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The Suicide Bride
Whenever society produces a depraved criminal, we is it nature or is it nurture?
When the charlatan Alicks Sly murdered his wife, Ellie, and killed himself with a cut-throat razor in a house in Sydney's Newtown in early 1904, he set off a chain of events that could answer that question. He also left behind mysteries that might never be solved. Sociologist Dr Tanya Bretherton traces the brutal story of Ellie, one of many suicide brides in turn-of-the-century Sydney; of her husband, Alicks, and his family; and their three orphaned sons, adrift in the world.
From the author of the acclaimed THE SUITCASE BABY - shortlisted for the 2018 Ned Kelly Award, Danger Prize and Waverley Library 'Nib' Award - comes another riveting true-crime case from Australia's dark past. THE SUICIDE BRIDE is a masterful exploration of criminality, insanity, violence and bloody family ties in bleak, post-Victorian Sydney.
When the charlatan Alicks Sly murdered his wife, Ellie, and killed himself with a cut-throat razor in a house in Sydney's Newtown in early 1904, he set off a chain of events that could answer that question. He also left behind mysteries that might never be solved. Sociologist Dr Tanya Bretherton traces the brutal story of Ellie, one of many suicide brides in turn-of-the-century Sydney; of her husband, Alicks, and his family; and their three orphaned sons, adrift in the world.
From the author of the acclaimed THE SUITCASE BABY - shortlisted for the 2018 Ned Kelly Award, Danger Prize and Waverley Library 'Nib' Award - comes another riveting true-crime case from Australia's dark past. THE SUICIDE BRIDE is a masterful exploration of criminality, insanity, violence and bloody family ties in bleak, post-Victorian Sydney.
352 pages, Paperback
Published February 18, 2020
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June 12, 2019
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Tanya Bretherton, the critically acclaimed author of The Suitcase Baby, returns with another fascinating and remarkably told Australian based true crime story. The Suicide Bride delves deep into a family mystery, defined by secrets and tragedy. At the same time, Bretherton offers a comprehensive guide of 1900s Sydney and she also provides the audience with a clear understanding of the conditions that allowed a crime of this nature to occur.
There are plenty of questions that swirl around the complex case of The Suicide Bride. One of the most important questions this book explores is nature versus nature. Can a horrendous event in your childhood and family history impact the person you become? Looking into one notable case that occurred in 1904 in Newton, Sydney, which is a classic example of a suicide bride situation are the deaths of Alicks Sly and his wife Ellie. Alicks, a known spiritualist, ended his own life after taking his wife’s life with a cut throat razor. The long lasting effects of this tragic event echoes down the lineage of the Sly family, which is tracked closely by author Tanya Bretherton. Unfortunately, the case of the Sly family tragedy is just a dip in the ocean, this was one of many cases across all states across Australia at the time. Raising themes of mental illness, domestic violence, poverty and crime, this true account of the darker side of human nature is incredibly gripping -from start to finish.
Tanya Bretherton is a storyteller and researcher that I admire. I like her focus on Australia of times past, her attention to the dark crimes of yesteryear and her intense focus on the social conditions that allow a litany of crime of this nature to occur. Sadly, the particular case that Bretherton has based her story on is not an isolated incident. Unfortunately, there were many suicide bride cases that cropped up around the turn of the twentieth century. A suicide bride case is where a husband murders his new bride or wife and then kills himself for reasons largely unknown. There is no concrete evidence as to why these lives ended. We can only speculate with the evidence we have at hand.
Bretherton carefully outlines the context in which a crime of this nature may have occurred. She delves into the difficult economic conditions of the families, such as the case study family. The Slys were known to have been living in poverty. For some, links to the criminal world may have resulted in this tragic move to end both lives. Bretherton also hints at untreated mental illness and delusions as a possible factor. Whether it be one reason or many, there is no denying the impact of this heinous act on those who are left behind. In the case of the Sly family, the focus of the investigation, the children were abandoned and left in the care of the state. There is an interesting search into the biography the Sly children and Bretherton attempts to piece together how the deaths of both parents impacted each child in the long term. For these four children the results varied, from barely making an impact, to significantly altering the path in one child’s life into adulthood. There is also an interesting family twist in this case, which added an extra spin to this compelling historical act.
