Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
logging this late but i reread this book last month and i still love its dark and eerie tone. unlike other lord peter wimsey books. significant vibe shift between murder must advertise and gaudy night. love it
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I started off the New Year and the Vintage Mystery Challenge right--with The Nine Tailors by Dorothy L Sayers. Most appropriately this novel finds Lord Peter Wimsey beginning his latest mystery on New Year's Eve. This was a re-read for me (as all Sayers mysteries are), but it was a delight for me to finally sit down and read the first edition pocket book (pictured) that I picked up at Red Cross Book Sale a few years ago. I love my pocket-size editions.
The holiday finds Lord Peter and Bunter traveling to the fen country to stay with friends of his lordship. On the way, the Daimler has a misunderstanding with a narrow, hump-backed bridge and the pair find themselves nose down in a ditch. They make for Fenchurch St. Paul and soon become acquainted with most of the main characters in the upcoming mystery. A bout of influenza has also arrived in Fenchurch St. Paul and the Rector finds himself one man short for the bell-ringing scheduled to bring in the New Year. Fortunately, Lord Peter has rung a bell or two in his time and he gallantly offers to fill the gap. This gives him the opportunity to befriend and exchange gossip with most of the central actors.
A couple of months later finds a grave being opened to bury Sir Henry Thorpe with his wife (who had succumbed to the 'flu over New Year's). The gravediggers are surprised to find an unexpected corpse--the body of an unknown man, with features disfigured, and no coffin. The Rector decides to call in Lord Peter and he assists Inspector Blundell in the unraveling of the this very complicated case. Who is the man in the grave? How and when did he get there? Does it have anything do with the emeralds that were stolen at Sir Henry's wedding many years ago?
I love the research that Sayers did into campanology and how she works the bells and bell-ringing into every aspect of the novel. We find the bells serving as clues as well as bell-ringing phrases serving as chapter headings. None of it is gratuitous--it all serves a purpose and works incredibly well. Some of the descriptions of bell-ringing is a bit much if you aren't absolutely fascinated with the subject, but not so much that you can't thoroughly enjoy the story. Sayers is my absolute favorite of the queens of the Golden Age mysteries. Her books are so literate and full of interesting information and quotes. It may seem like she's throwing around all kinds of obscure bits and pieces, but readers should remember that during her time a liberal arts degree acquainted one with all the classics as well as languages (particularly Latin and French) in a way that college graduates rarely seem to accomplish these days.
The holiday finds Lord Peter and Bunter traveling to the fen country to stay with friends of his lordship. On the way, the Daimler has a misunderstanding with a narrow, hump-backed bridge and the pair find themselves nose down in a ditch. They make for Fenchurch St. Paul and soon become acquainted with most of the main characters in the upcoming mystery. A bout of influenza has also arrived in Fenchurch St. Paul and the Rector finds himself one man short for the bell-ringing scheduled to bring in the New Year. Fortunately, Lord Peter has rung a bell or two in his time and he gallantly offers to fill the gap. This gives him the opportunity to befriend and exchange gossip with most of the central actors.
A couple of months later finds a grave being opened to bury Sir Henry Thorpe with his wife (who had succumbed to the 'flu over New Year's). The gravediggers are surprised to find an unexpected corpse--the body of an unknown man, with features disfigured, and no coffin. The Rector decides to call in Lord Peter and he assists Inspector Blundell in the unraveling of the this very complicated case. Who is the man in the grave? How and when did he get there? Does it have anything do with the emeralds that were stolen at Sir Henry's wedding many years ago?
I love the research that Sayers did into campanology and how she works the bells and bell-ringing into every aspect of the novel. We find the bells serving as clues as well as bell-ringing phrases serving as chapter headings. None of it is gratuitous--it all serves a purpose and works incredibly well. Some of the descriptions of bell-ringing is a bit much if you aren't absolutely fascinated with the subject, but not so much that you can't thoroughly enjoy the story. Sayers is my absolute favorite of the queens of the Golden Age mysteries. Her books are so literate and full of interesting information and quotes. It may seem like she's throwing around all kinds of obscure bits and pieces, but readers should remember that during her time a liberal arts degree acquainted one with all the classics as well as languages (particularly Latin and French) in a way that college graduates rarely seem to accomplish these days.
I had a much harder time keeping up with the characters and framing lingo in this one. Copywriting was more my speed; church bell math and minutiae made me yawn. And, I knew what the big, gruesome end reveal would be almost immediately. There were enough period-specific details that did hold my attention and lead me to interesting rabbit holes that I still read to the end. Again, warning for sudden racism.
I hated this book for the first 120 pages and then I couldn’t put it down. This has a very slow start but it’s worth it!
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Rating this strictly on how much I liked it versus "quality." Sayers is a brilliant novelist and good at plot, but she *cannot* land the ending. Every single one of her books I've read so far peters out into a melancholy lack of energy. It's very odd, but leaves the reader invariably feeling rather flat about the book as a whole.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
http://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2016/05/2016-book-83.html
https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2023/06/2023-book-105.html (downgraded)
This Peter Wimsey spins a tale of a death that relates to a long-ago jewel theft, with all sorts of twists and tangles along the way. Not to mention a lot of discussion of bell-ringing (surprisingly interesting!). Not too much else to say, except that it was definitely satisfying, and I hope we'll see Hilary Thorpe again. A-.
https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2023/06/2023-book-105.html (downgraded)
This Peter Wimsey spins a tale of a death that relates to a long-ago jewel theft, with all sorts of twists and tangles along the way. Not to mention a lot of discussion of bell-ringing (surprisingly interesting!). Not too much else to say, except that it was definitely satisfying, and I hope we'll see Hilary Thorpe again. A-.
Being a mystery lover, I'd heard about this book forever but had never gotten around to reading it. A fellow mystery lover lent it to me raving about it but when I finally sat down to read it, I had real trouble getting through the first chapter. So I set it aside. This weekend, months after the loan, I took it out of town with me thinking I'd be in a more relaxed state of mind and be able to plow through it. Again, I had trouble w/ the first chapter. But I kept going and I'm so thankful I did. I totally know why this book is considered a classic of the genre. The characters, the setting and the plotting are all so richly and colorfully drawn. I had gotten tangled in the first part of the book b/c it was all setting and bell technology and nothing happening. Well, all that came back to pay off in spades. How the complexity of the puzzle bubbling under the surface of this sleepy English village morphs into a classic whodunnit is amazing. The depth of the detail in every aspect of the story sets you firmly into world of it. And the solution is almost mystically satisfying, especially when recalling the opening portion of the book. Not only a classic of the genre but a object lesson in how to write a novel. Wow.