Book Review Of THE KILLING OF LOUISA By JANET LEE
It
is a misfortune to lose one husband but to lose both looks like murder.
The
Killing of Louisa is a true reimagined story of the crime case of Louisa Collins, in New South Wales in 1889, the
last woman hanged (UQP 2018) who won in
2017 Queensland Literary Awards for writer Janet Lee.
‘The
story is followed by the tradition of Burial Rites and, with one woman unfairly
sent to death by men in the judiciary. This novel provides a rich with
historical details and high drama creative re-imagining of colonial Australia.’
This book is so enriching and highly readable with short chapters, simple
language and, exactly the voice of Louisa, from whom the story is told in the
first person.
Louisa was not so educated, got married at a very
young age and gave birth to 10 children in a short span but over 130 years her
story remains so alive to its reader which is very different from today.
Louisa
was born into a very poor family and she was sent out to work as a domestic servant
when she was a teenager. She got married to Charles Andrew at the age of 18, the married was arranged by her parents when
Charles was only 15 years old. She bore 9 children to Charles, out of which two of them died at infancy and
she took borders, took care of them but the sudden death of her husband, her hasty
marriage to the border Michael Collins, the death of Michael and their son John
caused to have deep thinking of Louisa by the people around her. It was all
mystery hidden in her family.
After
investigating in the house the box of rough on rats the poison of rats was
found in her house and also the details of the insurance policy of Charles
life. On the fourth vocation, Louisa was found guilty after her 10 years old
daughter gave the evidence about it and Louisa was sentenced to hang.
Being
in a prison for many days she reveals the story of her life to the prison
chaplain. She describes all her childhood experiences and the family life, the
struggle she went through the early marriage of hers which was arranged by her
parents and the difficulties in the married life, the financial difficulties,
and the death of several children, and the situations around which led her for the second marriage. This first-hand
experience from Louisa itself flashed into the newspaper and later helped the
author to write an authentic and natural book.
Louisa’s voice is so meek and humble that someone could imagine for a women who could not vote or own land or handle the business independently. Louisa presents all these hardships not to get sympathy but just to portray the facts of her life. The readers have been left untold till the last pages of the book whether Louisa will confess her crimes or die as an innocent. But at the end of the book, one comes to know the perspectives of Louisa and why she must have acted in such a way in the situations. The last pages of the book give life to Louisa as her perspectives, personality and relationship with others are so rich and mind-blowing.
DSOUZA ELVINA MISUITA Roll no. 12
Website address from where I read
the book.
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/inflibnet-ebooks/reader.action?docID=5488881&ppg=258
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/inflibnet-ebooks/reader.action?docID=5488881
Lee, Janet. The Killing of Louisa, University of Queensland Press, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/inflibnet-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5488881.
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