It was interesting to see how these suicide bride cases were treated, from the first police officers on the scene, to the basic forensics, including scene contamination, the photographs taken and the pertinent observations made. Bretherton provides a blow by blow account of the Sly crime scene, which was incredibly vivid and shocking. The procedures undertaken by the state in regards to the children left behind and how the Sly case was handled was definitely eye opening. At every moment in this book I could see the commitment Tanya Bretherton has shown to her topic and case studies. Bretherton has drawn on a range of sources to inform her account. These key sources include prison records, police gazettes, court transcripts, newspaper reports, witness statements and family accounts. These all worked together to provide a detailed picture of the Sly case and those of a similar nature.
What amazed or rather appalled me the most about this book was the possibility that some of these cases were disasters waiting to happen. Many of the suicide bride cases were also linked to ongoing situations of domestic violence, or other criminal based acts. I understand due to the practices of society and the moral codes of the time, outlined carefully by Tanya Bretherton, that rarely did anyone speak out against instances of domestic abuse. It makes me wonder if any of these victims could have been saved from their fate if the domestic violence or crime issues were appropriately dealt with. In the case of one fascinating case example in the book, a woman sought a divorce from her husband – which was virtually unheard of at the time. This man had a propensity towards inflicting violence towards her, and she knew she would surely die at the hands of her husband if she continued her relationship with him. These were such difficult times and Tanya Bretherton paints a chilling account of some of our hardest times at the turn of the twentieth century.
‘For houses do not keep secrets; people do. And any secrets held by Alicks and Ellie Sly died with them.’
*Thanks is extended to Hachette Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The Suicide Bride is book #81 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
Tanya Bretherton, the critically acclaimed author of The Suitcase Baby, returns with another fascinating and remarkably told Australian based true crime story. The Suicide Bride delves deep into a family mystery, defined by secrets and tragedy. At the same time, Bretherton offers a comprehensive guide of 1900s Sydney and she also provides the audience with a clear understanding of the conditions that allowed a crime of this nature to occur.
There are plenty of questions that swirl around the complex case of The Suicide Bride. One of the most important questions this book explores is nature versus nature. Can a horrendous event in your childhood and family history impact the person you become? Looking into one notable case that occurred in 1904 in Newton, Sydney, which is a classic example of a suicide bride situation are the deaths of Alicks Sly and his wife Ellie. Alicks, a known spiritualist, ended his own life after taking his wife’s life with a cut throat razor. The long lasting effects of this tragic event echoes down the lineage of the Sly family, which is tracked closely by author Tanya Bretherton. Unfortunately, the case of the Sly family tragedy is just a dip in the ocean, this was one of many cases across all states across Australia at the time. Raising themes of mental illness, domestic violence, poverty and crime, this true account of the darker side of human nature is incredibly gripping -from start to finish.
Tanya Bretherton is a storyteller and researcher that I admire. I like her focus on Australia of times past, her attention to the dark crimes of yesteryear and her intense focus on the social conditions that allow a litany of crime of this nature to occur. Sadly, the particular case that Bretherton has based her story on is not an isolated incident. Unfortunately, there were many suicide bride cases that cropped up around the turn of the twentieth century. A suicide bride case is where a husband murders his new bride or wife and then kills himself for reasons largely unknown. There is no concrete evidence as to why these lives ended. We can only speculate with the evidence we have at hand.
Bretherton carefully outlines the context in which a crime of this nature may have occurred. She delves into the difficult economic conditions of the families, such as the case study family. The Slys were known to have been living in poverty. For some, links to the criminal world may have resulted in this tragic move to end both lives. Bretherton also hints at untreated mental illness and delusions as a possible factor. Whether it be one reason or many, there is no denying the impact of this heinous act on those who are left behind. In the case of the Sly family, the focus of the investigation, the children were abandoned and left in the care of the state. There is an interesting search into the biography the Sly children and Bretherton attempts to piece together how the deaths of both parents impacted each child in the long term. For these four children the results varied, from barely making an impact, to significantly altering the path in one child’s life into adulthood. There is also an interesting family twist in this case, which added an extra spin to this compelling historical act.
It was interesting to see how these suicide bride cases were treated, from the first police officers on the scene, to the basic forensics, including scene contamination, the photographs taken and the pertinent observations made. Bretherton provides a blow by blow account of the Sly crime scene, which was incredibly vivid and shocking. The procedures undertaken by the state in regards to the children left behind and how the Sly case was handled was definitely eye opening. At every moment in this book I could see the commitment Tanya Bretherton has shown to her topic and case studies. Bretherton has drawn on a range of sources to inform her account. These key sources include prison records, police gazettes, court transcripts, newspaper reports, witness statements and family accounts. These all worked together to provide a detailed picture of the Sly case and those of a similar nature.
