{Synopsis} – Seventeen-year-old Bridget Sullivan is alone in Fall River, a city that sees Irish immigrants as nothing more than a drunken drain on society. To make matters worse, she's taken employment with the city’s most peculiar and gossip-laden family—the Bordens. But Bridget can’t afford to be picky—the pay surpasses any other job Bridget could ever secure and she desperately needs the money to buy her little sister, Cara, passage to the states. It doesn’t hurt that the job location is also close to her beau, Liam. As she enters the disturbing inner workings of the Borden household, Bridget clings to these advantages.
However, what seemed like a straightforward situation soon turns into one that is untenable. Of course Bridget has heard the gossip around town about the Bordens, but what she encounters is far more unsettling. The erratic, paranoid behavior of Mr. Borden, the fearful silence of his wife, and worse still…the nightly whisperings Bridget hears that seem to come from the walls themselves.
The unexpected bright spot of the position is that Lizzie Borden is so friendly. At first, Bridget is surprised at how Lizzie seems to look out for her, how she takes a strong interest in Bridget’s life. Over time, a friendship grows between them. But when Mr. Borden’s behavior goes from paranoid to cruel, and the eerie occurrences in the house seem to be building momentum, Bridget makes the tough decision that she must leave the house—even if it means leaving behind Lizzie, her closest friend, alone with the madness. Something she swore she would not do.
But when Bridget makes a horrifying discovery in the home, all that she thought she knew about the Bordens is called into question…including if Lizzie is dangerous. And the choice she must make about Lizzie’s character could mean Bridget’s life or death.
SWEET MADNESS is a retelling of the infamous Borden murders from the point of view of Lizzie’s Irish maid, Bridget Sullivan.
{My Thoughts} – Sweet Madness as the title suggests is in fact Sweet Madness. Lizzie Borden is more or less a social outcast that still lives with her older sister, her father, and her step mother. Lizzie has problems with authority and seems to think that she can do whatever she wants, however she chooses to and at times that gets her into some trouble with her father.
Bridget is the maid that was hired by Lizzie’s father. She is much younger then Lizzie but they seem to have managed to build a solid friendship. Their friendship is what helps the two girls to deal with the rough times that take place within the walls of the Borden home.
Both Lizzie and Bridget have a rough time dealing with the issues within the house. Lizzie’s older sister Emma seems to deal with it by not being there. I think out of all of them she was the smartest.
As the book suggests it is based on Lizzie Borden and the deaths of her father and her step mother. I have to admit it is well written and the story pulls you in completely. However, I have slight issues with the lack of description in regards to the scene of the crimes. I think that there could have been more, I particularly enjoy reading about true crime, and have read lots of things in regards to Lizzie Borden in the past.
I highly recommend this book to anyone that is a Lizzie Borden fan. I also think it is a nice read for those interested in the possibility of a different turn out to the night her parents had met their untimely fate with deaths door.
Final Conclusion: 5 Star Rating.
