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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
One of the trickiest murder mysteries ever. I love foppish Lord Peter and the unflappable Bunter. Re-read for the March Cornflower book group selection.
It took me forever to read it because Life got in the way, but this was a delightful mystery. I'm glad I got to read it over a long period of time, ultimately.
adventurous
challenging
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I listened to this as a BBC full cast recording, and quite enjoyed it. It's very much of its time, but that is part of its charm. As I remember doing before, when I read a paper copy, I got a bit muddled about who was who in the centre part of the novel, which was full of village gossip and things that had happened in the past, and dragged a little. The ending fell a bit flat for a murder mystery in my opinion, but was certainly clever and unexpected. I like Lord Peter, but he can't hold a candle to Albert Campion.
I'm in a Dorothy L. Sayers marathon of sorts ( reading her Lord Peter Wimsey series) and this is the best I've read so far! Her mysteries are rather simple by which I mean I can generally guess correctly at the guilty party all by myself ;) What makes them interesting to me is above all Lord Peter Wimsey himself! He's quite the character and I often get the feeling that he could just as easily be a character in the Wodehouse universe! Bunter - his inimitable butler would certainly do Jeeves proud!
In this book, Sayers gives us an in depth look at bell-ringing; an art that I knew absolutely nothing about. Her style and use of quotations often detract from my reading experience though coz I find myself having to look up lots of stuff, and that upsets my reading rhythm. Perhaps that's because of the time period she wrote about and in. It's completely alien to me and in that sense it's hard to find the right context sometimes. But her characters are entirely relatable and recognisable. Human nature being what it is, hasn't changed that much over the decades!
I enjoyed the mystery in this one and the mode of death - rather unique! You'll just have to read it yourself and see! Gaudy Night is next.
In this book, Sayers gives us an in depth look at bell-ringing; an art that I knew absolutely nothing about. Her style and use of quotations often detract from my reading experience though coz I find myself having to look up lots of stuff, and that upsets my reading rhythm. Perhaps that's because of the time period she wrote about and in. It's completely alien to me and in that sense it's hard to find the right context sometimes. But her characters are entirely relatable and recognisable. Human nature being what it is, hasn't changed that much over the decades!
I enjoyed the mystery in this one and the mode of death - rather unique! You'll just have to read it yourself and see! Gaudy Night is next.
This one takes a while to get going as there are some asides about the intricacies of bell ringing which went over my head slightly before a body even appears but it's worth sticking with for the twisting plot which follows. It does seem slightly heavy on exposition to start with as well but it all ends up being relevant to the plot without being over indulgent.
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is a Lord Peter Wimsey book, the second one I've read, and enjoyed. It's very geeky in its descriptions and enjoyment of campanology (study of bells and bell-ringing), particularly the mathematical series style of ringing bell changes.
lighthearted
mysterious
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No