents can buddy read without one or the other wanting to tear all of their hair out. If you find the story of Lizzie Borden fascinating after all these years, this might be your cuppa. If not, they've also written YA dystopian and horror and have a sci-fi book coming out in November. And if you think I'm biased because we're "friends" you can eff off because I say what I mean and I mean what I say. I also attempted and failed to score an ARC of Hardwired and was denied because SHE doesn't try to game the system either.
ORIGINAL REVIEW:
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
“Lizzie Borden took an axe . . .”
Bridget Sullivan knew it wouldn’t be easy to work for the Borden family. The gossip about how strange, demanding, and downright cruel they could be has been whispered from one end of town to the other. However, being the Borden’s maid is a job that will not only allow Bridget closer proximity to her future husband, but also pay better than any other bringing Bridget ever closer to her goal of paying for her sister’s passage from Ireland and officially starting life as a married woman in the States. Imagine Bridget’s surprise when she discovers that, although more than a bit clingy, Lizzie is nothing like what the rumor-mill has led her to believe. In fact, in a house filled with strange Lizzie is the bright spot with her friendly disposition and willingness to help Bridget complete nearly any chore. Is there more to Lizzie than meets the eye????
“If you’re going to survive in this house, you’ve got to know who you’re truly living with.”
Full disclosure time: I attended high school with one of the authors and this is the third book of hers that I have read. Of those three books, one was a YA dystopian, one was a YA horror and now Sweet Madness - a YA historical fiction. If you follow my reviews you should already know by now that I don’t pad my ratings because of my familiarity with an author, but I do want to take a second to tip my hat to these two ladies who have taken on three different genres and done quite well writing in each. I also want to note that although I know one of the authors, I obtained my ARC from Edelweiss - not from Lindsay Currie.
Now that all of that is out of the way, let me disclose one more thing. The story of Lizzie Borden is one I may have just the teensiest
Everyone should be interested in Lizzie’s story. Did she or didn’t she? Was she sane or was she crazy? Did she act in cold blood? Was it self defense????
Seriously . . . and yet somehow, maybe????
Don’t let the YA tag on this one fool you. Leaver and Currie definitely are working to break the mold of the stereotypical young adult novel. If you’re a fan of historical fiction, or just someone like Mitchell and me who can’t get enough of reading about the old hatchetry of the brain whenever possible, this is a title you should check out.
Speaking of Mitchell. What are you doing with that axe there, buddy?????
ARC provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
November 28, 2015
This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight
Sweet Madness was basically a compilation of a lot of fabulous things rolled into one.
Fast paced?
Mysterious?
Historical awesomeness?
Fabulous, multifaceted characters?
Twists I did not see coming?
Lizzie freaking Borden?
(Granted, that last one is pretty unique to this book, but that doesn't make it less fabulous.)
If you know about the Lizzie Borden case, you'll know how creepily fascinating the whole thing is. If you don't know about it... well, get thyself to Wikipedia . While I've never read any fiction about the Bordens before, I have watched an unhealthy amount of documentaries about them. There were a couple years where Investigation Discovery channel was my jam, and nothing was more fun that an old timey mystery. Also, Lizzie had the crazy eyes. For real.
So it's told via Bridget's point of view. She's the maid, and she is so likable, which I think is the key to this story. I mean, I don't think you could make Lizzie likeable enough to tell a book from her POV, because she (historically speaking, not just in this book) was one high maintenance lady. But I think that the authors did a fabulous job of humanizing everyone in this book. Through the story, there was no "villain", it was just a family with a lot of issues, a maid caught up in their nonsense, a town that knew they were all batshit crazy, and it made it impossible to know the outcome ahead of time, which for me was perfect!
I also loved how the authors were able to really make you feel like you were in Fall River in the late 1800s, but more specifically, what it would have been like to live in the Borden household. There was a lot of very relevant historical stuff included, but in such a way that made it so fascinating. We're meant to think some of their behavior was odd, just like Bridget would have, but there's also the glimpses into the each of the family members that show that they were far more than their historical caricaturizations.
Bottom Line: This book is addictive and fast paced, I enjoyed the characters and the mystery; I enjoyed the historical accuracy and ambience. Basically, I loved Sweet Madness a lot. Consider this my open letter to Lindsay Currie and Trisha Leaver to keep writing together for the rest of time.
*Copy provided by publisher for review.*
Sweet Madness was basically a compilation of a lot of fabulous things rolled into one.
Fast paced?
Mysterious?
Historical awesomeness?
Fabulous, multifaceted characters?
Twists I did not see coming?
Lizzie freaking Borden?
(Granted, that last one is pretty unique to this book, but that doesn't make it less fabulous.)
If you know about the Lizzie Borden case, you'll know how creepily fascinating the whole thing is. If you don't know about it... well, get thyself to Wikipedia . While I've never read any fiction about the Bordens before, I have watched an unhealthy amount of documentaries about them. There were a couple years where Investigation Discovery channel was my jam, and nothing was more fun that an old timey mystery. Also, Lizzie had the crazy eyes. For real.