What amazed or rather appalled me the most about this book was the possibility that some of these cases were disasters waiting to happen. Many of the suicide bride cases were also linked to ongoing situations of domestic violence, or other criminal based acts. I understand due to the practices of society and the moral codes of the time, outlined carefully by Tanya Bretherton, that rarely did anyone speak out against instances of domestic abuse. It makes me wonder if any of these victims could have been saved from their fate if the domestic violence or crime issues were appropriately dealt with. In the case of one fascinating case example in the book, a woman sought a divorce from her husband – which was virtually unheard of at the time. This man had a propensity towards inflicting violence towards her, and she knew she would surely die at the hands of her husband if she continued her relationship with him. These were such difficult times and Tanya Bretherton paints a chilling account of some of our hardest times at the turn of the twentieth century.
‘For houses do not keep secrets; people do. And any secrets held by Alicks and Ellie Sly died with them.’
*Thanks is extended to Hachette Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The Suicide Bride is book #81 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
October 15, 2019
‘When four-year-old Mervyn Sly woke on the morning of Tuesday, 12 January 1904 in the inner city of Sydney, he did not know how close he was to death.’
Ellie Sly became a ‘suicide bride’ when he husband Alicks murdered her and then killed himself with a cut-throat razor in January 1904. Their four children, all under the age of eight (Bedford, Basil, Mervyn and baby Olive) were orphaned. In her research for this book, Tanya Bretherton discovered that Ellie was one of a number of Australian suicide brides during this period.
Set against the background of domestic violence in Sydney at the turn of the twentieth century, this book looks specifically at the case of the Sly family and wonders whether nature or nurture is responsible for the production of depraved criminals.
‘The story of the Sly family tree had begun on the Apple Isle with two branches and two brothers: John and James. In 1904, the constabulary of Sydney would meet one of their descendants: Alicks Sly. Twenty-five years later, they would become well acquainted with Frederick Sly, grandson of John.’
I confess that the question of nature versus nurture interested me less than the fate of the Sly children, especially the sons. The daughter was adopted; the sons were moved into the care of the Catholic Church. I was particularly moved by the story of Bedford, traumatised and never able to settle. How does anyone, let alone a child, come to terms with such violence and its consequences?
From sociological and psychological perspectives, the issue of nature versus nurture is important. If some of the factors that produce depraved criminals can be identified, we might be able to reduce them. In theory at least. Perhaps.
This book raised several questions for me and answered none of them. That’s okay: it’s a reflection of the complexity of the issues rather than any deficiency in Tanya Bretherton’s research. Domestic violence is never an easy topic to address, and the consequences are lifelong. I did not enjoy this book, but I am glad I read it.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Ellie Sly became a ‘suicide bride’ when he husband Alicks murdered her and then killed himself with a cut-throat razor in January 1904. Their four children, all under the age of eight (Bedford, Basil, Mervyn and baby Olive) were orphaned. In her research for this book, Tanya Bretherton discovered that Ellie was one of a number of Australian suicide brides during this period.
Set against the background of domestic violence in Sydney at the turn of the twentieth century, this book looks specifically at the case of the Sly family and wonders whether nature or nurture is responsible for the production of depraved criminals.
‘The story of the Sly family tree had begun on the Apple Isle with two branches and two brothers: John and James. In 1904, the constabulary of Sydney would meet one of their descendants: Alicks Sly. Twenty-five years later, they would become well acquainted with Frederick Sly, grandson of John.’
I confess that the question of nature versus nurture interested me less than the fate of the Sly children, especially the sons. The daughter was adopted; the sons were moved into the care of the Catholic Church. I was particularly moved by the story of Bedford, traumatised and never able to settle. How does anyone, let alone a child, come to terms with such violence and its consequences?
From sociological and psychological perspectives, the issue of nature versus nurture is important. If some of the factors that produce depraved criminals can be identified, we might be able to reduce them. In theory at least. Perhaps.
This book raised several questions for me and answered none of them. That’s okay: it’s a reflection of the complexity of the issues rather than any deficiency in Tanya Bretherton’s research. Domestic violence is never an easy topic to address, and the consequences are lifelong. I did not enjoy this book, but I am glad I read it.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
January 30, 2021
I found The Suicide Bride a confusing book. I felt Bretherton was not sure of her thesis statement. According to the book’s blurb she is investigating how a “depraved criminal” is created: nature or nurture. However, the book jumps all over the place. It is more an exploration of domestic violence in Sydney in the early 1900s. The title suggests that the book will be about one particular woman, Ellie Sly, murdered by her husband Alicks Sly with a cut-throat razor, who then committed suicide using the same weapon. But the book spends little time on Ellie, before expanding into a broader exploration of life on the tough streets of Newtown and Glebe, and the violence so often experienced by women of the time.
