Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Sinners All Bow:
Truth is more tragic than fiction.
Quick synopsis:
The story of the death of Sarah Cornell in 1832, who did it, and the connection to The Scarlet Letter.
Fact for Non-History People:
Not only does this story include a connection to Nathaniel Hawthorne, but also the ancestors of Lizzie Borden.
Fact for History Nerds:
Methodists were originally seen as a scandalous sect in early New England.
My Take on The Sinners All Bow:
The best fictional literature is often rooted in real life scenarios and cases. In the case of the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne came across the case of Sarah Maria Cornell. Cornell was found hanging and was initially ruled a suicide. Later, a court case would call into doubt whether it was suicide or murder. The similarities between Cornell and Hester Prynne does not stop there, but I don’t want to give away too much.
Kate Winkler Dawson takes on Cornell’s case in her book The Sinners All Bow. She actually takes on quite a bit more. Dawson also discusses her “co-author’s” own biases as she attempts to solve the question of murder or suicide. Yes, co-author is in quotes and I won’t say why but you find out in the introduction. Dawson also looks at the rise of Methodism (it’s important) and the lives of women in the early 1800s. It’s a lot, but Dawson handles it all well.
I would tell readers that the beginning of the book is a bit slow. Dawson has to set up her own narrative mechanism, describe the times her characters live in, and then discuss forensics. The one criticism I have is that it really slows down the story in the beginning. However, once it is all set up and Dawson can focus fully on Cornell’s story, the book flies by. Historical true crime always requires more setup than a traditional true crime tome. In this case, Dawson’s book is worth the wait to get to the meat of the story.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Putnam Books.)
Verdict:
Great historical true crime. Buy it here!
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