So it's told via Bridget's point of view. She's the maid, and she is so likable, which I think is the key to this story. I mean, I don't think you could make Lizzie likeable enough to tell a book from her POV, because she (historically speaking, not just in this book) was one high maintenance lady. But I think that the authors did a fabulous job of humanizing everyone in this book. Through the story, there was no "villain", it was just a family with a lot of issues, a maid caught up in their nonsense, a town that knew they were all batshit crazy, and it made it impossible to know the outcome ahead of time, which for me was perfect!
I also loved how the authors were able to really make you feel like you were in Fall River in the late 1800s, but more specifically, what it would have been like to live in the Borden household. There was a lot of very relevant historical stuff included, but in such a way that made it so fascinating. We're meant to think some of their behavior was odd, just like Bridget would have, but there's also the glimpses into the each of the family members that show that they were far more than their historical caricaturizations.
Bottom Line: This book is addictive and fast paced, I enjoyed the characters and the mystery; I enjoyed the historical accuracy and ambience. Basically, I loved Sweet Madness a lot. Consider this my open letter to Lindsay Currie and Trisha Leaver to keep writing together for the rest of time.
*Copy provided by publisher for review.*
March 12, 2016
4/5 Stars
Summary:
This is the story of Lizzie Borden told through the eyes of the family maid Bridget. This story is historical fiction with actual facts distributed throughout.
Dislikes:
I felt like I was reading a text book or part of a history books at some parts. So it took me longer than I thought to get through this.
Likes:
I have always liked the Lizzie Borden story so that in itself was very intriguing. Lizzie was a great character and I appreciated her quirks.
Overall:
If you like historical fiction and Lizzie Borden this is a must read. The spin on the original story is very unique and refreshing.
Summary:
This is the story of Lizzie Borden told through the eyes of the family maid Bridget. This story is historical fiction with actual facts distributed throughout.
Dislikes:
I felt like I was reading a text book or part of a history books at some parts. So it took me longer than I thought to get through this.
Likes:
I have always liked the Lizzie Borden story so that in itself was very intriguing. Lizzie was a great character and I appreciated her quirks.
Overall:
If you like historical fiction and Lizzie Borden this is a must read. The spin on the original story is very unique and refreshing.
September 15, 2015
Not good. Not good at all. 1.5 stars.
At times this book shows signs of promise, but it's plagued with historical inaccuracies and an utterly absurd "answer" to what happened to Andrew and Abby Borden.
Why is Emma so absent from this story? It's weird that we don't even get a single scene with her; it really stands out, and not in a good way. Why was Abby not very close/friendly with Bridget when by all accounts the complete opposite was true in real life? Why is Lizzie so friendly with Bridget (she never even refers to her as "Maggie", which we know happened often)? Why did the authors de-age Bridget? Why is Alice treated as a throw-away joke when she was a major player in the case history? Why is Andrew an over-the-top abusive asshole? Why did they feel the need to turn all of these real people into ridiculous caricatures?
I swear, this book threw pretty much every theory and speculation out there into the plot and turned it into a muddled mess.
I've read/watched pretty much everything out there that's fiction based on Lizzie Borden and this is just the bottom of the barrel. I'm so disappointed, because I expected something really amazing -- the writers said they spent so much time researching this, but none of it shows. Yes, once in a while there's a name or fact drop, but that isn't enough to make up for all the issues with this story.
I guess you could give some props to the writers for wanting to do something different with who the murderer was and why, but it just is too ridiculous and the whole story falls flat. A story from Bridget's POV is new and should be awesomely engaging, but this book just drags and drags and ends with a whimper. Bridget just feels so empty as a character/person.
This book got rave reviews and I just don't really understand what people saw in it.
And oh my god, what the hell was the focus with the pigeons?? It took up like 50% of the book when it was only ever really a footnote in the fucked-up-ness of this family.
At times this book shows signs of promise, but it's plagued with historical inaccuracies and an utterly absurd "answer" to what happened to Andrew and Abby Borden.
Why is Emma so absent from this story? It's weird that we don't even get a single scene with her; it really stands out, and not in a good way. Why was Abby not very close/friendly with Bridget when by all accounts the complete opposite was true in real life? Why is Lizzie so friendly with Bridget (she never even refers to her as "Maggie", which we know happened often)? Why did the authors de-age Bridget? Why is Alice treated as a throw-away joke when she was a major player in the case history? Why is Andrew an over-the-top abusive asshole? Why did they feel the need to turn all of these real people into ridiculous caricatures?
I swear, this book threw pretty much every theory and speculation out there into the plot and turned it into a muddled mess.
