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thesapphiccelticbookworm's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, and Murder
lambsears's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to like this one a lot more than I did.
It takes a long, circuitous route to discover the truth about the poisoning of two of Bell's uncles, when they were infants. Using exceptional research, it tells the story of poisoning myths, poisoning in fiction and famous poisonings along the way - in a very rambling, and sometimes almost stream-of-consciousness fashion.
The vicarious side of me wanted much more sordid detail, so that's probably my failing, rather than Bell's.
It takes a long, circuitous route to discover the truth about the poisoning of two of Bell's uncles, when they were infants. Using exceptional research, it tells the story of poisoning myths, poisoning in fiction and famous poisonings along the way - in a very rambling, and sometimes almost stream-of-consciousness fashion.
The vicarious side of me wanted much more sordid detail, so that's probably my failing, rather than Bell's.
marjorie_'s review against another edition
2.0
Each chapter starts with a tale of poisoning then goes in to a ramble, so I got to the point quite quickly where I skipped most of each chapter aefter the first few pages. They were interesting though.
amotisse's review against another edition
4.0
A written documentary into the curious history of the study and use of poison, including the authors family skeletons. Scientific storytelling at its best. Listening to an audio version was a treat, such clever descriptions and interesting facts.
sharonskinner's review
3.0
Interesting read. Nice threading of information through a personal journey into a dark family history.
iamshadow's review against another edition
5.0
I found this to be an interesting mix of memoir, mystery and the history of poisons and poisonings. Gail Bell's inspiration to write this was the story of her own grandfather, a quack tonic maker and snake oil salesman, who was supposed to have poisoned two of his sons. Gail herself became a chemist, leading her to dig into her family's hidden past, and question what drives people to poison others. (This book was published under Poison: A History and Family Memoir and The Poisoner - A Story of Family Secrets in the US.)
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘Poison is rarely if ever perfect.’
In 1927, William Macbeth apparently poisoned two of his sons with strychnine. William Macbeth was Gail Bell’s grandfather, and he died before she was born. When Gail was ten, her grandfather’s sample case was delivered to her father. She opened one of the bottles in the case, and put the end of the stopper to her nose.
‘My father snatched it from my hand and said ‘Never, never do that. You could die.’
In 1980, Ms Bell spoke with her Great-Aunt Rose, six months before Rose’s death, and was told about William Macbeth. Rose’s story was that she and her younger sister Ellen met William Macbeth, a travelling showman who travelled the country selling his miracle cures. Ellen and William married and had four sons. But when the marriage came under strain, according to Rose, William poisoned first his ‘retarded’ first son Thomas and then a few months later his son Patrick. Ellen left with her two surviving sons while William, although never tried for these murders, continued his life of crime. According to Rose, he impersonated a doctor in a lunatic asylum, stole money from the bank account of a rich inmate and then, decades later, died of tuberculosis.
Ms Bell thought that there must be more to the story, and was struck by the comment of another relative who believed that Rose herself fancied William, until he married Ellen. Would it be possible to find out more, especially now that all of the participants were dead?
‘Sometimes, stories are a melange of subjective truths, and sometimes lies tell you more than all the evidence you can hunt down.’
By persevering, Ms Bell was able to find the truth (which readers learn in the final pages of the book). Ms Bell started with a few newspaper clippings, birth marriage and death certificates. In the end, with information in a file from a mental institution, she is able to find the truth. And the truth shows her grandfather in a different light.
‘Antidotes come out of the shadows, like kind spirits holding lamps.’
I found this book fascinating. Ms Bell is a pharmacists and a teacher as well as a writer. Along the way, while unravelling the story of William Macbeth, we are treated to an extensive history of poisoning. Fictional and historical poisoners are included, as are those poisoned. A range of poisons are discussed, as are their effects on both humans and animals.
