The Killing of Louisa

by Janet Lee

To lose one husband may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like murder.

Louisa Collins was hung in New South Wales in 1889. She was tried four times for the alleged murders of her two husbands. In three of those trials the juries could not agree that she was guilty. At her fourth trial the testimony of Louisa's young daughter, May, contributed to Louisa's conviction.

Intimately reimagined from Louisa's perspective, with a story that just might fit the historical facts, this clever and compelling novel visits Louisa in her prison cell as she reflects on her life and the death and loss that have dictated her fate.

Will she confess? Or was an innocent woman brutally hanged?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Fiction, Australia, Crime

272 pages, Paperback

Published September 3, 2018

Reviews

[Amanda - Mrs B's Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
Let Louisa Collins, the last woman hanged in NSW speak to you from the grave, as she provides a firsthand account of her notorious life and times, through the expert workmanship of author Janet Lee. The Killing of Louisa is a careful and thoroughly researched historical reconstruction of a woman who was a sadly a product of the era in which she was situated. Tried four times for the death of her two husbands, resulting in hung juries and eventually a guilty verdict, Louisa’s final fate was a sad and sorry state of affairs. This is a vivid account that touches on not only Louisa’s life, but it also provides a solid sketch of Australian society, our law system, class and gender relations in the 1800s.

Louisa’s story begins in 1888. Louisa is due to be hanged after a number of trials finally turn over a guilty verdict, charging Louisa for the death of her two husbands. The final nail in the coffin was Louisa’s ten year old daughter May who provided incriminating testimony to convict Louisa. As Louisa sits languishing in her Darlinghurst prison cell, awaiting her hanging, she begins to reflect on her life. Relaying her tale to a Prison Chaplain, Louisa provides vignettes on her life growing up as a child of a poor Australian family. We learn about Louisa’s lack of schooling, her life as domestic servant and her first marriage to a man fifteen years her senior, which was arranged by her parents when she was eighteen years old. Just like her early childhood, Louisa’s first marriage was a struggle. Louisa gave birth to child after child, the family struggled to make ends meet and feed every member of the family adequately. Despite this set back, Louisa is determined that the family will rise above their odds. With the help of a family business and a set of lodgers boarding with Louisa and her husband, Louisa worked hard to remain above water. However, Louisa’s fate is sealed when both her first and second husband die in suspicious circumstances. The Killing of Louisa covers Louisa’s fateful final days as she struggles to reconcile her conviction with her actions in the past. It is a fine line between innocence and guilt in this perplexing Australian true crime.

A quick search of Louisa Collins revealed to me that the last woman hanged in NSW was known as the poisoner and a convicted murderer. Louisa was also given the name ‘Borgia of Botany’ by the Australian press at the time. It is a cruel and sad portrait of a woman who I believe after reading this informational historical account, was a product of the time in which she was tried. Louisa’s voice is a haunting one, reminding us of the position of women in Australian society in the late 1800s. Louisa was a poorly educated woman from a working class background, who married young and had nine children in close succession. Although the book does a very good job of helping us to see that Louisa was a victim of sorts, with a lack of control over her circumstances, her story is incredibly forceful. It reminds us that just a little over a century ago, women were suppressed and subjected to unreasonable laws. Louisa’s story will move you and upset you. I know I felt quite emotional about her case, especially her final moments, which was utterly degrading.

I cannot fault the research level of the author Janet Lee, she is amazing. Janet Lee manages to balance a compelling first person narrative and flashbacks, with a breathtaking present time storyline. I also appreciated the careful insertion of newspaper clippings of the time that work to further outline the developments in Louisa’s case. Prior to reading this novel, I possessed only a small amount of information on this particular case, but the way in which The Killing of Louisa is structured, the book brings it all to life before your eyes, it is very vivid and utterly devastating. Louisa Collins has been the subject of a few written accounts, of which I am yet to explore. However, I feel The Killing of Louisa is a highly readable, as well as accessible account of a woman who is a fascinating subject from our history books.Like Alias Grace penned by Margaret Atwood, Janet Lee is deliberate in her efforts to provide a comprehensive account of a woman connected to a case that is very complex and circumstantial. It is difficult to ascertain as to whether or not Louisa Collins was a victim or a perpetrator of the murder of her two husbands. I am convinced after reading this historical reconstruction that Louisa was simply a sad product of Australian society in the 1800s. Either way you view it, The Killing of Louisa is a powerful historical reconstruction and a solid debut novel.

