Deliciously creepy! A haunting spin on the famous story of Lizzie Borden.

This book is about as gruesome as you would expect a book about ax murders to be. A lot of blood and gore and vomit (SO much vomit...). Everyone knows the story about Lizzie Borden (Lizzie Borden took an ax and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done she gave her father forty-one.) but there's never been any conclusive evidence about who actually murdered the Bordens (my money's on Lizzie.) This book is a fictional take on what the author thinks may have happened, and it's fantastic. A bit nauseating at times, but it was so hard to put down! If you can get past the gore, it's a great read!!

“Night carved out the moon. Things became quiet.”

A clever and unsettling fictional portrayal of the infamous Lizzie Borden and the 1892 axe murders in Fall River, Massachusetts.

We may not remember all of the details of the crime. We may not remember all the details of the trial. But we all remember the dark chant: “Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.“

But did Lizzie kill her stepmother Abby and father Andrew? Told by four different 4 narrators Lizzie, Emma, Brigit and Ben this gritty tale takes us into the cellular level of Lizzie and her dysfunctional family relationships. The facts are the murders. But there is inconclusive evidence of who committed the crime. A macabre journey of senses, murder, vomit, and gore. This is a well written historical novel for the not so faint heart. I highly recommend this daring novel by Sarah Schmidt.

Thank you, NetGalley and Atlantic Grove for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

DNF 34%. I'm fascinated by the figure of Lizzie Borden but this book failed to grab my full attention, I'm 34% in, I think that is a lot of failure. The multiple POVs alternating between timelines was distracting and also didn't make me feel connected to any of the characters, I couldn't differentiate them and also didn't care for them at all. Shame, I've seen people raving about this one.

The narrative felt a bit discombobulated at times, but a book about Lizzie Borden done well in my eyes.

I'm ashamed to admit I know way too much about true crime and unsolved murders. I've read articles, listened to podcasts, and even watched a scripted series on Netflix on the Borden story so I have a lot of referential knowledge on this case. This is fiction, though. Sarah Schmidt took the infamous case of Lizzie Borden and imagined the story from within the household on the day of the murders. We get alternating narrarators (Lizzie, her sister, her father, the maid, the uncle) giving minute by minute accounts of what they were doing that day. Boy is this family weird. The inner thoughts of each of them, along with their dialog, is creepy even if you know how the story ends!

For those who don't know the story, be prepared for some pretty sick stuff. I am a bit desensitized so the gory details don't bother me anymore. Just know that this involves ax murder and it is not for the faint of heart. Schmidt managed to write a decent fictional story that feels like true crime. If you like historical fiction with a little gore then you'll probably like it. I only gave it 3 stars because it didn't have that wow factor for me.

I did not like this book at all. I'm a huge historical fiction and crime fan but I couldn't get into this one. I don't know how it's possible to make Lizzie Borden boring but this was about as exciting as reading a calculus textbook. It was very descriptive about everything which is fine except there was so much detail about vomit and things I just don't need repeated detail about. Over and over. I started skimming at 80% because I lost interest and couldn't give it any more of my time. When reading gets painful it's time to move on!

Thanks to Netgalley, Hatchette, and Sarah Schmidt for this ARC. I didn't know much about Lizxie Borden or her family, so this was a great for me go read this. Why did I feel sorry for Lizzie? But I did, for both her and her sister, as I never knew her father was so mean nor her past family relations were so crazy ! I would have loved to read more about the afterwards of their life, not just the summary of their deaths. I would reccommed this to my book club as I think there would be a great conversation ! Reviews in Goodreads, Amazon, and FB.

Lizzie Borden -- just hearing that name makes most people shiver. What happened on that fateful day in 1892 continues to fascinate even in the year 2017. But still to this day, no one is 100% sure exactly what happened, and Lizzie herself was never convicted of the brutal murder of her father, Andrew Borden, and his wife, Abby.

Sarah Schmidt's See What I Have Done attempts to make sense of the gruesome event in Fall River, Massachusetts. The story goes back and forth in time and is told from four viewpoints: Lizzie's, her sister Emma's, housemaid Bridget's, and perceived stranger Benjamin's. The strongest voice here is Bridget's, who offers a "fly on the wall" perspective that's the most interesting. Schmidt strongly emphasizes the senses in her writing, which works in some instances but seems to bog down the novel in other ways. For example, her obsession with minute details such as rotten mutton stew makes the book lose momentum, at least for me.

Schmidt is surely a talented writer, but I'm not understanding the rabidly high reviews for this one (as they say in books, to each his own). It's a solid debut novel but not a slam dunk.