I've read/watched pretty much everything out there that's fiction based on Lizzie Borden and this is just the bottom of the barrel. I'm so disappointed, because I expected something really amazing -- the writers said they spent so much time researching this, but none of it shows. Yes, once in a while there's a name or fact drop, but that isn't enough to make up for all the issues with this story.
I guess you could give some props to the writers for wanting to do something different with who the murderer was and why, but it just is too ridiculous and the whole story falls flat. A story from Bridget's POV is new and should be awesomely engaging, but this book just drags and drags and ends with a whimper. Bridget just feels so empty as a character/person.
This book got rave reviews and I just don't really understand what people saw in it.
And oh my god, what the hell was the focus with the pigeons?? It took up like 50% of the book when it was only ever really a footnote in the fucked-up-ness of this family.
July 28, 2016
This book is amazing!
I was one of the luckiest people in the world who was able to read an early version of this novel.
Let me tell you, it was fantastic!
I loved this book because it has so many facets of fantastic story-telling. All in one novel, I was engaged, thrilled, creeped out, chilled, swoony, in love, disgusted, enthralled, and wrapped up in a bow of mystery. I didn't know someone could take a chilling nursery rhyme and delve deep into the heart of a tragic history and truly bring it to life.
Sweet Madness is one of the BEST books that you’ll read in 2015.
It’s not just for fans of young adult literature. This will speak directly to any readers who love mystery, horror, historical, young adult, new adult, and romance.
So let me translate: Everyone should read this.
I was entirely captivated reading SWEET MADNESS, wound up in a messy web of lies, deceit, intrigue, and suspense. It had me devouring and savoring each page until the very end.
I was one of the luckiest people in the world who was able to read an early version of this novel.
Let me tell you, it was fantastic!
I loved this book because it has so many facets of fantastic story-telling. All in one novel, I was engaged, thrilled, creeped out, chilled, swoony, in love, disgusted, enthralled, and wrapped up in a bow of mystery. I didn't know someone could take a chilling nursery rhyme and delve deep into the heart of a tragic history and truly bring it to life.
Sweet Madness is one of the BEST books that you’ll read in 2015.
It’s not just for fans of young adult literature. This will speak directly to any readers who love mystery, horror, historical, young adult, new adult, and romance.
So let me translate: Everyone should read this.
I was entirely captivated reading SWEET MADNESS, wound up in a messy web of lies, deceit, intrigue, and suspense. It had me devouring and savoring each page until the very end.
August 18, 2018
This might be my favorite speculation on the Lizzie Borden yet.
September 14, 2015
This review was originally posted on Novel Ink
Lizzie Borden took an axe,
and gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
she gave her father forty one...
Or did she?
Although I had heard the above poem before, I really didn't know much more about Lizzie Borden and the Borden murders. But, I'm kind of glad that I didn't know the whole story before reading Sweet Madness because I went into this book almost clueless. Well, except for the poem. Also, because I didn't know anything about what happened, I was able to completely invest myself into this story and form my own opinions.
Now, I did go and do a little research about the Borden murders after finishing this book. I have to admit some of the things that I read about in Sweet Madness I really didn't think could be real. I mean, the pigeons? Totally didn't see that one coming. I guess, what I'm trying to say is that I really liked the fact that the authors took so many little details and added them into the story. Of course, I'm not an expert by any means, I'm just going on what I found when I done a little research.
I, for one, am really glad that Sweet Madness was told in the POV of the Borden maid, Bridget Sullivan. I feel like it helped readers see what was happening from every angle instead of just with Lizzie. There was so much more going on in that house than anyone knew, and I don't think it was all Lizzie.
The Bordens were a very different and interesting family, it was easy to sense the tension between them and I just can't get over the way they treated each other. I'm sure there was a lot of bad history between each member of the family, history that Bridget wasn't privy too. But there was A LOT of bad vibes in that house and as someone on the outside, like Bridget, it was easy to see.
I'm honestly not sure. I mean, I know how this story plays out, but if we, as readers learned anything while reading this book, it's that everything is not as it seems when it comes to the Bordens. Sure, Lizzie was a little odd and at times I got that 'something's-not-quite-right' vibe from her. But she's not the only one I got it from so it's impossible for me to say one way or another if Lizzie was guilty.
Did Lizzie Borden really murder her family? Or was someone else behind the gruesome bloodbath?
April 1, 2017
To get to Fall River from my Cape Cod hometown, you have to pass through a few towns that are throwbacks to yesteryear – forgotten, sagging, paint chipped relics of once thriving small port cities.
First there is New Bedford, with it’s Moby Dick marina (I’m sorry, but could they PICK a worse name? I mean seriously – the whale sunk the boat), and a few miles further west is Fall River – a still active sea-faring community that mixes brave new businesses with condemned row houses. From the elevated highway, passersby get a fleeting glimpse of a city built on the backs of immigrant workers – a city that ground down on its inhabitants like mill wheat, day after day. One of its most notorious residents, however, may have entirely cracked under the pressure of her life in Fall River: Lizzie Borden.
