miscarriage of justice kip gayden
336 pages
336 pages
c. 2009
completed 7/18/2009
read for: southern reading challenge and what's in a name challenge
*may contain spoilers*
completed 7/18/2009
read for: southern reading challenge and what's in a name challenge
*may contain spoilers*
Anna Dotson, a married woman living in Tennessee in 1911 with her husband Walter and their children, finds herself growing bored in her marriage. Her husband doesn't show he loves her the way he did when they were first married, choosing to spend more time at his clinic and involved in his community than with his wife. During this time, Anna meets and falls for Charlie Cobb, a local barber, who is dashing and exciting and sees her as she wishes to be seen, as a person as opposed to an accessory. Their affair is discovered and the fall-out leads to a murder trial.
Leading up to the discovery of Anna and Charlie's affair, this was not a great book. It was decent, but a little dry. I didn't really like the relationship Anna and Charlie shared, especially once we got a little deeper into Charlie's character. I wish he had been a bit better of a guy. Then I maybe could have gotten behind their affair a little more, as opposed to just thinking Anna was stupid.
Once their affair had been exposed, things got better. Walter's reaction, Anna's reaction, the murder and trial was where I thought things got interesting. The verdict was a BIG surprise and I'm so glad they explained how the jurors got to their decision. Whether or not it was the right decision...I'm somewhat torn. I don't necessarily think the punishment fit the crime, however after reading the explanation I suppose I think it's fair.
I did think it was interesting the way this story was supposed to draw a parallel to the suffragette movement. Women weren't necessarily just fighting for legal rights like voting rights and the right to sit on juries, etc. They were also fighting for the little things, to be looked at as a person by their husbands, as someone with needs and ideas and thoughts of their own. This book is a true story, and this trial was a bit of a breakthrough for the suffragettes.
3/5
2 comments:
I received this book in a mass giveaway last summer but haven't had a big desire to read it. Since I didn't know anything about it I looked it up on Amazon and the reviews didn't seem very favorable. Sounds like from your review if I can just get passed the first bit it should get better. You sure have been reading a lot of Southern Fiction lately!
Yes, I definitely though it got better as I kept reading. Nothing to shout from the rooftops about, but it kept me pretty entertained.
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