MY REVIEW - 3.5

I am pretty fascinated by the Lizzie Borden case. I think the fact that it has been unsolved, and probably will forever remain as such that makes it so compelling. And fiction based on the case has always been of interest to me, because I love to read different authors' takes on what may have happened. To read different accounts of who Lizzie might have been, who her family might have been. The psychology surrounding the case is endlessly intriguing, and makes for a pretty great read.

In this particular Lizzie Borden book, we see the perspectives from several of the key players in the case. They're shown mainly in flashback form, both leading up to the murders and afterward. I enjoyed the varying perspectives, as they kept the mystery going. It was also interesting how the author portrayed Lizzie- which I won't get into because that would be spoilery.

The main problem I had with the book is that it often seemed quite slow. There were large chunks that I felt like nothing was really being revealed, nothing was happening.

Bottom Line: While I enjoyed getting into the minds of some of the players in the Borden case, I do wish the stakes had seemed higher, that there had been more revelations.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic Monthly Press for providing me with an Advanced Review Copy of this peculiar book. It is interesting that Lizzie and her axe continue to capture imaginations more than a century after those murders. I credit the rhyme in entirety. In choosing to tell the story in first person vignettes, while cranking up the visceral craziness, the author relies on voices that aren't adequately differentiated in voice or tone. One of the character's inner voice is unbelievably poetic and casts doubt on all the others While the Borden drama makes for good press, ultimately the story of an unsolved murder at that time might have been better because the details are precise and engaging.

Lizzie Borden took an ax
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.


If you are like me, this is a rhyme you are familiar with from childhood, so I was eager to read Sarah Schmidt's account of one of the most gruesome and bloody murders in American history. Oh, and I admit that I have a penchant for serial killers and gruesome real-life murders, fictional or real life, and have spent way too much time over the years reading about the facts of the Lizzie Borden murders and trial. So, I really wanted to read how the account was portrayed in See What I Have Done! In her stunning debut novel, I love how Schmidt gives an excellent fictionalized account of the real-life Borden murders by using historical research, forensic detail, and a documented timeline that she includes at the end of the book to seamlessly recreate that fateful morning of August 4, 1892 and then, briefly touches on the events of Lizzie's trial and acquittal one year later.

See What I Have Done is a very unnerving and disconcerting study of a psychologically damaged and dysfunctional family. It also explores themes of love, hate, codependency, emotional abuse, independence, and mental instability. Instead of being plot driven, the novel is very character driven and is told by four different narrators: Lizzie, her sister Emma, their Irish housekeeper Bridget, and Benjamin, a nefarious man hired by the Borden sisters' Uncle John "to handle" Mr. Borden because of his mistreatment of his daughter. Each of the four narrators have completely distinct personalities and give very detailed accounts of their memories of the day the murder occurred and the day leading up to the murder, as well as memories of the past.

I will say that as wonderful a writer that Schmidt is that I thought in some places some of her narratives were a bit jumpy and all over the place since she would have a character right in the middle of a thought or conversation and suddenly their thoughts would flashback to the past, or they would have a random thought completely unrelated to the narrative they were giving. It was a bit jarring because they would then just suddenly return back to the point in the narrative where hey were before. Other readers may not have an issue with the narrative being choppy and jumpy in places, but I thought it could have flowed better. However, it is just a minor issue that I had, and Schmidt is overall an excellent writer.

Lizzie's perspective is the one we hear the most, and it is very troubling, starkly vivid, and confusing. She is one of the most unreliable narrators I have ever encountered in a novel. Not only does she have fragmented thoughts about the morning of the murder, but she seems way too calm and excited that a murder has happened. She wants to be with the dead bodies. See them. Touch them. Kiss her dead father's cuts. Lick the blood that is on her hands from where she discovered her father's body. This is very abnormal behavior for someone no matter if she did or did not commit the murders, Then the more we observe Lizzie, we see her as a quite manipulative and disturbed young woman. Spiteful. Vindictive. Spoiled. Tempestuous. Codependent. Petulant. Immature. Childish. All of those are fitting descriptions for Lizzie based on her characterization by Schmidt, which was quite excellent and in depth. It's very possible based on Lizzie's behavior that she was mentally ill or suffering from a personality disorder. Two questions continued to cross my mind while reading the book: did Lizzie commit the murders, and should she be committed to a psych ward? Still, there several occasions in the narrative where you absolutely cannot help feel sorry for Lizzie since Mr. Borden is characterized as a brute and tyrant towards his daughters and Abby as a spiteful and unloving stepmother. Also, Schmidt does present possible motives for their murders, especially when she includes the terrible pigeon scene (no, I'm not spoiling it by telling you!), which is historically accurate and was included in the trial records. Wow, though! Isn't that one amazing cover with the pigeon on it....it's gothic, beautiful, and creepy all at once!

