Laura Elizabeth Woollett

An electrifying short story collection about the wives, lovers, and mistresses of history's most notorious men.

The Love of a Bad Man

TW/CW: murder, gore/violence, sexual assault, rape, domestic abuse, fat slurs


  Blanche
 ★★★★
Love the complexity of Blanche and how she gets stuck in a runaway situation that she can't control. I felt the abrupt ending was a bit jarring though.
Note: After some quick research I've realized that the ending is indicative of the real events that ended the lives of Buck and Blanche. I kinda adore the way Woollett has weaved in the facts of the story. 

Eva ★★★
The ending felt rushed and the entire story felt a little flat? Less engaging - I felt much more personal distance with this story than Blanche.
  

Martha
 ★★★★
One thing that this story absolutely deserves kudos for is the way the fat rep is portrayed throughout the story. Despite the awful things that Martha partakes in, being a larger woman is still a real thing that is struggled with and commented on by the outside world.
  

  

  Caril & Myra
 ★★★
I'm going to lump these two together because honestly I found them incredibly similar. Both about serial killer couples, they followed a very similar trajectory and honestly blur together a bit looking back on the stories. But the writing was still solid and engaging.
  

  

  Charlie's Girls
★★.5
I just expected more from the story of Charles Manson's girls. While I get that the story is following the 'love' that the women have for Charles, it felt like it was missing out on a lot. Too much about the 'pigs' and not enough about what they were doing for Charles and their interactions with him. 


  Jan
★★★★
I think this is the most relatable story so far - Jan is a quiet, self-conscious, young lady who is willing to go outside of her comfort zone for a man she loves. I love how Woollett weaves a type of normalcy into this story, hardly giving away what is come beyond the story's ending... 
  

  

  Marceline
★★. 5
This story made me feel - conflicted, horrified at the truth that this really happened, torn about a woman who stuck around and did not strike out against what was to happen. Not enough at least. 
And yet I felt the way in which Marceline's emotions were portrayed kinda rocky and difficult to grasp as a reader, detracting from the story. 
  

  

  Veronica
★★★
I think this was one of the most uncomfortable stories to read in the collection - a woman who goes out of her way to seek conversation with a murderer is something that is extremely difficult to grasp for most people. As uncomfortable as it was to read, Woollett definitely created a believable narrative.
  

  

  Cathy
★★★★
I really admire the unreliable narration in this short - the reader is left not knowing how they are to feel about Catherine Birnie by the end of the story, which makes it stick for much longer than the writing itself.
  

  

  Karla
★★★★
I am clearly a sucker for an unreliable narrative. Despite Karla's conviction - weaves another story based on real life which makes you wonder how responsible Karla is for her involvement. How much was she an active player and how much was she just blindly following the man she believed she loved?


  Wanda
★
There is always one - I skimmed through this last story. Despite the fact the use of biblical dialogue is very much a part of the story, I found it made it difficult for me to stay engaged.

Dearna Mulvaney

I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. This collection has firmly cemented its place in my favourites and is hands down my favourite book of 2016

The Love of a Bad Man

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