Official Review: The Battered Wife and Her Five Little Ki...

Post by **bookowlie** » 04 Oct 2016, 09:13

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Battered Wife and Her Five Little Kids All Dressed in White" by George Garrigues.]

3 out of 4 stars

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The Battered Wife and Her Five Little Kids All Dressed in White by George Garrigues is the 3rd installment in the non-fiction Read All About It series. It is the true story of an affluent Caldwell, New Jersey woman who shot and killed her abusive husband in 1916. Was it murder or self-defense? Two young girls found their father Christof Beutinger’s body in the bedroom, with their mother holding a gun. His wife Margaret Claire Beutinger admitted shooting her husband five times, but claimed it was self-defense. She is arrested on charges of first-degree murder, with the possibility of the death penalty if convicted.

Margaret told the police about incidents of abuse during her marriage and the night of the killing. There are also statements by others who witnessed Christof’s behavior over time and policemen who had previously been called to the home for domestic disturbances.

After a quick recap of the children finding their father’s body and their mother in the room, there are flashbacks to background information about the U.S in 1898, Jamaica and the Philippines, and Christof’s War Department career. The storyline is a little dizzying to follow in the beginning, as it jumps from current incidents to long descriptions of the early parts of the couple’s troubled marriage - where they met, lived, and how Christof made money over the years. Once the trial starts, the pace picks up and I became more absorbed in the plot.

The events unfold through actual articles from various newspapers. This method lends authenticity to the story along with the inclusion of numerous photographs. The author also adds information in italics throughout the book for extra clarity and insight. The accounts of the trial are vividly written and I felt like I was watching a movie at times. I was amazed that these scenes were so well described, since the articles were written by journalists from different newspapers.

Some of the background information bogs down the story at times – for example, the names of all of the jurors and their respective occupations as well as six pages in the middle of the book about the town of Caldwell. There is also some repetition, as the details of the shooting are described numerous times throughout the book.

This book has earned a rating of 3 out of 4 stars. The subject matter is interesting, but the plot doesn’t move forward smoothly. I found the first third of the book slow-paced with long-winded, extraneous details – the various places and homes they lived in, jobs Christof had, and a chapter about the funeral. Although one newspaper article might be interesting by itself, a series of them by different reporters doesn’t always flow well as a cohesive story. Still, I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy true crime stories and media accounts of trials.

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The Battered Wife and Her Five Little Kids All Dressed in White
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gali · Post by **gali** » 04 Oct 2016, 14:26

Great review as always. Not my cup of tea, but I am glad you enjoyed the story after the rocky start. The method of writing sure sounds unique.

Post by **bookowlie** » 04 Oct 2016, 14:35

Thanks Gali! I also read the first two books in this series and have to admit I liked the other books more. It may just be that I found the other real-life cases more interesting, even though this one was also good.

AA1495 · Post by **AA1495** » 07 Oct 2016, 07:40

Glad you enjoyed the book overall. Thank you for the review!

Post by **bookowlie** » 07 Oct 2016, 08:40

AA1495 wrote:Glad you enjoyed the book overall. Thank you for the review!

Thanks AA1495! Using the newspaper articles to tell the story is certainly unique.

Elaine5 · Post by **Elaine5** » 07 Oct 2016, 09:52

Thanks for this review. I often enjoy non fiction books like this one. Too bad about the non essential extras like the long description of the town. It sounds like it had the potential to be great with a few details detracting from that.

Post by **bookowlie** » 07 Oct 2016, 10:34

Elaine5 wrote:Thanks for this review. I often enjoy non fiction books like this one. Too bad about the non essential extras like the long description of the town. It sounds like it had the potential to be great with a few details detracting from that.

Thanks for the feedback. I still found the book interesting, especially since I like reading about true crimes.

AA1495 · Post by **AA1495** » 07 Oct 2016, 22:11

bookowlie wrote:
AA1495 wrote:Glad you enjoyed the book overall. Thank you for the review!
Thanks AA1495! Using the newspaper articles to tell the story is certainly unique.

True. Personally, I don't think I would enjoy that. I prefer proper narrative books! Again, this is a very well written review! ☺

Post by **bookowlie** » 08 Oct 2016, 19:09

Thanks AA1495. I also prefer traditional books, but it was still an interesting way to tell a true crime story. It reminded me of following criminal trials on the TV news and in the newspapers.

Kdonegan91 · Post by **Kdonegan91** » 22 Oct 2016, 22:55

This review is fantastic and well written. I am glad the book got better over time. I normally like books like this but don't know if I could handle all the extra details. A book must smoothly progress and not get boring.

Post by **bookowlie** » 23 Oct 2016, 09:51

Thanks Kdonegan for the nice feedback. I usually like extra details in a true crime book. In this case, some of the overly detailed parts seemed to stuck in the story at old points, and interrupted the flow.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 21 Jun 2017, 14:38

I do enjoy true crime; however, I'm not sure I would enjoy this. I think the inclusion of all the minute details (like the names and occupations of all the jurors) would bore me. Thanks for the review, though.

MrsCatInTheHat · Post by **MrsCatInTheHat** » 21 Jun 2017, 15:57

kandscreeley wrote:I do enjoy true crime; however, I'm not sure I would enjoy this. I think the inclusion of all the minute details (like the names and occupations of all the jurors) would bore me. Thanks for the review, though.

I was thinking the same thing as I read the review. I don't need to know that type of info on jurors. If they have background that relates to the situation, that can be interesting but not names, dates, etc.

Post by **bookowlie** » 23 Jun 2017, 12:14

Thanks CatintheHat and Kandscreeley for the feedback. I agree the juror info was too detailed. However, some readers might enjoy the extra info. In many trials, the demographics of the jury can make all the difference in a guilty vs. not-guilty verdict. I always wondered how the OJ Simpson trial would have turned out with a different jury.