The Killing of Louisa is book #142 of the Australian Women Writers Challenge.

[Brooke - Brooke's Reading Life · Rating 3 out of 5]

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**3.5 stars**

The Killing of Louisa by Janet Lee. (2018).

New South Wales, 1888 - Louisa Collins was sentenced to death after being tried multiple times for the alleged murders of her two husbands. A deciding factor in those trials was the testimony of her young daughter. These events followed a life of love, grief, loss, difficult marriages, financial hardships and the deaths of several of Louisa's children. Will Louisa confess to her crimes before meeting the hangman?

This novel is an interesting fiction narrative which is based around a true event - the death sentence handed to Louisa Collins. This book takes place while Louisa is in prison during and after her fourth trial, and she is reflecting on her life and holding hope that she will be reprieved. The concept is clever and the manuscript won the Emerging Queensland Writer category of the 2017 Queensland Literary Awards. Sections from real newspaper clippings are included throughout the book which really reflect the times and attitudes towards an uneducated woman from low class. Even though it's fiction, it is well written so the reader can appreciate how difficult life would have been for the real Louisa.

[Cass Moriarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Killing of Louisa (UQP 2018), a reimagined retelling of the true crime case of Louisa Collins, the last woman hanged in New South Wales in 1889, won the Emerging Author category in the 2017 Queensland Literary Awards for writer Janet Lee. This is a highly readable book, with simple language and short chapters, exactly befitting the distinctive voice of Louisa, from whom the story is told in the first person. Louisa is a woman of her time – educated to only a low level, married at a young age, and birthing 10 children over a relatively short period – and yet hers is a voice that reaches out beyond the 130 years since her death, and speaks to the reader of a life that is easily conjured despite it being vastly different from today.
The case of Louisa Collins is well-known, the details of her fate are officially recorded, and several previous books have described her life and the trials which came to end it. But it is testament to the author’s skill that despite knowing the outcome of the book before we begin, the narrative is nevertheless compelling and engaging. Louisa was born into a relatively poor family and was sent out to work as a domestic servant while still a teenager. Her marriage to her first husband, Charles Andrews, who was 15 years older, was arranged by her parents when she was only 18. She bore him nine children and they lived a hand-to-mouth existence, mostly scrabbling to get by on Charles’ income as a butcher and later as a carrier, while Louisa took in boarders and cared for their family. Two of their children died in infancy, as was common in those days. But it was the following series of events that caused people to take particular notice of Louisa: the illness and unexplained death of her husband, Charles; her hasty second marriage to boarder Michael Collins and the subsequent death of both him and their son John; the details surrounding Charles’ life insurance policy; and the box of Rough on Rats found in the house. Louisa was tried on four occasions for the murder of one or other of her husbands; on the fourth occasion, she was found guilty and sentenced to hang, partly due to the evidence given by her own 10-year-old (and only daughter), May.
With her conviction recorded, and her imminent death, Louisa tells the story of her life to the prison chaplain, and so reveals her early life and childhood, her family of origin, the circumstances of her first marriage and the births of her children, and the situation that led to her second marriage. These chapters of personal reflection are interspersed with clippings from newspapers and court documents which detail aspects of her life, the court proceedings or her time in gaol. The book is well-researched with a myriad of details about daily life of the time which feel authentic and natural.
Louisa’s voice is unsophisticated, humble and meek, as we would imagine for a woman of her station, someone who could not vote or own land or a business independently of her husband. And yet there is something powerful about her voice, something compelling about the way she tells us her story first-hand, as she relates the difficulties and hardships of her life, not in such a way as to garner sympathy, but simply presenting the facts as they stand. Of course, Louisa is long dead and who is to know what she really thought and felt, but Lee has done a thoughtful and considered job of imagining how it might have occurred. And we are kept guessing until the very end of the book as to whether Louisa will confess to the crimes in her last days, or whether she will die still protesting her innocence. Either way, Louisa Collins comes to life in this book – her personality and appearance and her relationships with others have been richly invoked – and by the end of the story, we feel we have come to know intimate details about her, and have witnessed one possible perspective of what might have happened and how and why certain events might have taken place.