In Sweet Madness, a fictional retelling of the infamous Borden double murder, readers gets a front row seat to the Borden household through the eyes of Bridget Sullivan, a young maid living in the Borden’s house. If you ever had a job from hell, just multiple it by ten . . . and throw in a disturbingly creepy spinster named Lizzie and a sampling of homicidal genetic madness. THAT was Bridget’s life and it's what makes Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie’s fiction retelling of the infamous Lizzie so bloody brilliant – the idea of a curse and the possibility that Lizzie wasn’t entirely mad.
As Bridget learns more and more about the Borden house, she begins to feel sorry for Lizzie, but at the same time fears her. She tries to turn a blind eye to the disturbing workings of the Borden house, but the whispers from the walls and Lizzie’s nighttime wanderings, haunt Bridget to near insanity. Leaver and Currie build a striking, fabulous, addictive story of a young woman trying to survive inside a home filled with true malice, if not pure evil.
Additionally, the authors paint a grungy, relentless portrait of a city caked in dirt and smog, and it forced me, for once, to entirely see the novel running through my head in black and white – the city, as seen by Bridget Sullivan, is itself a monster that rides the line with hell.
So brilliant! Totally loved it! Easily the best co-authored pieced from Leaver and Currie yet!
First there is New Bedford, with it’s Moby Dick marina (I’m sorry, but could they PICK a worse name? I mean seriously – the whale sunk the boat), and a few miles further west is Fall River – a still active sea-faring community that mixes brave new businesses with condemned row houses. From the elevated highway, passersby get a fleeting glimpse of a city built on the backs of immigrant workers – a city that ground down on its inhabitants like mill wheat, day after day. One of its most notorious residents, however, may have entirely cracked under the pressure of her life in Fall River: Lizzie Borden.
In Sweet Madness, a fictional retelling of the infamous Borden double murder, readers gets a front row seat to the Borden household through the eyes of Bridget Sullivan, a young maid living in the Borden’s house. If you ever had a job from hell, just multiple it by ten . . . and throw in a disturbingly creepy spinster named Lizzie and a sampling of homicidal genetic madness. THAT was Bridget’s life and it's what makes Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie’s fiction retelling of the infamous Lizzie so bloody brilliant – the idea of a curse and the possibility that Lizzie wasn’t entirely mad.
As Bridget learns more and more about the Borden house, she begins to feel sorry for Lizzie, but at the same time fears her. She tries to turn a blind eye to the disturbing workings of the Borden house, but the whispers from the walls and Lizzie’s nighttime wanderings, haunt Bridget to near insanity. Leaver and Currie build a striking, fabulous, addictive story of a young woman trying to survive inside a home filled with true malice, if not pure evil.
Additionally, the authors paint a grungy, relentless portrait of a city caked in dirt and smog, and it forced me, for once, to entirely see the novel running through my head in black and white – the city, as seen by Bridget Sullivan, is itself a monster that rides the line with hell.
So brilliant! Totally loved it! Easily the best co-authored pieced from Leaver and Currie yet!
January 4, 2018
I really liked this book and read it in almost one sitting. It kept me engaged and anticipating what the next page would say. Bridget was a realistic and likeable voice and I think she was the perfect narrator for the story. The authors captured the offness of the Borden house and of the Bordens themselves. I thought I knew the story of Lizzie Borden before I started reading, but the authors took the mystery surrounding the murders and molded it into a twisting and believable theory. The only critique I would give is that I wish the epilogue gave a little more info on Lizzie’s trial. I had to look up what the results of the trial were, even though the info was hinted at in the book. I just felt that I needed a little bit more. Other than that, the story was awesome. I didn’t want to put the book down. You felt every moment of tension, frustration, and fear right along with Bridget, Mr. and Mrs. Borden, and Lizzie. It amazed me the difference I could feel at specific times in the book. My stomach would literally lock up at the tension. This would be a great read for anyone looking for an easy mystery, especially those who enjoy cold cases. It’s on the shorter side so it doesn’t take long to get thru. I absolutely recommend this book!
March 30, 2016
This book was frightening - told from the perspective from the Borden's live-in housemaid, Bridget Sullivan, it depicts the maddening days leading up to the notorious ax murder that claims the lives of Mr. & Mrs. Borden.
The story focuses on the intense friendship Lizzie Borden covets from Bridget, bordering on obsessive. The first chapter has Bridget trying to evade Lizzie's watchful eye as she heads out to meet with friends. This stalker like behavior continues throughout the novel creating a total atmosphere of paranoia. I became fearful of everything Lizzie would do or say. Even though we all know what is coming, the authors do a great job at building the tension. By page 50, we have some clever foreshadowing with Lizzie handling a meat cleaver, the tone stays somber and the family grows more standoffish from each other.
I will also add that this book has a superior ending - it's a full on bloodbath with a fresh look on what could have really happened.
I want to go visit the Lizzie Borden bed and breakfast in Fall River Massachusetts more than ever!
