What do You think about The Trial Of Elizabeth Cree, Or Dan Leno And The Limehouse Golem (1995)?
Cor Blimey, Guvn'r. Well that was a right old to do. Set in Victorian London on the banks of the good old shake and shiver, the narrow field o' wheat and the bawdy houses and music halls this jackanory will have you all in a lather - oh what a palaver. The great wen is all a-quiver for there is a killer on the street. It's not safe for a respectable ocean pearl like m'self to be out after dark, oh no. The Limehouse Golem is abroad and I'm not talking about the Costa. Murder most horrid is being committed by a shadowy glasgow ranger and it has the denizens of Limehouse in a right two and eight. Bodies disembowled and artfully arranged on the apples and pears are giving people the right good scares. The first victim chosen was a one time looker, often the sad fate of a street walking hooker. Two more follow after that, and three is a spree but what happens when you add an entire family? Lizzie Cree is set to swing, the gallows drop is a sure thing, but are there more twists in her tale than in a hangmans noose? This fish hook is definitely worth a look.
—Shovelmonkey1
A vuelta con los títulos y las traducciones, tengo que decir que, en cierta forma, en este caso el título en español ("Dan Leno, el Golem y el Music Hall") tiene más magia, pero el original da una mejor idea de lo que nos encontramos entre las páginas de este libro.Una buena novela negra de ambientación histórica, en la que el Londres Victoriano se convierte en verdadero protagonista; el autor sabe transmitir la atmósfera de la época al tiempo que nos relata una historia de crímenes con ciertos visos a lo Jack el Destripador en la que nada es lo que parece. Muy buen final; aunque personalmente tengo que decir que lo veía venir, no por ello resulta menos redondo.Al que le cueste un poquito meterse en harina, debido a los continuos cambios de punto de vista y a las digresiones siguiendo a determinados personajes que no parecen tan importantes: que aguante, que merece la pena... y las digresiones a veces sólo son eso, pero para mí enriquecen la historia, aunque sea sólo por que permiten ahondar en la perspectiva histórica. Y sin duda, la época en la que se enmarca esta novela fue de lo más rica en acontecimientos y personajes: realmente interesante.Podría ser, incluso, algo más que un simple cuatro...
—Estibaliz79
Set in London in the 1880s, the novel starts with Elizabeth Cree being hanged for the murder of her husband. Throughout the story, we learn what tragic events led towards the demise of Elizabeth and Mr. Cree. One main piece of evidence is that a journal is found, written by John Cree, saying "It was a fine bright morning and I could feel a murder coming on". We are shown how Elizabeth - or Lizzie of Lambeth Marsh as she was known when she was younger - is dragged up from poverty through fame, to end in riches and a rather unusual home setup. Lizzie spends her formative years performing in the 'halls', being a 'gagger', a 'patterer', improvising and dramatising on the stage in silly costumes, creating characters and living out an existence other than her own. Even though it looks like Lizzie enjoys the fame and the limelight, some very disturbing things go on around her.These accounts of Lizzie finding her footing in the world are interspersed by journal entries from Mr. Cree, who prowls the streets of Limehouse, searching out poverty-stricken or otherwise tragic-seeming victims. He writes that he feels soothed, completely at ease and proud once the murder is done, and wants to leave something they can identify him by, not just a nameless murderer. He gains the name, the Limehouse Golem. So, he will not be forgotten.A lot of the book is focused on the British Museum's Reading Rooms. The author shows us who else is reading in there apart from John Cree: Karl Marx, John Gissing - journalist, Solomon Weil - Jew, Oscar Wilde, and so on. We get little snippets of information and insight into these minor characters' lives, but I was not terribly interested in them, to be honest. However, they do all fit into the theme of the murders in some minor, peculiar way. It did feel a little too much like 'name-dropping'. "Look how many well-known names I can fit into one Victorian novel".Dan Leno, one of the namesakes of the book, is probably the most likeable character in there. He is one of the most famous of the players on the stage, and his characters and songs made the crowds roar and scream with laughter. He remains level-headed and sensible the whole way through, and he seems serious off-stage - possibly someone I might like to be friends with. He was considerate and sensitive when needed. He just didn't star enough for me.By the time I had read three-quarters of the book, I was ready for it to finish. It had dragged on for too long. It read like a weird documentary, chronicling the lives of the people involved. I became bored of the whole thing soon enough, because nothing really happened. It was all retrospective. I struggled to like this book, but I did like it educated intelligence lurking in the background all the way through.
—Jemma
