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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I’ve read this at least a dozen times since I was 14 or so. Excellent evocative fenland descriptions, more about bell ringing than you ever knew there was to know, missing emeralds and a mystery corpse, plus Lord Peter of course and Bunter being splendid.
Alternated between audiobook and kindle for this one. I still don't understand a goddamn thing about change ringing OR fen drainage, but I enjoyed the sense of time and place created by such attention to these details. Kristin Cashore cites this as one of her favorite books, and I can see a bit of Bitterblue in the cryptic oddities here. My favorite thing about this book, however, is the subtle stiffness of everything that's supposed to be in French. I studied a different Romance language in school, but I'd bet any number of hats that Sayers rendered her syntax thus in an approximation of the literal French it is supposedly translated from. Delightful.
I am puzzled by how far in advance both the corpse's identity and manner of death were obvious to me, but not Wimsey. Have I read so many mysteries by now that I've cottoned on to all the tricks? Is it just very obvious? Who... am I?!?
I am puzzled by how far in advance both the corpse's identity and manner of death were obvious to me, but not Wimsey. Have I read so many mysteries by now that I've cottoned on to all the tricks? Is it just very obvious? Who... am I?!?
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.
The atmosphere, danger, characters, all first-rate. The minutaie (sic) of the bells not so much.
Quite a convoluted plot in this one and all related to the rather esoteric practice of change ringing. Still quite a good read though.
Wimsey gets involved in a village's goings on, becoming friendly with the local rector, stepping in for a sick bell-ringer for the New Year's Peal, & embroiling himself in the area's 2 biggest mysteries—a mutilated corpse in the graveyard & an emerald necklace 20 years missing. The thematic color in this book is INTERMINABLY dull—the mathematics of church bell change ringing & the history of the Fens feature overmuch. However, the mystery is ASTOUNDING & the ending is honestly moving. REC: IDEK
The first Lord Peter Wimsey book I have read, and not a bad place to start.
LPW ends up in a small town on a stormy night, and affably agrees to help with a 9-hour attempt to set a bell-ringing record. He thinks he will never return to the small village he only accidentally visited, but then there is a murder…
At first I characterized Lord Peter as Bertram Wooster with tact and an interest in detective work, and while that impression holds true throughout the entire novel, it turns out to be not all that fair; there’s a lot more there. The book is extremely tightly plotted, even when it doesn’t seem like it is, and works its way towards a very unexpected ending. I can’t wait to go back and start at the beginning; this may be a new favorite series.
LPW ends up in a small town on a stormy night, and affably agrees to help with a 9-hour attempt to set a bell-ringing record. He thinks he will never return to the small village he only accidentally visited, but then there is a murder…
At first I characterized Lord Peter as Bertram Wooster with tact and an interest in detective work, and while that impression holds true throughout the entire novel, it turns out to be not all that fair; there’s a lot more there. The book is extremely tightly plotted, even when it doesn’t seem like it is, and works its way towards a very unexpected ending. I can’t wait to go back and start at the beginning; this may be a new favorite series.
It is very lowering to reflect that my complete lack of coordination and rhythm means I would be very bad at change ringing.