I purchased the paperback edition of Ann Rule's "Bitter Harvest" several months ago. My brother had warned me that I would probably find this book disturbing, as he had read it last summer. His advice was on the mark. It wasn't only disturbing, it was downright horrifying. However, I found that once I got started reading it, I could not put it down. Every spare moment I had was spent reading bits of the book. I was desparate to find out how such an intelligent woman, with so much going for her, could commit such a horrific crime.
Ann Rule begins this book in her usual fashion, telling about the childhood and teenage years of Debora Jones Green. This brilliant, popular, and seemingly normal young woman should have had the world by its tail. Unfortunately, something was brewing beneath the witty, engaging exterior. This popular young lady's world seemed to begin to unravel during her medical training. By the time she became a doctor, she had become a woman who was literally incapable of getting along with her peers and her patients.
Ann Rule conveys this suspenseful tale in such an engaging way that it is literally impossible to get the story out of one's head while reading it. It's been several weeks now since I've finished the book, but I still think about it often. Although Ann Rule probably got inside Debora's head better than anyone else could, the reader is still left baffled by her actions. It is hard to believe that any brilliant, talented mother of three adorable children could be so cold-hearted and brutal.
~~~A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE STORY~~~
Debora Green was raised in a comfortable middle-class home in midwest America. She breezes through primary school, high school, college, and medical school with outstanding grades. It is not until her years as an intern and a resident that any problems become apparent. After her first marriage failed (albeit amicably), she went on to marry a younger medical student and have three children. This is when the psychological problems rear their ugly heads.
Debora Green found practicing medicine difficult, but she appeared to be a loving mother who doted on her three children. She and her second husband, Dr. Michael Farrar, were thought to be a "perfect couple." Little did the neighbors and friends know what went on behind closed doors. Debora was a cold fish to her husband and was very domineering. Her interpersonal skills with adults were extremely poor. It was her own children and the friends of her children with whom she could best relate.
When Dr. Michael Farrar could take no more of Debora's abusive behavior, he left and filed for divorce. This threw Debora into a tailspin and led to a very tragic ending. Debora would stop at nothing to bring Michael back to her; this including sacrificing their children.
The latter part of the book is spent describing Debora's trial and her relationship with a lawyer who tried so very hard to help her. Ann Rule also met with Debora Green to try to understand what drove her to commit unthinkable crimes.
The reader emerges from this book with perhaps some understanding of Debora's deep-seeded emotional problems. However, much of the explanation is simply theory - as is with many emotional disturbances. Nonetheless, this book is a true page-turner. The fact that these events actually happened is hard to fathom.
We must all hope that there are very few Debora Green's in this world.
(c) Pelenya 2002
More details
Would you read it again?
Probably not
Evaluate this review
How helpful would this review be to someone making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