Bretherton has done her research, and the book is weighed down by how much of it she feels she needs to share with the reader. There are several passages where she lists so many examples to support her statement, they read like shopping-lists! However, I did learn a lot about accidental poisoning of children during the era!
Bretherton does, however, reveal how society and the law turned a blind eye to domestic violence. Neighbours were often aware of abuse, but felt it was none of their business, as did the local police, and the courts offered no support at all. In the words of one judge “Marriage is marriage however miserable it turns out to be.”
The real tragedy is the damage done to the Sly children. Bretherton has some success in uncovering how their lives were blighted by the violent loss of their parents. With no other close family willing to take on their care, the children became wards of the state. The youngest, a daughter, was adopted and no information could be uncovered about her life. The three boys were sent to St Michaels, a Catholic boys home in Baulkham Hills. Their is no evidence that they were mistreated while in the care of the Sisters of Mercy. However, after two years they were moved onto St Vincent’s, an Industrial school also run by the Catholic Church. Again, although there is no evidence that the three boys were mistreated, it is know that they “would have experienced an environment in which nurturing and the cultivation of attachment played little role.”
The eldest son, Bedford, had a very sad life. I found his life-story particularly moving. He lived in a time when “society was still a long way from understanding the complex trauma that [he] undoubtedly carried.” Bedford saw his parents bloody remains as a very young boy, a trauma from which he never recovered. It’s Bedford’s poignant story that I will not forget, and the irrevocable damage done to young lives by a society that did not offer support to victims on domestic violence.
Bretherton has done her research, and the book is weighed down by how much of it she feels she needs to share with the reader. There are several passages where she lists so many examples to support her statement, they read like shopping-lists! However, I did learn a lot about accidental poisoning of children during the era!
Bretherton does, however, reveal how society and the law turned a blind eye to domestic violence. Neighbours were often aware of abuse, but felt it was none of their business, as did the local police, and the courts offered no support at all. In the words of one judge “Marriage is marriage however miserable it turns out to be.”
The real tragedy is the damage done to the Sly children. Bretherton has some success in uncovering how their lives were blighted by the violent loss of their parents. With no other close family willing to take on their care, the children became wards of the state. The youngest, a daughter, was adopted and no information could be uncovered about her life. The three boys were sent to St Michaels, a Catholic boys home in Baulkham Hills. Their is no evidence that they were mistreated while in the care of the Sisters of Mercy. However, after two years they were moved onto St Vincent’s, an Industrial school also run by the Catholic Church. Again, although there is no evidence that the three boys were mistreated, it is know that they “would have experienced an environment in which nurturing and the cultivation of attachment played little role.”
The eldest son, Bedford, had a very sad life. I found his life-story particularly moving. He lived in a time when “society was still a long way from understanding the complex trauma that [he] undoubtedly carried.” Bedford saw his parents bloody remains as a very young boy, a trauma from which he never recovered. It’s Bedford’s poignant story that I will not forget, and the irrevocable damage done to young lives by a society that did not offer support to victims on domestic violence.
May 13, 2021
This was a terrific book - about Sydney and it’s suburbs in the1900s. It was mainly about the “Sly marital murder-suicides”. Called suicide brides by the author. I was not familiar with the term until this book, but it is as apt as it is dramatic. It was a shame the author did not include some of the available photos of this time and the people, as I could not find them all on google. It is a haunting book very factual and not overly dramatic - let’s face it the horror of the events their closeness to our time speak volumes and the author lets them do so. It traces the tragic lives of Alicks and Ellie Sly (apt name) but it tells you so much more. Most true crime books do not go into the lives of those left behind in so much detail and this is the beauty of this book, as well as carefully describing their fates in the context of the times. The consequences and what one can achieve and what one cannot overcome, I found this particularly interesting and original in this book. I will be reading more of her work. Reading history and in this factual style with the horror of a normal “married” existence and its limitations makes a woman in particular feel lucky to be born now - it was not so long ago. I highly recommend this book as some cautionary tale to us all.
May 19, 2019
Easy read, very well researched.....the tale of a Murder-Suicide pact and the impacts of those acts on the lives of the children left behind.
Great contextual information (e.g. the ‘acceptance’ of DV and the apparent frequency of Murder-Suicides) adds depth to the tale.
I was disappointed that none of the photographs the author references are published in the book. I also kind of felt the book left me hanging...I felt the biographies of the boys were largely incomplete and no attempt to tell us anything of the daughter’s life.
