This book was boring. Boring, boring, boring. And tedious. And so hard to read.

The best thing about this book was actually the author's notes. Donoghue did a very good job discussing what was/wasn't true, discussed the case, the newspaper accounts, the actual people, and what happened to them during and after the trial. There was interesting information about the history of divorce - bringing it up even to the present. This part was fascinating, interesting, and I would have preferred to read an entire nonfiction book about the case and the participants.

But, this was fiction.

And as fiction I expect more than a recounting of a salacious divorce trial, but instead a plot with well developed characters. And in this story, I just didn't like anyone.

I expected to have some sympathies for Helen - unhappy in her marriage, with a husband who she hates, stuck, unable to do anything about it. Being denied a separation and having to find a way to carry on in the face of such unhappiness. She even asked for a separation and was denied. This experience is one that is soul crushing and why wouldn't I feel sympathy towards that? Women were the husband's property. They had no rights to their children.

But I didn't. I hated Helen. Hated her. I felt no sympathy. She was manipulative. One-sided. Hateful. Ignorant. Stupid. She took advantage of people. And I hated her and thought she deserved everything that happened to her.

And in this book - on this topic that should have enraged me about how women were treated, and how it was (and is?) unfair, it just made me feel hateful towards everyone involved.

But...isn't this book really about Fido? And her role? And how she was taken advantage of? So, yeah, I felt bad for Fido. But as a smart business woman, shouldn't she have known better? Okay - maybe she was blinded by friendship, blinded by love. And the ending I really felt cheapened their relationship. Maybe they really did have an affair. Maybe they didn't. Certainly the end notes allude to a history of close female friendship in Fido's life - most likely more than friendship. But did this story and this book have to go there? It seemed an entirely sensational way to end an entirely unsensational book.

And then it was boring. It went on and on and on and on. I think it could have been wrapped up in half the time. So this one - I just can't recommend this one. I would rather all the nonfiction books on this topic that the author references in the notes section.