Emma, however, is the sister I felt the sorriest for since she was stuck in this very strange, disturbing codependent relationship with Lizzie. Bitterness and her longingness to escape her family flow off the pages. Her feelings of responsibility towards Lizzie only enables Lizzie's infantile and disturbing behavior. It's quite obvious that Emma fears Lizzie murdered their parents, questions her about it, and is even scared of her to an extent, but Emma stays by her side through her arrest and acquittal since Emma did promise their mother on her deathbed to care for her much younger sister. However, her bitterness towards Lizzie, her dad, and Abby makes her almost as unreliable narrator as Lizzie. At one point I suspected her for the murders except for the fact she had an alibi by not being home. Or did she? Could she have snuck in the house while everyone thought she was a few miles away? After all, she had a key to the always locked house, and she strongly craved independence from her father and had always hated Mrs. Borden. Really, everyone in the novel is suspect.

Benjamin and Bridget, the other two narrators, were quite opposites. Benjamin was not a favorite of mine at all, and I could have done without his addition to the story although his perspective is there to offer another suspect to throw suspicion off of Lizzie who was not only hiding in the house at the time the murders occurred but one who offers a feasible solution to what happened to the murder weapon that was never discovered by the police.

Bridget was perhaps the most reliable and normal of all the narrators since she I suppose the only normal person in the book! She only wanted to move back to live with her family in Ireland and had been saving her wages the entire she had been working for the Bordens just to return home. Yet, she disliked all the Borden's, and Schmidt gave her a nice motive. Schmidt throws red herrings in the novel, but Bridget clearly thought Lizzie committed the crime. It's clearly up to the reader to decide which character's narrative is the truth, or the truth in their opinion!

See What I Have Done is told in a very disturbing yet evocative and eerie manner. The vibe of the entire novel is creepy without being overly suspenseful. Perhaps the lack of suspense is because you know going into the story who supposedly committed the murders. However, the novel is almost gothic in the disturbing way it is told, which is an excellent way to write a novel of a graphic and gory real-life murder that occurred in the late nineteenth century. What an excellent move by Schmidt! Another thing Schmidt did so well was to write her prose in such a way that the reader's senses of smell, taste, and touch are completely overloaded. Visceral and evocative is the best way that I can describe the way Schmidt describes the smells, tastes, and sense of touches in the books. This is not a book for the faint of heart with its almost overly vivid descriptions of the smells and tastes of days old rotten mutton soup, the smell and taste of overripe and sticky pears, the metallic smell of blood, and the putridness of vomit. It's such a sensory overload that you feel sick at several points in the book.

I highly recommend Schmidt's debut to anyone who loves crime novels, real-life murder mysteries, or historical fiction. It's an enthralling albeit unsettling read.

**Thank you to NetGalley, Atlantic Monthly Press, and Sarah Schmidt for an eARC to read in exchange for my fair and honest review. **

This book had so much potential. I read the synopsis and knew I wanted to give it a try. It just didn't quite hold my attention. I kept taking breaks from it, not sure if I wanted to give it another try. The story was so close to being great, it just didn't come full circle and moved much to slowly.

The thing I did like about this book was the amount of description. As I was reading, I could feel the atmosphere within the Borden household. I could emphasize with Brigitte about having to live with this dysfunctional family. So, it definitely was not all bad by any means. The story just got lost somewhere along the way.

I really enjoyed getting to know Lizzie and her strangeness. I found the friend of the uncle John a bit unbelievable but other wise loved the story. It seems unlikely that any one other that Lizzie committed the murders.

One for the DNF pile. I can't get into it at all, every time I pick it up I find myself becoming bored and I have to try and force myself to keep reading in the hope that it will improve.

I just don't care for the characters. There's nothing likeable about them in the slightest and I honestly couldn't care less what happens to them or where their stories are heading. I'm not a fan of the writing style either. Definitely not a book for me.

It's taken me 5 days to read 26%, time to admit defeat.

Truly chilling -- even if you think you're already familiar with the story.

Fictional retelling of the story we all know so well. Lizzie, her sister Emma, the maid Bridget and an outsider named Benjamin tell their version of events prior and following the brutal murders of Andrew Borden and his wife Abby, the sister's stepmother. Hooked me in from the first sentence and wouldn't let me go. Makes me rethink everything I thought I knew about the murders. Well written and heavily researched. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

4 out of 5 stars to [book:See What I Have Done|32508637], a historical fictional account of the "Lizzie Borden Axe Murders," written by [author:Sarah Schmidt|16688665] and set to be published on August 1, 2017. Many thanks to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic Monthly Press and the author for providing me with an Advanced Review Copy (ARC) of this fantastic book.