[Ahtims · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fictional telling of a true hanging . Louisa Collins is supposedly the last woman to be hanged in Australia in the late 19th century .
She was tried 4 times for the murder of her husband , and though there wasn't any conclusive evidence .. she was punished.
Not s very interesting story ... Mostly boring .. but the curiosity to know what really happened to Louisa's 2 husbands kept me plodding on.
It was so-so..

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel is about Louisa Collins who, in 1889, was the last woman to be hanged in New South Wales. Her story is a horrifying one: she was tried four times for murder, with the fourth trial convicting her after the three previous ones failed to come to a decision. There’s more to it though, in that the first two were for the murder, by poison, of her second husband. When the juries could not agree, she was charged with the murder, also by poison, of her first husband. When that too failed, they returned to the first husband, and finally a guilty verdict was achieved, largely using the testimony of Louisa’s 11-year-old daughter May who admitted to seeing a box of “Rough on Rats” in the kitchen. The novel tells this story from Louisa’s point of view. For my full review, please see https://whisperinggums.com/2019/05/16...

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the book was ok. It didn't really grab me and didn't hold my attention.

The book is a true story about the hanging of Louisa Collins. There are some interesting circumstances around this. She was tried 3 times before she was found guilty on the fourth. It seems they were pretty keen to find her guilty. She was found guilty on the testimony of her 11 year old daughter. It all sounds like they didn't have a lot of evidence but the media blew the case up, which eventually led to her being convicted.

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Janet Lee has put together a credible background for Louisa Collins, imagining her life as it unfolded before the death of her husbands. Louisa comes across as a little naive and trusting. Based on historical records of the time, this is a telling indictment of the way women were treated by men.

[Rebecca Bowyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Killing of Louisa gives a compelling voice to a woman who had none. Of course, most of Louisa’s life story itself is pure imagination on Lee’s part, though it makes for fascinating and vivid reading.

Lee draws Louisa Collins as an average woman of average intelligence who lives in typical nineteenth-century poverty. Her language is plain and convincing. I could hear Louisa speak, I felt like I could reach into the book and smell her rancid prison cell with the ‘slops’ bucket full of piss and excrement in the corner. I felt sorrow for the way life had buffeted her from disappointment to disaster and, finally, landed her in prison awaiting execution.

In some ways being in prison is more restful for Louisa than going about her normal life with a tiny house full of babies, children, boarders and endless work. Of prison, she says:

… I have grown to like the meal times best of all. Until I came to prison, it had been a long time since I had sat and had a meal placed before me that was not one I had needed to prepare myself, so I like the experience of it, even if the meal is only prison food. There is something of a companionship among us, for we are a world of women all locked up together away from the men. And it is time out of our cells.

Louisa is a wonderful narrator. I really enjoyed ‘hearing’ her tell even the most mundane of stories with understated, often humorous, observations.

Read the full review over at Story Addict.

[Danielle {halfdesertedstreets} · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brilliant and compelling. Full review to come.

