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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
This is my favorite Dorothy Sayers books and one of my favorite books ever. I reread this book every few years and I picked it up again this week. Dorothy Sayers published this novel in 1934 and it is a fascinating introduction to change riging--the ringing of church bells in intricate patterns that can last for hours. In the village of Fenland, there are 8 bells at Fenchurch St. Paul and each has its own tone, name, and history. Tradition in the village dictates that any time there is a death in the parish, the largest bell, Tailor Paul, is rung nine times for the death of a man, six times for the death of a woman, and three times for the death of a child. Following the initial toll, Tailor Paul is then struck one time--at thirty second intervals--for each year of the person's life. Lord Pter Wimsey is stranded in Fenland on New Year's Eve because of a car accident and he becomes involved with the nine hour change ringing that ushers in the New Year. During his time in the village, Wimsey learns of an unsolved theft of jewels and he is slowly drawn into the case which results in the unraveling of two crimes committed thirty years apart. This book transcends the mystery genre as Sayers draw the Fen country of England with an expert hand and with her evocative language the atmosphere of the Fens almost becomes a character in the story. After reading this book, I am always left with the strong impression that sometimes it is best to leave a mystery unsolved if the solving causes significantly more pain among the affected parties than they would endure if the case was left alone. Dorothy Sayers is a wonderful writer and I think that this is her best in the Lord Peter Wimsey series.
I mean, fine mystery with some clever identity play and misleading stuff. How much you enjoy it will depend on how much you enjoy Sayers' style. And bell ringing talk.
I have to say something about the ending
And then at the end of the book, when there's no sign there's going to be any charges pressed against him or anything, he dies. He's working on a sluice gate, it bursts with plenty of warning so I don't know why they didn't get off, someone falls in the river, he jumps in after them, both die.
The death feels entirely futile, both from a moral and narrative standpoint. He's left behind a wife and kids, the wife widowed for the 2nd time. He was a labourer and presumably barely left any money for them. He could have left the sluice before it burst. But none of this is gone into. He just dies. It's a bizarrely miserable end where it feels like Wimsey's exertions did nothing but ruin the lives of a working class family. But hey, the daughter of the county squire got extremely rich so everything's fine! Bizarre.
Also the cipher here is pretty ingenious but it's both cracked way too easily and also gone into more detail than most people would be interested in. Have His Carcase had the same problem.
I have to say something about the ending
Spoiler
In the end, the murder is revealed to be a complete accident, although it's maybe not surprising that leaving a guy in a room of 8 big bells is not exactly conducive to his health. The victim was a murderer and thief who ruined the lives of multiple people - and weirdly didn't even see any profit from it. And before his identity was discovered everyone thought he was dead anyway. So the discovery of the body and Wimsey's identification of him just made everything worse, a fact he muses on a bit. The person with the most responsibility for the death didn't intend to kill him - he was married to the man's wife and had realised that if he was still alive then their marriage was bigamous, and was going to give him money to leave the country to avoid a scandal for the wife. He got struck down by flu before he could carry out his plan and left him in the belfry, which killed him.And then at the end of the book, when there's no sign there's going to be any charges pressed against him or anything, he dies. He's working on a sluice gate, it bursts with plenty of warning so I don't know why they didn't get off, someone falls in the river, he jumps in after them, both die.
The death feels entirely futile, both from a moral and narrative standpoint. He's left behind a wife and kids, the wife widowed for the 2nd time. He was a labourer and presumably barely left any money for them. He could have left the sluice before it burst. But none of this is gone into. He just dies. It's a bizarrely miserable end where it feels like Wimsey's exertions did nothing but ruin the lives of a working class family. But hey, the daughter of the county squire got extremely rich so everything's fine! Bizarre.
Also the cipher here is pretty ingenious but it's both cracked way too easily and also gone into more detail than most people would be interested in. Have His Carcase had the same problem.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
Bloody most. brilliant. book. ever.
I love Sayers. Her mystery, with Wimsey--though dark and less of whimsy--interwoven through bells, brazen, and the history of a small village among the English fens, is as well-plotted as Stedman's, and as bewildering for most of the intrigue. Genius.
I love Sayers. Her mystery, with Wimsey--though dark and less of whimsy--interwoven through bells, brazen, and the history of a small village among the English fens, is as well-plotted as Stedman's, and as bewildering for most of the intrigue. Genius.
I enjoyed this one a lot, if only because of Peter's characterisation in it, and because of the glimpses it gave us into his experiences in the Great War. The mystery was shockingly simple to figure out, even with the overly technical fussiness which was related to the bells and bell-ringing; I understood most of what was going on about a third of way through, less even, and after that it was more a question of trusting Sayers to wrap it up in style rather than trying to puzzle out what had happened. One of the better novels which don't feature Harriet.