Great contextual information (e.g. the ‘acceptance’ of DV and the apparent frequency of Murder-Suicides) adds depth to the tale.
I was disappointed that none of the photographs the author references are published in the book. I also kind of felt the book left me hanging...I felt the biographies of the boys were largely incomplete and no attempt to tell us anything of the daughter’s life.
May 29, 2019
3 1/2 stars
A good study of domestic violence in the 1900's
My View:
It was fascinating to read of such macabre events in an area of Sydney that I have visited. The book creates a visual landscape that is accessible and real. In this deeply researched book we are time travellers transported to Sydney, Newtown early 1900’s. And what a hard life it is - especially for women and children. Domestic violence is obvious but accepted as the norm – change is taking a long, long time. Violence – nature versus nurture, the question is posed and left for the reader to ponder.
Tanya Bretherton explores an intriguing case of one of these horrendous act of violence – of a particular “Suicide Bride”, a term common for the crime of committing murder of spouse by the husband who then commits suicide. In this case we view the bodies (wife and husband) in situ, we check pockets for notes, count coins, measure the wounds and try and avoid the deluge of blood. How could the wife not show any signs of defence wounds? Read on carefully and wonder at the possible explanation given (no spoilers) I would like to have seen this solution discussed in more depth but how this could be explored so long after the event I cannot conceive.
A well-researched event that provides a great insight into Sydney in the 1900’s and possibly provides a great premise for a work of crime fiction for writers.
A good study of domestic violence in the 1900's
My View:
It was fascinating to read of such macabre events in an area of Sydney that I have visited. The book creates a visual landscape that is accessible and real. In this deeply researched book we are time travellers transported to Sydney, Newtown early 1900’s. And what a hard life it is - especially for women and children. Domestic violence is obvious but accepted as the norm – change is taking a long, long time. Violence – nature versus nurture, the question is posed and left for the reader to ponder.
Tanya Bretherton explores an intriguing case of one of these horrendous act of violence – of a particular “Suicide Bride”, a term common for the crime of committing murder of spouse by the husband who then commits suicide. In this case we view the bodies (wife and husband) in situ, we check pockets for notes, count coins, measure the wounds and try and avoid the deluge of blood. How could the wife not show any signs of defence wounds? Read on carefully and wonder at the possible explanation given (no spoilers) I would like to have seen this solution discussed in more depth but how this could be explored so long after the event I cannot conceive.
A well-researched event that provides a great insight into Sydney in the 1900’s and possibly provides a great premise for a work of crime fiction for writers.
July 15, 2019
I enjoyed reading this but I think it could have been a better book with a clearer idea of its purpose. There was some interesting information about Australia's laws around marriage and domestic violence and some information about the people involved...but perhaps a bit of a scattergun approach. I would have liked to have known more about Ellie. The book's blurb suggests it will attempt to answer if the murder was related to nature or nurture but I didn't feel it got there.
November 3, 2019
Dear Historians
If you don't have enough material, don't write the book.
Stop filling it with a fictional style story because it adds nothing to it.
What could have been an interesting read about Australian Crime has been turned into a soap opera novella.
If you don't have enough material, don't write the book.
Stop filling it with a fictional style story because it adds nothing to it.
What could have been an interesting read about Australian Crime has been turned into a soap opera novella.
May 17, 2019
Such a sad and interesting story of life in Sydney in the early 1900s. Well written and amazingly researched the time was vividly brought to life by Tanya Bretherton. It's a pity that there are no pictures to accompany the tale as they would enhance the book and the images conjured a great deal.
January 3, 2020
This is an Australian True Crime story from the early 1900's. I'd been so excited to pick this up for some time now as a true crime enthusiast but sadly this book was not what I thought it was going to be at all. Instead of focusing on the crime (a husband taking his wife's life with a cut throat razor then turning it on himself), it dove into the couples family history dating back to the 1800's. It went SO far back down the ancestor line that I struggled to find any relevance whatsoever. It then trailed off into the lives of the three sons and one daughter they left behind in this world.
It is an incredibly historical book and really portrays what life was like back in Australia in post Victorian era. How women were treated in marriages and the awful, downright appalling things their husbands got away with. Domestic violence was rife and the law back then was a terrifying level of corrupt!!! It also sheds light on trauma and how it affects you later in life.
It is so hard to review a book like this!!! You can tell how much work the author put into it. It is so well researched and the quality of writing is superb. I was surprised by the level of goriness. It is most certainly a dark book but one that I found totally bland. I was uncertain as to whether Bretherton was going completely on facts either... it was told in quite a fictional style which left me wondering what was true and what may have been slightly embellished.