[Bree T · Rating 5 out of 5]

For once, I’m kind of glad of my lack of historical knowledge. Because although I was kind of peripherally aware of this story before I picked up this book (only in the way that I knew it’d been the subject of a non-fiction book), I didn’t really know the full story. This is a fictionalised re-telling of the story of Louisa Collins, the last woman hanged in New South Wales, in 1889. Her story is perhaps not an unusual one, for most of her life. She was born into a family that were mostly poor, who moved around so that her father could work on properties and farms. A friendship with the son of her father’s boss when she was a teenager led to his mother, the lady of the house, securing her a job at a solicitor and his wife’s house in town, thereby separating them before any attachment should form. Louisa enjoyed her job cleaning and looking after the Missus, a woman bereaved. She was close to the Cook, close to the gardener and her life was disrupted when local butcher Charlie asked for her father’s permission to marry her. He was older, in his thirties to Louisa’s eighteen and she didn’t even know him. But in this time, it was not a woman’s choice for how she lived her life – and when her father granted permission, that was it.

For a time Louisa’s life went somewhat well – Charlie was quite successful, there were children, a home that she was able to make nice. But then came money issues, the losing of the business, many more children and all of a sudden it was many mouths to feed and not much money to do so. When Charles dies of a mysterious ailment, the marriage is all but over and it isn’t long until Louisa marries again, a man much younger than her. Their infant son dies and then so does Michael Collins, from yet another mysterious ailment that leads to Louisa’s arrest for his murder. She is tried four times – three times resulting in a hung jury before the fourth trial seems to finally grant the Crown the answer they want. She is sentenced to hang but Louisa never quite believes that it will happen, always believing she will be granted a reprieve.

For me, it was so telling that all of the key players were men. The judge, the lawyers, the jury, they were all men. A lot of the case seem to result on testimony from Louisa’s 10 year old daughter, about things that were mostly circumstantial. She wasn’t asked to speak herself and she was subjected to the indignity of having not only her ex-husband’s body exhumed but also that of her tiny infant son. She’s separated from her children (granted minimal access visits) and mostly spends her time attending yet another trial. After her guilty verdict, she’s separated from the rest of the prison population into isolation and is guarded at all times.

Louisa’s life is constantly shaped and defined by external factors. As a child, this is somewhat normal, we are all subject to the whims of our parents, who often have to move for work, etc. As a teenager she’s removed from her family to work, which assists her family but leaves her isolated and having to learn an entirely new role. No sooner does she find her footing there when she’s told she’ll be married and to a man she’s barely spoken to. From there her life is shaped by him, the decisions that he makes in which she has no input. She is tasked with caring for their growing brood of children and is frank about the times she escapes into social drinking, to be away from the tasks of cleaning, cooking and simply caring. Perhaps the only thing Louisa actually chooses to do for herself, is marry Michael Collins. And you can argue that she was manipulated into that too. She was not highly educated, she was tired and had been trapped in a marriage that wasn’t her choosing and wasn’t ever particularly happy, for many years. For a man such as Michael Collins, whose motives appear dubious even through the eyes of Louisa, she would’ve been easy pickings.

I really enjoyed the simple way in which this story was told – from Louisa’s perspective and very matter of fact. She seems resigned to the system, even as it betrays her and although she stays steadfast in her belief that she won’t actually be executed, due to the fact that she’s a woman, she seems to accept the inevitable with a stoicism. To be honest the last part of this is quite horrific and apparently mirrors the real life events and after reading so much about Louisa I actually felt quite connected to her and quite emotional about her fate. I spent quite a bit of time googling more about her after this and there’s a book that I’m definitely going to read that further explores the events.

Louisa Collins ended up with a band of women that fought for her right to live and protested the ways under which she was convicted. It would still be some time before women had more rights in Australian society but it seems that her treatment was the kickstart of something. And the end of hanging women in New South Wales at least.

***A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for the purpose of an honest review***

[Nadia King · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I understand that not everyone is interested in the crimes and trials of the past. 'The Killing of Louisa' is the story of a woman who was tried four times for poisoning her husbands and subsequently hanged in 1888. At times, historical sources do not include the voiceless and what I often enjoy about historical fiction, is that the voiceless are given voice and there is a chance for a version of their events to be heard.

