nerdyrev's review against another edition
4.0
I have a thing for true murder mystery books. They are my secret love and I have read a lot of them. Some are incredibly trashy and seem to have been written by a 4th grader telling, but there are others that are so well written that they seem like novels more than true murder mysteries. I am glad to say that The Wicked Boy by Kate Summerscale* falls into the latter.
In 1895, Robert Coombes (13 years old) and his brother Nattie (12 years old) all of a sudden come into a large sum of money. They are going to the big cricket match, they are buying things their family cannot afford, and they are just having a ball. Their father is on a ship heading for America and their mother seems to have disappeared. Neighbors ask about her and are told she is out by the boys. Their aunt comes over demanding to see their mother and they simply won't let her in. The neighbors are also noticing a pungent smell is coming from the house. They boy's aunt bursts in with police, while the boys are playing cards on the first floor and find their mother several days dead in her room with a knife by her side. Robert immediately admits to stabbing his mother once Nattie gave him the signal to do so.
This is all told in the FIRST CHAPTER of the book!
The rest of the book is a well told and greatly detailed story of what happened to the boys during and following the trial. We read what happened behind closed doors and while their father was away prior to the murder. We read how Robert treated his trial and what happened to him.
The amazing thing is it is an UPLIFTING story at the end. I don't consider this a spoiler as a simple Google search for the boys will reveal a lot of information, but that information comes from Summerscale's deeply researched book.
I have not read any of her books prior to this one, but this one made me want to read more. As it is an older story of murder, one can draw so many parallels to today. Robert had a thing for Penny Dreadfuls, which were cheap murder books for children. These silly books were considered vulgar for the young minds and the thought was they would drive children to murder. It is a similar argument around rock music or video games. Summerscale's presentation was very approachable even within its depth.
I would suggest that if you are interested in reading this one, not to use Google or even read other reviews as you will find out the ending to their story and as stated it is a good ending.
I gave this one 3.5 stars almost into 4 stars.
*I received this book for review from NetGalley and from Penguin Press in exchange for an honest review
In 1895, Robert Coombes (13 years old) and his brother Nattie (12 years old) all of a sudden come into a large sum of money. They are going to the big cricket match, they are buying things their family cannot afford, and they are just having a ball. Their father is on a ship heading for America and their mother seems to have disappeared. Neighbors ask about her and are told she is out by the boys. Their aunt comes over demanding to see their mother and they simply won't let her in. The neighbors are also noticing a pungent smell is coming from the house. They boy's aunt bursts in with police, while the boys are playing cards on the first floor and find their mother several days dead in her room with a knife by her side. Robert immediately admits to stabbing his mother once Nattie gave him the signal to do so.
This is all told in the FIRST CHAPTER of the book!
The rest of the book is a well told and greatly detailed story of what happened to the boys during and following the trial. We read what happened behind closed doors and while their father was away prior to the murder. We read how Robert treated his trial and what happened to him.
The amazing thing is it is an UPLIFTING story at the end. I don't consider this a spoiler as a simple Google search for the boys will reveal a lot of information, but that information comes from Summerscale's deeply researched book.
I have not read any of her books prior to this one, but this one made me want to read more. As it is an older story of murder, one can draw so many parallels to today. Robert had a thing for Penny Dreadfuls, which were cheap murder books for children. These silly books were considered vulgar for the young minds and the thought was they would drive children to murder. It is a similar argument around rock music or video games. Summerscale's presentation was very approachable even within its depth.
I would suggest that if you are interested in reading this one, not to use Google or even read other reviews as you will find out the ending to their story and as stated it is a good ending.
I gave this one 3.5 stars almost into 4 stars.
*I received this book for review from NetGalley and from Penguin Press in exchange for an honest review
notoriouszoe's review against another edition
3.0
Detailed account of the murder and trial of the Victorian boy, which wasn’t suspenseful—just factual. The interesting points for me were glimpses into that era: Penny Dreadfuls, brain size explanations for erratic behavior, and rehabilitation after the sentencing.
jerihurd's review against another edition
3.0
While the first half of the book is compelling as it relates the story of this rather bizarre crime, it was ultimately dissatisfying for me, it seemed rather pointless in that it drew no conclusions, had no larger point to make. It's as if the author said, "Look at this really interesting thing that happened," then left it at that, with the second half just meandering to the end.
librarianmillie's review against another edition
3.0
This book seemed like a no brainer for me; it has all my favorite elements true crime, 19th Century England, and remorseless kids, but in the end I just wasn’t feeling it. I think a lot of conclusions could have been reached in this story about problems in the justice system, sensational journalism, and mental health that still exist today, but those parallels were never explored. Instead you are left with a book relying on lean information to fill 300+ pages about a story that was maybe worth 200. The story of the “wicked boy” does have merit, but for the average reader it might be a little boring.
sweddy65's review against another edition
2.0
I'm sure many people would enjoy this book, but it is my least favorite style of writing: tell, don't show.
It's a really interesting story, but I wanted to feel like I was there rather than simply reading that first this one thing happened and then this next thing happened.
It's a really interesting story, but I wanted to feel like I was there rather than simply reading that first this one thing happened and then this next thing happened.
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
5.0
In July 1895 two boys left their home in Plaistow to go to see the cricket at Lords, they enjoyed the match, ate out and went to the theatre. Their father had gone to sea but their mother was supposedly visiting a relative in Liverpool, the two were being looked after by a family acquaintance they said. However, after pawning some goods, the money started running out and the neighbours grew suspicious. When they gained entry to the house they found that the mother, Emily Coombes, had been murdered and her eldest son, Robert, confessed to the act. Narrating the story of the Coombes brothers, their trial and the consequences, this book looks at crime and punishment in late Victorian England.
Kate Summerscale always produces an interesting and well-researched book. She has a knack of finding an obscure criminal case and, through meticulous research, putting it into context with the social history to which it belongs. For the main part of this book that is what happens, a narrative about the background to a crime, the trial and the punishment meted out. However it is actually the epilogue which takes this book into another league. A minor lead enables Summerscale to complete the story of Robert Coombes and how he found redemption after punishment. This is so unexpected and so wonderful that it completes the book perfectly.
Kate Summerscale always produces an interesting and well-researched book. She has a knack of finding an obscure criminal case and, through meticulous research, putting it into context with the social history to which it belongs. For the main part of this book that is what happens, a narrative about the background to a crime, the trial and the punishment meted out. However it is actually the epilogue which takes this book into another league. A minor lead enables Summerscale to complete the story of Robert Coombes and how he found redemption after punishment. This is so unexpected and so wonderful that it completes the book perfectly.
jshep77's review against another edition
3.0
This is the story of a young boy who killed his mother and his path to redemption. It was a good story but the book seemed drawn out and lacked focus.
ericarf's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book! Kate Summerscale wrote a compelling work of narrative non-fiction, pulling her reader into the world of Robert Coombes, the "wicked boy" in late Victorian England who committed matricide. A page-turner and a book that makes the reader think about the intersection of crime, mental health, and popular culture.
I read the book for Book Riot's 2018 Read Harder Challenge for the category of "a book of true crime."
I read the book for Book Riot's 2018 Read Harder Challenge for the category of "a book of true crime."
crissyhope's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting story though I think the author tried too hard to fill a long book. A good portion of the book is really stories of others to try to give a feeling of the life Robert may have been living. Not a lot of information regarding Robert's life or motives are available.