The story focuses on the intense friendship Lizzie Borden covets from Bridget, bordering on obsessive. The first chapter has Bridget trying to evade Lizzie's watchful eye as she heads out to meet with friends. This stalker like behavior continues throughout the novel creating a total atmosphere of paranoia. I became fearful of everything Lizzie would do or say. Even though we all know what is coming, the authors do a great job at building the tension. By page 50, we have some clever foreshadowing with Lizzie handling a meat cleaver, the tone stays somber and the family grows more standoffish from each other.
I will also add that this book has a superior ending - it's a full on bloodbath with a fresh look on what could have really happened.
I want to go visit the Lizzie Borden bed and breakfast in Fall River Massachusetts more than ever!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2016
Best book I've read so far this year!!! I kind of wish it had gone through the trial as well, but it was exactly the right length in the end. I f you don't know the story of Lizzie Borden, look it up -- some crazy shit right there! She was acquitted and no one was ever convicted for the brutal axe murders of her father and stepmother. But she lived with the stigma of everyone believing she did it for the rest of her life. I really liked the authors' theory of who did it and I could totally believe it as the truth. At certain points it didn't even feel like fiction. Highly recommend this one to anyone who's interested.
June 22, 2015
I thought this was a really interesting piece of historical fiction. Told from the point of view of the Bordens' 17 year old family maid, this book looks at the life of Lizzie Borden in a new and exciting way.
The characters were very well developed and I learned quite a bit about life in the late 1800s. It shows that there may have been a lot more to this famous murder than it seems.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction, YA or mysteries.
The characters were very well developed and I learned quite a bit about life in the late 1800s. It shows that there may have been a lot more to this famous murder than it seems.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in historical fiction, YA or mysteries.
December 12, 2015
"Lizzie Borden took an ax..."
I grew up fascinated by the Lizzie Borden story (growing up in a New England mill town myself, about an hour from Fall River). This is a wonderful telling of the story from the housekeeper's perspective. Even knowing the ultimate outcome, I was on tenterhooks the whole time, anxious to see how Ms. Leaver was going to reach the finale. I was not disappointed.
I grew up fascinated by the Lizzie Borden story (growing up in a New England mill town myself, about an hour from Fall River). This is a wonderful telling of the story from the housekeeper's perspective. Even knowing the ultimate outcome, I was on tenterhooks the whole time, anxious to see how Ms. Leaver was going to reach the finale. I was not disappointed.
July 17, 2016
I am from Fall River and have read a few books about the murders. This is an interesting twist that I had not heard before. I was disappointed not to see notes or references on the research the authors did on the story.
October 26, 2017
I'm weirdly fascinated by the Lizzie Borden story, and Sweet Madness approached it a bit differently - from the perspective of the Bordens' maid, Bridget. IRL the mystery of her parents' death was never solved, but the book takes a look at what might have happened and why. A good read.
August 28, 2017
creepy
October 6, 2015
Check out this and other reviews on my blog, Here's to Happy Endings!
Lizzie Borden took an axe,
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.
We all know this rhyme, right? We've all heard of Lizzie Borden, but no one really knows the story behind what actually happened. Lizzie was tried for the murder of her father and her stepmother, but she was acquitted. There have been other theories floating around over the years, but that's the interesting part - no one really knows what went on. If you do some research, you can read a few of these theories, of course, but if you want an obviously well-researched fictional account of what went on leading up to those murders, this is a great book to pick up.
I've seen quite a few good reviews for this book, and let me say that this book deserves the praise. I guarantee it'll be like nothing else you've read. I know this is definitely a thriller (I've been fortunate enough to have across some really good ones lately), but I'm not sure if it should be classified as horror, exactly. However, it thoroughly creeped me out (yay!), so I'm going to go right ahead and categorize it in with horror.
Our story involves Bridget, who is seventeen years old and has come to America from Ireland. She spends some time looking for work, and eventually lands a position as a maid in the Borden household. While there, Lizzie, the daughter of Andrew Borden, takes quite a liking to Bridget. Lizzie only has one friend, and has been dubbed a thief and "mad" around town, so the prospect of her getting some more friends anytime soon doesn't seem very likely. While Bridget is a little concerned with how strange things in the Borden household are (the disturbing noises she hears in the night, how Andrew Borden and Lizzie get along, and the overall unsettling feeling that Bridget has when she is in the house), she is open to being friends with Lizzie, even if Lizzie seems somewhat obsessed with her.
Since Bridget is trying to save up money to get a house with her boyfriend and bring her sister over from Ireland, she decides to stay on as a maid at the Borden house as long as she can, since Mr. Borden pays a lot better than any of the other jobs she has seen. However, things start getting a little too strange, and some mysteries come to light that makes Bridget reconsider how long she can really stay there and feel safe.
