I got accepted to review this book years ago, but unfortunately never got around to reading it. Apologies for this.

Wow! 1892, Memphis, is the setting for a true crime book dealing with a lesbian murder. Passion made 19 year old Alice murder her 17-year old fiancé, Freda. If she couldn't have Freda, no one could have her. If nothing else the research behind this book sheds light on how lesbian love was viewed in earlier days.

To be honest, I've never heard of Alice or Freda before, but I love true crime stories. This story is very intriguing. The author is an amazing storyteller. It also includes gorgeous illustrations.

The history of LGBT rights is so very complex and diverse that you would be forgiven for not knowing everything there was to know about it. With every book that I read that has an LGBT theme I learn something new. This is exactly what happened with me when I read Alice + Freda Forever.

Alexis Coe has created a fictional account of a real life event that took place in the 19th Century in Memphis – a place notorious for its lack of acceptance of anything that deviates from “the norm.” It focuses on the tempestuous relationship between two young women Alice Mitchell and Freda Ward.

When her love was spurned by Freda, Alice attacked and killed her. She was broken hearted and killed Freda in a crime of passion. For her crime, Alice was sent to an asylum where she died a few years later.

Coe has cleverly told the story of Mitchell and Ward in a sensitive way and by doing so has not only looked at the development of LGBT history/rights but also looked at how women were treated and how anything that didn’t fit into society’s strict regulations was seen as a reason to believe a person was mentally unhinged.

Accompanying the story are the real letters sent between the lovers and illustrations to help paint a visual picture. Alice + Freda Forever is a truly fascinating read.

Alice + Freda Forever - A Murder in Memphis by Alexis Coe is available now.

For more information regarding Alexis Coe (@AlexisCoe) please visit www.alexiscoe.com.

For more information regarding Houghton Mifflin (@HMHCo) please visit www.hmhco.com.

I had not heard of this incident before, and was super intrigued to learn about it and that there was a creative non-fiction book about it. It's a story of same-sex love in late 1800's American South that includes a murder. Fascinating. The author said that this became her hobby topic for awhile, and it is well researched. A few things get dragged out, but otherwise it was a fairly fast-paced story.

I do think there are plenty of other areas to investigate with these two main characters, but we probably won't ever be able to because lots of things get lost or distorted in over 100 years. But this whole story is sad, fascinating, and interesting to recall.