<b><i><u>Why This Book</u></i></b>
I've become a NetGalley member and saw this in the update feeds of a few fellow Goodreads' members. I am fascinated with historical re-telling of real-life stories and knew a little bit about the Lizzie Borden murders. I thought this would be a great way to learn more and read the debut novel of a new author. And if you're interested in some additional facts about the whole affair, check out this site: http://www.history.com/news/9-things-you-may-not-know-about-lizzie-borden.

<b><i><u>Approach & Style</u></i></b>
I read the electronic Kindle Reader version on my iPad over three days. The book mostly takes place over a 3-day period, covering the day before, the day of, and the day after the murders occurred. It takes place in the small Massachusetts town in the Borden home.

There are about 15 chapters with each one told from the perspective of all the main and supporting characters. You see and hear the voice of each person before or after the murders occurred, learning different facts that weren't clear to everyone else.

I believe most of the main facts are accurate, but there is likely some embellishment in the thoughts and actions of the other characters. For example, the uncle's motivations behind hiring a supposed accomplice are not fully explored in the book but were more detailed in real life. As is traditional in historical fiction, there is some element of drama being added in to help support some of the known information. It felt natural to me, and nothing seemed to throw me at any point, which means the author has done a fine job at telling this story.

<b><i><u>Plot, Characters & Setting</u></i></b>

I'm breaking this area into two sections to set the stage of what has previously occurred and what actually happens in the book. Since this is a real-life story, I don't think any of this counts as a spoiler, but if you want to be surprised about what's actually covered in the book, you may want to skip this review.

<u>Background covered thru conversations</u>
Andrew and Sarah Borden were married and had two daughters, Emma and Alice. Alice unfortunately died in infancy from dropsy. A few years later, Lizzie was born, but Sarah never quite recovered and passed away. Andrew later married Abby, who became a stepmother to his two surviving daughters. Sarah's brother, John Morse, would visit from time to time, checking in on his nieces in their small hometown of Fall River, Massachusetts. Though they lived in somewhat poor conditions, the Bordens were very wealthy; Andrew was just unwilling to spend any money. Abby hires a house maid, Bridget, recent Irish immigrant. At first, the ladies are friendly, but over time, Abby becomes more and more difficult, which leaves Bridget wanting to escape the family's clutches, as she feels there is a dark cloud surrounding both the family and the home. Emma loses her chance at getting married when Lizzie orchestrates a small blackmail scheme in order to keep Emma from leaving. But Emma eventually moves away from Fall River on her own, leaving Lizzie behind. Lizzie's mental state is somewhat questionable as a result of these actions.

<u>Action in novel</u>
Lizzie and her father have a peculiar relationship. They love one another, but for a nearly 30 year old woman, Lizzie certainly plays a few too many games to capture his attention. She also raises pigeons in the backyard to keep her mind occupied. Lizzie does not like her stepmother, Abby, and often treats her poorly. Lizzie also plays mind games with Bridget, the house maid. Lizzie has some great lines, and quite a number of times, I had to stop reading and think about what that loon was trying to do. She might actually scare me if I met her in person, and I don't scare easily.

The Bordens are planning to have a small party in a few days. Abby tells Bridget what needs to be cleaned and arranged, but it is too much for one person. Bridget asks Lizzie to help with some of it, but Lizzie has a fit and tells Bridget it's not her responsibility. Bridget is trying to escape the house and has been saving up enough money. As she's telling the neighboring house maid, Mary, Abby overhears Bridget's confession and steals the money, so Bridget is unable to leave. Bridget is very upset and agrees to clean up for the party but begs to leave afterwards. Abby says she'll think about it, but truly has no intention of letting Bridget leave. Andrew is off at work when a visitor arrives. It's his former brother-in-law, John Morse, who has stopped in to check in on his nieces.

Uncle John has a flashback to a conversation the previous day with Benjamin, a somewhat friend of his, who has been hired to "do something" to Andrew Borden, as revenge for the way he treats his daughters. John sees the pain and struggle in Emma and Lizzie, and wants to teach Andrew a lesson. Benjamin hides out in the house and the barn for several hours. Andrew arrives home and is angry to learn from Abby that John has shown up unannounced. Abby then tells him that Lizzie knew earlier in the day he would be stopping, but failed to tell anyone. As revenge on his own daughter, Andrew harms her pigeons. Lizzie is distraught over the whole situation. The next morning, an odd series of events occurs involving Abby supposedly leaving to visit a sick friend, the uncle heading in to town to meet some bankers and Andrew preparing to leave for work, too. Lizzie and Bridget are mulling about the house. Bridget hears strange noises but can't find anyone. Soon after, Lizzie comes running to find Bridget and tells her that her father has been cut. He's resting on the couch in another room but looks very sick. Bridget runs for the doctor. Everyone assumes Abby is out with the sick friend. But events quickly turn when the cops arrive and find Abby has also been brutally murdered with an axe, just like Andrew.

