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

I actually can't remember how old I was when I first heard that song but this is one of those crimes which has passed into folklore. Of course, Mrs Borden is believed to have received only eighteen or nineteen blows and Mr Borden a mere eleven. A lesser-known second verse proclaims, 'Andrew Borden is dead, Lizzie hit him on the head. Up in heaven he will sing, on the gallows she will swing'. Inaccurate again since Lizzie was acquitted; instead she died as an socially ostracised old lady in whose innocence nobody ever believed, not even apparently her own sister. The Borden house operated for years as a bed and breakfast hotel with the room where Abigail Borden was killed as the most requested. It is currently listed for sale. As in other unsolved cases such as Jack the Ripper, there is something deeply unsettling in how this murder has been mythologised. In See What I Have Done, Sarah Schmidt takes this much-sung story and shrinks it into a taut and claustrophobic tale of family gone wrong. There are no solid answers here but a heck of a lot of questions.

The figure of the Victorian murderess never fails to fascinate. I suppose it's the contrast between the restrictive clothing and lack of choices. The murderess is the ultimate transgressor. From Alias Grace to Burial Rites, we listen for the rustle of her skirts as she creeps about her deadly business. More often the accused in these novels tend to be servant girls, so Lizzie is more unusual in that she was middle class. But there remains a maid in the frame, because as well as Lizzie and Mr and Mrs Borden, there was also the servant girl Bridget in the house that day.

Schmidt chooses four narrators to guide her novel; Lizzie, her older sister Emma, Bridget the maid and then lastly the visitor Benjamin, an outsider to the family who has an agenda of his own. In stark contrast to previous iterations of the Borden story, Schmidt is less concerned with the crime itself than the events around it. Fewer facts and more atmosphere. The weather is sweltering, the windows are shut, the doors are locked. There is no way out. The pot of mutton broth simmers on the stove throughout the entire novel and is brought out for every meal. Mrs Borden sticks her finger in it. Mr Borden gets bits stuck in his beard. Benjamin tries a bit and thinks to himself 'meat shouldn't taste like this'. The reader is trapped in this claustrophobic novel as the air crackles with tension and the threat of violence looms ever-present.

Everyone feels too close together in this book. Emma complains about her younger sister's suffocating presence. Lizzie has even engulfed her bedroom, insisting that doors are kept open at all times and that Emma sleeps in a cubicle which is accessible to her at all times. Emma remarks, 'I would wake with my sister in my mouth, hair strands, a taste of sour milk, like she was possessing me'. The uneasy relationship between these two is at the book's heart. Certainly Emma has plenty of reasons to feel resentful. I was reminded vividly of the pair of sisters in We Have Always Lived in the Castle. Merricat, Merricat, would you like a cup of tea?

Another writer might have presented another culprit or at least tried to present mitigating circumstances. Instead, Schmidt does something more unexpected. It's a daring thing to write a book about a famous crime and to quietly step over the question of which character might be guilty. Some readers might find this disappointing but it was provoking to consider why she had made this choice. Is Schmidt telling us that it is just so obvious that there is no need for her make it explicit? Or is there another theory? Is Schmidt simply more interested in the why rather than the who?

Of the four narrators, Lizzie is the most successful. She flutters across the book unsettled, never really opening to the reader. She thinks about her sister and remarks 'None of this would have happened if she hadn’t left me in the house'. While the character Benjamin may have been introduced to offer the outsider perspective, we don't really need him to see that something is seriously amiss. Isn't it that which has drawn people back to this story down the decades? The real Lizzie was poised and calm throughout the questioning and ultimately walked away without her good name but with her life intact. We look at her and we know she did it and yet we can't prove it and that frustration has never faded even now, long after everyone involved in the case has died.

See What I Have Done works its tension up to the maximum and then never quite knows where to take the reader from there. For all the excessive proximity of the characters, they all dance slightly out of reach. Rather than being able to see what they have done, the reader has to guess. It's part fairy-tale, part true crime all with a heavy helping of psychological horror. The result is not entirely satisfying but I would argue that no story about the Borden case ever could be. Yet despite its uncertain second half, Schmidt's prose is electric with opening and closing lines which chill the spine. Nasty, disturbing but highly effective, I can still feel the putrid air of that ghastly house on the back of my neck. Small wonder Lizzie picked up that axe.

SEE WHAT I HAVE DONE is a spectacular remaining of the famous (or should I say infamous) story of Mozzie Borden. 

Compelling and attention-grabbing, this book is unputdownable. Once you start reading, you will not want to stop. 

Definitely worthy of 5 huge stars

Sorry, it's been a very long time and I can't remember enough detail to review this properly (my review at the time didn't work on my phone, IIRC). But I do remember really enjoying the book, and finding it unsettling and beautifully written. So I'm confident to give it 5 stars!

I wish I hadn’t made it to the end of this book. I wish I had given up at the first chapters. This was a chore of a read, I kept thinking it would get better. I certainly have not kept my word this year: I had promised myself I would give up a book if it offered little in the way of knowledge or pleasure.... Alas, it seems that I’m making the same mistake as in years gone by.

Lizzie Borden and all that she represents still fascinates us even after all these years.  This story was a retelling of her story with a bit of more grit to it than expected.  Having grown up in new New Bedford where she lived, I thought this would be a great addition to her story.  Maybe I knew too much about her but this story is really for those who only know the nursery rhyme and not the real story.  This book will be great for a historical enthusiast who wants to know more abut Ms Borden.

