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melli80's review
3.0
kinda short.
Even though I knew it was a short story, I wasn't too thrilled because it lacked the excitement I was expecting. It was a straight threw story, no mystery it went from crime to ending with little in the middle to work up to the conclusion.
Even though I knew it was a short story, I wasn't too thrilled because it lacked the excitement I was expecting. It was a straight threw story, no mystery it went from crime to ending with little in the middle to work up to the conclusion.
elinacre's review
4.0
for being such a short story, i'm surprised at how completely flavia it was! smart and weird, with her touches of sass...loved it!
curlygirl71's review
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kaylamarie's review against another edition
1.0
I'm a bit puzzled regarding the publishing of this one. If it was in a book of short stories it wouldn't be bad at all. As a stand alone short story it seems pointless.
tabithar's review against another edition
3.0
I like Flavia stories. This is a short one but a bit annoying because there's almost no way a reader would be aware of this random treatment for an obscure disease. There's no clear way given for Flavia's explanation of a heart attack. The death prior to electroplating makes sense given that the battery clipped to his nose would be been resisted by a living person.
Perhaps an editor felt similarly so it was maintained as a short.
Perhaps an editor felt similarly so it was maintained as a short.
carrionlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
This was much shorter than I thought it would be. More short story than novella. Still amusing though.
samiism's review against another edition
3.0
Murder is not an easy subject to broach, and I realized that I needed to take it easy on this boy. He was, after all, not much older than me. "Where's the corpse?" I asked.
Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, chemical connoisseur and amateur detective, receives a non-postmarked letter on a Sunday that goes: Murder! Come at once. Anson House, Greyminster, Staircase No. 3, J. Plaxton.
A normal person would tread lightly. She does not know who the sender is. Personally, I would think it's a trap. But I'm terribly paranoid. I am assuming that this isn't Flavia's first foray into mysterious situations. She immediately hops on her bicycle Gladys and heads for Anson House. There, she meets a boy not much older than her, who directs her into a busted loo where a naked dead man in the tub. And he seemed to have been carved out of copper. And he is Mr. Denning, the housemaster. Ooooh!
I immediately like Flavia, although I am just 12 pages in. When the Plaxton boy comments that the crime scene is probably no place for a girl, she snaps back: "Girl be blowed! I'm here as a brain, not as a female." Such sass! She also takes no bullshit from teenage boys. "I live on petrol fumes and swill motor oil for breakfast," she says when confronted by bullies.
It's a short story, full of wit and snark. Flavia was a fun character to read.
laurabythebook's review
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This is a short story.
funsized327's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5