Emma is brought back to the house. Benjamin is hiding out in the barn, then meets with John. John asks him why he killed Abby too, as the plan was only to harm Andrew. Benjamin wants his money, but says he never got to hurt anyone. When he arrived, he found both had already been killed. John doesn't understand but when the cops arrive, Benjamin escapes. No one knows he was there until years later when he surprises Lizzie and asks for his money. Emma, Bridget and Lizzie band together to help clean up the house, trying to get some rest before the bodies are moved to the mortuary. Lizzie says many odd things but no one accuses her of murder. She doesn't seem upset that her father has died, but she is also given sedatives to keep her calm. A few days later, she's arrested but is not found guilty. The book doesn't cover the trial, instead it's told in a few small sections as part of the conclusion to the book. We learn what happened to Bridget, Lizzie and Emma in the future years, as well as John and Benjamin.

<b><i><u>Strengths</u></i></b>
I am not certain how much knowledge the author had of all the events beyond what people may have already read about or seen on TV. Perhaps she had access to all the police reports, trial summaries and information handed down to future generations. But what she's done with it is truly amazing. She's brought to life this once great family and shown us the complexities of living in the 1890s beneath one's means when there was money to do things in a better way. She's shown the crazy and tender side of Lizzie. She's made Andrew and Abby into very peculiar people who either were indeed crazy themselves or truly just impacted by raising someone like Lizzie. Nothing is clear cut, as the author offers up scenes and emotions, but the reader gets to choose how to interpret the action. It feels very accurate from what I know of the true story. The embellishments add drama but don't take away from the sense of reality that occurred. The writing feels authentic to the 1890s. The descriptions clearly show what the house looked like and how the family lived. I love how the murders were handled, as they weren't. But it was fantastic. In one scene change, we go from a few missing hours of time to suddenly Lizzie yelling her father has been cut. You might think it is awkward, but it really is integrated quite well. It's exactly representative of the missing hours in the real story, since we don't for certain know what happened.

For those who are a tad squeamish, there are a number of scenes describing how different people react to the dead bodies. And some of these characters have an unhealthy fascination with blood and cuts. If you can't handle a few descriptions about how some of the characters touch the bodies and want to feel where the axe has cut open flesh and bone, you may not want to read this one. I loved it, but as much as I find this kind of detail cool... what two of the characters do is absolutely insane... are there really people like that? Oh my!

<b><i><u>Concerns</u></i></b>
I would have liked more background on why they thought Lizzie was guilty. No evidence is provided, but very little of the arrest and trial is included in this novel. It leaves you wanting more. I would have liked to see a fact sheet in the back, letting us know what was embellished and what was real. There is some information showing the timeline of events, but you won't know on your own without reading other literature or websites, which makes you wonder which parts are true, e.g. the whole concept of Bridget and the stolen money or the events with the pigeons.

<b><i><u>Questions & Final Thoughts</u></i></b>
It's a solid book. It deserves a 4 rating, given how well the author has told a story that actually happened but with some flair and drama to make the intricacies even more complex. It is an easy read and leaves you more curious about the events and the author's future in writing. I will definitely pick up another book if and when she writes another one.

<b><i><u>About Me</u></i></b>
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. <i>Note</i>: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.

I had heard some good reviews of this book and although historical anything is not usually my style, I decided to give this one a try. I'm really glad I went out of my own personal favorite genres for this one because it was a very interesting read. It's a fictional story of the Borden murders and portions of the story are told from Lizzie's viewpoint, which is interesting, but the reader also gets to see the viewpoints of Lizzie's sister, the maid and a male character who seems to have been created for the purposes of the book. The fictional account made me investigate what facts are known and the author has done a good job of weaving facts into her narrative. It was a quick read, had a good pace and I enjoyed reading it.

Sarah Schmidt goes beyond the nursery rhyme to explore the truth about Lizzie Borden and the incredibly violent murders of her father and stepmother. Lizzie is angry with her father and dreams of escaping the stifling atmosphere at home; it is a motive for murder? She's not the only one looking for a way out though--Bridget the maid is also desperate to go, sister Emma has just broken free. A handful of others might benefit from the deaths. Who really did it?