Boring. Read about 10% before I got bored, gave this book a second chance but still couldn't get into it, did not finish

It's not very often that I'm genuinely scared or disturbed by a book, but I was with this one. Unfortunately I don't think I'm the best candidate for thrillers and horror, but I think fans of the genre will really enjoy this.

I didn't finish this book because I found it a little overwhelming with the dark nature of it at the time, however, I do plan on finishing it because it is so well written.
For people that like a book with a darker nature they will love this. Sarah has developed her characters well and I actually felt on edge the whole time I was reading what I got through. I have to know how it ends so will be endeavoring to finish it someday.

The only good thing about this novel was the beautiful cover. I really did not like the writing style, and felt like the author was just writing just to fulfill a page count goal.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

It was too scary and too much for me. Those interested in reading a true crime book will enjoy this much more than I did.

Another book where I tried a few times to get really into, and it just didn't work. I didn't enjoy the writing style at all. I do however, love the cover of this book!

I had high hopes for this book because I've always been interested in the Lizzie Borden murders. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get into it. It was extremely show paced and honestly pretty boring.

I like fictionalized retellings of real events, so this one sounded so interesting! It was a bit disturbing to see from Lizzie's POV at times; she seemed a bit disconnected from reality in a really eerie way. I didn't love the multiple POVs personally, just because sometimes certain characters' POVs felt a bit removed from the story and irrelevant. A bit slow pace, but an interesting read overall.

This book was provided to me from NetGalley, Blackbird Publishing and Jacqui Lofthouse in exchange for my honest opinion.  To them, I send my deepest gratitude.  

Bluethroat Morning by Jacqui Lofthouse was beautifully written with intricate plot and sub-plots.  It's a rather long book, but I didn't mind this and never lost interest once.  

Harry Bliss is a retiring school teacher who was married to a former super-model, Alison Oakley Bliss who turned best-selling author.  Her book was very well received and she had many fans.  Inexplicably, six years before the start of this novel, Alison had taken a writing holiday in a small town called Glaven.  The Glaven River is in the eastern English county of Norfolk, is 10½ miles long and flows through picturesque North Norfolk countryside to the North Sea.  Today, it is a popular tourist destination, but Alison rents a run-down cottage there to finish her second book without distractions.  

Harry is devastated by his wife's unexpected suicide.  He is determined to find out what transpired the last two weeks of Alison's life.  Harry is also going through a mid-life crisis.  He has been somewhat of a recluse in the years since Alison's death and thinks its time to come out of the shell.  

In comes Helen.  Oh, lovely, 19-year-old Helen.  The daughter of Harry's closest friend at school where he teaches.  Helen bears a strong resemblance to Arabella, who was his great-grandfather's wife.  Arabella also committed suicide by walking naked into the water and drowning for unknown reasons just as Alison did.  Harry and Helen start a torrid, although inappropriate, affair and she travels with him to Glaven to try to find answers.  Helen is also a huge fan of Alison, both through her modeling career and her author status.  

What transpires after that, I will withhold.  This book is expertly written and intricate in detail, both of the characters and the surrounding area.  My hat is off to Jacqui Lofthouse.  She weaves a web of secrets and revelations that are shown to the reader slowly and deliciously.  

It is an excellent book.  I enjoyed it very much.  

You can see my other reviews at http://travelreadlove.blog.  Or follow me on Twitter at @simplypeachie48

This was a little to graphic for me I guess my stomach is not as strong as it used to be. 

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a e-copy for an honest review

3.5 rounded to 3. 

Lizzie Borden is one of those 'cultural osmosis' kind of stories - we all know something about it, but we aren't necessarily sure of the details. I have no idea how historically accurate this story is, but it's certainly involving and atmospheric. There are several graphically sickly descriptions of pears being eaten; and of pears rotting on the ground, which turned my stomach - there is something quesy about this book. I quite enjoyed it, and simultaneously didn't like it at all...

I went in thrilled to read this book. I heard so much fantastic buzz around the story & I was looking forward to a new take on an old tale. While I think Sarah's overall writing style is unique, this retelling didn't do it for me. I picked the book up three different times thinking I just wasn't in the mood for a somber tale of what I believe to be a thrilling story. Perhaps this is one of those times where my expectations are so high, it's difficult to compete. Special thanks to Sarah Schmidt, Atlantic Monthly Press & NetGalley for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

I am not sure where to start with this review.
I guess you could put this in the 'grit lit' category Mr.2.0 (or maybe I am misunderstanding that genre completely *shrug*)
Everything in this book creaked/smelled/bled/shrieked. The food made you sick and small animals died in the walls leaving behind a smell. Forget there being no redeemable characters, there was not one redeeming thing in this book. 
I didn't much care for how Lizzy was written. You are slapped wright in the face with her narrative at the beginning. If the entire book was written from her POV I am sure I could not have finished it. The prose of her character drove me a bit batty, but then I have to go back and give the writing style some credit. I think driving the reader a bit crazy was the point, Lizzy was batty herself. I don't know that this is an honest portrayal of the true Lizzy Borden, I think there was some artistic license taken here. Historical fiction and all.
While reading the book I can't say that I much enjoyed the experience. Nearly every experience in this book was unpleasant. Looking back at the story as a whole picture. I have to say that it was well done. The wrap up was a bit abrupt though.

so what am I trying to say?
My best summation is to say it is like a really stinky cheese. Not a pleasant smell but some people can appreciate the experience. But it might give you a tummy ache.
I would give Sarah Schmidt another try.

This copy was given to me on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A captivating new take on an old tale. I found the narrative heavy going (perhaps because a number of the characters were fairly creepy) and the novel hard to connect with.