Crippen by John Boyne Buy This Book Now

Kim
Rating:


Review
Hawley Harvey Crippen was an interesting man, in that he wanted to be a doctor at a very young age even though his overbearing mother thought it would be a horrible profession for him.  Unfortunate for him, Crippen lacked the proper funds to achieve his goal, so he took a couple of correspondence classes and started calling himself Dr. Crippen from then on out. This story alternates between Crippen now, as he’s on a ship crossing the ocean with his fiancée, Ethel, and hoping to start a new life with her in Canada, and Crippen before he ever steps foot on that ship. After his first wife is killed in a tragic accident, Crippen falls under Cora’s spell, a rather nasty woman with visions of grandeur. After years of terrorizing Crippen, Cora is found hacked to death, and all fingers point to Crippen, hence his somewhat hasty flight to Canada.  This fictional tale is based on real people and actual events, and though I found it told well, I often wished it had been better written, possibly more along the Devil in the White City lines. It was still a good story, especially after Crippen meets Cora, and Ethel.

Best Line:
“But remember, society’s opinion of you is as nothing compared to your own self-respect."

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Suzanne
Rating:


Review
This novel was an engaging introduction to Hawley Crippen, a frustrated physician wannabe who in 1910 was convicted of killing his wife Cora and chopping her into small pieces.  Crippen maintained his innocence till the end, and the details of what happened remain in doubt.  This imagined version of what could have happened includes the real life transatlantic escape by Crippen and his mistress in disguise aboard an ocean liner bound for Quebec City, along with their attempts to remain unnoticed, and their pursuit  by Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Walter Dew.  I was struck by the similarities between Hawley Crippen and Jack the Ripper.  Both had professional knowledge of anatomy, both lived in London, and both lived over 100 years ago.  Crippen’s wife Cora, a music hall singer, is depicted as the worst kind of social climber. His miserable marriage and thwarted professional life are cunningly imagined to provide a motive and show him in a sympathetic light.  The twist at the end seemed improbable, but by then I didn’t care – I enjoyed it.  

Best Line:
“At one point I thought you were going to keep her head with us for the rest of our lives.”  (pg. 321)