Weep for the Living

by Anne Butler, Abigail Padgett

A respected retired criminologist picks up a pistol and shoots his wife five times as she rocks on her plantation home's gallery. WHY?? In this riveting book, the wife who miraculously survived provides some answers with remarkable candor, compassion, even humor. This is not fiction--it's stranger!

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Anne Butler (1944-), who also writes as Anne Butler Hamilton, is a native of St. Francisville and operates a bed and breakfast at the Butler Greenwood Plantation, which has been in her family since the 1790s. Motivated by her love of culture, she has reached a wide audience through articles published in the Los Angeles Times, Country Woman, New Orleans Magazine, and Country Road. She is also the author of Pelican's Audubon Plantation Country Cookbook, Bayou Plantation Country Cookbook, Acadian Plantation Country Cookbook, The Pelican Guide to Plantation Homes of Louisiana, and her memoir, Weep for the Living.

Reviews

[Aimee L · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really wish I would have read this book before visiting the historic town of St. Francisville. It would have made our trip to the Angola Prison Museum even more interesting, and many of the sites we visited around the area. If you live in Louisiana, plan a trip to St. Francisville, but read this book first!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

True story of Anne Butler, the owner of Butler Greenwood Plantation/Bed and Breakfast and her husband, the former warden of Angola State Prison, who shot Anne five times and left her for dead. What makes this story especially spine tingling for me is that we have stayed at BG many times, know Anne personally, and saw her now deceased husband lurking about the place each time we visited. In fact, we had been there two weekends before this tragic event. She writes honestly (a little too honestly for some folks in St. Francisville and around the state) about herself, her part in the events leading up to the murder attempt and how she survived and came to terms with the aftermath. I found it riveting...

[Candace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Althought not especially well written, I enjoyed this book. I can not imagine going through something like this and still able to have so much forgiveness in my heart. How sad that someone could be so vicious in the act of trying to kill someone, and then try to say they didn't remember anything about it. BULL! This man was just plain mean. I do admire Ms. Butlers strength of survival. She certainly was not perfect, but no one deserved what she went through. Nor did her children! I have actually been to this plantation and it is beautiful!!!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The forward did a fantastic job of preparing me for a good book. Then... the history of Anne Buttler's house for quite a few pages. The book was not what I expected. It felt like more of an unfeeling view of the facts. I know that she wanted to be objective, but her husband tried to murder her. I expected more emotions, more drama, or more anything from this book. Still was an interesting story overall, though.

[Thuc Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's amazing that Anne Butler has such a great sense of humor after everything that happened to her. The book paints an interesting portrait and gives a great history of the small town where her family has had a home for multiple generations.

Butler's through-line is that of a woman who has lived life on her own terms, who's bravely survived something no one should ever go through, a most massive betrayal and come out on the other side more grateful to be alive than ever.

Great inspirational read set in the big oak trees and Spanish moss of the Deep South.

This book should be a movie!

[Koren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weep for the Living by Anne Butler
2 stars

The author runs a bed and breakfast and her husband is a retired prison warden who shoots his wife in the abdomen. She survives to tell the story. As I true crime story I don't believe this is very well-written. There is very little information leading up to the incident, but a lot about her recovery afterward. There is also little about the investigation and the trial is mostly transcripts. Apparently, the last 50 pages are answers to a request by the author to tell how they know the author and how they felt after the shooting (including 2 letters by her children). I think this might be a better story if told by someone impartial. There is just really a lot here about how she felt and her medical journey afterwards

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was cleaning out a storage unit and found this book. I decided to read it because it takes place very near where I grew up. Amazing story of survial and forgiveness. Anne Butler married a former warden of Angola Prison. Seven years into the marriage he ends up shooting her and then watches her bleed to death. Or so he thought. This is the account of her survival. A fairly quick read, there are lots of characters in this book but they are fairly easy to keep straight. I really felt sorry for her two children. I wonder how her son is doing now? He should be about 28 years old now.

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

That was a hard book to read, I can't imagine living it.
I was shocked to discover a book they co-authored on Angola
on my reading list from years ago. A little brush with
the fact that all this really did happen. An incredible
woman-not the most skilled author, but the story is just
riveting.

[Cathyhall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read from an independent publisher. True story (with photographs). The author was shot by her husband on the porch of her bed and breakfast in St. Francisville, LA and lives to cope, recover, and forgive. This title may be a little hard to find, glad I did.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but repetitious. And why,oh why, did she keep up contact with this guy after he was convicted???

[Jeanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, it was interesting and generated a lot of discussion, but it wasn't an enjoyable book, nor was it exceptionally well written.

[Ginger Stanford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful! What a strong woman!

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but not well written.

[Rose Womack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book but author tends to carry on about herself.

[Heidi]

Louisiana attempted murder on wife.