It is an incredibly historical book and really portrays what life was like back in Australia in post Victorian era. How women were treated in marriages and the awful, downright appalling things their husbands got away with. Domestic violence was rife and the law back then was a terrifying level of corrupt!!! It also sheds light on trauma and how it affects you later in life.
It is so hard to review a book like this!!! You can tell how much work the author put into it. It is so well researched and the quality of writing is superb. I was surprised by the level of goriness. It is most certainly a dark book but one that I found totally bland. I was uncertain as to whether Bretherton was going completely on facts either... it was told in quite a fictional style which left me wondering what was true and what may have been slightly embellished.
February 28, 2025
Kudos to the research done by the author. It’s a lot of hard work right there. I have to admit though the title set up an expectation but the insights into the ‘bride’ the droplets of stories that fill out the story of the Sly’s, the soft supposing, were so frustrating I started to skim read. I’m sorry.
I still don’t understand what a suicide bride is? Where does suicide come into being murdered? What the hell happened in Ellie’s head? What the hell happened in her husband’s head? Where’s the girl?
Perhaps the key here is that the author poses these questions and we the reader, buy into it but no answers are really given.
There is some fictionalising of the times but no attempt to create a story around the tragedy. That though is the ‘sell’ on the cover.
With all respected the author for her work, I’m amazed this went to publication in its form.
Ps I just reread the blurb. Is it nature or nurture? No answer given.
I still don’t understand what a suicide bride is? Where does suicide come into being murdered? What the hell happened in Ellie’s head? What the hell happened in her husband’s head? Where’s the girl?
Perhaps the key here is that the author poses these questions and we the reader, buy into it but no answers are really given.
There is some fictionalising of the times but no attempt to create a story around the tragedy. That though is the ‘sell’ on the cover.
With all respected the author for her work, I’m amazed this went to publication in its form.
Ps I just reread the blurb. Is it nature or nurture? No answer given.
December 1, 2019
A definite four four and a half star read. Fascinating read detailing life and hardship in early twentieth century Australia though I'm sure much of the world followed what was then the norm. Not a good place to be for a woman with a violent husband anyone with mental illness of anyone who strayed from the so called social norms. Loved it and highly recommend
May 29, 2019
I brought this book completely by the cover. I wasn't disappointed. Brillant story, great writing. A new insight on how life was back in the 1900s. Makes you appreciate how lucky we are.
I read ut in 3 days, which is very unusual for me, normally takes me a while to get through a book.
I read ut in 3 days, which is very unusual for me, normally takes me a while to get through a book.
October 13, 2019
. The suicide bride.. true story.. this was equally interesting as it was entirely frustrating! Set in the late 1800/ early 1900.. the sad tales of the many deaths and suicides/murders that took place. I’m glad times have changed!
May 14, 2020
Great insight into Sydney's social past
October 15, 2025
This book tells the story of the Sly family, and the day tragedy entered the picture with the murder-suicide of father Alicks and Mother Ellie Sly, leaving behind 4 young children in early 1900s. Through the context of this family tragedy, the author can give insight into the life of everyday Australia during this time – the thoughts of society and how the justice system & Government handled everything.
The police upon being altered to the deaths control the investigation of the crime scene, supply all information for the coronial inquest, alert the next of kin and make arrangements for the children left behind. All of this is done within a matter of days, with very little of the forensic investigation and knowledge we now have.
The book looks at the Sly family traceable from those who first migrated to Australia and explores the family dynamics leading up to the marriage of Alicks and Ellie. Information is gathered from the newspapers, government records and family historical records kept.
It explores the domestic violence and societal oppression experienced by women of the time, who often had no means of support once they were married into abusive relationships. They were actively denied divorce by the courts and outcast by society should they seek to leave their situation. Victims of murder-suicide were known at the time as Suicide Brides, and the decision to kill was usually looked upon as brought on by insanity or due to drink.
The story continues with the chapters on the lives of the 4 surviving children, thrown into a church run orphanage with little love and care after experiencing such trauma. It was sad to hear how little society seemed to care about these children who were viewed as a financial burden that family chose not to take on.
Well written and researched.
The police upon being altered to the deaths control the investigation of the crime scene, supply all information for the coronial inquest, alert the next of kin and make arrangements for the children left behind. All of this is done within a matter of days, with very little of the forensic investigation and knowledge we now have.
The book looks at the Sly family traceable from those who first migrated to Australia and explores the family dynamics leading up to the marriage of Alicks and Ellie. Information is gathered from the newspapers, government records and family historical records kept.