This book is an incredible mystery that is pretty fast-paced and full of odd twists that make it worth a read. I didn't want to put this one down - I read it during dinner, I read it while standing in line at the DMV, and I stayed up late to finish it. It was unique, interesting, downright creepy, and since it's October, it's a book you should add to your to be read list if you're interested in creepy books for Halloween! This definitely gave me the chills, and I loved it from the first page to the last.
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Lizzie Borden took an axe,
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.
We all know this rhyme, right? We've all heard of Lizzie Borden, but no one really knows the story behind what actually happened. Lizzie was tried for the murder of her father and her stepmother, but she was acquitted. There have been other theories floating around over the years, but that's the interesting part - no one really knows what went on. If you do some research, you can read a few of these theories, of course, but if you want an obviously well-researched fictional account of what went on leading up to those murders, this is a great book to pick up.
I've seen quite a few good reviews for this book, and let me say that this book deserves the praise. I guarantee it'll be like nothing else you've read. I know this is definitely a thriller (I've been fortunate enough to have across some really good ones lately), but I'm not sure if it should be classified as horror, exactly. However, it thoroughly creeped me out (yay!), so I'm going to go right ahead and categorize it in with horror.
Our story involves Bridget, who is seventeen years old and has come to America from Ireland. She spends some time looking for work, and eventually lands a position as a maid in the Borden household. While there, Lizzie, the daughter of Andrew Borden, takes quite a liking to Bridget. Lizzie only has one friend, and has been dubbed a thief and "mad" around town, so the prospect of her getting some more friends anytime soon doesn't seem very likely. While Bridget is a little concerned with how strange things in the Borden household are (the disturbing noises she hears in the night, how Andrew Borden and Lizzie get along, and the overall unsettling feeling that Bridget has when she is in the house), she is open to being friends with Lizzie, even if Lizzie seems somewhat obsessed with her.
Since Bridget is trying to save up money to get a house with her boyfriend and bring her sister over from Ireland, she decides to stay on as a maid at the Borden house as long as she can, since Mr. Borden pays a lot better than any of the other jobs she has seen. However, things start getting a little too strange, and some mysteries come to light that makes Bridget reconsider how long she can really stay there and feel safe.
This book is an incredible mystery that is pretty fast-paced and full of odd twists that make it worth a read. I didn't want to put this one down - I read it during dinner, I read it while standing in line at the DMV, and I stayed up late to finish it. It was unique, interesting, downright creepy, and since it's October, it's a book you should add to your to be read list if you're interested in creepy books for Halloween! This definitely gave me the chills, and I loved it from the first page to the last.
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
June 10, 2015
Dark, creepy and overall fantastically moody; SWEET MADNESS remains firmly entrenched in the Hitchcock side of horror. Where the thrills come because a new mysterious facet of someone shows up and throws off the narrator. Or because the timeline should be linear, but the narrator remembers things out of whack and adds details here and there she never mentioned before. Bridget, loyal to fault and a good friend to Lizzie Borden, just has no idea how to tell things in the order that they are happening.
Bridget handles things as she watches the Borden household disintegrate into madness. A curse upon the family continues, thrives even and slowly the Irish maid begins to fear for herself and Lizzie. However, what happens if Lizzie is the cause of it all?!
SWEET MADNESS gets the fright factor in with ghost stories and haunted houses and locked rooms in the night. Everyone’s suspect which can be irritating sometimes, but here feels like the natural progression of a fresh-faced Irish gal counting on the American dream to help her out. Naive, yes? Stubborn and Fierce, yes? It’s like the first season of Gossip Girl except during the urbanization of America. Lizzie and Bridget rely on each other through scary times and distrust weighing them down from all angles.
A good, fast, quick read, SWEET MADNESS has a whole lot of atmospheric panache and pretty turn of phrases. An excellent beach read if you’re a fan of scary when the sun’s dialed up to 10. Otherwise, I don’t recommend reading in the dead of night, especially during the witching hour. When I say it’s freakishly mental in parts, I’m serious and the darkness and creep factor really can get to you after a bit.
Bridget handles things as she watches the Borden household disintegrate into madness. A curse upon the family continues, thrives even and slowly the Irish maid begins to fear for herself and Lizzie. However, what happens if Lizzie is the cause of it all?!
SWEET MADNESS gets the fright factor in with ghost stories and haunted houses and locked rooms in the night. Everyone’s suspect which can be irritating sometimes, but here feels like the natural progression of a fresh-faced Irish gal counting on the American dream to help her out. Naive, yes? Stubborn and Fierce, yes? It’s like the first season of Gossip Girl except during the urbanization of America. Lizzie and Bridget rely on each other through scary times and distrust weighing them down from all angles.
A good, fast, quick read, SWEET MADNESS has a whole lot of atmospheric panache and pretty turn of phrases. An excellent beach read if you’re a fan of scary when the sun’s dialed up to 10. Otherwise, I don’t recommend reading in the dead of night, especially during the witching hour. When I say it’s freakishly mental in parts, I’m serious and the darkness and creep factor really can get to you after a bit.
