Sophie's Legacy
A Mother's Story of her Family's Loss and Their Quest for Change
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4.6 • 5 Ratings
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- $20.99
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- $20.99
Publisher Description
Sophie Elliott had everything to live for, until her ex boyfriend decided otherwise. The gripping mother's tale of a murder that shocked New Zealand.
Sophie Elliott had good looks, intelligence, friends, a loving family, a degree under her belt and a new job at the Treasury in Wellington. And then, the day before she left Dunedin to take up that job, she was brutally stabbed to death in her own home by her former boyfriend, Clayton Weatherston. He was much older and one of her lecturers at the university. When the public came to take his measure at his high-profile trial in 2010, his narcissistic, manipulative personality stunned the nation.
Sophie's mother Lesley has weathered the horror of her daughter's death, and the gruelling process of the trial, to set up a foundation to help young women identify when they might be in a relationship that puts them in harm's way — as Sophie was, unbeknownst to her and her family — and how to seek help.
This book is Lesley's tribute to a daughter she adored, her harrowing account of a tragedy no family should ever have to endure, and her inspiring decision to make sure that Sophie's legacy endures. It's also her challenge to the justice system on behalf of victims.
Customer Reviews
A must read for parents and young adults
I own and read the paperback copy of this book after hearing Leslie talk at a fundraiser. I experienced a range of emotions whilst reading this book. It's written from Sophie's Elliots mother Leslie Elliot's intense and personal account of Sophies life, before and after she met and formed a relationship with the monster that was Clayton Weatherston. How he horrifically murdered Sophie in her own home and the trial of Clayton Weatherston and the media interest in the trial. This book does contain a graphic description of how Sophie died which horrified, angered and moved me to tears.
Leslie also discusses the warning signs she saw in the relationship between Sophie and Clayton with his narcissistic personality and how young woman need to be educated about the signs that they may be in a potentially abusive or dangerous relationship.
Confronting Truths
This family is navigating a nightmare that doesn't have a wake up alarm.
I was left overwhelmed and sleepless by images that were only conjured in my mind. Not to imagine the ensuing courtroom antics and dramas.
A tragedy told from a first account in mothers words, I truly hope there are beneficial procedural changes for other victims and their families, fronting murder trials.