It explores the domestic violence and societal oppression experienced by women of the time, who often had no means of support once they were married into abusive relationships. They were actively denied divorce by the courts and outcast by society should they seek to leave their situation. Victims of murder-suicide were known at the time as Suicide Brides, and the decision to kill was usually looked upon as brought on by insanity or due to drink.
The story continues with the chapters on the lives of the 4 surviving children, thrown into a church run orphanage with little love and care after experiencing such trauma. It was sad to hear how little society seemed to care about these children who were viewed as a financial burden that family chose not to take on.
Well written and researched.
December 22, 2023
Whenever society produces a depraved criminal, we wonder: is it nature or is it nurture? When the Charleston Alicks Sly murdered his wife, Ellie, and killed himself with a cut-throat razor in a house in Sydney’s Newtown in early 1904, he set off a chain of events that could answer that question. He also left behind mysteries that might never be solved. Sociologist Tanya Bretherton traces the brutal story of Ellie, one of many suicide brides in turn-of-the-century Sydney of her husband, Alicks, and his family; their daughter and their three orphaned sons, adrift in the world.
—
My thoughts (with some spoilers):
Bretherton offers a comprehensive guide of 1900s Sydney all while providing the audience with a clear understanding of the conditions that allowed a crime of this nature to occur. The attention to detail of the social conditions is very well done and provides good context. The Sly murder-suicide is just a drop in the ocean of the many similar cases happening across Australia at the time. But this was also her downfall, I wanted more of Ellie and Alicks but we spent more time looking at the social conditions. I get it would have been difficult to get the info of people who died well over a hundred years ago but that’s what I wanted.
Despite the heavy detail, this is an easy read. I also really wish the photos that Bretherton referenced were included in the book. It would have been fascinating to see the Sly family.
Nature versus nurture is a major topic of discussion. How did Alicks turn into someone who would murder this wife and then kill himself? After the murder, we also look at all four kids and how the death of their parents impacted them.
—
My thoughts (with some spoilers):
Bretherton offers a comprehensive guide of 1900s Sydney all while providing the audience with a clear understanding of the conditions that allowed a crime of this nature to occur. The attention to detail of the social conditions is very well done and provides good context. The Sly murder-suicide is just a drop in the ocean of the many similar cases happening across Australia at the time. But this was also her downfall, I wanted more of Ellie and Alicks but we spent more time looking at the social conditions. I get it would have been difficult to get the info of people who died well over a hundred years ago but that’s what I wanted.
Despite the heavy detail, this is an easy read. I also really wish the photos that Bretherton referenced were included in the book. It would have been fascinating to see the Sly family.
Nature versus nurture is a major topic of discussion. How did Alicks turn into someone who would murder this wife and then kill himself? After the murder, we also look at all four kids and how the death of their parents impacted them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 10, 2021
Depraved - such an old fashioned word. Also the title 'suicide bride' she was a murdered bride, she didn't kill herself, or want to die (that we know of). Although we don't know much about the case, not really, it is left as a mystery, but there is conjecture. There is another woman attacked by her husband who she calls a suicide bride, I disagree with that terminology - she was a murder victim.
Bretherton is certainly comprehensive in her research, interesting facts about Glebe and Newtown which I didn't know. (Although she refers to Newtown as a 'borough' something I never heard when I lived there).
It would have been interesting to see pictures, even old ones, of the area, and of the family - they exist. If the current family did not agree, I understand, but she should have mentioned this.
It was also interesting to read about the situation of women in that age, married and trying to escape a violent husband were ENCOURAGED to stay. God. So awful. They were judged for leaving. Comments from the judiciary around the time are also interesting - and scarily views still held - yet not said in so many words.
Bretherton is certainly comprehensive in her research, interesting facts about Glebe and Newtown which I didn't know. (Although she refers to Newtown as a 'borough' something I never heard when I lived there).
It would have been interesting to see pictures, even old ones, of the area, and of the family - they exist. If the current family did not agree, I understand, but she should have mentioned this.
It was also interesting to read about the situation of women in that age, married and trying to escape a violent husband were ENCOURAGED to stay. God. So awful. They were judged for leaving. Comments from the judiciary around the time are also interesting - and scarily views still held - yet not said in so many words.
