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Title: Too sympathetic treatment of a murderer, but still gripping
Review: Norman Mailer paints a much too sympathetic portrait of a man who blamed his upbringing and the dominant society for his problems and actions. The narrative is engaging, but Gilmore is made to be the hero of the story in the rather one-sided account. Based on historical value, the book is probably necessary reading, but the end result left me uneasy. Times have changed a little here in Utah County, but the climate still does not regularly spawn murderous acts, as the novel appears to insinuate. Aside from these problems, however, the book, to be fair, is gripping and difficult to put down.
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