Author, Janet Lee meticulously researched the life and times of Louisa Collins, a poor woman who lived in NSW in the late 1800s. Lee retells what life was like for Collins. I found this book easy to read, fascinating and an illuminating look at the way society operated at the time. For anyone interested in Australia's past, the way women and marriage was viewed, 'The Killing of Louisa' will be a fascinating read. Highly recommended.

[Louisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Largely picked up because of my namesake, but an enjoyable read. Exploring the historocal case of Louisa Collins set in late 19th century Australia. An invented personal history and persona grafted onto verifiable historical sources and documents about the woman's life. When you overlook the fundamental conceit that her innocence cannot actually be determined, the evidence in her defence is compelling. There is some effort made to parrot her style of speech in parts, with phrases like "I done it", but this does jar with general eloquence of the storytelling.
The story of her life itself is fairly dull, a woman's life shaped by others and marked in its monotony. Nonetheless, it is a well-crafted book and an enjoyable read.

[Myf Schenk · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book draws the reader into the final weeks of Louisa Collins' life as she is tried and convicted with hanging for the murder of her two husbands in the late 1880s.

A simple style of writing is used, as the author writes mostly in first person to bring us closer to the character of Louisa. Janet Lee has clearly done substantial research into both Louisa's life and the times in which she lived to try and bring another perspective to this piece of history. Lee's descriptive language and her juxtaposition of news articles from the time draw the reader into the story.

Lee handles this mystery with care and empathy, particularly in the closing chapters.

[David Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable book to read, if reading about someone who is due to be hung can be.
Janet Lee very skillfully takes you into the mind of Louisa so that you feel that you really know her. I probably would not have picked this book up, but I heard it being discussed on a radio program and it captured my imagination, let it capture yours.

[Infamous Sphere · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent historical fiction about a real life woman in an unfavourable situation. Compares to Long Bay and Burial Rites - it's an easier read than both and I enjoyed it more than Burial Rites, although I think it was more simplistic. Also, not many main characters are called Louisa so I kind of had to read this one.

[Renny Barcelos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful imagining of a real life event. I can easily believe the way the author put things here is how things actually went for the main character. It's such a common and heartbreaking tale of a life lost to others, of a woman who had little to no saying in her own destiny but was still condemned by men to be killed.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book written from the point of view of Louisa Collins, hanged for murdering her husband - I think the author did a great job of bringing her to life and my only beef is the lack of dialogue - it is recounted and not direct dialogue, which I found stultifying.

[Alexandra Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written; Janet Lee has created a heart-breaking voice for her character and was respectful when it would be easy to be callous. The depiction of the the failings of justice were upsetting, but the strength of the character distracted from it.

[Gayle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of the last woman hanged in NSW was completely absorbing. In my mind the question still is, did Louisa Collins kill both of her husbands? I believe so.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched book and clever combination of facts quoted from newspapers of the time and fiction. Interesting to read about aspects of life around 1890.

[Bernadette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written perspective from a possibly wrongly convicted woman tried for murdering her husband.

[lala · Rating 4 out of 5]

whoa...

[Bryngel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an ok read, I guess. It didn't keep my interest, I found myself reading and at the same time thinking about things I was going to do later on. Not a good sign. Oh well, I did finish it though.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting view of the life of Louisa and what transpired leading up to her execution. Is she guilty? We can only guess but will probably never know. Recommend researching her case on google.

[Pip Snort · Rating 3 out of 5]

A worthy historical reimagining of a twisty part of our legal and human history.

Louisa lived for me for a little while, despite her death so many moons ago.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this story on a whim from the library, as I love to read Award winning Australian Authors, and I quite enjoy historical fiction of this nature. At first I wasn’t sure I would enjoy it - it was a bit jumpy, and obviously didn’t have the exquisite literary page turning qualities of something like “Alias Grace”. Nevertheless, I came to enjoy the story as it was told, and it kept my interest in the character and outcome even in the midst of a demanding week! Perhaps the best endorsement is that I wish I could read more about the intricacies of the case. Definitely worth a read if you like this genre.