July 11, 2022
Every true crime story is filled with sadness. However, this story emits more sadness and sorrow than most I have read before. The story of the Sly family consists of sad childhoods, poor family connections and lives of abuse and loneliness. It's sad to think that the actions of one individual could set the path of sadness for so many others. The early 1900's was a time where mental health was not considered or cared for, where domestic abuse was accepted and people turned a blind eye towards harsh treatment of others, where homelessness was shamed and was offered no support to integrate back into society. Nearly 120 years later, although a lot has changed and progressed, particularly in the area of mental health, it amazes me that so many of the issues that occurred at the turn of the 20th century are still occurring today. This was a great read and offered a look into the ordinary lives of people living in suburban Sydney during the decades that followed this awful family tragedy. It was interesting to learn about the family history of the Sly's and how the events of their early lives mapped out where their tragedy would end.
February 4, 2021
Tanya Bretherton put a lot of research into 'Suicide Bride'. A sociologgist, she examines a trend in Edwardian Australia of suicidal men "taking their wives with them." Focusing on one particular case, that of Alicks and Ellie Sly of Sydney, Bretheron looks closely at Australia's economy, government policy and morality, which all contributed to these crimes. The Sly's four children survived this murder-suicide, and the author traces their subsequent lives and fortunes.
What is most sad is that this trend has not only continued, but worsened. Sly murdered his wife and himself with a cut-throat razor; but as guns and other methods became available, modern sociopaths can now murder their children, parents, in-laws, or bystanders. Bretherton names the toxic masculinity which lead these men to consider their wife their property, their punching-bag, and ultimately their murder victim. This is the kind of read which makes you get up and check that the doors and windows are all locked.
What is most sad is that this trend has not only continued, but worsened. Sly murdered his wife and himself with a cut-throat razor; but as guns and other methods became available, modern sociopaths can now murder their children, parents, in-laws, or bystanders. Bretherton names the toxic masculinity which lead these men to consider their wife their property, their punching-bag, and ultimately their murder victim. This is the kind of read which makes you get up and check that the doors and windows are all locked.
March 22, 2021
Think the author struggled for the lack of source material on this one. There wasn’t really enough to paint a detailed picture of what lead the Sly family to such a sad end.
If the book does one thing it showed us how awful life was for women, especially poor women, at the turn of the century. But after showing the grim reality of that the author undid it all with the tone-deaf ‘suicide bride’ moniker. The numerous murder/suicide victims in this book weren’t suicide brides, they were domestic violence victims. They were treated horribly in life and the ‘suicide bride’ label minimises their fate.
If the book does one thing it showed us how awful life was for women, especially poor women, at the turn of the century. But after showing the grim reality of that the author undid it all with the tone-deaf ‘suicide bride’ moniker. The numerous murder/suicide victims in this book weren’t suicide brides, they were domestic violence victims. They were treated horribly in life and the ‘suicide bride’ label minimises their fate.
May 31, 2022
I found this book very interesting and easy to read. I like learning about Australia's history, moreso Sydneys history. There are still a lot of unanswered questions to this story of the suicide bride, no one will truly know except for her. The children's story and what happened to them leaves a sense of sadness, but their story is not the only one like that from those times. I'm definitely going to look at reading Tanya Brethertons other books.
June 10, 2019
A very well researched and interesting piece of history. It gives a lot of social context and I found myself learning a lot. I did feel like it was missing photos though, from the information presented it seems like the author was able to obtain photos of family members and it was a shame to not have those included so we could see resemblance.
July 26, 2019
A poignant and frightening look at a history of something I didn't even know about. Living in NZ, I'm only slowly and recently finding books like these about my country and our next door neighbour. Sad, fascinating, and really well researched, this book takes you back to the early 1900s Sydney and asks the question: are people born mad or are they raised that way?
November 7, 2020
A heartbreaking & at times brutal telling of the Sly family tragedy of 1904. By current standards the life of this family seems abhorrent in its violent nature, however when held to the standard of the day it becomes sadly all too common. The author has managed to highlight the plight of all members of the family with as accurate a retelling as could be possible.
September 4, 2019
I loved this recounting of Sydney History. A very engaging read.
November 25, 2019
Great historical story written in a style of a fiction novel but incorporating a true story. Brings together lots of details of Australian history
December 16, 2019
Excellent nonfiction historical work. Easy to read and informative. Highly recommended.
August 30, 2021
Tanya will always get a 5 star rating from me
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Her writing is brilliant insightful and I absolutely love reading any of her books
Keep up the fantastic work tanya ❤📚
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Her writing is brilliant insightful and I absolutely love reading any of her books
Keep up the fantastic work tanya ❤📚
September 20, 2024
I couldn't put it down however there was a lot of explaining and other stories besides the main one.
It was still interesting, I might read the other book this author has written.
It was still interesting, I might read the other book this author has written.
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