Toxicity takes many forms and not all poison is chemical.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
In 1927, William Macbeth apparently poisoned two of his sons with strychnine. William Macbeth was Gail Bell’s grandfather, and he died before she was born. When Gail was ten, her grandfather’s sample case was delivered to her father. She opened one of the bottles in the case, and put the end of the stopper to her nose.
‘My father snatched it from my hand and said ‘Never, never do that. You could die.’
In 1980, Ms Bell spoke with her Great-Aunt Rose, six months before Rose’s death, and was told about William Macbeth. Rose’s story was that she and her younger sister Ellen met William Macbeth, a travelling showman who travelled the country selling his miracle cures. Ellen and William married and had four sons. But when the marriage came under strain, according to Rose, William poisoned first his ‘retarded’ first son Thomas and then a few months later his son Patrick. Ellen left with her two surviving sons while William, although never tried for these murders, continued his life of crime. According to Rose, he impersonated a doctor in a lunatic asylum, stole money from the bank account of a rich inmate and then, decades later, died of tuberculosis.
Ms Bell thought that there must be more to the story, and was struck by the comment of another relative who believed that Rose herself fancied William, until he married Ellen. Would it be possible to find out more, especially now that all of the participants were dead?
‘Sometimes, stories are a melange of subjective truths, and sometimes lies tell you more than all the evidence you can hunt down.’
By persevering, Ms Bell was able to find the truth (which readers learn in the final pages of the book). Ms Bell started with a few newspaper clippings, birth marriage and death certificates. In the end, with information in a file from a mental institution, she is able to find the truth. And the truth shows her grandfather in a different light.
‘Antidotes come out of the shadows, like kind spirits holding lamps.’
I found this book fascinating. Ms Bell is a pharmacists and a teacher as well as a writer. Along the way, while unravelling the story of William Macbeth, we are treated to an extensive history of poisoning. Fictional and historical poisoners are included, as are those poisoned. A range of poisons are discussed, as are their effects on both humans and animals.
Toxicity takes many forms and not all poison is chemical.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
pinknantucket's review against another edition
3.0
Quite a satisfying non-fiction book about poisons, poisoners and the poisoned. The author’s family has its own poisoned past, the investigation of which she threads through the narrative. More of a “researched stream of consciousness”, as my friend Libby said, than a manifesto of any kind, I have to say I did get a bit frustrated towards the end with all Bell’s wafty semi-philosophical ramblings when all I wanted to know really was if her grandfather really poisoned his sons or not. (Obviously not the son that eventually begat Bell, though). That is the inherent problem of this type of book, I suppose, where you begin on page one with a mystery to be solved, knowing you will not find out the answer until page last. Somehow, you have to keep the suspense going, and it wavered a bit for me by the end. For instance, I am not really interested in Bell’s idle imaginings of how Cleopatra may have been saved by one of her poor handmaidens when she was trying to kill herself via snakebite – this has too much of the “well the Romans COULD have built it this way” SBS faux-history documentary for my liking.
But still, quite a fascinating read, and I may be employing a food taster once I am rich enough because Bell’s right, we do every day partake of thousands of small acts of faith, e.g. that the sandwich we bought from the shops for lunch isn’t poisoned – accidentally or deliberately. And by the time I’m wealthy enough to afford a food taster I’d probably have lots of enemies; maybe I could even claim it as a tax deduction.
Not to be read at a restaurant, or in the doctor’s waiting room, and you might want to have the Poisons Information Centre on speed-dial.
But still, quite a fascinating read, and I may be employing a food taster once I am rich enough because Bell’s right, we do every day partake of thousands of small acts of faith, e.g. that the sandwich we bought from the shops for lunch isn’t poisoned – accidentally or deliberately. And by the time I’m wealthy enough to afford a food taster I’d probably have lots of enemies; maybe I could even claim it as a tax deduction.
Not to be read at a restaurant, or in the doctor’s waiting room, and you might want to have the Poisons Information Centre on speed-dial.
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