August 11, 2015
Originally Posted at Novel Reveries
"Everybody in Fall River had a bit of gossip to prattle on about whenever it came to the Bordens." (pg. 31)
A thrilling young adult historical fiction, Sweet Madness takes on the tale of Lizzie Borden. Told through the perspective of the Bordens’ house maid Bridget Sullivan, this reimagining puts a wondrous spin on an age old mystery.
Sweet Madness really grabbed me as it peaked my interest and love for thrillers and historical fiction. I didn’t want to put the book down, and found myself thinking about it when I wasn’t around the book. I guess I wanted to know if she did it! It was also the suspense of actually waiting for the crime to happen that had me staying up all night reading. Sweet madness had a lot of factual historical references that I learned from as well, about the mysterious Borden’s. The only fault I could find with the plot is that it felt like the authors, after taking a while to build up, got tired of waiting for the climax as well, and the ending felt very rushed. It was like the hook was 99% build up and 1% conclusion. I very much liked the build up with suspense, but would’ve felt more satisfied if the thrill of the crime lasted maybe a few more chapters.
----------
Galley provided by A Giveaway Winning via Author Lindsay Currie
*Quotes are from uncorrected advanced galleys and may change before going to press. Please refer to the final printed book for official quotes.
"Everybody in Fall River had a bit of gossip to prattle on about whenever it came to the Bordens." (pg. 31)
A thrilling young adult historical fiction, Sweet Madness takes on the tale of Lizzie Borden. Told through the perspective of the Bordens’ house maid Bridget Sullivan, this reimagining puts a wondrous spin on an age old mystery.
"The house I was working in was filled with crazy people, and everyone in Fall River knew it...including me." (pg. 93)
Sweet Madness really grabbed me as it peaked my interest and love for thrillers and historical fiction. I didn’t want to put the book down, and found myself thinking about it when I wasn’t around the book. I guess I wanted to know if she did it! It was also the suspense of actually waiting for the crime to happen that had me staying up all night reading. Sweet madness had a lot of factual historical references that I learned from as well, about the mysterious Borden’s. The only fault I could find with the plot is that it felt like the authors, after taking a while to build up, got tired of waiting for the climax as well, and the ending felt very rushed. It was like the hook was 99% build up and 1% conclusion. I very much liked the build up with suspense, but would’ve felt more satisfied if the thrill of the crime lasted maybe a few more chapters.
----------
Galley provided by A Giveaway Winning via Author Lindsay Currie
*Quotes are from uncorrected advanced galleys and may change before going to press. Please refer to the final printed book for official quotes.
July 9, 2015
If you love pigeons, don't read this book.
Otherwise, grab it, go to your favorite reading spot, and settle in because you'll want to read this in a sitting. Sweet Madness is a re-imagining of the Lizzie Borden murder case as told by the Borden's naive young maid, Bridget Sullivan. Bridget takes the job at the Borden’s for the few extra pennies they pay so that she can bring her sister over from Ireland. But the Borden house is an unsettling and claustrophobic home and Lizzie and her parents are far from ideal employers and it becomes clear that all is not right with those living there.
I really enjoyed how the authors really make Bridget come alive and sound authentically Irish. The people and activities that occur in the stifling Borden home and the carefree Irish community that Bridget and her boyfriend are a part of contrast nicely. The tension builds nicely thanks to fluid writing and deft storytelling, and the ending twist caught me by surprise – I love when I don’t figure out whodunit. And of course, there’s blood. But if you’re reading a book about Lizzie Borden, that shouldn’t surprise you.
A totally enjoyable read. Unless you really love pigeons.
Otherwise, grab it, go to your favorite reading spot, and settle in because you'll want to read this in a sitting. Sweet Madness is a re-imagining of the Lizzie Borden murder case as told by the Borden's naive young maid, Bridget Sullivan. Bridget takes the job at the Borden’s for the few extra pennies they pay so that she can bring her sister over from Ireland. But the Borden house is an unsettling and claustrophobic home and Lizzie and her parents are far from ideal employers and it becomes clear that all is not right with those living there.
I really enjoyed how the authors really make Bridget come alive and sound authentically Irish. The people and activities that occur in the stifling Borden home and the carefree Irish community that Bridget and her boyfriend are a part of contrast nicely. The tension builds nicely thanks to fluid writing and deft storytelling, and the ending twist caught me by surprise – I love when I don’t figure out whodunit. And of course, there’s blood. But if you’re reading a book about Lizzie Borden, that shouldn’t surprise you.
A totally enjoyable read. Unless you really love pigeons.
March 26, 2016
I loved this take on telling the Lizzie Borden story (or a version of it, anyway) though the eyes of a third party. It's a mystery that we'll probably never solve, and that makes it the perfect tale to tell agin and again, a hundred possible details up for debate.
