Crime

Wow, What a book and what a family. I always say my family is crazy a a joke but my family is very sane compared to this family.

Very intriguing book. I thought a lot of it was well written and some parts were not. (the end) Once I had finished it I had to know what had happened to this family and to my dismay i discovered Frances had only been in jail for 13 years or so. She died in 2004 and I am sure her mom managed to get her more money.

The person i got most angry about was the mother Berenice. It appeared to me she hated her husband and did not really care for her other 2 daughters. only the youngest counted. The 2 oldest were smart to make sure she could not give everything to Frances but in a way she managed to do that anyways cause where did Frances get all that money from to pay for the ballet? That was not very clear to me in this book cause it said that Berenice "Only" ha! got 10.000 a month.

Frances was sick so to me her mother is the one to blame most of it all. I googled this family and discovered a tribute page for Frances. (Yes i kid you not) but it was interesting cause I got to know a bit what had happen to Marc and Larry. They say the youngest child is doing very well but I can't imagine she can have such a childhood and not be scarred by that. Hope it is true though.

I am glad I had a copy of this book and would like to read the other book about this case At Mother's Request one day.
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There are actually dueling books of this murder of a self-made millionaire by his grandson at the urging of his mother, the daughter of the victim. Jonathan Coleman's At Mother's Request from what I've read focuses more on the investigation and prosecution. Alexander's is more on the family dynamic, which practically from birth became centered on Frances Schroeder, a sociopath who goaded her son to become a murderer so she could continue to live the life of a wealthy socialite based on the wealth her father had earned, and which Frances felt entitled to spend. Among other things--and this is the genesis of the title taken from the Tchaikovsky ballet, it gained her entry into the exalted circles of New York City's cultural elite: Frances claimed to see George Balanchine as her "real father." And given her background in such circles and experience as a journalist this is a world and dynamic Alexander is very qualified to vividly render--one of those books from which you remember scenes decades after reading. ( )