The Massey Murder: A Maid, Her Master and the Trial that Shocked a Country by Charlotte Gray

from goodreads

4 stars

Every year a committee chooses a book for my region to be the "one book, one community" read. It has been going on for the past 12 years. I just started participating in reading the selection four years ago.

There are some books on the list that I definitely want to read at some point. My to-read list never seems to get any shorter! Of the books on the list I have read, some have been great. Others, very-painful-to-read-I-can't-believe-they-chose-this! It must be hard for the committee to decide which book to choose. They have lots of selection, they need to make sure it is something that will appeal to the masses and not just the literary elite, yet make it test our limits. They need to make sure it will be a good conversation starter and something that will cause more and more people to participate. Man, that is daunting.

To find out more about the Waterloo Region's One Book One Community click here.

Synopsis

The Massey Murder gives us a look into the society of Toronto in 1915. Canada is in the middle of a war, society is changing and a member of one of the most prominent and influential families in Toronto, and of Canada, is shot down at his house by his maid, and 18 year old girl from Britain.

My Thoughts

This was a really interesting read. I liked that all the information was well researched and historically accurate, yet it read like a novel. It wasn't just dates and names. It was a true narrative. This made this non-fiction, history book an easy and entertaining read.

Gray did not focus solely on the murder trial. She looked at it through the greater context of what was happening with Canadians in Europe on the front lines of WWI. She looked at what was happening in Toronto, with women having more employment choices than just being in service. She also looked at the changes that were going on in the perception of rape, and who was at fault. While I thought this greater context was interesting, those who do not find history as interesting might not. I like seeing how things fit together in the broader context. If you just want to know about a murder and trial you need to skip through some pages.

I liked reading about the evolution of Toronto itself. It was fun to read about streets I have walked on and buildings I have walked by. You sometimes forget that the Toronto that exists today was not the Toronto back then.

Sometimes Canadian history, and society for that matter, has the reputation of being dull or boring. Unsensational. This book proves that Canadians and their history can be just as sensational as the rest of the world. I definitely want to read more of this author's books and learn more about post-confederation history.