The heroine is relatable and the thick mysteries of the Borden house unravel at a good pace. You might think you've sold this old murder yourself before you turn the final pages, but if history has taught us anything it's that the small house in Fall River won't be giving up its secrets anytime soon.
The heroine is relatable and the thick mysteries of the Borden house unravel at a good pace. You might think you've sold this old murder yourself before you turn the final pages, but if history has taught us anything it's that the small house in Fall River won't be giving up its secrets anytime soon.
September 10, 2015
What a great read! I loved the slow unraveling of Lizzie Borden and watching it from an outsider's POV. I loved the main character, Bridget, and thought she was a really vibrant character. This is a great story for those interested in the Lizzie Borden case. You can tell that the authors, Trisha Leaver and Lindsay Currie, took a lot of time to research this and bring the story alive with great, authentic details.
August 26, 2015
A super-fast read that does a great job of slowly building suspense all the way to the gory finale we all know is coming. I don't read much historical fiction but this definitely made me want to learn more about the Lizzie Borden story. Lindsay Currie is beloved among the teens at my library and I can't wait to get this book into their hands.
September 2, 2015
Sweet Madness was fantastic. I went through so many emotions reading this. Of course I spent the entire time waiting for the infamous murders to occur but there was the perfect amount of suspense to keep me satisfied until it happened.
Speaking of..I loved the twist toward the end. Definitely didn't expect that turn of events.
Speaking of..I loved the twist toward the end. Definitely didn't expect that turn of events.
August 16, 2015
Amazing! Trisha and Lindsay had me at a Lizzie Borden retelling, but this was oh so much more! In Sweet Madness, we are given a glimpse into the house of the famous Bordens; into the mental illness that plagued them all.
June 21, 2017
I really liked the idea of this novel but I actually had a hard time getting into it. There just didn't seem to be much going on until the end and the writing just didn't work for me so I got hella bored. I actually skimmed the last 50 pages just to be done with it. So yeah.
March 15, 2016
Really interesting.
January 11, 2023
2.5 stars rounded down.
The writing was stiff, but it had a good zigzaggy ending to answer the aged question of "Who killed the Bordens?"
They said that this was very well researched and yes, they know there stuff about the Borden Murders, but they did milk out the facts by constantly repeating them. In fact because it was coauthored, it felt almost like they hadn't told each other which facts they'd written in yet, and so they just wrote what they want and didn't edit out the duplicates of things we had already learnt. There's a certain amount of repetition, especially in detective work, that is important but for some reason this book, every time it wrote a thing in that we'd heard about before, would say it as if it was complete news to us readers.
Bridget was a likeable character more than I expected so, but plain.
Terrible title.
I liked the photography of the cover, I thought it was well done to make it look like an old photograph - not because of filters but her positioning, expression, just the photography of it. But the font of the title and the filters they put on the cover photo were cheesy as and ruined the effect.
However the eyes of the model - even though she looks nothing at all like the actual Lizzie Borden - are exactly how I pictured them according to the book. Exactly slate gray.
The writing was stiff, but it had a good zigzaggy ending to answer the aged question of "Who killed the Bordens?"
They said that this was very well researched and yes, they know there stuff about the Borden Murders, but they did milk out the facts by constantly repeating them. In fact because it was coauthored, it felt almost like they hadn't told each other which facts they'd written in yet, and so they just wrote what they want and didn't edit out the duplicates of things we had already learnt. There's a certain amount of repetition, especially in detective work, that is important but for some reason this book, every time it wrote a thing in that we'd heard about before, would say it as if it was complete news to us readers.
Bridget was a likeable character more than I expected so, but plain.
Terrible title.
I liked the photography of the cover, I thought it was well done to make it look like an old photograph - not because of filters but her positioning, expression, just the photography of it. But the font of the title and the filters they put on the cover photo were cheesy as and ruined the effect.
However the eyes of the model - even though she looks nothing at all like the actual Lizzie Borden - are exactly how I pictured them according to the book. Exactly slate gray.
October 9, 2018
I loved this historical fiction novel that was based on the story of Lizzie Borden. That story has always fascinated me and what fascinates me even more is that we will never know what actually happened to her parents. This novel was fast paced and it was told from the POV of a maid, Bridget. It tells the story of a creepy home where it's almost impossible to tell who is good and who isn't. Bridget is Lizzie's only friend and she feels sorry for her and at the same time, Lizzie's antics frustrate her. This book was a real page turner and I loved the ending. Great read!
December 4, 2022
An interesting take on Lizzie Borden's story, from the perspective of her Irish maid. Through Bridget Sullivan's eyes, the reader sees the Borden household, with a miserly father, a stepmother who doesn't quite fit, and a very unstable Lizzie. At times, the narrative felt repetitive, as the characters seemed trapped in their familiar patterns, but the novel is short enough that I kept going to the gruesome end. Of all the novels I've encountered about Lizzie Borden, this one definitely presents the most coherent narrative.
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